By Nia Kajastie | Photo: Derrick Santini

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Danish clarinettist Lone Widahl Madsen has collaborated with classical music superstars and performed at prestigious venues around the world, and now through her own arrangements and compositions, she is expressing “her own voice” on the album White Sands. Scan Magazine sat down with Madsen to discuss her ambition and dream to bring classical music and her beloved clarinet to the attention of wider audiences.

Warm, yearning and almost like an extension of your voice: Lone Madsen finds the beautiful tone of the clarinet an excellent, but thoroughly underused, medium for communicating emotions. With her album White Sands, which will be released at the end of May, Madsen hopes to bring the clarinet to the people.

“I basically wanted to create something of my own, something essential and beautiful around the clarinet, something that resonates with me. Obviously my roots are in classical music, so I’m very much a classical musician, but I wanted to bring that classical side up to date. I think classical music has, not a bad rep, but it has an association with being slightly stiff, and it’s not attracting young people. And I think it would be wonderful to win over that audience,” Madsen reflects.

Madsen admits that the recording process was hard work, and it took her five years to finish the album, including creating her own interpretations of music she loves and composing her own pieces. “It’s been a while coming, and I hope that I’ve communicated something a bit different,” she says.
The album name refers to the sand dune deserts up in the north of Denmark that Madsen finds breathtakingly incredible. She was inspired by the scenery and light; “It was like being in the Sahara.”

Passion for music and drama

While Lone Madsen was born in Denmark, her family moved over to the UK when she was only four, so at a young age, her connection with her Danish roots was upheld through family, summer visits and the Saturday school at the Danish Church in London. Tall, blonde and with a relaxed air about her, Madsen is in many ways characteristically Danish; however, her education and career have taken her far “from home”.

Her passion for, not only classical, but all genres of music was ignited by her mother, whose side of the family was very musical. “I was always immersed in music and art,” says Madsen. “And when I picked up the clarinet for the first time, after receiving it as a present, I absolutely loved it, the sound, the tone. It was very much part of my childhood.”

In addition to music, Madsen was in love with a lot of things, including drama, dance and literature. Her choice to pursue her music career was cemented when she began her studies at the Juilliard School, a world-renowned American school that specialises in music, dance and drama, where she was taught by brilliant musicians, such as clarinettist Charles Neidich.

“There are stories about how competitive the school is, but my experience was that both the students and professors were fabulous. It was an amazing and inspiring time for me, and I was able to work with the other departments. We did multimedia shows, combining music, dance and acting. I was able to get people out of their boxes; it was a lot of fun.”

While she had her heart set on the clarinet, she was also interested in acting as a separate entity. “It was quite a dilemma for me for a while, and even though I decided to follow the musical path, it does not mean I’ve given up on acting completely, as you never know what’s going to come your way.”

Madsen has studied acting and even played the part of Miss Grey in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Even now, Lone has her mind set on a new acting project.

“In fact, we’re developing a romantic comedy about a clarinettist right now, which is quite a lot of fun. You can imagine who is going to play the main part; I don’t know anyone else who could do it apart from me,” she laughs.

Collaboration and inspiration

After graduating from the Juilliard School, Madsen has gone on to play the clarinet and collaborate with some classical music luminaries, including Andrea Bocelli, Terry Barber, Thomas Ades, Milton Babbit, Alfred Brendel, Michael Kamen and Nora Kroll Rosenbaum, as well as working with the English National Opera and punchdrunk theatre. In 2011, Madsen released a record with her classical group The Lumen Ensemble, and she has also composed music for use in film.

Madsen enjoys collaborative projects, and her vision is to mix classical music with different creative genres. She has recently worked together with a writer and director to create a show about Casanova that mixes together music, dance and theatre. “I think it’s great to collaborate in this way, and it is again a way of introducing classical music to new audiences; this show has some great music in it. It is now finished, and while it was meant to be a one night charity event at Kensington Palace, we are actually thinking of doing a run of the show.”

