Fjällgren was born in Cali, Colombia.[3] At a very young age, he lived in a Native Colombian village and later moved to an orphanage. Fjällgren later was adopted by a Swedish Sami family, and became part of a siida community in Mittådalen, a reindeer foraging area where he worked as a reindeer herder.[4] Fjällgren has revealed in several interviews that he was bullied as a child because of his darker skin and Colombian ancestry. The bullying stopped as he reached teenaged years.[5]
Fjällgren started singing local traditional songs when he was 14. He gained exposure when he sang in the presence of Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia who were attending church services at a church in Funäsdalen.[6] When he was 16, he released an album titled Onne vielle.[6]
Career
At the age of 26, he took part in the Swedish Talang Sverige 2014 competition and won over viewers with his interpretations of traditional Sami songs.[7] He auditioned with a rendition of "Daniel's Joik" dedicated to his best friend Daniel, who died from diabetes.[8] After winning the competition and prize money of 1 million Swedish kronor, he released his studio album Goeksegh on 19 May 2014, based primarily on materials he had performed during the contest.[9] According to a statement he gave in an interview on Colombian TV, he started a diabetes foundation with the prize money in honor of his deceased friend, Daniel.[8]