From the powerful melodic bass lines that drive soul, funk and blues to the heavy and improvisational styles of psychedelic rock and hip hop, Swedish bassist Martin Fredriksson is one of the rare musical forces in the industry that is able to play virtually any bass style with pure precision. It’s not surprising that after his abilities became known throughout Sweden that he was called to bring his talent to the World’s musical melting pot, the United States.

Fredriksson recalls, “My parents bought a bass and a guitar as Christmas gifts for my sister and I when I was about 10 years old. I took the bass and have never let it go since.”

It was not long after picking up bass that Fredriksson began receiving recognition for his prowess back home. At the age of 12 he along with some of the best musicians at his music school in Sweden formed a band known as The Junk. Two years after the band’s inception they received the Culture Prize from Swedish magazine, Frotté, and shortly after two of their songs were voted into the Top 5 on the regional public radio station in Nyköping.

For Fredriksson, playing music is the “sweet spot” that many people search for in life—the true calling that puts one at ease. And, considering that he found his true calling at such a young age, he has had the opportunity to perfect his craft to a rare level of mastery.

“I get very calm and concentrated when playing,” admits Fredriksson. “When I was 16 I was chosen as a young ‘successful’ musician to be presented in a poster together with about 100 other people with different backgrounds and ages from my home municipality. There was a quote from the interview on the poster at the exhibition that said: Life flows when you play, everything will be all right… That is still my experience.”

Fredriksson would go onto play at some of the most notable festivals in Scandinavia including Åmåls Blues Fest, the biggest blues festival in Sweden, and Notoddens Blues Festival, the biggest blues festival in Norway, before taking his talent to the US where he earned the musicianship scholarship for the bass program when entering the bass program at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles.

Since moving stateside several years ago Fredriksson has become the bassist for a number of well-known bands and internationally acclaimed artists including The Malloy Band, Dream Alive, SuVi Suresh’s band, Major Myjah, Radiorelics/Mary’s Mischief, Jasmine Villegas and many others. What is even more impressive than the sheer number and fame of the groups he plays with however, is the fact that they are all completely different in terms of musical style, something that speaks leagues to Fredriksson’s versatility as a musician.

Fredriksson and Dream Alive were featured on MTV India earlier this week when the music video for their song ‘Drifting Away’ directed by Irving Ong began recieving national airplay on the station on Saturday. The video, which you can check out below, will continue to air on the station for the next week!

Aside from performing at shows across Los Angeles with the band Dream Alive , Fredriksson played bass on the album “After the Dawn,” which was released in 2014 and the “Drifting Away” EP. He has also doted his magic to several music videos over the last two years for the band’s songs ‘See You Tonight,’ ‘Don’t Say No,’ ‘Drifting Away’ and ‘Waiting So Long.’ In the band Dream Alive Fredriksson also plays alongside drummer David Meyer, who has gained attention in recent years for his work with John Mayer and as the drummer in Frank Ocean’s band.

Fredriksson admits, “I love to play many different genres, but I guess my heart right now belongs to soul, funk and blues.”

The extraordinarily talented bassists also plays with soul funk singer Anduze, who recently released “The Lone Wolf Odyssey Mixtape Vol. 3,” alongside guitarist Johann Frank who also tours with Engelbert Humperdinck.

The caliber of seasoned musicians Fredriksson plays with speaks leagues to his unparalleled skill, something that is even more astonishing when considering that he is still in his early 20s!

His ability to complement the soulful singing voice of famed singer songwriter Suvi Suresh with his bass playing led Fredriksson to join her band in 2011. Better known as SuVi, the singer’s music has been featured in a long list of Bollywood films including Highway, Blue, Ghajini and Raavan for Grammy & Oscar Award winning composer, A. R. Rahmanand. 2013 Fredriksson recorded the songs ‘Made of Gold,’ ‘Sweetest Dream,’ and ‘Ricochet’ for SuVi’s album “Made of Gold,” in addition to being featured in three music videos for SuVi’s songs recorded live in the studio.

In 2014 Fredriksson also began playing with Radiorelics, an explosive and alluring LA-based rock band. Last year Fredriksson and the band toured and received major radio play. They went on to receive incredible recognition when their song ‘Jack Daniels’ made it to the number 9 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and continued to maintain a strong position on the chart for 18 weeks. The band has changed their name to Mary’s Mischief since their initial debut.

While Fredriksson’s versatility has been a major factor in his success, he is also a naturally powerful performer on stage.

About performing in concert, Fredriksson explains, “I think people can see that I love what I do, sometimes I just lean back, close my eyes and enjoy the moment…. I have had this longing to play on stage from the start. I have been performing frequently since the age of 13… Therefore I can be very relaxed on stage and just enjoy the flow and the feedback from people in the crowd.”

In 2012 Fredriksson played bass for singer songwriter Laura Warshauer at Lollapalooza, one of the largest rock festivals in America. Warshauer was chosen by BMI and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame to be the recipient of the first ever (Buddy) Holly Prize in 2010.

Fredriksson also performed live on television as the bassist in Jasmine Villegas’ band on AXS Live in 2013. Villegas, who is currently signed to Interscope Records, skyrocketed to success in the music industry after starring in Justine Bieber’s music video for ‘Baby,” as well as performed during Bieber’s 2010-11 My World Tour. You can check out Fredriksson playing bass alongside Villegas and the rest of the band as they perform the song ‘Hello’ off her album “S(he) Be(Lie)ve(d)” for AXS Live in the video below.

Aside from being a killer bassist with an unparalleled capacity for playing a diverse range of musical styles, Fredriksson has also contributed heavily to many of the bands and artists he’s played with as a composer, arranger and songwriter.

“Arranging music together with a band and feeling that we have created something great together is very satisfying,” explains Fredriksson.

“A very important part when I am involved in arranging is that the songs is very melodic and also has variations in melody and strength… I really like to have a strong connection with the drummer I’m playing with because that creates a strong backbone for the rest of the band.”

In between playing with the plethora of bands and artists he plays and performs with regularly, Martin Fredriksson has also been called in as a studio musician to lend his talents to a variety of other projects. In addition to joining Kendall Lake’s band, and playing live shows in the band of Major Myjah, who signed with Warner Bros. Records earlier this year, he also recently recorded eight songs with Japanese rapper Morii Daichi for his third full length album.