Yngwie Malmsteen

Yngwie Malmsteen: biography

Malmsteen, Sweden-born musician, is famous for his extraordinary behavior, notable appearance and author’s style of playing which brought him immense popularity in the 1980s. Is Malmsteen still famous? What is his creativity’s main issues? Let’s know!

Childhood and youth

Malmsteen's birthplace is Sweden. He was not the only child in the family – he was raised alongside two siblings. From the very infancy, they were surrounded by music – their parents played music as members of a local band. Having turned 10, Yungwie launched his own music collective named Track on Earth. The group included Malmsteen and his close pal – a drummer – who he met at school. They used Malmsteen’s parents’ equipment initially. That time, the musician began using his mother's original name Malmsteen as his surname.

Being a teenager, the musician liked listening to classical music. He had idols - Niccolò Paganini and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Music career

At the beginning of the 1980s, a professional music producer got acquainted with Malmsteen's creativity. Due to it, the raising star traveled to America to work with a recording company. 1983 brought him an appearance on Steeler's collection. Shortly after, Yngwie became a member of the group Alcatrazz – he took part in the recording of their debut project ‘No Parole from Rock' n' Roll’ and the collection ‘Live Sentence.’

1984 was marked by Malmsteen's debut solo collection named ‘Rising Force.’ The project brought him various awards and nominations, peaked at No. 60 on the American Hot Album. The following year, Yngwie pleased his fans by dropping the album ‘Marching Out.’ Meanwhile, he embarked on a tour with Alcatrazz.

In 1986 fans could listen to Malmsteen's new album named ‘Trilogy.’ Mark Boals contributed to its recording. In 1987 Malmsteen was involved in a horrible car accident – as a result, he spent several weeks in a coma. Besides, around that time, his mom died, and the musician became depressed. His grief became an inspiration for the celebrity to release the collection entitled ‘Odyssey.’ It happened to be the most prosperous project for Malmsteen. Its most famous song is ‘Heaven Tonight.’ As a promotion of the album, Yngwie arranged a concert tour starting in Atlanta. He recorded his performances around the Soviet Union and grouped them to publish a new album named ‘Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad’ in 1989.

That time Malmsteen gained popularity for his unusual style of playing.

Speaking about Malmsteen's later projects, he published such collections as ‘Eclipse’ in 1990, ‘Fire & Ice’ in 1992 and ‘The Seventh Sign’ in 1994. In spite of being popular in some parts of Asia and Europe, the musician's style began losing actuality in America. Then he worked alongside a recording firm from Japan.

At the end of the 1990s, Yngwie dropped the collections ‘Facing the Animal’ and ‘Alchemy’ among others. 1996 brought him a collaboration with his former colleagues on the collection entitled ‘Human Clay.’ Fans especially liked its song ‘Jealousy.’ Moreover, Saxon's collection ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ featured the singer on their track named ‘Denim And Leather.’

2003 was marked by Malmsteen's performances on the tour G3supergroup arranged by Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Besides, he contributed to the collections ‘Black Utopia’ and ‘Blood of the Snake’ by Derek Sherinian. In 2004 he played a cameo on Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The following year, he pleased his fans by releasing the album ‘Unleash the Fury.’ The project got its name in honor of a plane accident which dates back to 1988. So, after a long sleep on board, drunk Malmsteen woke up by the sound of pouring water. He saw a woman in front of him and began shouting at her in a fit of rage – ‘You've released the fucking fury!’.

In 2007 Yngwie dropped the collection Perpetual Flame featuring Tim Owens. Its tracks ‘Red Devil’ and ‘Damnation Game’ were used by the video game Rock Band.

The next year, the celebrity was invited to the program That Metal Show. In 2009 he published the album ‘Angels of Love.’

2010 brought Malmsteem one more project recorded alongside Tim Owens – it was named ‘Relentless.’ In 2011 fans could see the musician starring on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – he performed there with some songs from the new album, including ‘Far Beyond The Sun’ and ‘Hot On Your Heels.’ At the end of 2012, he published ‘Spellbound.’

As for most recent news about the singer, he embarked on a tour in 2016. In 2019 he presented to the world his new collection ‘Blue Lightning.’

Yngwie Malmsteen’s net worth is evaluated at $10 million.

Personal life

In 1993 the celebrity was mixed up with a scandal – his mother-in-law blamed him for threatening her daughter. The allegations have not been proved.

Speaking about Malmsteen's relationships, he has had several wives. 1991 was marked by the beginning of his marriage with Erika Norberg – but the two split up one year later. In 1993 he tied the knot with Amber Dawn Landin – they annulled their relationship in 1998. The following year, he shared vows with his current spouse named April Malmsteen. They have welcomed a son.

Once in an interview, Yngwie admitted he was inclined to strange behavior. According to him, it is a part of his unusual personality.

Discography

• Perpetual Flame (2008)
• Relentless (2010)
• Spellbound (2012)
• World on Fire (2016)
• Blue Lightning (2019)

Awards

In 2009, he was included in the list of 15 most prominent musicians playing electric guitar.