Stockholm ❤️ Music
Publish date: 15 April 2026
Sweden is the largest exporter of pop music per capita in the world, and the third-largest overall, trailing only Great Britain and the USA! Here is your guide to discovering music in Stockholm.
Musical attractions in Stockholm
Many visitors want to learn more about their favorite artists when they visit our city. These are some great starting points!
- ABBA The Museum: A museum dedicated to the phenomenon of ABBA. Learn how Agnetha, Anni-Frid, Björn, and Benny first met, formed ABBA, and conquered dance floors all over the world with their timeless music. The museum has several interactive displays like a karaoke experience where you'll don the stage as the fifth member of ABBA.
- The Avicii Experience: An exhibition that honors one of the icons of modern popular culture; Tim "Avicii" Bergling. Discover unpublished music and untold stories, sing VR karaoke, and perform in front of thousands of screaming fans in this immersive exhibition.
- Swedish Museum of Performing Arts: Formerly known as The Museum of Music, the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts was rebuilt and rechristened to encapsulate all performing arts; music, dance, and theatre. The interactive exhibitions give an insight into life behind the stage and let visitors be a part of the experience in fun and inventive ways.
What's on in Stockholm
Swedish Music Icons
A comprehensive list of all the Swedish greats would take up far too much space (cough, Swedish Music Hall of Fame, cough) but ABBA, Avicii, Roxette, Europe, and Ace of Base, are global phenomena whose cultural impact cannot be overstated. Some (out of many) contemporaries worth a mention are Robyn, Zara Larsson and Swedish House Mafia.
Top producers such as Max Martin and Redone at the legendary Cheiron Studios have provided Britney Spears, One Direction, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and many others with a virtual beehive of ubiquitous 21st-century pop songs. (See the Spotify playlists further down for reference).
Discover Swedish Music on Spotify
It's not a coincidence that Daniel Ek founded Spotify in Stockholm, where tech and music both thrive. If you want to get musically inspired, we put together some playlists for you below:
- Swedish artists – Sweden has produced a wide range of artists. From classic chart-toppers and contemporary pop to genre-defining metal and dance music.
- Music by Swedish producers – What do "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys, "Starships" by Nicky Minaj, "This is America" by Childish Gambino, and "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift have in common? They're all produced and/or co-written by Swedish producers like Max Martin, Redone, and Ludwig Göransson.
- Songs about Stockholm – Hear how Stockholm has been interpreted through music and lyrics by Avicii, Orup, Hurula, Cherrie, Dungen, and many others.
- Swedish love songs – In a romantic mood? Listen to a playlist of songs about love - both happy or unrequited – by Loreen, Roxette, Kleerup and Robyn, Ulf Lundell, Kent, and many more.
Read More: Stockholm's Creative Industries
Record stores in Stockholm
Are you old school and prefer physical copies of your music? Here are some shops worth your while:
- Bengans on Drottninggatan is Stockholm's biggest and most centrally located record store.
- Sound Pollution in Old Town is the go-to place for everything metal, punk, and hard rock, while
- Snickars on Södermalm specializes in house, techno, hip-hop, and other types of club and dance music.
- Pet Sounds caters mostly to rock, indie, and country lovers, while thrift store
- Mickes, at Hornstull, is a great place for second-hand rummaging.
The Polar Music Prize
The Polar Music Prize, founded in 1989, by ABBA's former manager Stig "Stikkan" Anderson, has become Sweden's most prestigious music award. Sometimes called "the Nobel Prize in music" the award is given to persons who have made significant and lasting contributions to the world of music.
Usually (with some rare exceptions) the Polar Music Prize has been handed out in two categories each year: contemporary classical music and popular music. The ceremony is held in May and is broadcast on TV with a concert honoring the laureates.
Most laureates have been artists or composers, like Nile Rodgers (2024), Metallica (2018), Emmylou Harris (2015), Yo-Yo Ma (2012), Ennio Morricone (2010), György Ligeti (2004), Miriam Makeba (2002), Pierre Boulez (1996), and Paul McCartney (1992). But the Polar Music Prize has also been awarded to producers; Max Martin (2016), Quincy Jones (1994), inventors; Robert Moog (2001), non-profit organizations; Playing For Change (2019), and institutions; The Afghanistan National Institue of Music (2018).
Listen to all the winners in our Polar Music Prize playlist.