Madsen’s most current project is recording a repertoire with 18-time Grammy award-winning music producer Steve Epstein in Los Angeles and also going on a tour with it. And with the release of White Sands on iTunes and Amazon at the end of this month, more listeners will be introduced to her contemporary and elegant compositions, and the beautiful tone of the clarinet.

For more information, please visit: www.lonemadsen.com

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A West End musical, a hit TV drama and an upcoming film by double Palme D’or-winning director Bille August: just four years after graduating, 30-year-old Birgitte Hjort Sørensen has managed to land leading roles in all of them. No wonder the pretty Dane sounds a little out of breath when Scan Magazine catches up with her.

Ready for the sell-out musical Chicago to commence at the packed Cambridge Theatre, the unmistakably Danish name of one of the actresses caught my eye. It was 2008, and fresh out of drama school, the then just 26-year-old Birgitte Hjort Sørensen dazzled as the sly, sexy Roxie – one of the play’s two leads. Still, I am a little surprised when, four years later, I realise that my interviewee is the very same Birgitte. Today, she is best known for her role as Katrine Fønsmark in the internationally acclaimed drama series Borgen and has just finished filming for her title role in Bille August’s upcoming film Marie Krøyer.

When I get Birgitte on the phone, she has just jumped off her bike outside her flat in Copenhagen’s bohemian Vesterbro neighbourhood. “I just need to lock it, then I will be there,” she says slightly out of breath. I have been lucky enough to catch the multifaceted actress on a short break before she starts filming the third season of DR’s drama Borgen. The Danish series, which recently finished its first season on BBC Four, has been sold to more than ten countries and, a bit unexpectedly, brought its cast to fame in and outside Denmark. “It was a big surprise. I don’t think that any of us ever imagined that people outside of Denmark would want to watch something in Danish,” she laughs. “But we are thrilled, proud and amazed that people have taken to it.”

In the series, Birgitte plays a dedicated and successful journalist struggling with conflicts between her personal and professional life. “The problems that we bring up in Borgen are somewhat universal; it is about what power does to people and how you combine your personal life with a highly demanding public life,” explains the actress, who has, although single and obviously not involved in the same scale of drama as her character, experienced a bit of turmoil herself. “I don’t think I struggle as much as she does,” she stresses. “But I can definitely feel a difference from when we started shooting and nobody knew who I was. Now a lot of people recognise me; it is not a problem, but I am a bit more aware of people.”

A comforting hug from a legend

The conflict between ambition and personal life was also a major cause of trouble in the life of the painter Marie Krøyer, whom Birgitte portrays in Bille August’s upcoming film of the same name. The film will be the first one filmed in Denmark by the director in 25 years, and, although performing in front of London’s demanding West End audience just six months after graduating from drama school did not break the young actress’s nerves, Birgitte admits she did feel the adrenalin pumping when she first auditioned for probably Denmark’s most celebrated director. “The first time I met him was six months before we started shooting, and I was really nervous about the whole thing, because he is so legendary,” she recalls. “But the moment he saw me, he gave me a big hug and thanked me for coming to the audition, and I thought, wow, this is a great way to start. He is very sweet, and he treats everybody, not just the actors but the entire crew, with a lot of respect.”

The challenge of having a nervous breakdown in three minutes

Marie Krøyer depicts the title character’s struggle to combine her own artistic career with a troublesome marriage to one of Denmark’s most talented painters, P.S. Krøyer, around the beginning of the last century. Staying true to the time and history without alienating a modern audience was, says Birgitte, one of the greatest challenges in her career, and the difficulty in capturing the light and colours recognisable in the artists’ paintings on film did not ease the process. “There was this one scene which we needed to shoot at the break of dawn; I had to have a complete breakdown, and it all had to happen within like three minutes – that sort of added some pressure.”

