Joakim "Jocke" Brodén (born 5 October 1980) is a Swedish musician who is the lead vocalist, keyboardist and occasional third guitarist of the power metal band Sabaton. He and bassist Pär Sundström formed the band in 1999.[1]
Early life
Brodén's father, Ulf Olof Brodén, is from Sweden, and his mother, Anna, is from former Czechoslovakia. He holds dual citizenship in Sweden and the Czech Republic.[2] He has said that he became a metalhead when he was three or four years old because of the music video for Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It".[3] He was a competitive swimmer in his youth.[4]
Career
Brodén once joined Stormwind for a tour as a keyboard player. Brodén founded Sabaton in 1999 with bassist Pär Sundström;[5] he is the lead vocalist and keyboardist[6] and an occasional third guitarist.[7] He is also the one who came up with the name "Sabaton" for the band.[8] A sabaton is a part of armour placed on the foot.
Brodén is known for wearing an unusual vest with metal plates when performing with Sabaton;[7][9][10] it has been described as resembling a bulletproof vest.[7] He is also known for his distinctive mohawk hairstyle and "squared" facial hair. He is a baritone.[citation needed]
In 2015, Brodén lost a bet with his bandmates that committed him to travelling to Sabaton's next gig on foot; he had not realized their next engagement was in Trondheim, Norway, some 350 miles (560 km) away. Brodén stayed in the homes of several fans along the way.[11][12][13][14]
On 26 November 2016, Brodén entered the Český slavík singing competition in the Czech Republic and was voted into fifth place with 9,286 points.[15] The next year he entered again, but was removed from the competition due to a new rule that competitors had to primarily perform in the Czech Republic.[16]
Personal life
In 2016 and 2017, Brodén took part in the Swedish national pinball championships, placing 167th the first time and 255th the second time.[17][18]
