Ulf Ekberg

Ulf Gunnar Ekberg (born 6 December 1970), also known as Buddha, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, musician, businessman and television and film producer, best known as a founding member of the pop group Ace of Base, along with siblings Jonas Berggren, Linn Berggren and Jenny Berggren.

Ulf Ekberg
Ulf Ekberg in December 2012
Background information
Birth nameUlf Gunnar Ekberg
Also known asBuddha
Born (1970-12-06) 6 December 1970
Gothenburg, Sweden
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Keyboardist, songwriter, singer, businessman, television producer, film producer
InstrumentsKeyboard instrument, voice
Years active1983–present
Associated actsAce of Base

Life and career

Ace of Base released its debut album in 1992 and went on to attain major chart success throughout the 1990s.

Ekberg has produced several artists, TV productions, films and events and has sold over 40 million records world wide.

Ulf restarted Ace of Base in 2006, touring the world with them from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, he started a new music production/publishing and management company together with Jonas Berggren based in LA, London and Stockholm.

After Ekberg experienced the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand, he founded the Surin Relief Fund to support affected children by providing facilities to educate children and care for orphaned children.[1]

In its 27 March 1993 edition, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Ekberg had once been a member of a band called "Commit Suiside" [sic], which sang songs with explicit racist lyrics.[2] Ekberg claims that the cited lyrics were not recorded by Commit Suiside, but says he regrets this past part of his life as a big mistake.[3] Commit Suiside was a neo-Nazi band active in Gothenburg from 1983 to 1986, when Ulf was between the ages of 13 and 16. Other media outlets reported that Ekberg had been a neo-nazi skinhead.[4][5][6][7] In 1998, some of his old songs were released on the compilation album Uffe was a Nazi!. Including songs like Rör inte vårt land (Don't touch our land), Vit makt, svartskalleslakt! (White Power, black head slaughter) and a cover of Skrewdriver's "Smash the IRA", with the lyrics changed to refer to the VPK.[2]

In the 1997 documentary Our Story, Ekberg said: "I told everyone I really regret what I've done. I closed that book. I don't want to even talk about it, that time does not exist in me any more. I closed it and I threw the book away 1987. I took the experience from it, I learned from it. But that life is not me. It's somebody else."

Personal life

Ekberg dated the Swedish model/actress Emma Sjöberg from 1994 to 2000. Until summer 2010, Ekberg lived in London.[8] He currently lives in Stockholm with his girlfriend Johanna Aybar and their three children: Viggo, Vincent and Valentina.

Writing

Ekberg has written and produced the following songs:

With Jonas Berggren
  • "Wheel of Fortune"
  • "All That She Wants"
  • "Young and Proud"
  • "Living in Danger"
  • "My Mind"
  • "Dancer in Daydream"
  • "Happy Nation"
  • "Voulez-Vous Danser"
  • "Waiting for Magic"
  • "Münchhausen (Just Chaos)"
  • "Blah, blah, blah on the Radio"
  • "Southern California"
  • "One Day"
  • "Doreen"
  • "Precious"
  • "Black Sea"
  • "Vision in Blue"
  • "Who am I"
  • "Told My Ma"

With Jonas, Jenny, & Malin Berggren
  • "Hear Me Calling"
  • "Love In December"
  • "Change With the Light"

With StoneStream & John Ballard
  • "Qué Será"
  • "Perfect World"
  • "Edge of Heaven"
  • "Look Around Me" (Unreleased)
  • "Angel of Love" (Unreleased)

With John Ballard
  • "Mercy Mercy"
  • "I Pray"
  • "Don't Go Away"

With Jonas Berggen & Jonas Saeed
  • "All For You"
  • "The Golden Ratio"

With Jonas Berggren, Ari Lehtonen and D. Massy
  • "Mr Replay"

Vocals

Ekberg has contributed vocals to the following songs:

  • "All That She Wants"
  • "Wheel of Fortune"
  • "Living in Danger"
  • "My Mind"
  • "Happy Nation"
  • "Don't Turn Around"
  • "Waiting for Magic"
  • "Fashion Party"
  • "Münchhausen (Just Chaos)"
  • "Hear Me Calling"
  • "Perfect World"
  • "I Pray"
  • "Change With the Light"
  • "All For You"
  • "Mr Replay"
  • "Prime Time"
  • "Look Around Me"
  • "Angel of Love"

References
  1. Surinrelieffund.com Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Ace of Base's Secret Nazi Past". VICE. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  3. "Ace of Base Responds To Nazi Allegations". HuffPost. April 24, 2013.
  4. "Toronto Sun: Swedish stars holding Aces". jam.canoe.ca. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  5. wil gerken, nathan hendler, doug floyd, john banks. "Music: How Swede It Is (The Boston Phoenix 05-08-00)". weeklywire.com. Retrieved April 14, 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Jörgen Holmstedt (June 17, 1998). "Jag är på väg ut ur mörkret". Aftonbladet (in Swedish).
  7. Larsson, Stieg (2001). Sverigedemokraterna: den nationella rörelsen. Ordfront. p. 111. ISBN 91-7324-877-0.
  8. "Ekberg: Hon kom aldrig till studion". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved July 26, 2020.
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