Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Björn Yttling is perhaps best known from the iconic indie trio Peter Bjorn and John. Their pop hit Young Folks has been streamed over 600 million times.
Before the world was whistling along, this iconic song was born out of his break from jazz, a detour away from the music that had shaped him.
Growing up in a small northern village without a piano, he first learned to play on a pump organ.
This would lead to private lessons with the late Swedish jazz legend Esbjörn Svensson, and ultimately, a lifelong journey in music.
From jazz to pop – and back again.
Along the way, Björn became one of Sweden’s most influential producers collaborating with and shaping the sound of artists like Lykke Li, Franz Ferdinand, and Chrissie Hynde.
Now, after a two-decade hiatus, he returns to his cherished Yttling Jazz project and the release of the album “Illegal Hit.”
A bold and heartfelt love letter to the soulful, melodic jazz of his youth and musical training — finally given the spotlight it deserved all along.
Explore Swedish sounds? https://explore.sweden.se/swedish-sounds
Swedish sounds is a new initiative by the Swedish Institute and STIM that showcases the creative diversity of Sweden’s music scene.
Video filmed and produced by: Swedish Institute 2025
Piano: Björn Yttling
Drums: Fredrik Rundqvist
Double base: Per-Ola Landin
Illustration: Erica Jacobsson
Vignette music produced by: Goran Kajfeš
Music: Yttling Jaxx #2 (Flox St.)
Björn Yttling is perhaps best known from the iconic indie trio Peter Bjorn and John. Their pop hit Young Folks has been streamed over 600 million times.
Before the world was whistling along, this iconic song was born out of his break from jazz, a detour away from the music that had shaped him.
Growing up in a small northern village without a piano, he first learned to play on a pump organ.
This would lead to private lessons with the late Swedish jazz legend Esbjörn Svensson, and ultimately, a lifelong journey in music.
From jazz to pop – and back again.
Along the way, Björn became one of Sweden’s most influential producers collaborating with and shaping the sound of artists like Lykke Li, Franz Ferdinand, and Chrissie Hynde.
Now, after a two-decade hiatus, he returns to his cherished Yttling Jazz project and the release of the album “Illegal Hit.”
A bold and heartfelt love letter to the soulful, melodic jazz of his youth and musical training — finally given the spotlight it deserved all along.
Explore Swedish sounds? https://explore.sweden.se/swedish-sounds
Swedish sounds is a new initiative by the Swedish Institute and STIM that showcases the creative diversity of Sweden’s music scene.
Video filmed and produced by: Swedish Institute 2025
Piano: Björn Yttling
Drums: Fredrik Rundqvist
Double base: Per-Ola Landin
Illustration: Erica Jacobsson
Vignette music produced by: Goran Kajfeš
Music: Yttling Jaxx #2 (Flox St.)
