Jonas Åkerlund

Jonas Åkerlund
Åkerlund in 2012
Born	Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund 10 November 1965 Bromma, Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation	Film director, music video director, drummer
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Bea Åkerlund

Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund (Swedish pronunciation: [hɑːns ʉ̟ːnʊ juːnas oːkɛɭɵnd], born 10 November 1965) is a Swedish director and drummer. He is best known for directing music videos, which are often mock forms of movie trailers and short films. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record seven awards at 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, including the Video of the Year.

Career

Åkerlund was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory from 1983 to 1984. He also directed Candlemass' first video "Bewitched". He first found fame as the main video director for Roxette. In 1997, he directed the acclaimed video for The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up", which sparked controversy due to its depiction of drug use, violence, and nudity. In 1998, he worked with Madonna for the song "Ray of Light", and has since worked with acts such as Metallica, Christina Aguilera, U2, Blink-182, P!nk, Rammstein, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. He directed the music video for the Smashing Pumpkins' "Try, Try, Try", from which a short film entitled Try was spawned. He was also the designer and photographer for the Roxette album Room Service in 2001. In 2002, his first full-length film, Spun, debuted.

Åkerlund directed commercials for Swedish clothing retailer MQ and the re-imagining of the Devo song "Watch Us Work It" used in Dell Computers commercials. He is a long-time collaborator of Madonna, having worked on such music videos as "Music", "American Life" (which was pulled due to its graphic content and the Iraq War), and "Jump". He also directed her documentary film I'm Going to Tell You a Secret and her concert special The Confessions Tour: Live from London. Among his more recent works were the controversial pornographic music video for Rammstein's "Pussy", the video for the song "Telephone" by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, and Duran Duran's single "Girl Panic!".^[1]

Åkerlund's second movie, Small Apartments, went direct to DVD.^[2] Per Gessle, of Roxette, was credited for the music and soundtrack.^[2]

Videography

1988 "Bewitched" for Candlemass 1989 "What's The Noise" for Walk on water 1992 "Shame, shame, shame" for Izabella Scorupco "Så länge det lyser mittemot" for Marie Fredriksson (Female half of Roxette) "Mellan sommar och höst" for Marie Fredriksson 1993 "Fingertips '93" for Roxette 1994 "Run To You" for Roxette 1995 "A la ronde" for Sinclair "Vulnerable" for Roxette "Pay For Me" for Whale 1996 "June Afternoon" for Roxette "She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" for Roxette "Un Dia Sin Ti" for Roxette (Spanish version of "Spending My Time") 1997 "Do You Wanna Be My Baby?" for Per Gessle (Male half of Roxette) "James Bond Theme" for Moby "Kix" for Per Gessle "I Want You To Know" for Per Gessle "Smack My Bitch Up" for The Prodigy 1998 "Ray of Light" for Madonna (Won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video) "My Favourite Game" for The Cardigans "Turn the Page" for Metallica 1999 "Whiskey in the Jar" for Metallica "Wish I Could Fly" for Roxette "Canned Heat" for Jamiroquai[3] "Anyone" for Roxette "Corruption" for Iggy Pop 2000 "The Everlasting Gaze" for The Smashing Pumpkins "Music" for Madonna "Porcelain" (version 1) for Moby "Try, Try, Try" for The Smashing Pumpkins "Try" (15-minute alternate version to "Try, Try, Try") "Beautiful Day" (version 1: airport) for U2[4] "Black Jesus" for Everlast "Still" (version 2: white hair) for Macy Gray 2001 "Gets Me Through" for Ozzy Osbourne[5] "Walk On" for U2 "The Centre of the Heart" for Roxette "Circus" for Stina Nordenstam 2002 "A Thing About You" for Roxette "Lonely Road" for Paul McCartney "Help Me" for Nick Carter "Fuel For Hatred" for Satyricon[6] "Me Julie" for Ali G and Shaggy "If I Could Fall In Love" for Lenny Kravitz "Beautiful" for Christina Aguilera

