As previously reported when The Daily Roxette broke the news in our exclusive interview with Per Gessle in February, Roxette will be releasing the very first single from their forthcoming album in April 2015.

Since that scoop, recent updates from Per in the international press suggests that the single could now be released in May… regardless, what we do know is that it’s a case of any day/week now – so as the anticipation builds – what can we expect?

Firstly, in terms of a debut single launch, this is somewhat of an unusual approach. Traditionally, with less than a month to go we would normally have a title of the single and/or the album, but this time, things are very different – in fact, once the single is released, fans will have to wait approximately six months until October/November until the brand new album is available. Statistically, this is the longest wait between the first single and album release in Roxette’s thirty year history and the longest gap since 1986’s “Neverending Love” was released in July before the debut album Pearls of Passion was made available in late October.

Something else we do know about the new Roxette material is that in a response to Marie’s current condition, Per confirmed to TDR that this time around, the album will be comprised of songs that suit the Roxette situation of “today”. This means more duets with Marie and Per sharing vocal duties and there will be more smaller, “simpler songs”; avoiding the more intricate, story telling or “bigger” style songs.

So what does that all actually mean for the fans and the sound? Well, unlike the traditional song writing approach for Charm School and Travelling, this time around, Per has employed a new, customized method of song writing to cater to the Marie of 2015 – this sounds like a winning move! Per gets to play to Marie’s current strengths and maximizes what she can offer now rather than trying to re-create the approach used in 1992. It’s not 1992 anymore – things are different today, the band has acknowledged that and hopefully this awareness and acceptance will result in, not just an easier recording process for the guys, but hopefully some even more exciting new Roxette songs!

So in terms of the sound, what do we all think? Up-tempo? Ballad? Electronic? Guitars?

There’s always a lot of pressure on a first single. It’s an opportunity for an artist to launch their first firing shot – a chance to make a statement! It’s also the fans’ first glimpse of what to expect in terms of the album, therefore setting up the expectation of what’s to come. Of course, it’s not always the case that the first single proves to be the most successful from the album. For example, when you think of Michael Jackson’s record breaking LP Thriller, most people think of “Billie Jean” or “Beat It”, but few remember that the actual first single showcasing the album was “The Girl is Mine”, the sappy duet with Paul McCartney.

And in Roxette’s case, for instance in 1988, depending on where you lived in the world, the first single from Look Sharp! was “Chances” or “Dressed for Success” – “The Look” was actually the third single domestically! So here’s a quick Roxette re-cap of the history of the first singles released from their Studio Albums.

The First Single Honor Roll*

1986 – Neverending Love

1988 – Dressed For Success

1991 – Joyride

1992 – How Do You Do!

1994 – Sleeping In My Car

1999 – Wish I Could Fly

2001 – The Centre of the Heart (Is a Suburb to the Brain)

2011 – She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio)

2012 – It’s Possible

2015 – TBA

*Indicates Studio Album releases only. Does not refer to compilations. 

When studying the above list, the obvious trend that becomes apparent is that Roxette tend to favour an “up-tempo” song as the first single. Aside from 1999’s Have A Nice Day album which was represented by the smooth, sophisticated ballad “Wish I Could Fly” – all other first single releases are loud, up-tempo pop songs.

Even the two most recent albums of Charm School and Travelling favored an “up-tempo” lead approach with the songs “She’s Got Nothing On” and “It’s Possible” – so can we expect the same this time around? We wait and see. Regardless, with a six month gap between the first single and the album, hopefully this new song will do the job of satisfying the fans’ hunger for new material!

Oh and here’s one final thought. Could this single be the elusive David Guetta project that Per never seems to want to speak about? In a recent German TV interview, Per mentioned working with new producers for the new album – thus far we’ve only seen evidence of the usual suspects; Clarence and Christoffer… so who are these new producers? Could this single be the Guetta project? Who knows!

In the meantime, let the excitement and build up begin. Join the conversation below and share your thoughts and expectations and let’s savor this exciting time as we anticipate a brand new Roxette single and album in 2015!