2018 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 2018.

• 12
  • Norwegian singer Sigrid is named winner of the BBC's "Sound of 2018" award.^[1]
  • The 22nd Folklandia Cruise starts in Helsinki, Finland, running until 13 January.^[2]
• 13 – Composer Paavo Heininen, considered by many to be Finland's most influential musician, celebrates his 80th birthday with a concert at the Järvenpää Hall, Helsinki.^[3]
• 19 – The 37th annual Djangofestival starts in Oslo, Norway, to run until 20 January.^[4]
• 28 – Jazz guitarist Gustav Lundgren and his trio perform a tribute to Django Reinhardt at Stockholm Concert Hall, featuring Aurélien Trigo and Antoine Boyer.^[5]
• 30 – Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen is awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2019.^[6]

• 10 – The 38th Dansk Melodi Grand Prix is won by "Higher Ground", performed by Rasmussen.^[7]
• 14 – Norwegian singer Sigrid wins Best New Artist at the NME Awards ceremony.^[8]
• 22 – It is announced that Agnes Obel has signed to Deutsche Grammophon, who will have a joint arrangement with Blue Note for North American releases.^[9]

• 3 – At Söngvakeppnin 2018, Ari Ólafsson is selected to represent Iceland in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Heim".^[10] After winning the context, Ólafsson is criticised on social media for crying on hearing the result.^[11]
• 7 – Fifteen-year-old cellist Birgitta Elisa Oftestad wins the Virtuos 2018 competition and is named Norway's representative at the Eurovision Young Musicians 2018 contest.^[12]
• 9 – Finnish band Nightwish begins a nine-month world tour titled Decades: World Tour, accompanying a new 2CD compilation called Decades.^[13]
• 10 – The final of Melodifestivalen 2018 takes place in Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden.^[14]
• 12 – The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, under Hannu Lintu, begins a week-long series of concerts in Germany.^[15]
• 25
  • Swedish House Mafia unexpectedly reunite for a performance at the 20th Anniversary of Ultra Music Festival in Miami, United States.^[16]
  • Greenlandic singer Nive Nielsen stars as "Lady Silence" in a new US horror series, The Terror, her first international TV role.^[17]

• 27 – ABBA announce that they have recorded some new songs, the first since 1983.^[18]

• 8 – In semi-final 1 of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Iceland's entry is eliminated, but Finland's Saara Aalto finishes 10th and makes it to the final.
• 10 – In semi-final 2 of the Eurovision Song Contest, Norway's entry finishes in first place, Sweden 2nd and Denmark 5th; all three countries make it to the final.
• 12 – In the Eurovision final, held in Lisbon, Sweden does best of the Scandinavian countries, finishing in 7th place.
• 23 - The Bergen International Festival opens in Bergen, Norway, running until 6 June. Guest performers include Meow Meow, Selene Muñoz and Helsinki Songs.^[19]

• 6 – The 26th Sweden Rock Festival opens in Norje, running until 9 June.^[20] The Quill are forced to withdraw the day before the festival begins, because lead singer Magnus Ekwall is recovering from emergency surgery.^[21]

• 3 – The organizers confirm that the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, normally held after the awards ceremony in Oslo, will not take place in 2018.^[22]
• 4 – The 19th Folk music festival of Siglufjordur opens in Siglufjordur, Iceland, running until 8 July.^[23]
• 5 – Gregory Porter guest stars at the 2018 Kongsberg Jazzfestival in Norway.^[24]
• 27 – The Uppsala Reggae Festival opens in Sweden, running until 28 July, headlined by Jimmy Cliff.^[25]

• 5 – The Copenhagen World Music Festival opens, running until 9 September.^[26]
• 6 – The Lahti Sibelius Festival opens, running until 9 September.^[27]

• 7 – The Iceland Airwaves music festival opens, running until 10 November. Guests include Blood_Orange, Cashmere Cat and Stella Donnelly.^[28]

• 6 – Icelandic Music Day is celebrated.^[29]

• On Her Shoulders (United States), music by Patrick Jonsson^[74]
• Ravens (Sweden), music by Peter von Poehl^[75]
• The Way to Mandalay (Denmark), biopic about John Mogensen, including some of his music^[76]

• Trapped (Iceland), music by Jóhann Jóhannsson with Hildur Gudnadóttir and Rutger Hoedemaekers^[77]

• Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
• Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
• Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
• Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
• Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018

• 1 January - Teddy Edelmann, Danish singer, 76^[78]
• 18 January – Javiera Muñoz, Swedish singer, 40^[79]
• 29 January – Asmund Bjørken, Norwegian jazz musician, 84^[80]
• 4 February – Leif Rygg, Norwegian folk musician, 77^[81]
• 5 February – Ove Stokstad, Norwegian artist and jazz musician, 78 ^[82]
• 9 February – Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic film composer, 48^[83]
• 3 March – Kenneth Gärdestad, pop songwriter, 69
• 5 March – Kjerstin Dellert, Swedish opera singer, 92
• 9 March – Ole H. Bremnes, Norwegian folk singer and poet, 87^[84]
• 25 March – Jerry Williams, Swedish singer, 75^[85]
• 31 March – Frode Viken, guitarist and songwriter, D.D.E., 63
• 3 April – Lill-Babs, Swedish singer ("En tuff brud i lyxförpackning"), 80^[86]
• 20 April – Avicii (Tim Bergling), Swedish musician, DJ and record producer, 28^[87]
• 11 May –Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian-born jazz pianist, member of the Moscow Art Trio, professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music, 61
• 26 June – Bo Nilsson, Swedish composer, 81^[88]
• 5 July – Bjørn Lie-Hansen, opera singer, 81^[89]
• 9 July – Stefan Demert, Swedish musician, 78^[90]
• 16 August – Benny Andersen, Danish writer and pianist, 88^[91]
• 21 August – Stefán Karl Stefánsson, Icelandic actor and singer (b. 1975). ^[92]
• 9 September – Frank Andersson, Swedish entertainer and wrestler, 62 (complications during heart surgery)^[93]
• 23 September – Berth Idoff, Swedish musician (Berth Idoffs), 77^[94]
• 30 September – Kim Larsen, Danish rock musician (Gasolin'), 72 (prostate cancer)^[95]
• 29 November – Erik Lindmark, vocalist and guitarist of Deeds of Flesh, 46 (sclerosis)^[96]