Born in 1978 to Argentinean parents and raised in the southwest region of Sweden, Jose Gonzalez grew up listening to a diverse array of music.
He lived in the country's second largest city, Gothenburg, which is situated along the western coast with a population of more than 800,000 - a metropolitan area home to a large immigrant population. Off the coast of the city sit a group of car-free islands known as the Southern Gothenburg Archipelago.
As a child, Gonzalez was influenced by his father's taste in Latin American sounds along with American and United Kingdom pop music.
Gothenburg is the center of a music genre known as melodic death metal and bands that reflect it such as At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and The Haunted. It also boasts pop and indie rock spots as well and is home to the group Ace of Base. Coincidentally, Gonzalez was a member of several bands, some of which reflected the city's music scenes.
Gonzalez recently signed with Mute Records and the label re-released his highly acclaimed album “Veneer” April 4.
The work, originally released on Hidden Agenda Records in September 2005, went gold in the UK.
In 2004, Gonzalez won a Swedish Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
