Daniel Lemma

“To me, music is fundamentally a social activity, a way to get together and communicate.”

Singer-songwriter Daniel Lemma got his big break in 2001 with “If I Used to Love You”, featured the Swedish movie Jalla! Jalla! Ever since, Lemma has continued to hone his  multifaceted and diverse musical expression, where reggae, roots blues, and soul cozy up to pared-down acoustic music. His latest project is the album Addis, where the music was created and recorded in the country of his birth, Ethiopia, along with local musicians.

Motivation:

For nearly three decades, musician, singer, and songwriter Daniel Lemma has been a voice to be reckoned with on the Gothenburg music scene. His music is a heartfelt brew strongly rooted in soul, gospel, blues, and reggae.

Lemma’s career took off after the music from Jalla! Jalla! was a success. Both the hit song “If I Used to Love You” and the album Morning Train went gold in Sweden and were nominated for Grammis awards. Daniel Lemma has released eleven albums since then. He’s had bands of his own, he’s interpreted the poems of Karin Boye. He’s been involved in plays, written more film music, and now he’s reconnected with the country he was born in,  Ethiopia, with his latest album Addis.

For his heartfelt and expressive roots music, golden voice, and personal songs, Daniel Lemma is awarded the 2024 Culture Scholarship by the Sten A Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture.