Markus Krunegård is a Swedish pop singer who had some initial success as the frontman of the indie pop band Laakso during the mid-2000s before making his Top Ten hit solo album debut in 2008 with Markusevangeliet. Born on April 6, 1979, in Norrköping, Sweden, he is the singer and guitarist of Laakso, a quartet also comprised of Mikael Fritz (bass), Lars Skoglund (drums), and David Nygård (trombone, trumpet, synthesizer). The band made its commercial recording debut in 2003 in association with the indie label Adrian Recordings, releasing first the Long Beach EP, then the full-length debut album I Miss You, I'm Pregnant. A couple years later Laakso made their major-label debut on V2 Music with the High Drama EP (2005), followed by the full-length album My Gods (2005). While these initial major-label releases were moderately successful, Laakso's next round of releases, the Västerbron & Vampires EP (2007) and the full-length album Mother, Am I Good Looking? (2007), propelled the band further up the Swedish charts and into the pop mainstream. At this point Krunegård embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut album, Markusevangeliet (2008), on V2 Music. A Top Ten hit on the Swedish albums chart, Markusevangeliet spawned the singles "Jag Är En Vampyr" and "Det Är Ett Idogt Jobb Att Driva Ungdomen Ut Ur Sin Kropp." Krunegård had another big year in 2009, when he released a pair of accompanying solo albums, Prinsen Av Peking and Lev Som En Gris, Dö Som En Hund; scored a hit single with "Hela Livet Var Ett Disco"; and teamed up with Andreas Kleerup as Kleerup/Krunegård for the five-track Lead Singer Syndrome EP. ~ Jason Birchmeier