But adapting and changing roles has never seemed to be a problem for the versatile actress, who first gained recognition in the role of Roxie Hart in the immensely successful Danish adaption of Chicago at Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen. Her performance also landed her the same role in London, but although the actress says playing Roxie in the West End was “a dream come true” and that she “enjoyed every second of it”, she never meant or trained to become a musical actress. “I just always enjoyed singing and dancing, and Chicago was one of maybe three or four musicals that I really wanted to do,” she says, and with a small dry laugh adds: “I think of myself as a dramatic actress; when I was in drama school, I always thought I would do a lot of Shakespeare – but not that many roles come around.”

Following Denmark’s hot men abroad

Among the many parts Birgitte has played is the role of the quick-witted secretary Beate in the Danish film At World’s End. In the film, she plays alongside two of Denmark’s biggest (and handsomest) stars, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau; an experience which she laughingly calls “a treat”. “I was almost just out of drama school when we did it, and I was scared out of my wits being with these two super actors – very handsome as well. But they were so sweet, it was like they took care of me and showed me the ropes.” Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has since gained international success in his role as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, something which, Birgitte believes, confirms that good acting skills can transcend borders. “The last five or ten years, more and more Danish actors have tried to make it abroad; earlier you did not really think about having a career outside of Denmark, because it seemed impossible, but more and more are starting to break down that barrier and, of course, if one does it, it makes it easier for the next.”

Regarding her own dreams and plans, the young actress is just as open-minded as one would expect from someone who has already been as far about as she has. “I really enjoy travelling with my work; it is so fascinating to meet people from the other side of the world and just be able to work together instantly, and obviously there are new challenges to be found abroad,” she says.

Whether we will next see her again in a musical in London, a Scandinavian TV series or a Hollywood drama remains to be seen; I for one would not be surprised by anything.

By Emelie Krugly Hill | Photos: Karin Thörnblom

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Peter Jöback is celebrating a 30-year long career with the lead role in one of the world’s most prominent musicals, The Phantom of the Opera. We caught up with Sweden’s biggest singer and musical star a few days before his move to London.

Peter Jöback’s career began as an 11-year-old, and his silky smooth voice captivated me in the early 90s, when I saw him on stage for the first time in Fame – The Musical in Stockholm. I was 13 years old and quickly developed my first secret crush on this handsome brown-eyed and extraordinarily talented artist.

A few years later, in 1995, Peter experienced a huge breakthrough with the ABBA duo Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson’s hit musical Kristina från Duvemåla, an interpretation of Swedish author Vilhem Moberg’s four novels, charting a family’s poverty-driven migration from Sweden to America in the mid-19th century. It was not only Jöback’s big break on the musical stage, but also meant a spot on Sweden’s musical charts, where he remained for no less than 110 weeks, with the song Guldet blev till sand (The gold turned into sand). For his role as Robert in the musical, he received the prestigious Guldmasken award.

Since then, he has moved between the two popular spheres of musical theatre and pop. He has sold over a million albums, and one of them, Jag Kommer Hem Igen Till Jul (I’m coming home again for Christmas) has become somewhat of a modern Christmas classic in Sweden. Peter has toured sold-out concert halls and has been praised for musical roles both in Sweden and internationally.

Taking on the Phantom

Jöback is on his way to the airport when I catch him on the phone. It is only a few days before his move to London, having been handpicked for the lead role in The Phantom of the Opera, now in its 26th year at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End.

So how does one prepare for such a grand role? “I just don’t know,” Peter says. “I prepare myself as best I can. I’m not sure you can fully prepare for a job like the Phantom. But I believe the magic will happen in the moment. I will, of course, be terribly nervous on stage at the premiere, but I have decided to try and enjoy every single moment.”

“It’s the perfect time to enter a new era, and it feels fantastic! I feel very grateful for this opportunity and to be working with such an incredible cast. It’s a dream role and a great starting point to return to the stage after a long break.”

It is not the first time Jöback has performed in the West End. In 1997, he was offered the lead as Chris in Miss Saigon, and three years later, he took the role of Michael in the original cast of The Witches of Eastwick. He remembers that the expectations were high and the pressure as well, but overall it was exhilarating. Soon work offers arrived from Sweden, and Peter decided to move home to focus on his career on his home soil.

