Roxette are a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp! Their third album Joyride, which was released in 1991, became just as successful as its predecessor.

Gessle and Fredriksson reunited in 1998 to record material for a new Roxette album, Have a Nice Day, which was released in March 1999 and gave Roxette a comeback in continental Europe. It entered at No. 1 in Sweden and No. 2 in Germany. The first single, "Wish I Could Fly", became their highest charting UK single since 1993 (No. 11). In Sweden it charted at No. 4, their best position since "Sleeping in My Car." Although the second single, "Anyone," did not chart well in Europe, "Stars," the third single, charted well in Scandinavian and German speaking countries. NME's review called Have a Nice Day "...another clever-clever bastard of an album which defies Doctor Rock." A review of "I Wish I could Fly" written by Hakan Steen of Aftonbladet said, "The come-back single is a disappointment. The lyrics which conveys a sense of distance in a relationship, are not particularly engaging." The album, according to Billboard magazine, was under discussion for release in the US, but ultimately, it was not released there.  In 2000, Fredriksson released a greatest hits compilation called Antligen (At Last), which went on to be a big seller in Sweden, peaking at No. 1 for three weeks. Meanwhile, Roxette signed a US distribution deal with Edel Music, which re-released Don't Bore Us, Get to the Chorus! In doing so, it replaced some non-US hits with songs from Have a Nice Day. To promote the release the duo did a small tour of America, performing at the Boston Mixfest and at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. The single "Wish I Could Fly" included in the album reached No. 27 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 40 on the Adult Top 40 tally.  Room Service followed in 2001 to a mixed response from critics. "Probably the best Roxette album since Joyride," wrote Leslie Mathew of Allmusic, "Room Service is an exciting, immediate, high-gloss pop gem that contains very little filler indeed." Per Bjurman from Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet was critical of the album. "It is not very good." he wrote. He did praise the three singles, "Real Sugar," "The Centre of the Heart," and "Milk and Toast and Honey," but he ended the review with the prediction: "Roxette is not finished. But soon, I suspect."  The album topped the Swedish charts and reached No. 3 in Germany, but it received little attention in the UK. A planned US release through Edel America Records did not happen as the label was disbanded due to financial difficulties, though it did peak at No. 2 on CNN's Worldbeat album chart. The first single, "The Centre of the Heart" topped the charts in Sweden, made the top 10 in Spain, and the top 15 in Finland. The other singles, "Real Sugar," the album's opening track and "Milk and Toast and Honey" were less successful. Roxette again went on tour, this time in Europe only, as concerts planned in South Africa were cancelled after the 11 September 2001 attacks. On reviewing their Lofbergs Lila Arena concert, Bjurman from Aftonbladet wrote, "Roxette succeed in all cases, to never leave the 80s." His review criticised Roxette's playlist, which consisted of some of their early hits. Johan Lindqvist from Goteborgs-Posten was more positive, scoring their Munich concert four stars out of five.

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