More than three decades after its original release, Annie Lennox last year returned to one of her most iconic songs, Why?, to deliver a message that resonated with urgency and compassion. The re-recorded version, titled ‘Why? For Gaza’, was one of the highlights at the ‘Together for Palestine’ concert at Wembley Arena last September and the song was recorded and the video filmed at the Palma Music Studios in Mallorca, which is celebrating a milestone.
Ten years ago, Fredrik Thomander and Johan Lundgren embarked on constructing the ambitious and state-of-the art studio project in Palma, and on November 5, 2017 the studio opened its doors. Since then, it has become the epicentre for global artists in the worlds of music, film and more recently social media.
Fredrik is a Swedish songwriter/producer, who has had numerous hits all over the world for the past two decades. Artists he has worked with include N’Sync, Justin Timberlake, Luis Fonsi, Arashi, Scorpions, Girls Generation, Agnetha Fältskog (ABBA), Kim Wilde and many more.
Johan was passionate about music and had collected over the years high-end analog recording equipment, which became the foundation of the equipment at Palma Music Studios. He also happened to have been the CEO of easyJet at the time and is now more hands on.
“Our vision was to create an Abbey Road in Mallorca. Since we opened, we have gone from strength to strength and we’ve managed to adapt a rapidly changing and advancing environment, not to mention keep operating during Covid,” Fredrik told the Bulletin this week.
The pandemic and the lockdown was a key moment in the studio’s journey. It meant that Fred and his excellent team had to start learning “to use new legs”.
“I began doing a lot of online courses, workshops and remote recordings with composers, bands and artists around the world as well as here in Mallorca. And since we were able to properly reopen after Covid, the classes have continued. But groups of writers and composers are coming back to the studios here in Mallorca. What better place to come and study and work? They all love it.
“The pandemic meant that to a certain extent we had to reinvent ourselves, and one of the most exciting developments was that we started to get approached by film companies wanting an ADR service. ADR stands for Automated Dialogue Replacement. This is the process of recording dialogue in a studio after filming to replace the initially recorded lines on set. This is usually due to bad sound quality recorded in the take that production wants to use in the finished product. With cast members being unable to travel during lockdown, production companies began using our facilities for actors and actresses who lived in Mallorca,” he explained.
“I had to get to grips with ADR and we were the first and only studio which was officially recognised by the American Screen Writers’ Guild to do so in Spain.
“In order to achieve that I had to make sure that my skills and our facilities and equipment were up to Hollywood standards and that our physical and cybersecurity controls met all the required standards as well. That is now an important part of the work we carry out at the studios.
“The technology which was developed and improved during Covid means that ADR can be easily carried out here in Mallorca. Fewer people need to be flying back and forth to the States, for example. It saves time and money.
“We’ve had the likes of Joseph Fiennes in the studio a number of times. And when Zoe Saldaña, one of the stars of the Lioness series which was shot on the island with Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, was here, she used our studios to complete two films she was also working on. One of them being Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” Fred said.
Mads Mikkelsen also used the studio for his part in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and more recently a number of other projects. And last September, Fred had Annie Lennox, who has owned a property on the island for some 30 years, in the studio. His sound engineers helped Kanye West, who spent last summer recording on the island.
Mallorca is an easy sell
“Our standards have to be extremely high. I don’t care who walks through the door. I want everyone treated as if they were Beyoncé and that they all leave happy; that’s how we work. I have a great team, and a constant trail of people from all fields of the music industry is coming to us and Mallorca. Why all the travelling when the singers and musicians can come to us here in wonderful Mallorca? We’re in the centre of the city, close to bars, restaurants and hotels. With the great weather, what better place is there to record? Mallorca is an easy sell,” Fred stressed.
“The environment has changed a great deal due to artificial intelligence and social media. We provide services and work with a lot of Youtubers, podcasters and influencers, helping them produce their packages for social media platforms and also help budding songwriters, be they local or international.
“We have seen a surge in the number of people who have written songs with the help of AI and then want help having the sing produced, put to music and recorded. The team and I are here to help people through that process,” he explained.
Live stream concerts
“When we do have established artists in the studio, due to social media they want the whole package.
They not only want to record their music, they also want to have videos shot, and we offer those options. Annie Lennox, who is a wonderful person - being a huge fan it was a huge privilege to have worked with her - is a prime example. We recorded the song and shot the video.
“We have the live room and that has become extremely popular with musicians wanting to live stream concerts. In addition, we have room for an audience which adds to the live atmosphere and feeling.
“For example, on May 21 we have an exclusive evening with the legendary singer/songwriter Eric Bazilian, the founding member of the rock band the Hooters. He will be performing a live stream concert for all of his fans around the world from our live room at the studios in Palma,” Fred said. “And we have also become a music retreat, if you like, and have transformed Mallorca into a hugely popular destination for song-writing camps.
“This is a very broad church of music. We’re also here for local musicians and rap artists and DJs performing in Ibiza during the club season.
“We’re here to help anyone and everyone who loves music while able to cater for the movie industry and the growing social media world. As always, these are exciting times, we’ve all learnt so much since we opened and we’re continuing to learn as we adapt. We’re buzzing and enjoying the ride and we hope everyone who comes through our doors has the same experience,” he said.
More information: tickets.palmamusicstudios.com