Despite her international work, she remains closely connected to her roots. She grew up on a small, traditional farm in rural Värmland, surrounded by cows, pigs and hens. In the parish of Värmskog, daily life was shaped by self-sufficiency: forests were cut, feed was grown and a pig prepared for Christmas. It was an environment where the line between animal and human, light and dark, could at times feel very close.

It may have been here that her connection to music first took shape. When Gustafsson was seven, her mother passed away, leaving her, her two siblings and their father to carry on life on the farm. Around that time, she was given a horse and a guitar, two companions that would remain important to her.

Gustafsson has received The Royal Musical Academy’s Jazz Award and Swedish Radio’s Guldkatten, and was awarded a Swedish Grammy for the album Alone with You, for which she wrote all thirteen songs.

With this first Swedish-language release, we hear a slightly different side of Rigmor Gustafsson, focusing on song traditions and material that sit somewhat outside the usual jazz repertoire.

On stage:
Rigmor Gustafsson – vocals
Jonas Östholm – piano
Martin Höper – double bass
Chris Montgomery – drums