Column
by Anderz Wrethov

Almost every day during my early teens, I would sit in a room at my parents’ hotel, Wellingehus, in the centre of Vellinge, surrounded by my Korg T3 synth, an electric guitar, pen and paper, writing songs one after another. I loved that feeling — one I later learned is called flow — when time and space disappear, when you’re completely absorbed in what you’re doing and never want to stop. Back then, I often found myself daydreaming about a future where I could always work with music “when I grow up.” I was lucky to attend Vellinge’s music class and the municipal music school, where I learned to play piano and guitar, sing, and make music together with others.

Little did I know that later in life I would return to Vellinge to build my dream studio, run a hotel together with my wife, and live with my family in beautiful Vellingebacken. To be able to continue creating music there, among the gently swaying willow trees — now together with many of Sweden’s leading artists and songwriters — feels like a gift.

Cycling into the village with John Lundvik, stopping for coffee with Anis Don Demina at Björns, cooking tacos at home in the kitchen with Jan Malmsjö, or taking photos outside the studio with Marcus & Martinus for fans who have driven for hours just to meet their idols — this is all part of everyday life now. It feels as if Vellinge has become an extension of the music industry in Stockholm.

For about a year now, I’ve also had an office and studio in Stockholm, but it’s in Vellinge that I both feel most at home and create my best work. Time and again, during our summer writing camps with artists and songwriters, I hear the same thing: “It’s such a relief to come here and create music in this environment.”
Perhaps that’s why as many as 45 songs for Melodifestivalen have been written at Vellingebacken since we moved in back in 2017.