Suede
| Suede | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres |
Pop Dance Electropop Swedish pop K-pop |
| Years active | 2011 — 2013 |
| Labels | Blacklight (2012 — 2013) |
| Past members |
Herman Chang (deceased) Anders Björlin (deceased) Lennart Björlin (deceased) |
Suede were a Swedish pop trio from Stockholm, Sweden that consisted of Herman Chang and fraternal twins Anders and Lennart Björlin; Chang was the cousin to the Björlin twins. Suede formed in 2011 and launched their careers that year when they participated in the 2011 Melodifestivalen contest, in which they came in third. The appearance at the contest stirred buzz for the group and they eventually released their debut single "See The Light" and their debut (and only) album Today Is Our Day in early 2012. Both the single and the album were successful, with the single reaching the top ten in Sweden and UK, while the album reached the top twenty in Sweden and the top three in the UK, where it is currently certified Platinum. Throughout 2012, they managed to find international success with Today Is Our Day and the singles from the album.
In 2012, the trio began work on their second album and have since completed and announced that they will be focusing their careers in Asia, Sweden, and North America, and outside of Europe and the UK, though they stated that they will occasionally release in the latter two regions.
On January 23, 2013, lead singer Herman Chang was found murdered in front of his hotel room while in Hong Kong after being shot by his estranged father and half-brothers. The two surviving members, the Bjorlin twins, have since announced that they will not continue being Suede out of respect for Chang.
In October 2013, Lennart and Anders Bjorlin were also shot and killed by unknown assailants who are believed to be family members from their mother's side.
Formation: 1990s-2011[edit | edit source]
Herman Chang's mother got remarried to a Swedish man when he was only two years old. When he was seven, his stepfather moved the family to Stockholm, Sweden, settling just two houses down from where his stepfather's brother lived. Before the move, Chang's stepfather would take the family to Sweden on summer vacations and holidays. During his first visit there, when he was two, he met and bonded with his twin cousins Lennart and Anders Björlin; after the move, the bond between Chang and the Björlin twins grew stronger.
The three boys eventually began to sing together and when the Björlin twins became teenagers, they, along with Herman, decided to take music seriously. They entered into a bunch of talent contests where they either won or at least placed significantly high.
The twins eventually went off to college and Herman continued to pursue a music career when was fourteen. Herman was a member in four groups, who all disbanded after having minimal to no success. Between groups, Chang would often try to get his cousins to form one with them. Though they thought it was a good idea, they constantly rebuffed him insisting on focusing on college. After the fourth and final group that Herman was involved disbanded, he reluctantly considered on going solo. However, his twin cousins, completely finished with college at that point, decided that they wanted to form a group with him. The trio formed in early 2011 and decided to call themselves Suede. The reason why the name "Suede" was chosen was because it reminded them of the word "Swede" and they wanted to show pride towards Sweden and being Swedish.
Today Is Our Day: 2011 - 2012[edit | edit source]
In early 2011, Suede entered into the Melodifestivalen 2011, which determined who was going to represent Sweden at the Uravision Song Contest that year. Suede submitted the song "I Release You" for the competition and made it to the finals, coming in third in the competition. After their performance of Melodifestivalen, buzz began to stir around the group in Sweden. In late 2011, the member of Suede moved to the UK to expand their music career aspirations by trying to break into the British music market while also trying to break into the music market in Sweden as well.
In January 2012, the band released their debut single "See The Light". The single was commercially successful by reaching #4 in Sweden and #6 in the UK. On January 9, 2012, the group released their debut album Today Is Our Day. The album was also commercially successful reaching #13 in Sweden and #3 in the UK. To date, the album has sold over 400,000 copies in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Lat dem ga" was released as the second single (overall) from the album in Sweden; it reached #11 on the Sverigetopplistan. In February and March 2012, the trio participated in Melodifestivalen 2012 with a song called "Break My Heart (From The Start)". They made it through to the finals of the competition and, once again, placed third. "Break My Heart (From The Start)" would later serve as the b-side for the trio's second UK single "Guns and Bullets".
