Lukas Graham

Lukas Graham

Lukas Graham in April 2016. From left to right: Magnus Larsson, Lukas Forchhammer, Mark Falgren, Kasper Daugaard
Background information
Origin Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres
Years active 2011–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website lukasgraham.com
Members
Past members
  • Anders Kirk
  • Kasper Daugaard

Lukas Graham is a Danish pop and soul band. It currently consists of lead vocalist Lukas Forchhammer,[1] drummer Mark Falgren, bassist Magnus Larsson, and keyboardist Morten Ristorp.[2] The band released their first album, Lukas Graham, with labels 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", the latter of which peaked at number two 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 1 April 2016.[10][11]

Career

Lukas Graham performing at Stavernfestivalen 2016

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 on to become certified five-times platinum 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, Lukas himself contributed vocals to Hedegaard's Danish number-one 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 one in Denmark and made it onto several other European charts as well.[26] It featured the singles "Mama Said", "Strip No More" and "7 Years", the last of which peaked at number one on the charts for Denmark, Italy, Austria, Belgium, and Sweden.[27] The band made their United States television debut playing "7 Years" on a 10 December 2015 episode of Conan[28][29] and the song peaked at number two 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 1 April 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 No. 3 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 in the UK and New Zealand, No. 1 in Australia and Canada, and No. 5 in Ireland.[10][9][33][34][35] The band also embarked on a two-month long tour throughout the United States and Canada at the end of March 2016.[36] Most dates on the tour have already sold out.[10][37] As of July 2016, "7 Years" has over 480 million Spotify streams.[38]

In June 2016, keyboardist Kasper Daugaard left the band as "touring life wasn't right for (him)". He was replaced by the band's producer and former keyboardist, Morten Ristorp.

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 seven 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, relative poverty, and crime. His experiences growing up in the community have shaped both the sound of his music and the lyrics he writes.[28][31]

Band members

Current members
  • Lukas Forchhammer – lead vocals (2011–present)
  • Magnus Larsson – bass, backing vocals (2011–present)
  • Mark "Lovestick" Falgren – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2011–present)
  • Morten Ristorp – piano, keyboards (2011–12, 2016–present)
Former members
  • Anders Kirk – piano, keyboards (2011)
  • Kasper Daugaard – piano, keyboards, backing vocals (2012–16)

Timeline

Discography

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2015 MTV Europe Music Awards Best Danish Act Themselves Won
Best European Act Nominated
2016 MTV Video Music Awards Best New Artist Nominated
MTV Europe Music Awards Best New Act Nominated
Best Push Act Nominated
Best Danish Act Nominated
Best Song "7 Years" Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Giese, Ditte (21 December 2012). "Lukas Graham: »Jeg aner ikke, hvordan jeg skal skrive en glad sang igen«". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 Winther, Emil (10 June 2012). "I aften spiller Graham gratis på hjemmebane". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 Ramsdal, Peter (4 May 2012). "Syg Lukas Graham melder afbud til Spot". Gaffa (in Danish). Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Treo, Thomas (30 October 2012). "Lukas Graham udgiver sang til død far". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Lukas Graham – Lukas Graham". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 Pareles, Jon (30 March 2016). "Review: 'Lukas Graham' Lands Where Pop Meets R&B". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Capobianco, Ken (24 March 2016). "Album review: Lukas Graham, 'Lukas Graham'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Lukas Graham – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 Savage, Mark (11 March 2016). "Lukas Graham top charts for fifth week". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Ryan, Patrick (21 March 2016). "Lukas Graham channels grief into emotional '7 Years'". USA Today. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  11. ↑ DeVille, Chris (31 March 2016). "Lukas Graham Is The New Ed Sheeran Is The New Jason Mraz Is…". Stereogum. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 Lund, Simon (23 March 2012). "Christianitten i wifebeateren er lidt af en soulsensation". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Pallesen, Randi (10 July 2012). "Lukas Graham udgiver album i hele Europa". Gaffa (in Danish). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "Lukas Graham "Lukas Graham" (CPH)". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "Lukas Graham". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Disch, Peter (4 April 2013). "Wie war's bei … Lukas Graham im Jazzhaus in Freiburg?". Badische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "Lukas Graham freuen sich auf ihre Deutschland-Tour" (in German). Focus. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Lukas Graham er det sidste navn på Grøn Koncert-turnéen". Fyens Stiftstidende (in Danish). 7 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Lukas Graham vinder europæisk musikpris". Politiken (in Danish). 15 October 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  20. ↑ Johansen, Camilla Maria (13 June 2014). "TV: Lukas Graham: Sådan erobrer vi USA". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  21. ↑ Giese, Ditte (2 January 2014). "Lukas Graham: »Jamen, hvad fanden skal jeg bruge en million euro til?«". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  22. 1 2 Dredge, Stuart (23 March 2016). "7 Years: how streaming fuelled the rapid rise of Lukas Graham". Musically. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  23. ↑ Rosenstand Svidt, Ole (20 November 2015). "Lukas Graham vælter Aarhus: Veltrænet verdensklasse". BT (in Danish). Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "40 millioner har lyttet på YouTube: Nu udgiver Hedegaard sin første single" (in Danish). DR. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  25. ↑ Rosenstand Svidt, Ole (20 June 2014). "Hør ny sang med Lukas Graham". Gaffa (in Danish). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "Lukas Graham – Lukas Graham [Blue Album]". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  27. ↑ "Lukas Graham – 7 Years". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  28. 1 2 Silverton, Pete (25 January 2016). "Lukas Graham single '7 Years': A catchy song about growing up in a 'utopian community' in Denmark is a massive hit". The Independent. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  29. ↑ Lukas Graham (band), Conan O'Brien (host) (10 December 2015). Lukas Graham "7 Years" 12/10/15. Conan. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  30. ↑ Brandle, Lars (30 March 2016). "Lukas Graham Performs '7 Years' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  31. 1 2 Taylor Bennett, Kim (5 February 2016). "Let's Get Drunk in the Morning and Take the World by Storm: An Interview with Lukas Graham". Noisey. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  32. ↑ "Lukas Graham Performs His Catchy Hit 7 Years on Ellen! Watch!". Perez Hilton. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  33. ↑ Caulfield, Kieth (10 April 2016). "Chris Stapleton Surges to No. 2 on Billboard 200, Lukas Graham, Weezer and Twenty88 Debut in Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  34. ↑ "Lukas Graham – Lukas Graham [Blue Album]". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  35. ↑ "Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Lukas Graham Announce Headline Tour as Hit Single '7 Years' Skyrockets on Charts". Broadway World. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  37. ↑ Evatt, Nicole (12 April 2016). "Lukas Graham makes U.S. mark with '7 Years,' Double Door show". Daily Herald. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  38. ↑ Bienstock, Hal (8 May 2016). "Lukas Graham Forchhammer on hit song '7 Years,' his influences, more". AM New York. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  39. ↑ Moraski, Lauren (4 April 2016). "If You Don't Know Lukas Graham Yet, You Should". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 April 2016.

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