The Swedish songwriter, Max Martin, born Karl Sandberg, is a ghostwriter who isn’t well known in the public eye. He has co-written songs for the Backstreet Boys to Taylor Swift. The first article describes the influence of Swedish songwriters, DJs, and influencers in the music industry to help shape the sound of pop. Max Martin has a heavy influence on pop, especially Swedish pop.  Surprisingly, as an avid music fan, who not only loves the sound of music but the process in which it is made, I never knew Swedes had such a great influence on pop. My favorite genre is house music, but anything that is electronic or has a dance vibe, I tend to enjoy. Europeans dominate this genre of music. DJs like Avicii, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, Alesso, Basshunter, are just a few of the hundreds of DJs that come from Sweden. As the first article states, Sweden has state-sponsored music programs According to the first article, “thirty percent of Swedish schoolchildren go to publicly funded after-school music programs.” This most likely contributes to why Swedes are so influential in the music industry, not just in the music itself, but the lyrics too and the process of writing. The second article describes the influence of Swedes on music. It’s not just Max Martin contributing to pop, but other artists and writers like Tove Lo and Shellback. It is very brief and does not go into too much detail. It does mention Tove Lo speaking on the details of Swedish pop in which she says, “clear but simple lyrics, is a lot about the melody, and also having a little bit of melancholy or a darker sense to it, to not make it too sugary or too bubblegum.”  I listened to some of the pop songs mentioned in the articles like Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” and I did notice similarities. They do have a similar tone as it is a little deeper but the lyrics are very clear and simple. They are not hard to understand and one can grasp the meaning of the songs very easily. Nowadays, some songs are a puzzle to understand the meaning of them, but these songs are very simple. They are not too sugary like Tove Lo mentions. Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” is about a breakup and how since her boyfriend has been gone she’s been doing well and how “she can breathe for the first time”. Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” is about a struggling relationship. The songs definitely mention relationships but I feel like the Swedish aspect of it is mentioning the struggle and relief from relationships, sticking to the truth of how one feels. It is very interesting to see the impact Swedish musicians, writers, and artists have on the music industry and I will definitely keep an eye out for their contributions in the future.