Photo & © Ricky Tillblad
About Helen Sjöholm
HELEN SJÖHOLM had her major breakthrough as Kristina in the musical Kristina from Duvemåla in 1995 and has, for nearly 30 years, established herself as one of Sweden’s most beloved stage performers. Over three winters, from 2021 to 2024, Helen toured with Anna Stadling on a Christmas concert tour, performing songs from their Christmas album Snö & marschaller (Snow & Torches). During their most recent winter tour, titled Sånger i juletid (Songs of the Christmas Season), they visited churches and cultural venues across the country, offering atmospheric and heartfelt performances.
In the autumn of 2023 and spring of 2024, Helen appeared in the musical Änglagård (House of Angels) at Oscarsteatern in Stockholm. In autumn 2024, she also appeared in Stockholm City Theatre’s production of the musical Company.
The summer of 2025 marked a major success when Helen, together with Tommy Körberg, embarked on a nationwide tour of sold-out concerts. The duo’s unique chemistry and audience favourites from both the musical theatre repertoire and the Swedish song tradition made the tour one of the most acclaimed concert experiences of the year.
In autumn 2025, Helen returned to the stage in the newly written musical Nån måste göra det (Someone Has to Do It) – a “pocket-sized” musical.
More about Helen Sjöholm
Helen Sjöholm had her major breakthrough as Kristina in the musical Kristina from Duvemåla in 1995. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards, including Sweden’s prestigious Guldmasken theatre award on two occasions. She has also been awarded the Thalia statuette for her portrayal of Kristina, and in 2018 she received the Royal Medal Litteris et Artibus for outstanding artistic achievements as a singer and actress.
From an early age, Helen devoted herself to choral and solo singing and studied jazz and pop vocals at Kulturama. She made her professional stage debut in the vocal and entertainment group Just For Fun in the late 1980s, and her professional musical theatre debut came in 1992 at Malmö City Theatre in the newly written Elvira Madigan. The following year, she continued at the theatre with a role in the drama Volpone.
Between 1995 and 1999, Helen played Kristina in the original production of Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson’s Kristina from Duvemåla. The premiere took place on 7 October 1995 at Malmö Music Theatre. This leading role made her a household name throughout Sweden. The production was an overwhelming success, and the performances were praised by both audiences and critics. Helen’s dramatic confrontation with God in the song Du måste finnas (You Have to Be There) has been particularly moving for many.
In 1997, Helen also appeared in Fiddler on the Roof at Malmö Music Theatre, portraying the daughter Hodel. In spring 2001, she played Fantine in Les Misérables at Malmö Music Theatre, and during the summer she once again toured with a concert version of Kristina from Duvemåla.
The year 2002 was especially eventful. In February, the Swedish-language production of Chess premiered at Cirkus in Stockholm, and once again Helen played a leading role in a musical by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. For her portrayal of Florence, she received the Guldmasken award.
In May 2002, Helen released her first solo album, Visor, which went platinum later that autumn. Tore Ljungberg of Göteborgs-Posten wrote enthusiastically in his review: “The voice is slightly magical, truly capturing the listener’s ear.”
In autumn 2003, Helen made her debut as a revue performer in the China Revue at the China Theater in Stockholm, alongside Lasse Berghagen, Magnus Härenstam, Loa Falkman, and Sissela Kyle.
In autumn 2004, Kay Pollak’s movie Så som i himmelen (As It Is in Heaven) premiered in Swedish cinemas. Helen portrayed Gabriella, a woman in the local church choir who is abused by her husband. She demonstrated that her star power shines just as brightly on the big screen as it does on stage. Her performance was praised by both critics and audiences, and she won Aftonbladet’s audience vote for Best Supporting Actress.
When Benny Andersson formed his orchestra BAO in 2001, it came as no surprise that Helen appeared as a soloist in the ensemble, alongside Tommy Körberg. With BAO, she performs, among other songs, Du är min man (You Are My Man), a song that can without exaggeration be described as a massive hit. It remained on the Swedish chart for an astonishing 278 weeks, a record that remains unbeaten.
In 2005, Helen played Polly Peachum at Stockholm City Theatre in Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera, a production that played to sold-out houses.
In autumn 2008, Helen took on the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Oscar Theater in Stockholm. For this role, she was once again awarded the Guldmasken, with the jury stating: “She sings every melody with conviction and musicality; every syllable is heard. She creates a deeply moving portrait of one of the most iconic musical roles of all time.”
In September 2009, an English concert version of Kristina from Duvemåla was performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. Helen appeared as the only Swedish artist, singing the title role to great acclaim.
