September

In 2010, Marklund appeared in the first season of Så mycket bättre on TV4, and it became a turning point. Through intimate, acoustic interpretations of other artists’ songs, she revealed an entirely new side of herself – from international dance-pop artist to something far more personal and grounded. In 2012, she released a Swedish-language album under her own name with a more personal expression, clearly aimed away from the dance music audience. From this album, Inferno, came the single “Händerna mot himlen” (“Hands to the Sky”) – written by Joakim Berg of Kent and produced by Daniel Ledinsky and Saska Becker. The song became one of the biggest Swedish hits of modern times, was certified six times platinum, spent over a year on Svensktoppen, and stayed on Digilistan for 60 weeks. The follow-up Ensam inte stark arrived in 2015. Marklund also became the first female host of Allsång på Skansen on SVT since the show began airing on television in 1979, leading the program for two seasons. In 2023, she celebrated 20 years as an artist with the EP And the Story Goes, featuring acoustic versions of some of her most significant songs. In 2025, “Händerna mot himlen” gained an unexpected new life in Norway. After Norway’s 4-1 victory over Estonia – the match that effectively secured a World Cup spot – a video went viral showing Erling Braut Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, and the rest of the national team singing and dancing to the song in the dressing room. The video on the national team’s Instagram account received over one million views, and Marklund was surprised when Norwegian messages came flooding in. A Swedish hit from 2012 had suddenly become the soundtrack to one of the greatest moments in recent Norwegian football history. Throughout her career, Marklund has demonstrated a rare versatility as an artist, musician, and songwriter. Musically, she has evolved from energetic dance-pop and electropop to a more stripped-back, Swedish-language expression with introspective lyrics. Her voice is distinctive and instantly recognizable – equally powerful in a euphoric club track as in a bare piano ballad. She moves freely between languages, genres, melancholy, and joy, and no matter the format, it always sounds like Petra Marklund.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​