Jesper Lindell’s Royal finds the Swedish soul singer standing inside one of American music’s most hallowed spaces, Memphis’ legendary Royal Studios, bringing a lifelong passion for soul music full circle.

In 2024, Lindell and his band, the Brunnsvik Sounds, crossed the Atlantic in search of the music that shaped them. With just four days booked between two iconic studios, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama and Royal Studios in Memphis, they set out to immerse themselves in the sounds they had admired for years. The sessions yielded enough material for two albums. The first became 3614 Jackson Highway, a celebration of the Muscle Shoals legacy. Royal picks up the story in Memphis.

Walking into Royal Studios meant stepping into the same room where Al Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay, and Syl Johnson recorded some of the defining soul records of the last century. Welcomed by studio owner and engineer Boo Mitchell, son of Hi Records legend Willie Mitchell, Lindell and his band quickly found themselves surrounded by history. The jet lag may have been real, but so was the adrenaline that came with recording in such a legendary setting.

The album pays tribute to both the famous and the overlooked corners of the Memphis soul tradition. Lindell and his band put their stamp on songs associated with artists including Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Dusty Springfield, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, and the Box Tops, while also shining a light on the work of Margie Joseph, Dan Penn, Donnie Fritts, Tony Joe White, and the Amazing Rhythm Aces. Their approach is rooted in admiration, treating the material as an opportunity to better understand the craft behind songs that have stood the test of time.

That spirit of discovery has been central to Lindell's career. Raised in the lakeside town of Ludvika, Sweden, he built his reputation on a deep appreciation for classic soul, roots rock, and Americana. Releases like Twilights and Before the Sun established him as one of the leading voices in the growing Scandinavian soul-rock scene, blending vintage influences with songwriting that feels personal and immediate.

On Royal, Lindell completes the second half of an ambitious musical pilgrimage. Recorded in one of soul music's most storied rooms, the album celebrates the enduring power of Memphis music while highlighting the universal connection that great songs create, regardless of where they originate.