John Martin

Most famous for his vocal contributions to hit singles by the Swedish House Mafia DJ collective, John Martin Lindström grew up in southern Stockholm. Son of a rally driver, Lindström became interested in music at the age of 13 when he formed a Nirvana covers band with school friends. By 15 he was fronting a group which performed its own material, but soon became disillusioned with rock music -- and the band template in general -- after being signed and subsequently dropped by a label. He became increasingly interested in electronic music after striking up a friendship with DJ and ex-boy band member Michel Zitron. Zitron was helping Lindström record material in Stockholm's Cosmos Studios when Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia overheard their work and invited the pair to assist with his project. The result was "Save the World," a summer 2011 anthem co-written by Lindström, Zitron, Swedish House Mafia, and established pop artist Vincent Pontare. Lindström provided a rock-inflected lead vocal to what was essentially a house track, and "Save the World" went on to enjoy sales of circa half a million in the U.S. after reaching the top ten in the U.K. Following this success, Tim Bergling of Avicii fame contacted Lindström and Zitron, and the pair helped to write the lyrics for his Pengin Café Orchestra-sampling, Swedish Top Five single "Fade Into Darkness." Whereas Lindström's vocal for "Save the World" had gone uncredited, the next single that he co-wrote for Swedish House Mafia, "Don't You Worry Child," included his name on the artwork. It charted in 32 countries, reaching the top spot in the U.K., Sweden, Australia, and Venezuela by the end of 2012. A collaboration with Dutch hardstyle act Max Enforcer ensued before Lindström received equal billing on a vocal mix of the SHM track "Reload" early the following year. ~ James Wilkinson, Rovi