“Speak to me with gracefulness…”
The 2025 Tour has been a great success. As it concludes, we take a moment to reflect and cut through the noise by addressing some unfounded myths with the facts.
Many fans, us included, carry a deep sense of protectiveness over both Roxette’s legacy and Marie’s memory. That’s only natural.
What’s been tougher to witness though, is how far some of the online commentary surrounding this new Tour has gone. We’ve deliberately chosen not to publish this piece until now, and not to quote specific comments, simply because much of it has been disrespectful, vitriolic and in very poor taste.
This sits in stark contrast to the reality of the Roxette 2025 Tour itself, which has been both a commercial and critical success, playing sold-out shows across South Africa, Australia and Europe, with further dates already confirmed for 2026. For many fans, the return to the stage has been a meaningful celebration of the Roxette catalogue and a respectful tribute to Marie.
With the 2025 leg now complete and the Roxette crew on a well-earned break, this feels like the right moment to pause and address some of the myths and misunderstandings that have taken hold. Not to argue opinion, but to clarify those myths with the facts, and to refocus the conversation on what this Tour is and was always intended to be.
Myths vs Facts
The Myth: Marie Fredriksson has officially been replaced in Roxette.
★ FACT ★ NOT TRUE …
Per has been clear and consistent in interviews throughout 2024/2025 that Marie has not been replaced, nor could she ever be. Roxette was, and always will be, Marie + Per, together.
The current 2025/2026 Tour is not a replacement, new configuration or continuation of the original Roxette duo, instead it’s a live celebration of the catalogue.
Lena Philipsson has been welcomed as guest vocalist, brought in to help Per perform the songs on stage, not to replace Marie’s role in Roxette. Per has repeatedly described the Tour as a tribute to both the music and to Marie herself, indeed, something Marie supported and gave her blessing for, long before she passed.
The Myth: Roxette will release new studio recordings soon.
★ FACT ★ NOT TRUE …
Per has confirmed that Roxette as a recording project no longer exists, and that no new studio recordings will be released under the Roxette name. The focus of the current Tour is on performing the existing catalogue live, not creating new Roxette material.
While Per has continued to write and record new music, including ‘Bad Blood‘ a new song recorded with Lena during the touring period, these releases sit outside the official Roxette catalogue and are not being presented as new Roxette recordings.
Just like before, Per continues to release his own Swedish and English solo projects outside of the Roxette name, nothing has changed on that front – it’s all business as usual for Mr G.
The Myth: There won’t be anymore Roxette releases.
★ FACT ★ NOT TRUE … The Roxette Vault will continue to be opened up.
While we won’t see any new studio recordings, we will continue to be treated to Roxette releases.
For example, the ‘Room Service 25th Anniversary Editions’ have already been confirmed by Per for release in 2026. Additionally, we’ll continue to see other previously unreleased Roxette material released in the future. Ain’t we lucky!
★ THE FACTS ★
★ The 2025/2026 Tour is a live tribute, not a reboot.
★ Marie has not been replaced.
★ Lena is a superb guest vocalist for the live shows, and she’s doing a mighty fine job of it!
★ No new Roxette recordings will be released.
★ We’ll continue to see Roxette re-issues, anniversary editions + previously unreleased material from The Roxette Vault.
★ The aim of the Tour is to honour the vast Roxette catalogue, the memories, and Marie’s legacy, not to rewrite any of it.
“And there are voices, that want to be heard…”
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion of course, and that goes without saying, but we’ve found it infuriating and honestly very disappointing to see fellow fans going out of their way to attack the Tour, Per, Lena and even each other in various posts here on TDR and the Official Roxette Socials.
Some of the commentary has sadly crossed the line entirely, and it’s easy to forget that the people on the receiving end are only human. Per, Lena and the Roxette band see this stuff. They feel it.
Reading many of the heated exchanges online, the discussion often feel closer to religious belief than fact-based reasoning. Opinions are treated as absolute truths, defended with conviction rather than evidence, and repeated regardless of context. This often comes from those with little understanding of the music industry, the creative process, or the personal relationships between the artists involved, yet these opinions are pushed onto those who are, quite literally, at the creative core of Roxette.
We’ve seen unnecessary criticism aimed at Lena for not singing songs exactly as Marie once did. Much of this reaction appears rooted in a misplaced sense of defence, protecting something that even the creators of the music, including Marie herself, never asked to be protected in this way. Marie, after all, gave her blessing for Roxette’s music legacy to continue.
