To date, there have been 1,758 entries in the Eurovision Song Contest’s history. As Eurofans, we may only know these artists from one or two songs, but every artist that has performed at the contest has an extensive back catalogue. This series, Beyond Eurovision, aims to shine a light on some of the That Eurovision Site team’s favourite Eurovision artists’ discographies. Today, we take a look at Benjamin Ingrosso, who represented Sweden with ‘Dance You Off’ at Eurovision 2018.
Who is Benjamin Ingrosso?
Benjamin Daniele Wahlgren Ingrosso was born in 1997 and grew up in Stockholm, Sweden.
He has gone on to release 5 studio albums (including ‘Pink Velvet Theatre’, out this week!), 3 live albums, competed twice in Melodifestivalen, once in Eurovision, had his own TV show and documentary, written for other artists, and toured extensively, recently selling out the 30,000+ capacity Stockholm Stadium. You may also have seen him in the Semi-Final of Eurovision 2024, where he performed a medley of his recent hits. Let’s find out how he got there!
Early days and Melodifestivalen
Benjamin is part of a very well known family in the Swedish entertainment industry. He is the son of dancer (and now restauranteur) Emilio Ingrosso, and Pernilla Wahlgren, a famous Swedish entertainer who, amongst an extensive history of work, has entered and presented Melodifestivalen and appeared in Eurovision.
He started in the music industry at a young age, winning Lilla Melodifestivalen (aka Junior Melodifestivalen) in 2006 with ‘Hej Sofia’ at the age of 9, and acted in several theatre shows as a child.
His first major forays into the music industry as an adult artist began in 2015, with the release of a smattering of singles, but things heated up with his first entry in (adult) Melodifestivalen, ‘Good Lovin” in 2017. This eventually came 5th in the contest, but set him up for return in 2018. His entry ‘Dance you off’ won Melodifestivalen and came 7th at Eurovision that year.
2018: Identification
‘Dance you off’ was just the start – the song reached number 2 in the Swedish charts, and was swiftly followed in September by his first studio album, ‘Identification’, which reached number 1 in the charts.
The song was a straight up pop album with R&B influences, but spawned big hits. Alongside ‘Dance you off’ this album included ‘Tror du att han bryr sig’, a Swedish language version of his previously released song ‘Do you think about me’. The re-recording featured Melfest co-competitor Felix Sandman and has become one of his most recognisable songs, still being played on his tours today.
2020: Så Mycket Bättre
In 2020, Benjamin appeared on the 11th series of Swedish Music TV show ‘Så Mycket Bättre’. This TV show asks artists to cover songs of other artists appearing on the show. Four songs from the show would become stalwarts in Benjamin’s discography: ‘Långsamt farväl’ (‘Long goodbye’) (a Lisa Nilsson cover), ‘Tänd alla ljus’ (‘Turn on all the lights’) (a Silvana Imam cover), ‘Only your heart’ (a Lili and Susie cover) and ‘Judy Min Vän’ (‘Judy my friend’) (a Tommy Körberg cover). Three of the four songs charted in the top 10 in the Swedish charts, and two ended up fitting in snugly on his next album, which…next!
2021: En Gång i Tiden
Benjamin’s reach into older back catalogues on ‘Så Mycket Bättre’ was not an isolated incident. 2021 brought a two-part album, ‘En gang i tiden’ (‘Once upon a time’) released in January and April. This was his first time releasing a fully Swedish language album.
Inspired by a more retro and acoustic sound, the albums featured a more nostalgic sounding Benjamin, reflecting on his childhood. Songs such as ‘Det Stora Röda Huset’ (‘The Big Red House’) and ‘Barnasinnet’ (‘Child’s Mind’) featured here. He also shows off his hidden talents on ‘Stockholm’ – being able to (very accurately!) mimic a trumpet.
From the second part of this album also came one of his most recognisable ballads, ‘Allt det Vackra’ (‘All the beauty’), which fondly mulls over a relationship lost, while keeping hope for it to be revived. The song has at time of writing spent over 50 weeks in the Swedish charts over the years. It keeps re-entering the charts, even years after first release.
2022: Playlist & Konserthuset orchestra live album
By 2022 Benjamin was an established star in the Swedish music industry. With this came his second fully English language album, ‘Playlist’.
The album was a bit of a mix of a whole set of genres, and spawned only three single releases. Highlights were the wistful ode to a summer romance ‘Dancing on a Sunny Day’ which became a solid summer hit, and ‘Queens’, a tribute to the women in his family and beyond, which has been a staple of his gigs ever since.
In addition, a live show of orchestral versions of his songs by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, was recorded and released as a live album – with even Benjamin’s more upbeat songs getting the orchestra going.
2023: Benjamin’s and Live at Dalhalla
From 2021-2023, Benjamin had his own chat show on Swedish tv channel TV4 called, creatively, ‘Benjamin’s’. The show combined his love of cooking (particularly Italian food) with celebrity guests such as Carola, Omar Rudberg, Petra Mede, and Oscar Zia.
Significant to this show was the final song, ‘I Had It All and Let It Go’, written with ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus. Grab your tissues if you’re going to listen to this one, because it’s impossible to not cry.
Touring extensively through the summer, Benjamin also surprise dropped a live album recorded at the iconic Dalhalla music venue (which annoyingly to this writer, is still not available in the UK). If you’re lucky enough to be able to play the songs on this link, I’m definitely not mad about it. The show was also filmed for TV4, and if you’re quick you can still watch it until the end of the year! (login required).
2024: Better Days tour and Pink Velvet Theatre
In January 2024, after months of teasing new music, Benjamin released ‘Kite’. A new, more bold sound, with a focus on showing off his live performance. He even released a version collaborating with Olly Alexander, the UK 2024 Eurovision entrant.
Soon after came the long awaited ‘Better days’ and ‘Honey Boy’ (a collaboration with German DJ Purple Disco Machine, Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and Jamaican singer Shenseea). He also embarked on his first European tour, visiting UK, Germany, France and Spain for some of his first gigs. In addition, he launched his documentary ‘This is Benjamin Ingrosso’ on HBO Max.
And that’s how we got to the 2024 Eurovision Semi-Final! ‘Look who’s laughing now’ and ‘All My Life’ rounded things off for releases, and a massive Swedish summer tour. This all lead up to the announcement of ‘Pink Velvet Theatre’, his 5th studio album, out 25th October.
Notable collaborations
It would be hard not to mention some of his collaborations with other artists. Interestingly, Benjamin’s top track on Spotify is none of the above. It’s a collaboration with superstar DJ Alan Walker, ‘Man on the moon’, from the 2021 ‘World of Walker’ album. This EDM track has been clocking up the streams ever since release.
And Benjamin is well connected to the dance music world – his cousin is Sebastian Ingrosso, of Swedish House Mafia fame. Over the years, Benjamin has collaborated with huge dance names such as Hugel, Norlie and KKV, Vantage and Offenbach, amongst plenty others. And personally I’d recommend checking out the collab with Swedish rapper Petter for a more low key chill vibe.
What’s next for Benjamin Ingrosso?
A man who keeps his cards close to his chest and his fans on their toes, it’s fair to say we can expect a tour soon – I don’t think for one moment he’ll be away from the stage for too long! But Benjamin has ambitions far beyond Sweden – and his journey to international superstardom will at the very least be marked with his unstoppable energy.
What do you think of Benjamin Ingrosso’s discography? Did you find something new to listen to? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all your Eurovision news!
Photo Credit: Jonathan Perlmann
Euan T