Biography
Who is Basshunter?
Early life and real name
Basshunter was born Jonas Erik Altberg on December 22, 1984, in Halmstad, Sweden. He grew up in Halmstad near Tylösand with his parents and younger brother Joakim. His mother worked as a teacher, school principal, and union representative, while his father worked for a construction company. During his youth, his mother ran a choir where Altberg sang for a period. He also spent two years singing in a rock band, which helped him look at experimental music.
For his education, Altberg attended Kattegattgymnasiet with a technical specialization before transferring to Sturegymnasiet in Halmstad to study music. He finished secondary school in 2005 and later attended college without completing his studies. As a teenager, he began experimenting with music production software and built a foundation for his future career in electronic dance music.
How Basshunter became famous
Altberg adopted the stage name Basshunter to reflect his preferred musical style and commercial sound. In the early stages of his career, he published his music online for free download through chat channels and gaming websites. In March 2006, he released his song Boten Anna online, which gained big popularity and millions of downloads within a short period. Following this viral success, he signed with labels Extensive Music and Warner Music Sweden.
The official release of Boten Anna propelled him to international recognition, topping charts in Sweden and Denmark and earning multiple platinum certifications. He soon followed this success with his second studio album LOL in 2006, which included popular tracks like Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DotA. In 2007, he released the English-language version of his breakthrough hit titled Now You're Gone, which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for five weeks.
Career highlights and albums
Throughout his career, Basshunter has recorded five studio albums: The Bassmachine in 2004, LOL in 2006, Now You're Gone, The Album in 2008, Bass Generation in 2009, and Calling Time in 2013. His music blends Eurodance, trance, and electronic dance music. Alongside his solo work, he has written songs for other artists such as El Capon, Mange Makers, and Lana Scolaro.
Basshunter has received numerous accolades for his work, including a European Border Breakers Award and a Musikförläggarnas pris. Figures published in 2009 indicated that he had sold more than 3 million records worldwide. In addition to his music career, he has appeared on television programs such as the British reality series Celebrity Big Brother, the Swedish game show Fångarna på fortet, and the British quiz show Weakest Link.
Birthday and age
Basshunter was born on December 22, 1984, which makes Basshunter 41 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Basshunter shares the date with 47 other famous people.
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