he Swedish indie pop artist Lykke Li Zachrisson (better known as Lykke Li) grabbed the attention of international bloggers in the early 2000s with a handful of catchy, retro-chic singles made available on her MySpace profile.

Armed with sensuous, barely there vocals and backed up by a quirky, bass-heavy, electro dance sound (courtesy of producer Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John), Lykke Li released her debut EP, 2007’s Little Bit, on her own fledgling LL Recordings label. The disc’s title track went on to earn a good deal of buzz among not only indie pop-centric bloggers but in the mainstream Swedish music press as well.

She made her first appearance on Swedish MTV that same year, and the video for “Little Bit” was nominated for Best Video at the Swedish Grammy Awards. Soon, she signed with Atlantic for worldwide distribution of the Little Bit EP and her first album, 2008’s Youth Novels. The album proved an international success and Lykke Li increased her visibility through touring, a guest spot on Swedish producer Kleerup’s debut album, and appearances on late-night television talk shows.

Photo by Roger Decker