Alexander Bard

At 63 years old, Alexander Bard has this physical status:

Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard (born 17 March 1961) is a Swedish songwriter, record producer, television presenter, and political activist and one of two Syntheistic religious movements' two founders alongside Jan Söderqvist.

Background and education

Bard was born in Medevi, Motala Municipality, Sweden, on March 17, 1961. Bard attended both in the United States and in Amsterdam, Netherlands, after completing his upper secondary schooling. He made a living as a sex worker in Amsterdam. Bard returned to Sweden to study at the Stockholm School of Economics from 1984 to 1989. He took a keen interest in philosophy and sociology in lieu of his economic studies, with the explicit intention of becoming a philosopher and lecturer.

Personal life

After years of intensive religious research, Bard converted to the Iranian original branch of Zoroastrianism in 1992. With Jan Söderqvist, he discusses his decision to convert in his book Syntheism – Creating God in the Internet Age, saying that without a solid foundation in philosophical and theological history, the belief that Syntheism as a collection of new religious ideas for a globally connected and digitalized world in the 21st century would not carry the same weight. In addition, Bard and Söderqvist's work in The Silk Route Triad as the cultural peak of religious thought and practice, the conversion could also be understood.

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Musical career

Bard began his musical career in 1982 with the single Life in a Goldfish Bowl, a synth-punk fusion project he initiated with two female striptease dancers. Barbie was a modest success, but Bard's performance of gruesome bubblegum pop songs crossdressed.

Bard formed Army of Lovers with two of Barbie's entourage, Jean-Pierre Barda and La Camilla, after abandoning work on a second Barbie album. Army of Lovers had several pan-European hits, the most notable being Crucified and Obsession, though their presence in the United States and the UK were limited to repeated club chart successes. They recorded five studio albums, produced more than twenty music videos, and became hugely popular in Eastern Europe before Bard disbanded the group in 1996. Army of Lovers have since gained a prominent place in gay history, often referred to as a shining example of the postmodern interpretation of camp's ideals. "I'm gay," Bard said. I always go back to camp or gay as a point of reference. Then camp doesn't have to be gay, and gay doesn't necessarily have to be camp." Bard also worked on the production and composition of Swedish girlgroup Midi, Maxi & Efti.

Bard, Marina Schiptjenko (formerly of synthpop group Page), and newcomer Mattias Lindblom were all involved in Army of Lovers' demise. I Breathe, Sweden's debut single, was one of the fastest-selling singles in 1997 and also topped Italy's singles chart. Except in Russia and Ukraine, Bard left after only two albums, further releases did not do as well, except in Russia and Ukraine. He reformed Army of Lovers in 2000 for a few new songs and a greatest hits collection, and then co-wrote and co-produced the first two Alcazar albums.

Bard, together with Marina Schiptjenko and new vocalist Martin Rolinski, started a new music project in 2005, called BWO (short for Bodies Without Organs). Prototype, the group's debut album, had seven top 20 hits singles in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and had reached platinum status. In April 2006, Halcyon Days, a second album, was released, with gold and four additional hit singles. Fabricator, a third album, was released in 2007, followed by a 2008 compilation album, and Big Science, a fourth studio album, was released in 2009.

Bard revealed in April 2010 that he was co-producer Henrik Wikström on a new project titled Gravitonas, which has been licensed to Universal Music worldwide. The project, which was described as electro-rock and fronted by Bard himself and vocalist Andreas hrn, launched in May 2010 and saw its first digital EP debut in Sweden and Russia in the fall of 2010. Gravitonas have been dubbed "the World's First Spotify Band" by bloggers and the music press since they refuse to release physical copies linked to traditional media campaigns and instead exclusively release their music through streaming and downloads, rather than album. Daniel Ek, Bard's public relations, has contributed to this tale. In comparison to several other No. s. Gravitonas have also established a following as a dance act in the United States, with three of them smashing records to date in the Billboard Top 50 Club Play Chart.

Alexander Bard has worked with many Swedish artists, including Anders Wollbeck and Tim Norell in the 1980s, and more recently with Anders Hansson and Henrik Wikström.

Bard is a co-founder of Stockholm Records and operates several internet and music-related businesses. Bard appeared in August 2011 as part of the Swedish version of the Idol TV show, sharing the stage with Celine Dion's record producer Anders Bagge while noting the contestants as The Scandinavian Simon Cowell due to his characteristically and explicitly harsh and straightforward commenting.

Army of Lovers reunited in 2013 with the release of a new compilation album titled Big Battle of Egos, which features four brand new songs, including lead single and video Signed on My Tattoo, which was a duet with Gravitonas. The band cited political causes, including their outspoken opposition to increased homophobia and antisemitism in Europe, for the reunification, which culminated in the headlines of both the Pride festivities of 2013 in Copenhagen and Belgrade, as well as several major television shows in Sweden, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.

Television career

Bard was a judge on "Talang" (the Swedish version of "Got Talent") from 2011 to 2015, a spin-off of Pop Idol, and he was a judge on the Swedish version of "Got Talent"), which is broadcast on TV4. He was suspended from his position in June 2020 after public outrage over a string of racially charged tweets from Bard.

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