Björn Nils Olof Skifs (Swedish: [ˈbjœːɳ ˈɧɪfs]; born 20 April 1947) is a retired Swedish singer, songwriter, actor, and screenwriter. Skifs has represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in the 1978 contest and in the 1981 contest.
Career
Björn Skifs formed his first musical group, Slam Creepers, in 1962. Slam Creepers split in 1969 and Skifs went on to form a new band, Blåblus (a farmer's or workman's shirt (blus, blouse) made from blue (blå, blue) fabric - a pun (blues)) in 1972. As the lead singer of Blue Swede (another pun - blue + suede), the band had a No. 1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 with a cover of Mark James's "Hooked on a Feeling".
Skifs embarked on a solo career after Slam Creepers broke up in 1969 and previously he had recorded the duet Med varann with Anni-Frid Lyngstad for his 1975 album Schiffz!. Skifs appeared as The Arbiter on the original studio album for Chess, released in 1984. A single and video, The Arbiter (I Know the Score), was released in 1985. Skifs also recorded several demos for the album, including One Night in Bangkok, later performed by Murray Head. Skifs did not perform the role on stage (in the original London production the character was played by Tom Jobe).
Povel Ramel gave Skifs the Karamelodiktstipendiet award in 1984.
Skifs has represented Sweden twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, in the 1978 contest and in the 1981 contest. In 2000, he hosted Melodifestivalen, the Swedish heat of the Eurovision Song Contest, along with nine other presenters.
In 2002, he scored a major hit with the song "Håll mitt hjärta" (Hold My Heart), which is a Swedish version of Peter Hallström's song Same Ol' Story. It stayed on Svensktoppen from 27 April 2003 until 8 January 2006, for a total of 142 weeks. In April 2020, Skifs performed at the Swedish live-show En kväll tillsammans, broadcast on SVT, which aimed to bring in money to the Swedish COVID-19 risk groups. Skifs performed the song "Håll Mitt Hjärta" at the end of the show.
Skifs was the opening act of the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on 11 May, performing "Hooked on a Feeling".
On 17 July 2025, Skifs announced that he was ending his music career because he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Albums
EP/Singles
1973 – "Sally var en reko brud"
1973 – "Hooked on a Feeling"
1973 – "Never My Love"
1973 – "Silly Milly"
1975 – "Michelangelo"
1976 – "Firefly"
1977 – "Lady"
1977 – "Tarantula"
1978 – "Det blir alltid värre framåt natten"
1978 – "Rococo rendez-vous"
1981 – "Fångad i en dröm"
1985 – "Vild och vacker"
1985 – "The Arbiter (I Know the Score)"
1991 – "Om igen"
2010 – "When You Tell the World You're Mine" with Agnes Carlsson
2011 – "Break the Spell"
2012 – "Step Right Up"
Collections
1978 – Björns bästa / Björn Skifs' Greatest Hits
1981 – Björns ballader
1989 – Collection
1990 – Björn Skifs
1991 – Songs for you
1997 – 50/50
2004 – Skifs Hits!
Filmography
Drömkåken (1993) a.k.a. The Dream House
Joker (1991)
Strul (1988) a.k.a. Framed
Smugglarkungen (1985) a.k.a. King of Smugglers
Chess Moves (1984)
Privatdeckarna: Uppdrag Gran Canaria (1984)
Prima Veras saga om Olav den hellige (1983)
En flicka på halsen (1982) a.k.a. Saddled with a Girl
Sverige åt svenskarna (1980) a.k.a. Battle of Sweden, a.k.a. Sweden for the Swedes, a.k.a. The Drinking Man's War
Toy Story (Swedish voice of Woody)
Toy Story 2 (Swedish voice of Woody)