Kristian Matsson, the musician known as the Tallest Man on Earth, has relocated permanently to his native Sweden after decades abroad. The artist spent years in Brooklyn and released seven albums while drawing inspiration from American folk and blues traditions, but has recently returned to Dalarna, the Swedish county where he was born. Now splitting his time between writing music, maintaining his property, and overseeing renovations on a concert venue, Matsson has adopted a lifestyle deeply connected to the land.
The shift prompted a significant artistic change. Matsson’s new album, “Just Beyond Endless Mountain,” marks a departure from his previous work by incorporating Swedish folk elements he once actively avoided. In his youth, he rejected the fiddles, flutes, and traditional customs of his homeland, preferring instead to pursue punk rock and American blues influences. Upon closer examination of musical traditions across cultures, however, he discovered surprising similarities between Swedish folk music and the American blues he had long admired.
Several personal circumstances contributed to his decision to remain in Sweden permanently. His father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis prompted Matsson to deepen his connection with his cultural roots, while a relationship ending removed another reason to stay in America. Beyond personal matters, Matsson cited Sweden’s social safety net and less aggressive capitalism as factors that support creative thinking compared to the American landscape he found increasingly draining.
Originally reported by Rollingstone →
About the Author