In Spring 2012, the trio released "Pass Me By" and "Guns and Bullets". "Pass Me By" was initially only released in North America where it the top three in the United States and Canada while "Guns and Bullets" reached #6 in the UK and was certified Silver. In June 2012, "Pass Me By" was released in Sweden, Norway, and Ireland, reaching #1 in the latter country. "Pass Me By", in some countries, was coupled with "Hovering" in June 2012, which was also released on its own in other countries as well. "Hovering" would prove to be an international hit for the trio reaching the top ten in Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Norway, becoming their first top ten hit single in the latter. In Sweden, "Hovering" charted within the top forty. "Pass Me By" and "Hovering" was supposed to be coupled together as a double A-sided single in the UK but its release was cancelled.
2012-2013: Oh Mmm Gee and second studio album[edit | edit source]
In July 2012, Suede traveled to Asia to break into the music markets there in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. They trio recorded songs in Korean, Chinese, and Japanese that were meant as bonus tracks for planned Asian editions of their debut album Today Is Our Day but instead the trio decided to release a brand new EP instead. Prior to this, they also planned on re-releasing Today Is Our Day in the UK with the bonus tracks. That month, the trio released "Tell Them" as their debut single in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan, where the song was recorded in those countries' respective languages for those markets. "Tell Them" proved to a successful radio and sales hit in Hong Kong and reached #1 in South Korea, while it reached #8 in on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Also released in Sweden, in Swedish, the single reached #7 on the Sverigetopplisten.
In August 2012, the trio released their debut EP Oh Mmm Gee in South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. The EP included songs that were recorded in the countries' respective languages and featured original songs and well as some songs from their debut album Today Is Our Day. Oh Mmm Gee reached #1 in Korea and #7 in Japan. A second single from the EP, "Bring The Noise Then", became the trio's second #1 hit in Korea while also reaching #6 in Japan and #8 in Sweden. The third single from the EP, "So So Cool", became their third #1 hit in South Korea, while reaching #4 in both Sweden and Japan.
In 2013, the band announced that they were returning to the UK with a new studio album. The trio planned on releasing an English version of "Tell Them" in the UK and US in early 2013. They also planned on releasing a fourth single from their EP Oh Mmm Gee titled "Do It Like That", which has since been cancelled. They announced that they would not be working with producer Shawn Middlesbrough, who produced the majority of their debut album, on their second album.
2013: Death of Herman Chang, disbandment, and death of Lennart and Anders Bjorlin[edit | edit source]
On in the late hours of January 22, 2013 (HKT), while the trio was on promotional duties in Hong Kong, lead singer Herman Chang was confronted by his estranged father and half-brother which resulted in a heated argument. According to witnesses, the father and brother chased Chang on foot for three blocks during a busy part of the town, yelling death threats to him.
Hours later, on the early morning hours of January 23, 2013 (HKT), Chang was found murdered outside of his hotel room that he was sharing with his cousins/bandmates. His body was discovered in the doorway, with the door ajar, by member Lennart Bjorlin, who had gone out to get some groceries from the trio. Chang had apparently been shot multiple times. Bjorlin's twin brother, Anders was also shot twice in the leg but was seen trying to resuscitate Chang. Chang was said to have died instantly from his bullet wounds while Anders' gunshot wounds were said to be "accidentally" because otherwise, according to the authorities, he too would've been shot to death as well. Chang was dead on arrival at a nearby hospital in Hong Kong. Chang was twenty-four years old and is survived by his son, Terrance.
Chang's death quickly spread to Sweden and his death was publicly mourned by many. Fans throughout Asia, also mourned his death as he, along with the rest of Suede, were considered to be rising stars. At 1:58 PM (HKT), Chang's father and son turned themselves in to the police, tearfully confessing that they murdered Chang with multiple gunshots in a "fit of rage, jealousy, and hurt" according to their initial confession statement.
