Without a doubt, whenever the name Daniel Lemma comes up, the silky smooth tune If I Used To Love You immediately appears as a kind of template for Lemma’s catalogue. It’s a bit of a drag though, because he’s a super talented musician that happened to have a hit that got just a little too big, and it’s been sticking around. It was after its feature in the Josef Fares directed film Jalla! Jalla! (2000) that Lemma made it big.

Before the film was released and Lemma was recognized for his music, his early career had been followed by a strain of unfortunate events, which is why director Josef Fares’ request for Lemma’s music to be featured in his film was a pivotal moment in his music career. Lemma had been playing Delta blues and party funk music in a couple of bands around Gothenburg, but never recorded any music. He packed his bags and took a chance to write music in New York. He wrote, recorded and produced a soul album that never saw the light of the day while in New York because of a legal complication involving the record label that was putting it out. Returning to Gothenburg, with an non-released soul album written and recorded in New York City, Lemma must have been pretty bummed out. But, this was the moment his opportunity to be a part of the Josef Fares film presented itself, and Lemma was not late in seizing it. The album Morning Train features musicians from Daniel Lemma’s past, and is an exquisite display of talented musicians coming together and doing what they love most. The music of Daniel Lemma is always open, always welcoming, and has because of this proven to attract a diverse audience.

Now, Lemma has returned. His music has flourished over the years, and the soul presented on Morning Train has continued with Lemma’s songwriting. His blending of African sounds, reggae and acoustic ambitions makes it very difficult to place Lemma at a fixed point on the musical spectrum. He’s been everywhere on there, and most likely has plans to have another go at it.

Daniel Lemma is at Fasching on May 2.