“Fourteen years on and I have so much more experience and am feeling much stronger,” says Peter, who is more than ready to meet the British audience again. “I have a long career behind me now. I notice that people have respect for me; it feels wonderful.”

“I love London and the British audiences; they have been very supportive. Hopefully I’ll have some time to visit my favourite spots, such as Notting Hill, Hyde Park and my favourite seafood restaurant in the Michelin House in Knightsbridge,” Peter reveals.

Pulling the brake

In 2009, after a long career with numerous major roles, shows and successful albums, he abruptly took some time out, cancelling all jobs, and moved to New York to seek a more balanced life. That same year, the SVT documentary Happy, Handsome and Unknown was released. For the first time, he talked about how his troubled past with issues concerning sexual abuse and an alcoholic father had caught up with him. However, his inner journey over the last ten years has made him stronger than ever.

“Today, I have an amazing life and an inspiring career. Now, I have peace with everything in my life and am not ashamed at all.”

It was during his time in New York that he attended the audition for Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, mostly just for fun, and was almost picked for the lead. When the opportunity in London was offered to him off the back of this, Peter did not hesitate.

The Phantom turns 25

When The Phantom of the Opera celebrated its 25th anniversary in October last year, Peter participated in the jubilee performances held at the Royal Albert Hall, and it was broadcast live to cinema audiences in several countries.

“It was a huge honour to be there with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh on stage; it was basically musical history. They were very happy and very encouraging,” says Peter. “It naturally felt great and was the best possible start to an exciting journey.”

Current and future projects

Recently, Peter Jöback released a new album of songs by famous French composers that have been translated into Swedish, something he describes as a dream project. A short film was also produced with the same title as the album, La Vie, L’Amour, La Mort; it is a dramatic tale of an entertainer’s love, life and death, where Peter Jöback plays his French alter-ego, and which includes actresses Izabella Scorupco, Melinda Kinnaman and Emma Sjöberg-Wiklund.

Peter Jöback recently also followed in the footsteps of his idols, Frank Sinatra, Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavours, on a trip to New York, Paris and Berlin, in the Swedish TV documentary Med hjärtat som insats, to discover the secret of immense fame and how to become a true entertainer.

And what about his next project? “First of all, I will return to Sweden for a rest and enjoy my new residence on Värmdö outside of Stockholm. I’m longing to work behind as well as in front of the camera; I keep pitching ideas to Swedish television,” he says.

Last year was a big one for Peter in many ways, as he turned 40 and also married his long-term boyfriend Oscar Nilsson. “Our wedding was amazing, and I will remember that day for a very, very long time. It was a powerful ceremony of love for us and all our friends.”

Peter Jöback will star as the Phantom at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London from 19 March until September 2012.

For more information, please visit: www.peterjoback.com

By Inna Allen | Photos: Ville Juurikkala

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Nightwish, the grandmasters of metal, are back with a vengeance. After a long break, they are now spoiling their fans with a new album, a full-length film and a year-long world tour. Originally from Kitee, a small town in eastern Finland, Nightwish has become the most successful Finnish band abroad. Scan Magazine spoke to the band’s front man, songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen.

Gaining critical acclaim and enjoying tremendous success both in Scandinavia and the rest of the world, Nightwish has become synonymous with symphonic metal. Established in 1996 by Tuomas Holopainen, the band became known for its epic, theatrical and classical approach to metal music. The operatic vocals of former lead singer Tarja Turunen and the use of keyboard and strings to create a gothic atmosphere gave Nightwish a unique edge. In 2007, however, after the public exit of former vocalist Turunen and the recruitment of new singer, Swedish Anette Olzon, the band left behind their signature operatic vocals and embarked on a fresher, cooler and more commercial sound. The band (consisting of guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, bassist and male vocalist Marco Hietala and drummer Jukka Nevalainen, along with Holopainen and Olzon) felt it was time to move on and wanted something different. In addition to the new songs, Anette’s voice has provided a different spin on the old material as well.

