# The Real Group

The Real Group is an a cappella group from Sweden. Members are Clara Fornander, Joanné Pastor Nugas, Johannes Rückert Becker, Axel Berntzon and Daniele Dees. The group's members compose and arrange most of their songs. They sing in English and Swedish and cite American vocalist Bobby McFerrin as an inspiration.

## Background

The Real Group has performed more than 2000 concerts worldwide. In 2002, the Real Group performed at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Seoul, South Korea, to an audience of 60,000. On 22 December 1993, to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of Queen Silvia of Sweden, the Real Group backed up former ABBA member Anni-Frid Lyngstad in a performance of the ABBA hit "Dancing Queen", using an a cappella arrangement that was released on the album Varför får man inte bara vara som man är.
The Real Group was formed in 1984 by Margareta Bengtson, Katarina Henryson, Anders Edenroth, Peder Karlsson and Anders Jalkéus when they were students at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. All of them attended Adolf Fredrik's Music School. Margareta Bengtson was the soprano in the group at its inception, but she left to work on solo albums in 2006. Johanna Nyström filled her spot for some time until Emma Nilsdotter replaced her in 2008 and had her first appearance with the group in Kremlin Palace. Johanna Nyström also filled in for both Margareta Bengtson and Katarina Henryson when they were on maternity leave or otherwise away. Morten Vinther Sørensen joined the group in 2010 to replace Peder Karlsson, who shifted his focus to develop The Real Academy. In 2015 Jānis Strazdiņš joined the group as the bass after Anders Jalkéus retired for health reasons. During the COVID-19 years the ensemble was transformed into its present line up. During 2021 original members Katarina Henryson and Anders Edenroth performed with Clara Fornander, Axel Berntzon and Daniele Dees. From January 2022 Joanné Nugas and Johannes Rückert Becker replaced the last two original members.

## Vocal ranges of previous members

* Margareta Bengtson: F3-G5
* Johanna Nyström
* Peder Karlsson: E2-C5
* Anders Jalkéus
* Katarina Henryson: D3-C5

## Discography

| Date of release | Title | Notes |
| 1987 | Debut | Thirteen tracks, three in Swedish and the rest in English. Recorded around two microphones onto 2-track tape, where the singers adjusted balance by controlling their distance from the microphone. (Caprice) |
| 1989 | Nothing But the Real Group | Twelve tracks, all in English (Caprice) |
| 1991 | Röster | Twelve tracks, all in Swedish (Caprice) |
| 1994 | Varför får man inte bara vara som man är? | Fourteen tracks, most in Swedish, including a cover of Abba's Dancing Queen with Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Gazell) |
| 1994 | Unreal! | (Town Crier) |
| 1996 | Ori:ginal | Twelve tracks, all in Swedish |
| 1996 | Get:real | |
| March 19, 1996 | Live in Stockholm | Released in Sweden under the title jazz:live. Ten tracks in English, one in Swedish, one with no lyrics. All tracks are live performances in concert. (Town Crier) |
| 1997 | En riktig jul | Title translates: A Real Christmas. Thirteen tracks, all in Swedish |
| 1998 | One for All | Sixteen tracks, one in Swedish, accompanied by Toots Thielemans on harmonica. |
| 2000 | Commonly Unique | Thirteen tracks, all English |
| 2001 | Allt Det Bästa | Title translates: All The Best. Twenty tracks, in a mix of Swedish and English. |
| 2002 | Stämning | Twenty-two tracks, all in Swedish. Swedish folk songs, all choral in their musical style. The performances were recorded without overdubbing and were directed Eric Ericson. (EMI) |
| 2003 | Julen er her | Norwegian title translates: Christmas is here. Fifteen tracks: three in English, nine in Swedish, two in Norwegian, one with no lyrics. Four tracks are live performances in concert. Includes a video clip of a live performance of "Clown of the Jungle", an a cappella arrangement of the soundtrack to a Disney short film by the same name. |
| June 12, 2003 | The Real Thing | Thirteen tracks: 5 in Swedish, rest in English. Two tracks were previously unreleased, a re-recorded version of "Dancing Queen" and "Song from the Snow" created for a Korean movie. (Dreambeat) |
| 2005 | In the Middle of Life | Thirteen tracks: twelve in English and one with no lyrics. The Korean-market version contains two additional tracks in English. (FMC) |
| June 25, 2008 | Håll musiken i gång | Nine tracks, all in Swedish, three previously released. This album is a tribute to Swedish entertainer Povel Ramel, a fan of the Real Group and vice versa. The Real Group received Ramel's Karamelodiktstipendiet, a scholarship funded by Ramel, in 2002. The last track, "Konditori Forgätmigej", was written by Anders Edenroth in Povel's style. Margareta Bengtson joined the group in studio to record this album. (EMI) |
| September 16, 2009 | The Real Album | Twelve tracks: ten in English and two with no lyrics. (Lionheart) |
| 2012 | The World for Christmas | Thirteen tracks: seven in English, four in Swedish, and two with no lyrics. It contains "The World for Christmas" composed and arranged by Anders Edenroth. (Universal) |
| 2013 | Live in Japan | Fifteen tracks: ten in English, five with no lyrics. Recorded live in April 2013 at the Billboard Jazz Club in Osaka and Tokyo. Two songs, "Catching the Big Fish" and "Lucky Luke", were composed by Morten Vinther Sørensen. |
| December 1, 2017 | Elements | 16 tracks: thirteen in English, two in Swedish, and one in Latvian. |
| September 4th, 2018 | Friendship | 11 tracks; joint production with Kicks & Sticks, the Hessen State Youth Orchestra. |

## Awards and honors

* Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs):
** 1995: Best Contemporary Cover: "Dancing Queen" from Varför får man inte bara vara som man är
** 1995: Best Jazz Song: "Flight of the Foo-Birds" from Varför får man inte bara vara som man är
** 1996: Best Female Vocalist: Margareta Bengtson
** 1997: Live Album of the Year: Live in Stockholm
** 1997: Best Original Pop Song: "Jag Vill Va Med Dig"
** 1997: Best Jazz Song: "Waltz for Debby"
** 1997: Best Female Vocalist: Margareta Bengtson
** 1998: Best Holiday Album: En riktig jul
** 2003: Best Classical Album: Stämning
** 2003: Runner Up for Best Classical Song: "En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt" from Stämning
** 2004: Best Holiday Album: Julen er her
** 2004: Best Holiday Song: "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" from Julen er her
* Other awards:
** 2002 Karamelodiktstipendiet (in Swedish), an annual award given to a Swedish entertainer by Povel Ramel.

### Timeline

Vertical lines are records, red line is the new generation TRG.