The Cardigans are a Swedish indie/pop band that formed in 1992. They remain best-known for their breakthrough album, Life (1995) and hit singles including "Lovefool", known as the title track in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson , both heavy metal musicians, formed the group in 1992 in Jönköping, Sweden, with drummer Bengt Lagerberg , keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Living together in a small apartment, The Cardigans recorded a demo tape which record producer Tore Johansson heard, leading to an invitation to record at a studio in Malmö. Their debut album was Emmerdale (1994), which includes the Swedish radio hit "Rise & Shine". The album was later voted the best of 1994 by a readers poll in Slitz magazine.
The rest of 1994 was spent touring Europe and recording Life, which was released in 1995. Life became an international success, selling more than a million copies worldwide and achieving platinum status in Japan. They were signed to Mercury Records thereafter, and released First Band on the Moon in 1996. It represented a marked departure from previous works, including more unusual accompaniment and lyrics with violent themes. "Lovefool" was a hit across the globe, especially in the United States and again in Japan, where the album reached platinum in only three weeks.
1998's Gran Turismo was less popular, and was followed by a long hiatus during which the band members pursued solo side projects (however, they did collaborate with Tom Jones for a track on his 1999 album Reload). Nina Persson released an album as A Camp, Peter Svensson worked on the project Paus with help from Joachim Berg of Kent, and Magnus Sveningsson recorded as Righteous Boy . The Cardigans returned in 2003 with the quieter, more introspective Long Gone Before Daylight .
Recently, the band has followed a more country music style.
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