“Landscape metal meets movie magic”

These are the five words Holopainen would use to describe the band. Nightwish has been labelled a symphonic metal band, a power metal band and a gothic metal band, but Holopainen is not keen on being pigeonholed – he wants to try out new elements and approaches on each album. When asked about how he thinks being Scandinavian comes through in his music, he says: “We get the Scandinavian side in us already from our mothers’ milk. It’s the melancholy, guts, creative craziness and a strong sense of self-irony that describe us, and all those things can be heard in our music, as well.”

The metal scene is very strong in Scandinavian countries, especially in Finland. Holopainen’s view on it is simple. “We have nothing else to do during the long winters and darkness than stay in our basement and play metal. This kind of music or a way to express our feelings comes naturally to us; it’s deep in our roots and blood, just like reggae for Jamaicans or jazz and hip hop for Americans.”

The Imaginaerum Concept

Released at the end of last year, Imaginaerum is Nightwish’s seventh album. The making of it took almost four years, and according to the band, the process was jovial and relaxed. “Imaginaerum is a gospel for imagination, memories, beauty and unconditional love,” Holopainen explains. “It’s a 75-minute rollercoaster ride through wondrous and twisted landscapes, deep into human imagination and memories, and finally to the very core of everything.”

Imaginaerum continues the Nightwish saga rather naturally and is not radically different from the previous albums. “It is more theatrical, weird, dynamic and cinematic, and also holds a more uplifting overall atmosphere than the previous album Dark Passion Play,” says Holopainen.

The band had an idea of adding another dimension, a visual one, to the musical experience – like making a music video of each of the songs and adding them together to create a thematic entity. Accompanying the Imaginaerum album is a full-length movie of the same title. All of the songs on the album are made for certain scenes in the movie. The film, out this year, is explained on the band’s official website as “a fictional story about a songwriter with an otherworldly imagination. He is an old man who still thinks he’s a young boy. While asleep he travels into his distant past where his dreams of old come back to him mixed with the young boy’s world of fantasy and music.”

As well as the album and the film, the band has embarked on another stint around the world. The Imaginaerum World Tour began in Los Angeles in January and will last about a year. The European leg will take place in March-May 2012. Through the years, the band has seen almost every corner of the world and sung before thousands of fans. But Holopainen’s ideal concert is “a nice and small club with a warm and intimate feeling, when the band is in a great groove and everything is working on the technical side of things. After the show, we give each other a hug, have a glass of fine Shiraz, have a chat with the fans and enter the bus for some good night’s sleep”.

Feeding the creativity

Life, people and all the different worlds imaginable are what inspire this creative songwriter. “The marriage of beauty and cruelty of this world and its inhabitants never ceases to amaze and inspire me,” Holopainen explains. With so much going on professionally, how does one relax and unwind? “Hiking in the wilderness is my ultimate relaxation. A strenuous 20-kilometre hike, then sitting by the campfire until falling asleep under the stars. And next day, the same thing. That’s my paradise,” Holopainen enthuses. “Movies, books, fine dining or sports do the trick, too.”

Now, after 16 years, seven albums, hundreds of concerts and thousands of hours spent in the recording studio, Holopainen looks back at Nightwish’s journey through the years with great fondness. Has anything changed? “The basic philosophy behind the band has remained the same, which is doing music from the depths of heart and imagination without any pre-calculation. That hasn’t changed. We have, however, matured as musicians and songwriters, hopefully as human beings as well.”

For more information, please visit www.nightwish.com

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The Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, London, has announced a fresh new look for its meetings and events space, giving the area an updated, contemporary look and feel.

The recently completed work includes the restyling of all 11 meeting rooms, all public areas and the events space. An additional meeting room – known as the “Modern library-W1” – has been introduced to provide a much needed addition to the in-demand meetings facilities at the hotel. The Modern library offers natural daylight and can comfortably accommodate 15 people. In addition to a new dedicated cloak room, the entire meetings floor and all meeting rooms have been re-carpeted, and new digital signage has been installed outside all meeting rooms.

Set in Portman Square, the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, with its central location and large meeting facilities, including a ballroom for up to 700 people, remains a popular choice for meeting planners looking for a convenient setting combined with high service standards.

