Lukas Graham

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Lukas Graham
File:Lukas Graham Warner Bros press photo.jpg
Background information
Origin Denmark Copenhagen
Genres
Years active 2011–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website official website
Members
Past members

Lukas Graham is a Danish pop-soul band whose namesake and lead singer is Lukas Graham Forchhammer.[1] Other members include drummer Mark Falgren, bassist Magnus Larsson, and keyboardist Kasper Daugaard.[2] The band released its first album, Lukas Graham, on Copenhagen Records and Then We Take The World in 2012.[3][4] The album peaked at number one on the Danish charts.[5] Their second album was released in 2015[6] and earned international attention with singles like "Mama Said" and "7 Years" which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list (among other countries' charts).[7][8][9] The self-titled global debut album was officially released in the United States by Warner Bros. Records on April 1, 2016.[10][11]

Career

2011–12: Career beginnings

The band formed in Denmark in 2011 and initially uploaded homemade videos of the songs "Drunk in the Morning" and "Criminal Mind."[2][12] The songs were also shared on Facebook and accrued several hundred thousand views.[13] The band earned a contract with Copenhagen Records in late 2011.[3] Prior to officially releasing any music, the band had sold 17,000 tickets for an upcoming tour.[12]

Their first release, available only in Europe and select other nations,[1] would go onto become certified Platinum five times in Denmark.[14] It also featured four charting songs in "Drunk in the Morning," "Better Than Yourself (Criminal Mind Pt 2)," and "Ordinary Things."[15] Over the course of 2012, Lukas Graham played 107 concerts throughout Europe, selling 40,000 tickets in Denmark alone. They sold 80,000 albums and 150,000 singles while also earning 5 million YouTube views and 27 million streams. Their tour took them across Europe to countries like England, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France, and Spain.[1]

2013–14: Continued touring and Warner Bros. record deal

In 2013, the band continued to tour throughout Europe.[16][17] In the summer of 2013, the band was added to the bill of the Grøn Koncert (Green Concert) tour which is held in support of muscular dystrophy research.[18] In October 2013, Lukas Graham won the European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) for their international tours in Europe.[19]

In the fall of 2013, the band signed to Warner Bros. Records. The record company signed them with the intent of bringing their music to the United States. Starting in early 2014, the band spent extended periods of time in Los Angeles writing and recording what would become their official U.S. debut.[20][21] The band is still represented by Copenhagen Records in the Nordics, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France[22] and is managed by Then We Take The World.[23] In March 2014, Graham himself contributed vocals to Hedegaard's Danish number 1 single, "Happy Home."[24] Later in 2014, the band would release their first single, "Mama Said," off their upcoming album.[25]

2015–present: Worldwide debut, "7 Years," and global success

The band released their next record (often referred to as the "Blue Album") on Copenhagen Records and Then We Take The World solely in Denmark and several other mostly European nations in 2015. It peaked at number 1 on the Danish charts and made it onto several other European country charts as well.[26] It featured the singles "Mama Said," "Strip No More," and "7 Years," the last of which peaked at number 1 on the charts for Denmark, Italy, Austria, Belgium, and Sweden (among others).[27] The band would make their United States television debut playing "7 Years" on a December 10, 2015 episode of Conan.[28][29] The song would go on to peak at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.[8] In March 2016, Lukas Graham performed "7 Years" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[30] The band has also performed the song on Late Night with Seth Meyers[31] and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[32]

By the end of March 2016, "7 Years" had achieved around 225 million total listens on Spotify worldwide with 17.2 million listeners per month, making the band the 20th most popular artist on the service.[22] On April 1, 2016, the self-titled global debut was officially released in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. The US release of the album received new artwork, a reworked track listing, and a wider global audience in countries including, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200, #2 in the UK and New Zealand, #1 in Australia and Canada, and #5 in Ireland.[10][9][33][34][35] The band also embarked on a two-month long North American tour throughout the US and Canada at the end of March 2016.[36] Most dates on the tour have already sold out.[10][37] As of May 2016, "7 Years" now has over 411 million Spotify streams.[38]

Musical style

Lukas Graham's music has been described as a pop-soul hybrid.[1] In a review of the band's new album, journalist Jon Pareles of The New York Times described their sound as the place "where pop meets R&B."[6] Patrick Ryan of USA Today wrote that the band's "songs effortlessly blend elements of hip hop and folk." Lyrically, the songs often deal with relatable experiences like growing up poor ("Mama Said") or drinking ("Drunk in the Morning").[10] The band's most popular song, "7 Years," describes growing up and aging at specific points in life (from 7 years old to 60).[39]

Lukas grew up in a self-governing artistic community in the middle of Copenhagen called Christiania.[10] The area is known for both its "utopian," creative atmosphere and relative poverty. His experiences growing up in the community have shaped both the sound of his music and the lyrics he writes.[28][31]

Discography

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References

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External links