“Storytelling,” says the 29-year-old Gothenburg native. “That’s what will matter in the long run. If I achieve that, I’m happy. Anyone can sing.” First and foremost, Albin considers himself a musical journalist who not only documents what he feels, but also what he sees. But before you discover his gift for weaving emotion, detail and humanity into a unique blend of classic soul and modern pop production, you will hear his voice and be bowled over.
Indeed, on Albin’s debut album About You, those pipes of his connect a rich history of rhythm and blues—Al Green, Van Morrison—to contemporary innovators like James Blake, Sam Smith and Hozier. The music does that too, swelling from spare guitar or piano-backed ballads, to Ronson-like mashups of hip-hop beats and sweeping strings, to hands-in-the-air soul-soaked dance-pop.
Albin’s parents are both musicians—his mother Annika Blennerhed was a successful Swedish jazz and folk-rock singer in the ’70s and ’80s, and his father Max Meldau dabbled in punk and new wave back in London.In town, he’d fantasize about becoming a performer while exploring the recesses of the theater. On mom’s watch, he’d take trumpet lessons and sing in choir, though only “to get mopeds and computers and stuff”.
Albin made a name with previous band The Magnolia, so he began to play solo. He busked too, often making hundreds of dollars in a day. The “Lou Lou” demo earned him an EP, Lovers, produced by Björn Ylttling (of Peter Bjorn and John), which resulted in a contract with Astralwerks, but no one expected the song to explode so massively on Spotify, quickly hitting No. 1 on the Viral 50 in five countries.
After a listen, it’s not hard to imagine how he’s already been nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2017 Grammis (Sweden’s Grammy Awards).
Albin will also be performing a very special headline show at Manchester’s Night and Day Cafe on the 16th October- a beautiful venue for such a creative artist.
Tickets are available here: http://gigst.rs/ALM
Follow Albin Lee Meldau on:
Twitter: @AlbinLeeMeldau
Instagram: @albinleemeldau
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-82fvCE-MuY
Website: http://www.albinleemeldau.com/