For more information, please visit: www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-london

By Maria Smedstad

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The baby-craving gene seems to have bypassed most female members of my family and has instead been replaced by a dog-craving one.

Consequently, when my ageing mutt Jake had to have an operation one New Year’s Eve a while back, it put an anxious dampener on my holiday. Luckily the operation went well, although it left Jake a pretty sad sight to behold, with his shaved patch, and his nose miserably poking out through a buster collar.

But it was a huge relief to have him home, just in time for our village church bells to start their festive pealing. In this village – as in countless other parts of the country – the church serves not only as place of religious ceremony but also as a general meeting place, an art gallery, a music venue and occasionally an outlet for the locally made ‘champagne’. Even heathens like us were welcomed.

And so as our neighbours started sliding past our house, wine bottles in hand, making their way to the church, we joined them. I couldn’t bear to leave Jake and snuck him with us, only to find that the church was full of dogs. This included our neighbours’ Dalmatian, and Jake’s firm enemy, Spike. Strangely, on this particular night, Spike and Jake politely exchanged sniffs and then sat calmly, as the rest of us ‘sang’ along to Auld Lang Syne. It felt like being part of a magic Christmas tale where all of us, heathens, Christians, Dalmatians and mutts alike, managed a moment’s truce.

Or maybe Spike just thought Jake looked too daft to mess with. Or possibly I was just drunk. But in either case, I will remember this New Year’s Eve as a triumphant moment of British tolerance. And with that, I (& Jake) wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

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Maria Smedstad moved to the UK from Sweden in 1994. She received a degree in Illustration in 2001, before settling in the capital as a freelance cartoonist, creating the autobiographical cartoon Em. She writes a column on the trials and tribulations of life as a Swede in the UK.

By Mette Lisby

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Who has any respect for December weekends?

No, of course nobody does. Any sane person will shiver at the sheer thought of weekends in December.

They imply Christmas drinks. And of course the inevitable Christmas party at work. You know all too well what that means: At some point in December, you will wake up, dazed and confused, aware that yesterday involved bucket loads of alcohol (probably literally) at a party with your co-workers, but the details keep evading you. It’s all hazy… What you did… What you ate… When you came home… How you got home… and maybe even WHERE you work.

Fear kicks in. Fear of what you did exactly. Fear if you even HAVE a job anymore? You have reason to be afraid. You are dealing with your worst enemy- yourself! Countless Christmas party incidents have shown that you cannot be trusted.

And then the hammer of guilt hits you. You probably did something stupid! Maybe you blurted out a profane secret – possibly on the public speaker system at work.

Guilt gives way to a sudden bombardment of flashes. Painful images hit you: you on the dance floor. Your arms are raised unnaturally high above your head because the drunken version of you KNOWS that you’ve got rhythm! And it’s all in your arms. Shake them. You can’t entirely dismiss the possibility of your having begged the DJ to play Macarena and forced everybody to dance through it.

Thanks to technology a whole new level of embarrassment is possible: digital guilt. Who did you drunk-dial? Why are there 163 photos on your cell phone of a shawarma meal? Why is the last photo of Brian and Elsie from accounting eating the shawarma meal? Why are there scraps of sharwama on your chin?

And you hit rock bottom, when, in your pocket, you find a photo copy of a hairy bum. And it isn’t yours. Even if all of the above match exactly how you feel, don’t panic! Everyone was just as drunk. Everyone has the same photo copy. Maybe even yours.

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Mette Lisby is Denmark’s leading female comedian. She invites you to laugh along with her monthly humour columns. Since her stand-up debut in 1992, Mette has hosted the Danish versions of “Have I Got News For You” and “Room 101”.

By Karin Modig | Photo: Therese Sandnes

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Playful, comfortable and functional goes a long way in describing the Eva Mork furniture design collection. The minimalism that Scandinavian design is known for is in evidence, but with the added extra touch that makes each piece really stand out.