2003 "Beautiful Day" (version 2: Eze) for U2 "American Life" for Madonna "Good Boys" for Blondie "Aim 4" for Flint "True Nature" for Jane's Addiction "Come Undone" for Robbie Williams "Sexed Up" for Robbie Williams "Carnival Girl" for Texas 2004 "I Miss You" for blink-182[7] "Tits On The Radio" for Scissor Sisters (internet video only) 2005 "Rain Fall Down" for The Rolling Stones 2006 "Jump" for Madonna[8] "One Wish" for Roxette "Mann gegen Mann" for Rammstein[9] "Country Girl" for Primal Scream[10] 2007 "Wake Up Call" for Maroon 5[11] "Good God" for Anouk "Same Mistake" for James Blunt[12] "Watch Us Work It" for Devo 2008 "No. 5" for Hollywood Undead "Undead" for Hollywood Undead "Sober" for Pink[13] 2009 "Paparazzi" for Lady Gaga[14] "When Love Takes Over" for David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland "We Are Golden" for Mika[15] "Celebration" for Madonna[16] "Pussy" for Rammstein[17] "Fresh Out the Oven" for Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull "Ich tu dir weh" for Rammstein[18] (Won the 2011 Echo for best video national) 2010 "Telephone" for Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé[19] "Hot-N-Fun" for N*E*R*D feat. Nelly Furtado[20] "Let Me Hear You Scream" for Ozzy Osbourne[21] "Who's That Chick?" for David Guetta feat. Rihanna (Day Version)[22] "Who's That Chick?" for David Guetta feat. Rihanna (Night Version) 2011 "Hold It Against Me" for Britney Spears[23] "Hear Me Now" for Hollywood Undead[24] "Moves Like Jagger" for Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera[25] "Girl Panic!" for Duran Duran[26] "Mein Land" for Rammstein[27] 2012 "Daylight" for Maroon 5[28] "Doom And Gloom" for The Rolling Stones[29] 2013 "Haunted" for Beyoncé[30] "Superpower" for Beyoncé feat. Frank Ocean[30]

2014 "Magic" for Coldplay[31] "Get Her Back" for Robin Thicke[32] "True Love" for Coldplay[33] On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay Z for Beyoncé and Jay-Z [34] Dangerous for David Guetta 2015 "Ghosttown" for Madonna "Bitch I'm Madonna" for Madonna feat. Nicki Minaj "RM486" for Rose McGowan feat. Punishment "Could Have Been Me" for The Struts "The 1989 World Tour Live" for Taylor Swift 2016 "New Romantics" for Taylor Swift "Lemonade" for Beyoncé "Óveður" for Sigur Rós "Make America Great Again" for "**** Riot" "ManUNkind" for Metallica

Filmography

• Try (2000)
• Spun (2002)
• Madonna: I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (2005)
• Madonna: Confessions Tour - Live from London (2006)
• Madonna: The Confessions Tour (2007)
• Horsemen (2009)^[35]
• Small Apartments (2012)
• Paul McCartney's Live Kisses (2012)
• On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay Z (2014)
• Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live (2015)
• Roxette Diaries (2016)
• Rammstein: Paris (2016)
• Lords of Chaos (2017)

Books

• Henry Keazor, Thorsten Wübbena: Video Thrills The Radio Star. Musikvideos: Geschichte, Themen, Analysen. Bielefeld, Germany, 2005, p. 117ss., p. 146ss., p. 448

Awards

• 2014 – Grammy – Best Music Film: Paul McCartney’s "Live Kisses"^[36]
• 2011 – Echo Awards – Best National Video: Rammstein "Ich tu dir weh"
• 2010 – MVPA Awards – Best Collaboration: Lady Gaga feat Beyoncé "Telephone"
• 2009 – MVPA Awards – Lady Gaga "Paparazzi"
• 2008 – MVPA Awards – James Blunt "Same Mistake"
• 2008 – Grammy – Best Long Form Music Video: Madonna NBC Special "The Confessions Tour"
• 2008 – Silver Addy – Dell "Work it Out"
• 2007 – MVPA Hall of Fame – Prodigy "Smack My Bitch Up"
• 2004 – MVPA Awards – Robbie Williams "Come Undone"
• 1999 – Grammy – Best Short Form Music Video: Madonna "Ray of Light"
• 1998 – MTV Video Music Award – Madonna "Ray of Light" (five awards including Video of the Year and Best Female Video)
• 1998 – MTV Video Music Award – Best Dance Video: The Prodigy "Smack My Bitch Up"

