Tobias Forge

Tobias Forge
Forge performing with Ghost in his Papa Emeritus IV persona at Hellfest 2022
Forge performing with Ghost in his Papa Emeritus IV persona at Hellfest 2022
Background information
Also known as
  • Leviathan
  • Kopromancer
  • Gene Walker
  • Mary Goore
  • A Ghoul Writer
  • Special Ghoul
  • Papa Emeritus (I, II, III, IV, Nihil)
  • Cardinal Copia
Born (1981-03-03) 3 March 1981 (age 43)
Linköping, Sweden
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1996–present
Member ofGhost
Formerly of
Websiteghost-official.com

Tobias Jens Forge (Swedish pronunciation: [tʊˈbǐːas ˈjɛns ˈfɔ̌rːɡɛ];[1] born March 3, 1981) is a Swedish musician. He is the frontman, leader and primary songwriter of the masked rock band Ghost, performing live as their vocalist under the stage names Papa Emeritus and Cardinal Copia. Although the band was formed in 2006, Forge's identity as the Ghost frontman was only confirmed in 2017, following a lawsuit by former band members due to a royalty dispute. Prior to finding success, he was in several other bands, including Repugnant and Crashdïet, under the stage name Mary Goore.

For his musical accomplishments, Forge was awarded the 2019 Platinagitarren award from STIM, who explained "With one foot standing firmly on the metal floor, Forge is a composer pushing the boundaries of the genre." Jury member and journalist Jan Gradvall stated that Forge is among the "most visionary and creative in Swedish music history."[2] Due to "Ghost's epic progression from underground doom favorites to an arena phenomenon" in the 2010s, Loudwire named Forge the Metal Artist of the Decade.[3]

  1. ^ "Tobias Forge (Ghost) Sommar i P1 - 17 Augusti 2017". YouTube (in Swedish). 17 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Tobias Forge får Stims Platinagitarr 2019" [Tobias Forge gets Stims Platinum Guitar 2019]. STIM (in Swedish). 14 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. ^ Hartmann, Graham (9 December 2019). "Ghost's Tobias Forge Is the Metal Artist of the Decade". Loudwire. Retrieved 12 December 2019.