Norwegian nature provides much of the inspiration for Eva Mork. “I live in a wonderful place in Norway, close to the sea and mountains, and with a rich bird life,” she says. “My inspiration comes from the nature and culture that surrounds me, from the birds’ movements across the sky to the hulls of boats and everything in between.”

With years of experience as an interior stylist behind her, Eva Mork started designing her own furniture out of a wish to create something out of the ordinary. Her aim is to create pieces that have “that little something that makes you fall in love with them.”

Her furniture has been described as both sculptural and alive, and it manages to flawlessly bridge the gap between decorative and practical. More than just pieces of furniture, the designs might well end up being the focal point of a room, yet are still comfortable.

“For me, when I have managed to create something of beauty that is also practical, I have hit the nail on the head,” she says.

All the furniture in the Eva Mork collection is made to order and signed by the designer herself. She also makes commissioned pieces for those who want something truly unique.

For more information, please visit: www.evamork.com

By Inna Allen | Photo: FINSK

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Shoe label FINSK, with its renowned wooden wedge design, is one of the coolest 21st century style icons. Launched in 2004 by London-based Finnish-born Julia Lundsten, FINSK has won numerous awards for its unique avant-garde designs and is now a firm fixture in the fashion world.

The distinct sculptured wooden heel that makes FINSK shoes so recognisable derives from designer Julia Lundsten’s passion for architecture. With an architect father and an interior designer mother, Lundsten’s creative roots and cultivated eye for design are clearly reflected in her work. “My designs are a contrast between the very clean Finnish landscape, with its natural colours and tones, and the busy, urban London life,” Lundsten explains. “My Finnish roots play a significant role in the FINSK aesthetic, although I think that all the places you live or work in and even places you travel to become part of you and will influence your designs somehow.”

Famous fans and future plans

Her individual style has not gone unnoticed. Lundsten has won the prestigious Manolo Blahnik Award two years running. Describing Lundsten’s shoes as “exquisite, divine and perfect”, Blahnik is amongst a growing fan base that also includes Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Latest collection Archi showcases sharp architectural shapes combined with soft tenable natural materials. The result is a modern and wearable collection of polar opposites such as thick raw edge straps placed next to beautifully pleated seams, or a blocky graphic heel together with a more organic natural leather upper. “There are two sources of inspiration for Archi – the Finnish Archipelago where I spend my summers conjuring an ambience of a calm, muted landscape, juxtaposing with the concepts of 1960s group of architects Archigram,” says Lundsten.

FINSK shoes are sold in selected boutiques worldwide. Lundsten has also collaborated with high street brands Topshop and Faith, as well as high-end labels Ports 1961 and Basso & Brooke. A capsule collection for Urban Outfitters will be in stores soon and Spring/Summer 2012 will see the launch of a more affordable diffusion line called Skin by FINSK.

For more information, please visit: www.finsk.com

By: Linnéa Mitchell | Photo: Alan Strutt

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From secretary to weather girl, TV host, Big Brother winner and now author, Ulrika Jonsson has certainly led a colourful life, and the never-satisfied media have tirelessly fed our appetite for more gossip.

Whether it is good or bad, we all have a strong opinion about the beautiful blonde television personality. The latest addition to her multifaceted career is her first novel The Importance of Being Myrtle. Scan Magazine caught up with Britain’s most famous Swede and discovered a whole new side of her.

Finding the right words

I bet I am not the only reader who set down The Importance of Being Myrtle feeling a bit quizzical. How did this story about Myrtle, a 58-year-old grey, flat and, frankly, boring woman, who suddenly loses her husband to a heart attack, come about from a woman whose life is quite the opposite of boring? Jonsson giggles at the question and goes on to explain that about six years ago she spoke to a lady who had just lost her husband. “I remember walking away thinking: gosh, what do you do if you are at that age having to start all over again somehow, when you have expected life to be pretty much what it is until the end,” says Jonsson. This turned out to be the seed that grew (after some spicy seasoning) into the story of Myrtle, who lives in a loveless marriage dictated by her psychologically oppressive husband Austin, and who suddenly has to take charge of her life for the very first time. But I am still puzzled as to how she can relate to a woman like Myrtle when her own life has been far from quiet and suppressed. “I think a lot of women can identify with Myrtle. I feel I can somehow identify with her in the way that I’ve been in relationships, although not as extreme, where the man finds it hard to accept a woman who thinks for herself, decides for herself, who has her own ideas and thoughts and who is colourful,” says Jonsson. Writing has always been part of Jonsson’s life. Ulrika started when her father brought a typewriter home from work and has since used it as her outlet and her method of escapism. “I love writing, and I love the English language. So it felt right. It wasn’t part of a plan to expand the brand Ulrika Jonsson. It came from the heart.”

