Indie-folk singer-songwriter José González played in several ’90s hardcore and alt-rock bands —including Junip, which he would re-form in the 2010s—before turning his focus to acoustic music. ∙ González recorded his 2003 debut, Veneer, while pursuing a PhD in biochemistry, and the album’s international success caused him to abandon his studies. ∙ In 2004, he won Sweden’s Grammis Award—the country’s equivalent of the Grammys—for Best New Artist. ∙ Swedish DJ Embee collaborated with him on “Send Someone Away,” a track from the 2004 Grammis Award-winning album Tellings from Solitaria. ∙ “Heartbeats,” González’s 2006 cover of a song by Swedish electronic pop duo The Knife, sold more than 600,000 copies in the UK. ∙ He contributed lead vocals to four tracks on Zero 7’s acclaimed 2006 album, The Garden. ∙ 2015’s Vestiges & Claws, his third straight Top 10 album in Sweden, was also his highest-charting release in the US, reaching No. 72 on the Billboard 200 chart.