Tobias Forge

Tobias Jens Forge (Swedish pronunciation: [tʊˈbǐːas ˈjɛns ˈfɔ̌rːɡɛ]; born 3 March 1981) is a Swedish musician. He is the frontman, leader, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member of the masked rock band Ghost, performing live as their vocalist under the stage name Papa Perpetua/Papa Emeritus V (Previously as Papa Emeritus ["Papas" I through IV], 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. 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. In 2025, Ghost was awarded "The Visionary Artist Award" in Rock Sound Awards, citing the performance as "one of the most interesting and carefully crafted performance artists of our time."