Nikola Sarcevic

Scandinavian vocalist Nikola Sarcevic is best known for his work as the lead singer of <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>, a Swedish punk/alternative rock band that commanded a loyal following in Europe and the United States in the '90s and 2000s. Sarcevic's many years with <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a> have earned the Swede a reputation for being a loud, forceful, brash, and very extroverted type of artist; however, a much more introspective and sensitive side of Sarcevic emerged after he launched a solo career in the early 2000s. As <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>'s frontman, Sarcevic has been influenced by the amplified, in-your-face aggression of bands ranging from <a href="spotify:artist:3RGLhK1IP9jnYFH4BRFJBS">the Clash</a> to <a href="spotify:artist:4S2yOnmsWW97dT87yVoaSZ">NOFX</a> and the Descendants, but as a solo artist, Sarcevic has favored more of a singer/songwriter aesthetic. Concentrating on folk-rock and adult alternative, Sarcevic the solo artist has invited comparisons to <a href="spotify:artist:0hEurMDQu99nJRq8pTxO14">John Mayer</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:44gRHbEm4Uqa0ykW0rDTNk">Ben Folds Five</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0vEsuISMWAKNctLlUAhSZC">Counting Crows</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6kXp61QMZFPcKMcRPqoiVj">the Gin Blossoms</a> rather than <a href="spotify:artist:4NPManowiyiGa72hezruf2">Cock Sparrer</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4ubY8RYfXkcEqgjEMDuLYl">the Circle Jerks</a>, or <a href="spotify:artist:29XJ6qIJAQdRSw64f47aJe">Sham 69</a>.

Sarcevic (who has played electric bass with <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a> and guitar on some of his solo recordings) started to make a name for himself in Nordic rock circles in the late '80s, when he co-founded <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>'s original three-man lineup with guitarists Erik Ohlsson and Mathias Färm in Örebro, Sweden; <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a> officially became a quartet when Fredrik Larzon was hired as the band's full-time drummer in 1993. At first, <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a> was a Swedish-language group, but after a few years, Sarcevic and his colleagues began writing in English. In Sweden, some artists write in Swedish exclusively and concentrate on the Scandinavian market; many others, however, opt to broaden their appeal by performing mostly or entirely in English -- and by making the transition to English lyrics, <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a> was following the lead of countless Swedish performers who had ranged from satanic death metal, black metal, and grindcore bands to <a href="spotify:artist:0LcJLqbBmaGUft1e9Mm8HV">ABBA</a>-obsessed bubblegum Europopsters to <a href="spotify:artist:5V0MlUE1Bft0mbLlND7FJz">Ella Fitzgerald</a>-influenced jazz vocalists. By the time <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>'s first album, Life on a Plate, was released in Sweden on Burning Heart Records in 1995, they had acquired an enthusiastic following in the Nordic countries -- and after they signed with the Los Angeles-based Epitaph label, the Swedes became increasingly popular in the United States. By the spring of 2001, Epitaph had distributed five <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a> albums in North America.

Around 2003, Sarcevic made a decision: he would launch a solo career on the side while continuing to serve as <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>'s lead singer/frontman -- a game plan that Epitaph was obviously comfortable with. The world-weary Lock-Sport-Krock, Sarcevic's first solo effort, was released on Burning Heart/Epitaph in July 2004 -- and much to the surprise of his longtime fans, the album was a total departure from anything he had done with <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>. No one expected Sarcevic, of all people, to branch out into folk-rock and adult alternative territory and come up with such an introspective, reflective CD. Nonetheless, Sarcevic continued to perform live with <a href="spotify:artist:74xFFXkvOq9dPDigOWTHiX">Millencolin</a>, and a sixth album with that band, Kingwood, was released on Burning Heart/Epitaph in April 2005. His sophomore solo effort, Roll Roll and Flee, was issued the following year in Europe via Burning Heart; a North American release was delayed when Epitaph chose not to pick the record up. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi