HELSINKI - The international free newspaper Metro published a big Per Gessle interview in its Helsinki edition last week. Per's album was released in Finland on the same day as in Sweden, so the topic is relevant. Per tells in the interview that the album was made just for fun.

  "It's a personal record and made by my own terms," he says. "I didn't want the record company to mess up things. I'm tired of everything being so planned ahead. Everything is so narrow and adjusted in music business, especially internationally."

  "I unsubscribed from the music magazines and stopped reading charts a couple of years ago. There was too much music I didn't like," Per says. "Actually, I follow the F1 season more than music business."

  If you look back on your career as an artist, are you surprised how well you've done?

  "That's something I haven't been asked before. I think I am. At the same time, I think I am good at writing songs. That's my main operations. If I compare Roxette's success to its competitors, I think Roxette's place in rock history is definitely well-deserved."

  So, what's a typical Per Gessle song?

  "At its best it's short. I believe that if people like the song it will be played again. 2.39 - that's a fantastic length for a pop track."

  You have fought against music piracy. Aren't CDs too expensive?

  "In my opinion it's wrong if a whole generation is raised to believe that music is free. If you don't pay the musicians, the music gets poorer. And if you compare the prices to the ones I pay for my son's computer games, CDs aren't that expensive."