On April 14, 2010, she once again performed the role of Kristina in English, this time at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 2010, Helen also appeared with Peter Jöback in several concerts dedicated to musical theatre composer Stephen Sondheim, who was celebrating his 80th birthday. That same year, she appeared in the production Aniara, directed by Lars Rudolfsson at Stockholm City Theatre, and in the autumn she released her second solo album, Euforia – Helen Sjöholm sings Billy Joel.
In early 2011, she toured with the album and continued touring throughout the summer, this time with BAO, who released the album O klang och jubeltid.
In December 2011, Lisa Ohlin’s film Simon och ekarna (Simon and the Oaks), based on Marianne Fredriksson’s novel, premiered. Helen portrayed Simon’s mother Karin and received consistently glowing reviews.
In September 2013, Helen appeared as a guest artist in I Love Musicals – The Broadway Edition for two concerts, and when the I Love Musicals tour returned in 2015, she once again shared the stage with Peter Jöback.
In autumn 2014 and spring 2015, Helen portrayed Mona, a mother of four, in Jonas Gardell’s newly written musical Livet är en schlager (Life Is a Schlager) at Cirkus in Stockholm.
In 2016, BAO released the album Mitt hjärta klappar för dig, followed by a summer tour. That autumn, the Woody Allen musical Bullets Over Broadway premiered at Göta Lejon in Stockholm. Helen played Broadway star Helen Sinclair, and the production was described by Aftonbladet as “a long feast of laughter with powerful singing.”
The year 2017 was also packed with engagements. In addition to appearing in I Love Musicals Allstars, Helen gave concerts with Malena Ernman at Dalhalla, summer concerts with Tomas Andersson Wij, and appeared in the concert series Vinterklang alongside, among others, Anna-Maria Hallgarn at Wasa Theatre in Finland.
In the summer of 2018, Helen once again performed at Dalhalla with Malena Ernman, this time joined by Sarah Dawn Finer and Nisse Landgren. During the winter, she toured with December – Sånger i vintermörkret (December – Songs in the Winter Darkness) together with her childhood friend and fellow artist Anna Stadling.
In spring 2019, Helen, together with Vanna Rosenberg, played the dual role of the housewife Nancy at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm in Lars Rudolfsson’s newly written work Hugh och Nancys många världar (The Many Worlds of Hugh and Nancy), with music by Mats Gustafsson.
In spring 2020 and again in 2022, she played the leading role of Diana, the mother, in the acclaimed Broadway musical Next to Normal at Uppsala City Theatre.
The album En Ny Tid (A New Time) was released in 2020 and consists entirely of newly written material.
In spring 2021, the original series Thunder in My Heart premiered on Viaplay. The series consists of eight episodes, and Helen played Annika, the mother of the main character Sigrid. A second season aired in spring 2023.
In 2021, Helen Sjöholm and Anna Stadling embarked on their Christmas tour Sånger i juletid (Songs of the Christmas Season) for the first time, a tour that has since become an annual tradition.
On Christmas Day 2021, the movie Tills solen går upp (Until the Sun Rises) premiered, featuring Helen in one of the leading roles alongside Mikael Persbrandt, Vanna Rosenberg, and Peter Dalle. Helen and Mikael Persbrandt portrayed the married couple Peder and Lena. The movie was directed by Peter Dalle, who also wrote the screenplay, and was broadcast on SVT in spring 2023.
In 2022, Helen Sjöholm and Anna Stadling released the Christmas album Snö & marschaller. The album became a favourite among their fans, filled with atmospheric and beautiful Christmas interpretations. That same year, Helen gave several concerts, including collaborations with musician Rickard Nilsson, a partnership that continued into 2023. In May, she also appeared with Anna-Maria Hallgarn in Vårfanfar (Spring Fanfare) at Wasa Theatre in Finland. Additionally, she performed a number of concerts with Martin Östergren and Jojje Wadenius and participated in a benefit concert for Ukraine organised by the Salvation Army.
In 2023, Helen was one of the artists at the Fadime Gala at Berns Salonger in Stockholm. On January 23, she performed at the Guldbagge Awards together with Anna Stadling and Albin Lee Meldau in a tribute to Sven-Bertil Taube. In early summer, she gave three concerts together with Jojje Wadenius and Martin Östergren.
In autumn 2023 and spring 2024, Helen appeared in the acclaimed musical Änglagård at the Oscar Theatre in Stockholm.
For the fourth consecutive year in 2024, Helen Sjöholm and Anna Stadling toured with Sånger i juletid. During the tour, they visited churches across the country, performing songs from the album Snö & marschaller alongside new music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, creating a magical atmosphere in the lead-up to Christmas.
In autumn 2024, Helen also appeared in Stockholm City Theatre’s production of the musical Company.
Booking
Pernilla Thagaard
pernilla.thagaard@allthingslive.se