Malena Ernman began singing at the age of six in the choir Coromanterna in Sandviken. She continued her musical education in Stockholm, where she sang alto in the Radio Choir under the direction of Gustaf Sjökvist and Eric Ericson. Ernman studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, the music conservatory in Orléans, and the University College of Opera in Stockholm.
Ernman’s breakthrough in opera came in 1998 when she performed the role of Kaja in Sven-David Sandström’s “Staden” alongside Loa Falkman. This success led to significant roles such as Cherubino in “Figaros bröllop” and Rosina in “Barberaren i Sevilla” at Staatsoper Berlin, both under Daniel Barenboim. She also performed the title roles in “Carmen” at the Royal Opera and Boesmans’ “Fröken Julie” in Brussels, Vienna, and Aix-en-Provence.
Her international breakthrough was in 1999 with the role of Agrippina in performances in Brussels and Paris conducted by René Jacobs. She performed at the Glyndebourne Festival as Nancy in “Albert Herring” in 2002 and Orlovsky in “Läderlappen” in 2003. In 2006, she performed as Dido in “Dido och Aeneas” in Vienna and Annio in “La Clemenza di Tito” at the Salzburg Festspiele. In 2007, her roles included Sesto in “Julius Caesar” in Vienna, Cherubino in “Figaros bröllop” in Aix en Provence, and Nerone in “Poppeas kröning” in Amsterdam. In 2009, she was featured in “Askungen” at the Stockholm Opera and Frankfurt Opera and as Dido in “Dido och Aeneas” in Paris, Vienna, and Amsterdam.
Ernman gained mainstream popularity by winning Melodifestivalen 2009 with the song “La Voix,” co-written with Fredrik Kempe. She represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, finishing 21st in the final.
In addition to her operatic roles, Ernman has performed in various concerts worldwide and appeared on Swedish Television. She released several albums, including “Naïve” (2000), “Cabaret Songs” (2001), “My Love” (2003), “La Voix du Nord” (2009), “Santa Lucia – En klassisk jul” (2010), and “Opera di Fiori” (2011).
Malena Ernman also played roles in musicals. She was Sally Bowles in the musical “Cabaret”, Gabriella in “Så som i himmelen” and Edith Piaf in “Piaf”.
Malena Ernman has received numerous awards and honors, such as the Operapriset by Tidskriften OPERA (1999/2000), membership in the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (2006), the title of Court Singer (2011), and the Litteris et Artibus medal (2011). She was also named an honorary citizen of Sandviken Municipality (2014) and received the Martin Luther King Award (2016) and the Environmental Hero of the Year award by WWF (2017).
In 2018, Ernman and her husband Svante Thunberg published the book “Scener ur hjärtat,” an autobiography that includes their daughters as co-authors in later editions. Malena Ernman has been married to Svante Thunberg since 2004, and they have two daughters, Greta Thunberg and Beata Ernman.
