Malin Sofia Katarina Berggren is a former member of the band Ace of Base.
Having been interested and involved in music since her childhood, she formed the band in
1987, along with her sister Jenny, her brother Jonas and their friend Ulf Ekberg.
Before forming Ace of Base, Malin sang in her church's choir.
She was born in Gothenburg, Sweden.
When Ace of Base was signed to Danish label Mega Records in 1990, Malin, or Linn as she
became known, chose to put her teaching career on hold.
But while her sister Jenny has stated she always wanted to be a singer, Linn has never
said anything similar.
On the contrary, in 1997 Linn said: "I wanted to sing; I never wanted to be a singer".
Linn's vocal range is contralto; she is recognized by her distinguishable vibrato.
Ace of Base During the promotion for Ace of Base's first
album, Linn was the principal lead vocalist for the majority of the singles and was generally
the main focus in the videos, although on some singles and album tracks Jenny and Linn
shared leads.
The focus became more equal with her younger sister, Jenny, during the release of their
second album, The Bridge.
Beginning in 1997, Linn appeared at her band's concerts only to perform in the dark or from
behind objects; most often keyboards.
From 1997 onwards, her appearance in the band's music videos was much less than previous videos.
Her image in the videos became at times blurred or almost nonexistent.
Linn has not granted a personal television interview since that year.
The other band members, too, have been somewhat reluctant to explain what has happened to
Ace of Base's former lead singer.
Linn frequently avoids cameras.
The band's management and record companies have explained Linn's odd behavior inconsistently
over the years.
In 1997, when Linn did not perform at the World Music Awards, Claes Cornelius at Mega
Records said it was because she did not wish to wear the heavy make-up the performance
would have required.
The band performed "Ravine" with Linn pretending to play keyboards in the far background of
the stage.
In 1998 when Linn walked off the set of the "Cruel Summer" video in Rome, her manager
said it was because she did not wish to appear in the foreground of the video.
Director Nigel Dick later revealed she would not have appeared at all, were it not for
his insistence.
As a result, Jenny performed both her own and Linn's parts in the video.
Bravo magazine claimed later that year that Linn was seriously ill, a claim which appeared
to be true, based on Linn's odd, shaking appearance on Germany's television spot The Dome, and
photos appearing in Bravo.
Ulf Ekberg once claimed Linn had a "camera phobia", but other sources have cited her
long-time fear of flying as the reason for her absence at the band's concerts.
However, Linn also did not appear at events in Gothenburg and Copenhagen, where she would
not have had to fly.
The members of the band have stated that she has always been a shy and retiring person
and was happy to let Jenny lead the band, although a knife attack on Jenny and her mother
in 1994 was also said to be in part responsible for her reluctance to appear in public.
The attacker was a German girl, later arrested, who claimed to be targeting Linn.
In Linn's last personal television interview, from 1998, she stated her wish to simply remain
in the background, and the eight videos filmed after this interview have mostly complied
with her wishes.
Other promotional materials, such as album covers and inserts, also feature blurred,
unsmiling, distinctly unhappy photographs of her.
The Flowers album uses the infamous 'blue lines' photograph, where Linn's unhappy image
is bizarrely hidden behind the booklet's blue line design.
Linn granted one final radio interview on Mix FM in Lebanon in 1998, where she talked
about new album plans and sang All That She Wants a capella.
Linn has written a number of songs, some of which have been released as Ace of Base songs,
and some of which have never been released to the public.
During the mid-1990s, Linn wrote and produced several songs, among them "Just 'N' Image",
"Whispers in Blindness", and "Strange Ways" for the band's The Bridge album.
Some fans believe Linn's odd behavior is explained in the lyrics of "Strange Ways".
In the spring of 2005, interviews with Linn's sister Jenny seemed to indicate Linn's desire
to return to the spotlight again, but Linn still remained hidden from the public and
has not granted an interview with any news agency or media organization since the release
of the "Our Story" documentary in 1998.
The public has not caught a glimpse of her in several years.
Her last public appearance was during the promotion of the Da Capo album in 2002, where
she showed up to a German television performance and mimed playing the keyboards in the background.
A fan snapped a picture of a calm, smiling Linn outside the studio.
Her final appearance with Ace of Base was in the Unspeakable music video which was filmed
in December 2002.
In October and November 2005, the band made appearances at a series of 15 concerts at
the Night of the Proms in Belgium; as usual, Linn was unable to attend, and only Jonas,
Ulf, and Jenny made appearances at these concerts.
In 2006, it was mentioned that Ace of Base had recorded 6 new songs featuring vocals
by both Malin and Jenny.
In 2007, Linn provided backing vocals on the track "High Life" in Jenny's secondary band
Arose.
Departure According to an interview given by Ulf Ekberg
on 20 June 2006, Malin returned to the University and would record vocals on the band's new
album.
However, on 30 November 2007, Ulf stated in an interview that Malin Berggren had left
the band and she would not be featured on the band's new album.
The group had already been performing mostly without Linn as a trio for a solid decade
before her departure.
Linn's image has been removed from most material on the band's official website.
Band-mate and sister Jenny confirmed Linn's departure in the Danish press: "She hasn't
been part of Ace of Base for several years," she stated in Se & Hør magazine.
Personal life Linn is multi-lingual: her primary language
is Swedish, but she speaks fluent English and German; she also speaks Spanish, Russian
and French.
Other details of Linn's life, such as those of her life outside the band, are completely
unknown to the general public—whereas the other band members have been open about their
relationships.
Contributions to Ace of Base music Vocals
Linn has contributed vocals for all original Ace of Base songs except:
Fashion Party My Mind
Dimension of Depth Ravine
Experience Pearls Wave Wet Sand
Mercy Mercy I Pray
Donnie Don't Go Away
Unspeakable Remember the Words
World Down Under Wonderful Life
Show Me Love Songwriting
Linn's writing credits for Ace of Base tracks: Hear Me Calling
Strange Ways Whispers In Blindness
Just N Image Lapponia
Love in December Beautiful Morning
Change With the Light What's the Name of the Game
Song production Linn's production credits for Ace of Base
tracks: Strange Ways
Whispers In Blindness Just N Image
Lapponia Other
Performed at Princess Victoria's 20th birthday on July 14, 1997.
Footnotes
External links Ace of Base official website
Linn Berggren at the Internet Movie Database