From “teaterapa” to TV host

Born in Sweden in 1967, Jonsson lived alone with her father until she joined her mother in England when she was 12. As a child she was described by her aunt as a “teaterapa” (theatre monkey, person who wants to perform) and had some aspirations of becoming an actress after finishing school. Her mother was less enthusiastic and sent Jonsson to secretarial school in her gap year before she intended to take up a place at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Having started off as a secretary, she shortly landed her first job in TV, presenting the weather on TV-am as well as on Swedish TV3. Jonsson never had time to even consider university. Her natural charisma and energy led to several jobs in front of the camera, hosting one prime-time TV show after another, including Gladiator, The National Lottery, Eurovision Song Contest, Miss World and Shooting Stars. Adding reality shows such as Come Dine with Me and Dancing on Ice to the list, before winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2009, she has pretty much covered the entire spectrum of what you can achieve in an entertainment television career.

The private life

But what has spiced up her celebrity status that little bit extra is her private life, whether it is for dating fellow Swede and England’s football captain at the time, Sven-Göran Eriksson, or for marrying the bachelor Lance Gerrard-Wright from the dating show Mr Right that she hosted. And it is mainly due to her “Mr Rights” – three of them now if you count her marriages – that she has been the target of many media-moans. “The attention is something I’ve never really understood. The press feels that if you are famous you must be an egotist and therefore we shall punish you by criticising you and following you everywhere,” says Jonsson. A journalist once dressed up as a doctor to get hold of her medical journals whilst she was in hospital after her daughter was born with a heart defect. She is also involved in the phone-hacking scandal inquiry with News of the World. It does not take a genius to work out it must have been pretty frustrating, yet 23 years later, she is still here.

“You have to be able to find a way to go on,” says Jonsson. “I’ve felt very helpless, and I don’t think that I’m a strong or brave person at all… but if you have two, four or even six little eyes that are looking up at you and asking ‘ok mummy, what’s next?’ then you really have to dig deep and have, according to my favourite Swedish expression, ‘is i magen’ (ice in the stomach). I think it’s a calm and quiet strength that I’ve got that comes forward when it’s needed most.” For example when writing, I’m guessing, as she had to write half of the novel standing up or lying down due to a chronic back condition she has battled with during the last four years.

The future

So does she want to work as an author full time or will we see more of her on telly? “I’d love to write more, and I’ve already started thinking about the next book,” says Jonsson and explains further that she enjoyed taking a step back from TV, but that she has no plans to give it up completely. “After all I have four children to feed,” she laughs. “During these 23 years, I haven’t always known what’s going to happen next. I’ve never had a grand plan. My career has given me so many opportunities to do so many different things, and every job has been to improve myself or stretch myself. Either I’m brave or stupid, but I’ve always wanted to do things that are a bit different. I’m not scared of that. I don’t live for my critics. I don’t think ‘oh I shouldn’t write a book because then I might get criticised’, but because I want to. Then, afterwards, I have to say, I might go ‘ouch’. But I think it’s so important that… well, we only live once, and we have one chance to take care of the opportunities we get.”

Despite living most of her life in England, Jonsson is still close to her roots. “I feel one hundred per cent Swedish. There’s no question about that. I have never wanted to change my passport, nationality or anything. So I’m very Swedish. Apart from my terrible grammar,” she says, in perfect Swedish.