Herreys — Swedish pop and schlager trio, Eurovision 1984 winners
Herreys are a Swedish sibling pop-schlager trio best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 with the upbeat song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" and for their 1980s stage image and choreography.
Overview
Herreys were a Swedish sibling trio who rose to international attention in the mid-1980s. Combining elements of pop and traditional schlager songwriting, they became widely known after winning the national selection and then the Eurovision Song Contest of 1984 with the lively track "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley." The group is originally from Sweden and is associated with the bright, polished pop that dominated parts of the 1980s European music scene.
Image gallery
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Members and presentation
The band consisted of three brothers: Per, Richard and Louis Herrey. Their public image emphasized coordinated vocal harmonies, choreographed movement and striking stage costumes, which contributed to their instant recognizability. Their performances often mixed singing with theatrical gestures and synchronized steps.
- Per Herrey
- Richard Herrey
- Louis Herrey
History and notable achievements
The group rose quickly from the Swedish pop circuit to national prominence by winning Melodifestivalen, Sweden's selection contest for Eurovision. At the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 they took first place, bringing international exposure and media attention. Their victory gave Sweden one of its early successes in the contest following earlier notable wins.
Musical style and legacy
Herreys' sound blended catchy melodies, upbeat tempos and singalong choruses typical of schlager, with production and harmonies aligned to contemporary pop sensibilities. The song that earned them the Eurovision title has endured as a recognizable example of 1980s contest pop and is often cited when discussing Sweden's long history in the competition. The trio's stagecraft—costuming and choreography—also influenced how future acts approached televised pop performance.
After Eurovision
Following their contest win the group recorded and toured, appearing on television and in live events across Scandinavia. Over time the brothers pursued other projects while occasionally reuniting for anniversary appearances and nostalgia programmes. Their Eurovision-winning song continues to appear in retrospectives and collections about the contest and 1980s pop.
For more context on their breakthrough year, see the entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 and related coverage of Scandinavian pop during the decade.
Career
The brothers won first the qualifying round and then the Eurovision Song Contest in 1984 with their hit song Diggi-loo Diggy-ley. That year and the following year they performed frequently and toured extensively, but failed to score another international hit.
Diggi-loo Diggy-ley, however, developed into a mega-hit in Sweden and is unforgotten there to this day. The lyrics of the hit are catchy and at least in parts generally known. It's about a happy man who wears golden shoes, which everyone envies because they help overcome any obstacle. Thus, the summer music festival Diggiloo also bears the name of this song.
The Herrey brothers were possibly Sweden's first "boy band". They had received their training as music and show people in the USA. Of the three brothers, only Richard Herrey has continued to pursue a musical career, and that in the field of musicals. In 1997, Richard Herrey translated the musical West Side Story into Swedish, and it was performed at the Oskar Theatre in Stockholm for over two years. Not only was the play produced by him, but Richard Herrey also took on one of the lead roles. In early 2006 Richard released his first solo album Jag e Kung. Per is now a lawyer in Gothenburg and Louis is a teacher in a Swedish Mormon school. On the side, they have sporadic appearances as Herreys, for example at the Eurovision Greatest Hits concert in London 2015.
Discography
Albums
- Diggi-loo Diggi-ley (1984)
- Crazy People (1985)
- Not Funny (1986)
- Different I's (1986)
- Live in Tivoli (1987)
- Där vindarna möts (1995)
- Herrey's Story (1995)
- Gyllene Hits (2002)
Related articles
Author
AlegsaOnline.com Herreys — Swedish pop and schlager trio, Eurovision 1984 winners Leandro Alegsa
URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/43881