References

1. Wigler, Josh. "The Man Behind Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' Video: Jonas Akerlund". MTV. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
2. Åkerlund, Jonas (2013-03-01), Small Apartments, retrieved 2016-07-27
3. http://www.vh1.com/video/jamiroquai/8907/canned-heat.jhtml
4. http://www.mtv.com/videos/u2/38177/beautiful-day.jhtml
5. "Ozzy 'Gets Through' Video, Plans Tour With Zombie".
6. "SATYRICON Video Posted Online". 29 October 2002.
7. "blink-182 - I Miss You - Music Video - MTV".
8. "Madonna - Jump - Music Video - MTV".
9. "RAMMSTEIN: 'Mann Gegen Mann' Video Posted Online". 10 February 2006.
10. http://www.vh1.com/video/primal-scream/97184/country-girl.jhtml
11. "Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call - Music Video - MTV".
12. "James Blunt - Same Mistake - Music Video - MTV".
13. http://www.mtv.com/videos/pnk/321731/sober.jhtml
14. "Lady Gaga - Paparazzi - Music Video - MTV".
15. "Mika - We Are Golden - Music Video - MTV".
16. "Madonna - Celebration - Music Video - MTV".
17. "RAMMSTEIN Guitarist Discusses 'Pussy' Video". 25 September 2009.
18. "RAMMSTEIN: 'Ich Tu Dir Weh' Video To Debut On Monday". 19 December 2009.
19. "Lady Gaga - Telephone feat. Beyoncé - Music Video - MTV".
20. "N.E.R.D. - Hot-N-Fun - Music Video - MTV".
21. "OZZY OSBOURNE: 'Let Me Hear You Scream' Video Released". 22 June 2010.
22. "David Guetta - Who's That Chick? (Ft. Rihanna) - Music Video - MTV".
23. http://www.mtv.com/videos/britney-spears/624145/hold-it-against-me.jhtml
24. "Hollywood Undead - Hear Me Now - Music Video - MTV".
25. "Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger - Music Video - MTV".
26. "Duran Duran - Girl Panic! - Music Video - MTV".
27. "RAMMSTEIN: 'Mein Land' Video Released". 11 November 2011.
28. "Maroon 5 - Daylight - Music Video - MTV".
29. "The Rolling Stones - Doom And Gloom - Music Video - MTV".
30. "Director Jonas Åkerlund on 'Haunted,' 'Superpower,' and Beyoncé's Many Virtues". 16 December 2013.
31. "Coldplay - Magic - Music Video - MTV".
32. "Robin Thicke's new video: Plea to Paula Patton?".
33. "Chris Martin Wears Inflatable Body Suit in Coldplay's "True Love" Video - Pitchfork".
34. "Beyoncé and Jay Z tour for TV special". 8 September 2014.
35. "Jonas Åkerlund Bio". Encyclopedia Metallum. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
36. "Awards Watch: Paul McCartney Takes Music Film Grammy, Nick Cave Doc a Double Winner at Sundance - MusicFilmWeb".

External links

• Jonas Åkerlund at the Internet Movie Database
• Jonas Åkerlund at the Swedish Film Database
  
• Jonas Åkerlund at the MVDbase.com
• CNN interview with Jonas Åkerlund
• Jonas Åkerlund official web page
• R.A.F. official web page
• Edwards, Gavin. "Video Visionary Jonas Åkerlund Pushes the Limits". Wired. Retrieved 24 July 2012.