Roxette and the people behind it are not servants to nostalgia or expectation. They are creators. Artists. Fans are free to choose whether they want to come along for the journey or step away, but the right to create, perform and evolve will always belong to the artists themselves.
And let’s not forget Marie’s family, who also have to witness the way her name is used and discussed. None of this is abstract for them. Some of the comments have been needlessly disrespectful, especially when this Tour exists to honour Marie and pay tribute. Indeed, there is little sense in taking sides in defence when the very act of performing the songs she sang is what keeps that heritage alive.
Marie herself gave her blessing for Roxette’s music to continue. Hearing those songs performed live, sung back by thousands of fans, is what allows them to remain vibrant, meaningful and unforgettable. Performing the songs is not an act of disrespect, but ignoring Marie’s own wishes, and the spirit in which this Tour exists, is what truly undermines the Roxette + Marie legacy so many claim to be “protecting”.
“Speak to me with gracefulness…”
People will always have opinions, and that’s absolutely fine. We simply hope that those who feel the need to share them can find the dignity to let other fans enjoy the concerts, and above all remain respectful while doing so.
We’ve been and experienced the 2025 Tour first hand, and to be honest, it’s been a fantastic live celebration of both Roxette and Marie, exactly as Per intended.
So rather than reply to comments individually, we would just like to say this, short ‘n’ sweet:
ROXETTE LIVE 2025+2026
If it’s not for you, then simply sit this one out. Respect costs nothing.
The original Roxette duo we all grew up with is sadly gone, but you can still honour them through their records, the videos, the memories, and hopefully more re-issues, anniversary editions and previously unreleased materials from The Roxette Vault.
And for those fellow fans who want to join Per + Lena, the Roxette band, and fellow fans in celebrating an extraordinary legacy live in concert, let us do so.
Peace!
LIVE 2025/2026…
Back to the Tour… What Per is doing LIVE, is what so many other respected artists have done in similar situations.
Music history is jam-packed full of acts who have continued without their original members.
Queen, The Who, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Blondie, Eurythmics, INXS, Genesis and even Fleetwood Mac have all adapted and carried their catalogues forward. It’s a long-standing and entirely valid way to honour a legacy live in concert. Indeed, if rumours (pun intended) are to be believed, Fleetwood Mac will be hitting the road again shortly, this time without the wonderful Christine McVie, who sadly passed away in 2022.
“Things will never be the same” but the joyride continues …
As we said, the 2025 Tour has already proved to be a great success in South Africa + Australia, and the European leg has just concluded.
The Tour will now continue through into 2026 in other territories, including South America + back to Europe too. Hooray!
Get your 2026 tickets here!
South America 2026
April 12 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Vivo Rio – tickets
April 14 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Espaco Unimed – tickets
April 16 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movistar Arena – tickets
April 18 – Montevideo, Uruguay – Antel Arena – tickets
April 21 – Santiago, Chile – Movistar Arena – tickets
Europe 2026
May 29 – Hanover, Germany – NDR2 Plaza Festival – tickets
June 5 – Olpe, Germany – Biggesee Open Air – tickets
June 17 – Fulda, Germany – Domplatz Open Air – tickets
June 25 – Sønderborg, Denmark –Mølleparken – tickets
June 28 – Coburg, Germany – Schlossplatz Coburg – tickets
July 9 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Slottsskogsvallen – tickets
July 18 – Kiel, Germany – Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival – tickets
July 22 – Vienna, Austria – Donauinsel Open Air – tickets
July 24 – Liberec, Czech Republic – BENÁTSKÁ! s Impulsem – tickets
July 26 – Neu-Ulm, Germany – Wiley Sport Park – tickets
July 28 – Bremen, Germany – Seebühne Bremen – tickets
July 30 – Schwetzingen, Germany – Schlossgarten Schwetzingen – tickets
August 1 – Ringsted, Denmark – Ringsted Festival – tickets
August 3 – Bonn, Germany – KUNST!RASEN – tickets
August 28 – Arbon, Switzerland – Summerdays Festival – tickets
August 29 – Spiez, Switzerland – Seaside Festival – tickets
Hopefully, more dates to be announced too… North America anyone?
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December 15th, 2025
Internal reference code for TDR's Good Reporters: [tdr 1061824]
This article was posted here on TDR in these categories:
TDR:Editorial, TDR:Live, TDR:Roxette.
