Last night a DJ saved my life
Last night a DJ saved my life from a failing heart
Lent me her defibrillator
Posted on 09/04/2025 7:33:39 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Forget your TikTok influencers and Ibiza super-clubs. Sweden’s hottest DJ is an 81-year-old great-grandmother who refuses to slow down the beat.
Madelein Mansson, better known to her glitter-soaked fans as DJ Gloria, has become the unlikely star of Stockholm’s nightlife scene. She will not even spin a record unless you are over 50.
Sweden’s nightlife revolution: proving the party doesn’t stop at 50
Sweden has long been famous for exporting pop powerhouses such as ABBA, Avicii and Zara Larsson, but DJ Gloria is proof that the nation’s music scene is not just a young person’s game. In fact, Stockholm’s ageing population has fuelled a boom in over-50s nightlife, with clubs increasingly tailoring events to an audience who still want the thrill of the dance floor without the 3 AM chaos. Gloria has become the poster woman for this movement, showing that dance culture can be just as electrifying at 80 as it is at 18.
From jazz to jams
Mansson was not always behind the decks. Once a jazz singer and fashion designer, she also ran a gardening centre before hanging up her microphone. After her husband’s death and a failed attempt at teaching aerobics, she was determined to find a new way to live, and live loud.
Sixteen years ago, she decided her new stage was a nightclub dance floor. Now she spends her nights mixing disco anthems and guilty-pleasure classics such as Mamma Mia, Funkytown, and Moves Like Jagger for crowds who queue up weeks in advance to catch her sets.
“I can get anyone on the dance floor,” she told local press, flashing her trademark sequins, bold make-up, and bright blonde hair.
The over-50s-only rule
Don’t think you can slip in with your student ID. DJ Gloria’s parties are strictly for the silver generation. Every guest must show proof of age at the door, 50 and up only. She believes her music hits differently when the crowd shares her lived experience.
And the formula works. Women in particular flock to her shows, filling the floor with energy that would put many millennials to shame.
Booking the queen of the decks
Mansson, who lives in a Stockholm care home, has become so popular that club owners scramble for space in her diary. Her shows are booked months in advance, and she is now regarded as one of the city’s most in-demand entertainers.
DJ Gloria is proving that age is just a number and that retirement does not have to mean rest.
As she says herself: “There is not a single person I cannot get onto the dancefloor.”
Dancing your way to a longer life Experts in ageing say DJ Gloria may be doing more than lifting spirits. She could be adding years to her life. Researchers at Stockholm’s prestigious Karolinska Institutet have found that regular dancing helps older adults improve memory, balance, and overall well-being. Unlike solitary workouts, dancing combines movement with music, social interaction, and emotional release. That makes it a powerful anti-ageing cocktail.
When pensioners mean profits Club owners have quickly realised that Gloria is more than just a novelty act. She is a money-maker. Her over-50s-only events have created a lucrative new market in a nightlife industry that usually obsesses over the under-30 crowd. This silver generation brings spending power, loyalty, and a love of nostalgia-fuelled playlists, and promoters are cashing in. With bookings stretching months ahead, venues say her shows are among the most profitable nights on the calendar. Pensioners don’t just party, they also pay.
How to catch DJ Gloria in Sweden So if you are in Stockholm and fancy swapping the sofa for the strobe lights, keep an eye out for DJ Gloria’s next set. Her shows sell out fast, so book early, dust off your dancing shoes, and prove that the over-50s can party harder than anyone.
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Last night a DJ saved my life
Last night a DJ saved my life from a failing heart
Lent me her defibrillator
Young and sweet, only 17 81
Do they use some sort of fancy walkers?
She looks fantastic!
Good for her ... she’s got the beat!
Tango for your life
https://news.ki.se/exercise-can-improve-memory-in-60-year-olds
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DkxWgpo0PN4
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2B6POYk-JQ8
She’s targeting an age group that grew up with great dance music and who loved to dance (I know, I was there in the 70’s and 80’s). Now (if they are healthy enough) they have the memories and the money to go out and have a good time. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
You spin me right round, baby, right round
Like a record, baby, right round, round, round
You spin me right round, baby, right round
Like a record, baby, right round, round, round
I (I), I got to be your friend now, baby
And I (I), would like to move in just a little bit closer
Can you work Matlock into that song?
She couldn’t get me on the dancefloor.
Hang the DJ
/Morrisey
I’ll pass.
Dancing your way to a longer life Experts in ageing say DJ Gloria may be doing more than lifting spirits. She could be adding years to her life.
Keep dancing Donald!!!
Nothing comes to mind . Sorry. 😞 .
Agreed.
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