Omar Josué Rudberg (né González; born 12 November 1998) is a Venezuelan-Swedish singer and actor. Before launching his solo career in 2018, he gained recognition and began his professional music career in 2013 as a member of the Swedish boy band FO&O. As an actor, he is known for his starring role as Simon Eriksson in the Netflix teen drama series Young Royals (2021–2024).
Early life Rudberg was born Omar Josué González on 12 November 1998 in Anaco, Venezuela. When he was six years old, he moved to Sweden with his mother, Wilnur, who married his Swedish stepfather, Thomas Rudberg, from whom he took his surname.
In June 2023, on the Swedish radio program Sommar i P1, Rudberg discussed his early childhood in Venezuela, the difficulties he faced as an immigrant upon moving to Sweden, his struggles with identity and belonging, and the challenges he faced when bullied with racist and homophobic remarks, as well as for his love of performing. Rudberg also opened up about his connection to music, his experiences in the entertainment industry as a teenager, his foray into acting, and the importance of staying true to oneself amidst fame. Rudberg's Sommarprat received positive reviews for his insights and intimate storytelling.
In 2010, Rudberg participated in the fourth season of the talent show Talang, the Swedish version of Got Talent.
Career 2013–2017: FO&O
Rudberg began his professional music career in 2013 as a member of the Swedish boy band FO&O. FO&O performed together for four years. In that time, they won eight different music awards and were nominated for 12. They were awarded two Platinum and one Gold certifications, and got over 80 million streams on Spotify. FO&O participated in Melodifestivalen 2017, sold out several shows, and opened for Justin Bieber and One Direction. In 2017, the band announced that its members were going to focus on their separate solo projects.
2018–2020: Start of solo career
Rudberg started his solo music career in 2018 with the single "" featuring Lamix, followed by "" featuring Elias Hurtig in August of the same year. In February 2019, he released the single "" after participating with the song in Melodifestivalen 2019. The song became his first solo top 20 hit in Sweden on Sverigetopplistan. He also released the single "".
In 2020, he released the single "Dum," and "Dum – Playback Version" followed by the songs "" and "." In November 2020, it was announced that Rudberg had been cast in the Netflix queer coming-of-age series Young Royals. It was later revealed that Rudberg found out he got the role of Simon Eriksson on 20 August 2020. His role as Simon was his acting debut. Rudberg has mentioned that he "knew people were going to love this series" as soon as he read the script.
2021–2023: Young Royals and international recognition 2021 In July 2021, the first season of Young Royals debuted on Netflix. Rudberg quickly gained international recognition from his role in the series. Alongside the series, he released the EP "Omar Covers," featuring the covers of the songs his character Simon sings in the show. In 2021, Rudberg also released the single "" and its Spanish version "." In September 2021, it was announced that Young Royals had been renewed for a second season. In November 2021, he was featured on the cover of the Spanish magazine Xmag.
2022
In April, Rudberg collaborated with Benjamin Ingrosso and released the single " (From Benjamin's)". In May 2022, Rudberg released his first solo album, OMR, which featured the single he released at the beginning of the same year "," and the song "Moving Like That", with which he participated in Melodifestivalen 2022, as well as "." In June 2022, he released the single "" with Victoria Nadine, followed by " (All That She Wants)" in July. In November 2022, the second season of Young Royals debuted on Netflix. Alongside the season, he released the single "Simon's Song", an original song written for the show and sung by Rudberg in the show.
In December 2022, Rudberg appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with Young Royals costar Edvin Ryding. Later, it was announced that Young Royals had been renewed for a third and final season with Rudberg again reprising his role as Simon Eriksson. It was also announced that Rudberg had been cast as Dante in his first feature film, Karusell, which was released in October 2023.
2023 In January 2023, he released the single "Call Me by Your Name" featuring Claudia Neuser. In March 2023, Rudberg released the single "I'm So Excited", which featured the live version of this song that Rudberg performed in February at the 2023 QX Gay Gala. Additionally in March, Rudberg released the EP Mi Casa Su Casa (Remixes).
Rudberg released the single "She Fell in Love In the Summer" in April 2023. In April, Rudberg was also named Best Dressed Man of the Year at Elle-galan, the annual gala for Swedish Elle. In June 2023, Rudberg released the acoustic version of "She Fell In Love In The Summer". He was also featured by FDVM in their single "All In My Head". Also in June, Rudberg released the single "Happier".
In July 2023, Rudberg released the single "She Fell In Love In The Summer (Additional Versions)." In September 2023, Rudberg released "Happier (Remixes)." In October 2023, Rudberg released "Coast Side (Carousel Remix), which was used in Karusell end credits. The film Karusell was released for theaters first in Sweden and then in other countries. Additionally, in October, Rudberg released the single "Off My Mind (featuring Jubël)."
