Trying to mend a broken heart

Though he’s been voted Sweden’s 13th sexiest man, Jens Lekman admits he has felt the pain of a lost love, writes Ed Power

JENS LEKMAN is an unlikely heartthrob. The Gothenburg singer is pale and anxious, with a misanthropic streak that would put Morrissey to shame. So he was as surprised as anyone when a Swedish magazine voted him the country’s 13th sexiest man. In fact, he was astonished.

“Sweden is like that,” he says, with the barest hint of a chuckle. “It is one of those weird places where you can be plunged into incredible fame for a short amount of time. I was a little bit famous for a year. I guess it’s a small country. That’s why it happens. I think I would have placed higher if it wasn’t for all the players from the Swedish soccer team.”