With a glow on her face and a smile that stretches from ear to ear, the conversation interchanges seamlessly between her two passions: faith in God and music. Bursting with energy, Carola shares openly about her experiences in the music industry and how she grew in her gifting.
Since her first major breakthrough at age 16 when she sold one million copies of her first album, her pop career began an upward soar and she became one of the region’s most sought-after singers. She later went on to record the Swedish version of the cheerleading chorus, “Mickey” which became a mega hit in the 80’s.
In 1983, she won a local Swedish song contest that opened the way for her to participate in the highly-acclaimed Eurovision Song Contest held in Munich. While she came in third place in that contest, her performance wowed the live secular audience and more than eight million viewers tuning in. Yet, what set her apart and made the event a remarkable one was her boldness in declaring her faith as a believer of Jesus Christ.
“I had my Bible with me backstage,” she recalls. “The interviewer was amazed by my replies because never before had he encountered anyone who openly declared himself or herself a Christian on stage.”
Since she was 11 years old, Carola took part in and won several song contests until someone sugges ted that she join the Eurovision event. Altogether, she joined the event three times in 1983, 1991 and 2006. She clinched the coveted first place in 1991. Along the way; a record company spotted her and offered her a recording contract. The rest is history.
THE EARLY YEARS
Carola grew up in a loving home, and although her family was not Christian, she knew that God was real and COuld feel His love and presence at times. Her parents were very artistic and music was constantly heard in the house. As such, this environment nurtured her love for music and the arts and through a series of events, she was brought closer and closer to her call.
Her first encounter with God happened when she was 12 years old. She had watched the movie “Ben Hur” which moved her deeply. “I wanted to become a Jew after watching that movie,” she admits. It was that experience that opened up her heart for a series of spiritual encounters that ensued.
The following year, she attended a Ski Camp organized by Credo, a Lutheran organization. It was also the first time she met [Pastor] Ulf Ekman as he was in involved in that organization. “I dedicated my life to God at that camp and I started to confess my faith to everyone. She was so enthused that she went around her friends in school to share her faith.
“I went back to my class and started proclaiming about Jesus and what He had done for me,” she added. To her surprise and delight, she discovered that there were 22 other believers in the same classroom. That same year, her school invited an evangelist who sang and preached the gospel. She heard the illustration of and how God, like a bridge, wants to reconcile man unto Himself. This impacted her deeply.
“When I reached 14, I somehow knew that God had ‘marked’ me for a special call. During a Confirmation Service I was attending, [Pastor] Ulf Ekman was there officiating the ceremony. He came over to me and gave me a word of prophecy about how I would be touching many lives in the future. After that encounter, I just went into the woods and cried my heart out. I knew God was speaking to me.”
Carola continued to sing in a rock band and honed her talent in different genres of music from rock, pop to gospel. She was also in the Credo Gospel choir, performing regularly with them.
GROWING IN GOD
After her major breakthrough at 16, Carola felt a strong call to attend Bible School. Instead of attending Word of Life at Uppsala ( Sweden), she enrolled into another Bible college in Stockholm instead. At that time, she was already a full time singer, having produced several pop albums, including a Japanese song called “ Tokyo” in 1985. In 1993, Carola also released a gospel album to mark her 10th anniversary in the entertainment scene.
However, things took a turn in 1987 when Carola won the Gospel Artist of the Year in Holland. She began a series of church tours in various parts of Europe. In the midst of her success, she decided to go back to Bible School in 1988—this time at Word of Life in Uppsala where she dedicated her time to studying the Word.
At that point, the media predicted her downfall and this was when she faced persecution in ways unthinkable. During a song competition in Sweden in 1990 where she emerged second, her segment faced a technical glitch and her picture went off for three minutes. This event was broadcast “live” in front of at least one million people in Stockholm. Despite these problems, “I had the peace of God in me. So I continued to smile throughout the entire episode and the journalists were so upset with me,” she recalls with a smile.
Despite these setbacks and somewhat interesting episodes, Carola acknowledges that all these have shaped her “like an arrow.” She likens the constant drilling during every show to a Formula 1 Race Track “where every driver needs to change wheels at a certain time because things happen in the midst of a race.”
Accepting challenges is always part of the experience, and only by God’s grace can all of us continue what we do. “In fact, when wrong things happen, I feel even more excited and I tell myself to focus on God,” she revealed.
MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR
In addition to her 15 album releases, Carola’s stage accolades also include the role of Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” ( Stockholm) in 1995. Several years later, she was also cast as Fantine in the highly-acclaimed Cameron Mackintosh musical, “Les Miserables,” in London’s West End.
Just recently at the beginning of this year, Carola received a medal of honor from the Swedish Royal Family. The medal was awarded to her for her outstanding contributions as one of Sweden’s most recognized entertainers.
She first appeared before the Royal Family when she was 16. Over time, by the grace of God, she has shared private moments with the royal couple. During the Crown Princess’ 30th birthday celebration in 2006, she was also invited to perform a special number.
In January 2007, as she was standing in line at the castle, she recalls, “There was so much grace, glory and acceptance in the place.” As she bowed to receive her medal before the King and Queen, they said to her, “It’s about time … Now go and be more creative!”
Indeed Carola’s journey has been a walk of faith coupled with her freedom in believing that she will do all that God has called her to do. “We must all learn to grab hold of every opportunity that comes, if not, your dream will just pass you by. Don’t’ just wait to pray and think about it all the time, just take it!” she exhorts.
“It’s really what we have on the inside that makes us win!” HT | 