Hours after Chang's death, the Bjorlin twins released a statement saying that they would no longer continue with Suede out of respect for Chang, disbanding the trio in the process. The news was caused shockwaves in Swedish press and media.
On October 21, 2013, Lennart and Anders Bjorlin were shot and killed by unknown assailants. Lennart and Anders were both found dead inside their car that was parked outside of their home in Stockholm. The unknown assailants are believed to be family members of Lennart and Anders from their mother's side. Anders is survived by his fiance.
Image[edit | edit source]
The boys received a lot of attention because of the fact that they are Asian and from Sweden. Indeed, all three members are of Asian descent with Herman having been Chinese-American and the Björlin twins being half-Korean and half-Swedish. The Björlin twins have always identified themselves as Swedish and are said to be unfamiliar with their Korean heritage. Apparently, they haven't even visited South Korea, the origin of their mother. The twins also do not know how to speak the Korean language.
Suede ranked at #7 on James Moss' "Top 12 Breakouts of 2012", which ranked his favorite up and coming artists for 2012. The boys have stated that they were "touched and honored" to be included on Moss' list. On the "revisted" edition of the special, Suede rose to #6. Suede was considered to be apart of Nicholas X's Top 40 Romeos Countdown, which counted down the forty males that were considered to be the sexiest in the music industry, though it was hosted by Nicholas X; Suede failed to chart on the list, causing minor controversy among the trio's fanbase.
Members[edit | edit source]
- Herman Chang, 24 (August 14, 1988 — January 23, 2013)
- Anders Björlin, 28 (March 1, 1985 — October 21, 2013)
- Lennart Björlin, 28 (March 2, 1985 — October 21, 2013)
Discography[edit | edit source]
Albums[edit | edit source]
| Album | Album details | UK | SWE | CAN | JPN | KOR | IRE | NOR | US | Sales | Certification(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today Is Our Day |
|
3 | 3 | 3 | n/a | 2 | 11 | 3 |
|
| |
Extended plays[edit | edit source]
| Year | Title | Details | JPN | KOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Oh Mmm Gee |
|
7 | 1 |
Singles[edit | edit source]
| Year | Single | UK | UK Dig |
UK Air |
SWE | CAN | IRE | JPN | KOR | NOR | SCO | US | US Pop |
US Dance |
Album | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "See The Light" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 69 | 8 | n/a | 14 | 7 | 100 | 36 | 1 | Today Is Our Day |
|
| |
| "Låt dem gå" 1A | NR | 11 | — | — | — | NR | — | — | — | Idag är vår dag | |||||||
| "Pass Me By" 2A | — | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | Today Is Our Day |
|
| |||||||
| "Guns and Bullets" | 6 | 5 | 36 | 20 | 63 | 13 | — | 6 | 50 | 34 | 9 |
|
| ||||
| "Hovering" 2A | NR | 27 | 6 | 8 | 8 | NR | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| |||||||
| "Tell Them" | 7 | 8 | 1 | Oh Mmm Gee | |||||||||||||
| "Bring The Noise Then" | 8 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| "So So Cool" | 4 | 4 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| A dash (—) means that the single did not chart and/or was not released in that country. | |||||||||||||||||
Notes[edit | edit source]
1. "Låt dem gå" was only released in Sweden. It was not released anywhere else, including the UK.
2. "Pass Me By" and "Hovering" was originally supposed to be released in the UK, coupled together as a double A-sided single. The release has since been cancelled.
A. Released in other countries except in the UK.
NR - Not released in the UK or Scotland.
n/a - Not released in South Korea or Japan.
Videography[edit | edit source]
| Year | Video | VEVO | Views |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "See The Light" | 3 | 3,761,667 |
| Year | Video | Views | |
| 2012 | "Guns and Bullets" | temporarily shelved/cancelled | |
| "Pass Me By" A | |||
| "Hovering" A | |||
A. Blocked in the UK by Vevo and does not count their views on YouTube.