In November 2023, Rudberg updated his social media profiles to indicate that he was being represented by Jubel Agency, a Sweden-based agency for independent artists, and announced an upcoming live solo concert. In December 2023, Rudberg appeared on three episodes of the Swedish reality television show Så mycket bättre where he performed three new songs inspired by other guests' songs including " (Don't Wait)," "," and " (I Will Always Be Your Soldier)." These songs were released as the EP . Also in 2023, Café magazine named Rudberg Sweden's best-dressed man.
2024 Alongside the release of the EP , Rudberg released music videos in January 2024 that corresponded to the three songs as well as one full music video, all which featured a storyline with a sapphic couple.
On 17 February 2024, Rudberg performed his first solo live concert in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Cirkus Arena to a sold-out venue of an estimated 1600-member audience from over 40 countries. The 90-minute concert included songs from his discography and featured a new song called "Red Light". Jubël and Mapei made appearances in his concert.
In March 2024, Rudberg announced via his social media platforms that he had been invited to the 96th Academy Awards, and he appeared on the red carpet. Also in March, season 3 of Young Royals debuted on Netflix along with a documentary of the show's creation called Young Royals Forever. Rudberg shared in interviews that he would soon be signing with a US record label as an additional label alongside TEN and updated his social media platforms to indicate that he was being represented by Elektra Records.
In early May 2024, Queerty made Rudberg one of their Pride50 honorees. In mid-May, Rudberg released the single "Red Light". In an interview with Musikindustrin, TEN Music Group shared that they had signed a direct license for Rudberg with Elektra Entertainment that allows Rudberg's music to be published worldwide outside of the Nordic countries. "Red Light" was the first of Rudberg's music to be released under this license agreement and became his first official international release and first release of 2024. His Elektra label debut was covered by Billboard magazine. In May, while performing on Furuvik Live, Rudberg sang two new songs, "Talk" and "Bye Bye."
Between May 2024 and June 2024, when Rudberg developed an official website, his music started to be released under Atlantic Records with distribution to Nordic countries by ADA Nordic; some music was provided to YouTube by Elektra (NEK).
In early June 2024, Rudberg performed a solo concert love in Gröna Lund Amusement Park in Stockholm, Sweden. In mid-June, Rudberg performed at the School's Out event in Söderhamn, Sweden. In June, Rudberg partnered with Cover Nation for Pride Month to sing a cover of Madonna's song "Sorry," which he performed atop the Nordiska Kompaniet rooftop in Stockholm. He also participated in PROUD SOUND, a days-long writing camp in the UK for queer artists. On 25 June, Rudberg announced via his social media platforms that he would be performing his first European–US tour as a solo artist starting in October 2024, with shows planned in London, France, the Netherlands, Germany, New York City, and Los Angeles. On 28 June, Rudberg released two new singles, "Talk" and "Bye Bye", under the Elektra Records label and received a mention in Rolling Stone and Teen Vogue. He also released a music video for "Talk," featuring himself and Swedish actor and dancer Ruben Karsberg in a queer, flirty storyline set in Stockholm that showcased Rudberg and Karsberg performing alongside four other male dancers.
In early July 2024, Rudberg participated in Allsång på Skansen in Stockholm where he sang "Red Light" and a cover ABBA's "Mamma Mia". In July, Rockbjörnen 2024 made Rudberg an official nominee after fans wrote his name and music into the festival's online nomination form. He was nominated as Årets Manliga Artist, Årets Svenska Låt (for his song "Red Light"), and Årets Fans, as well as the festival's newly instituted Grönan Live Act of the Year.
In August 2024, Rudberg was featured in Variety and WWD, among other media sources, for being invited to attend Variety Power of Young Hollywood event in Los Angeles, California. He attended the event, which celebrated young actors who have had an impact in movies and shows over the last year, and appeared on the event's red carpet. On 24 August, Rudberg performed during the Trädgården Festival in Kristianstad, Sweden. On 29 August, Rudberg performed at Kulturkalaset in Gothenburg, Sweden. Audience members came from around the world to see him perform, including fans from Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and the US.
On 1 September 2024, Rudberg performed in his first international festival in the Heide Park Festival in Soltau, Germany. On 5 September, Rudberg attended the Kristallen Gala in Stockholm, Sweden, alongside Young Royals cast member Frida Argento and was mentioned in Damernas Värld magazine as being one of the best-dressed attendees. On 18 September 2024, Rudberg attended the Rockbjörnen 2024 event in which he was the most nominated artist. He won two of the four awards he was nominated for Grönan Live Act of the Year and ('Swedish Song of the Year') for "Red Light". On 20 September 2024, Rudberg released a single titled "Sabotage." Rudberg's Swedish label, TEN, also announced that Rudberg would release an EP entitled Every Night Fantasy on 18 October 2024 that would include the already-released singles "Red Light," "Talk," and "Bye Bye." Soon after, Rudberg shared a pre-save link for the EP on his social media platforms.