We got the following press release from Warner music.
“(Christmas Eve) After Midnight” is the name of Björn Skif’s new Christmas single. A classic crooner ballad with a nice retro feel, recorded in Baggpipe Studio in the Stockholm suburb of Skärmarbrink.
The studio is classic ground for Björn: he recorded pretty much all of his 70s classics there, while the studio still belonged to EMI.
– Even though it looks different today, it was a very special feeling. I have many memories from there and everything remains in the walls, he says.
Björn has many times before been offered to make a Christmas record, but has always been hesitant.
– I think that inflation has started in them. But then came this song and it was love at first sight, he says with characteristic ingenuity. I fell there right away!
This is exactly the kind of ballad that Björn is weak for.
– It smells a little Nat King Cole, he states.
Fittingly, it was Cole who sang the original version of Björn’s best Christmas song, “The Christmas Song”, also known as “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”.
The music for “(Christmas Eve) After Midnight” is written by Peter Kvint, who has also produced.
– The intention was to make a timeless song with a scent of American 50s, in the borderland between pop, rock, R&B and jazz, says Kvint. Sharon Vaughn, who is responsible for the brilliant lyrics, was on the move when I sent her the melody, he says. A few hours later I had the text in my inbox!
Already this summer, Kvint felt that Björn Skifs would be the perfect artist for the song. It turned out to be well-founded. It was enough for Björn to hear the song once for him to forget his skepticism of the genre. The song was recorded together with the main part of Björn’s regular band, complemented by Backa Hans Eriksson on bass and Kvint on acoustic guitar. Erik Arvinder made the fine string arrangement and Magnus Bengtsson and Kvint laid the choirs.
Björn Skifs is also highly topical with his autobiography, “My life as a stage walker”.
Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Maverick, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers.
