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Denmark's Lukas Graham Makes US Debut with Two New Tracks Out Today

By: Oct. 23, 2015
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After experiencing unparalleled success overseas, Denmark's Lukas Graham will now be releasing his first two tracks in the U.S. - "Mama Said" and "7 Years."

Listen to "7 Years" here!

Watch the official video for "Mama Said" here!

Hailing from Christiania, an autonomous, artistic community in the center of Copenhagen, Graham's honest soul and gritty songwriting immediately captured Europe's attention, earning him multiplatinum albums, top 10 singles, as well as countless sold out shows and festival main stage spots across the continent. Classically trained with the Copenhagen Boys' Choir, with a musical scope widened by his Irish folk roots and passion for hip-hop, Graham possesses a distinct, poetic ability to capture the full range of emotions in his music. His raw blend of soulful vocals with personal songwriting, building to infectious hooks, is showcased on the lead, semi-autobiographical tracks "Mama Said" and "7 Years."

Already, he's making history with "7 Years." Until now, it was only available in Nordic territories, yet still managed to break into the Top 40 of Spotify's coveted Global Viral Chart, went #1 in Sweden, #2 in Norway. He's the first Danish artist to ever hit #1 on the Swedish Spotify chart.

Growing up in Christiania - an enclave of 850 residents in the center of Copenhagen with no cars, streetlights, or police, and where a personal toilet and running water are considered luxuries - shaped his dynamic sound. Graham drew from both his experience and a deep record collection. That experience spans everything from touring the world at 10-years-old in the choir to voice acting for Disney as the Danish Andy in official dubs in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

"Our scope away from home was so huge," he says. "Instead of making up a pretty little love story about some girl I like, I end up singing about my boys in jail and how I feel. It's easier for me to be honest about who I am than to start making up some fairytale. My boys are with me all the time. All of the same plumbers, carpenters, and gangsters still meet me at that local bar."

A lyricist first, Graham's style comes alive through the stories he tells, drawing listeners in to make their own connections. This style defined his 2012 self-titled first full-length album, which would go quadruple-platinum in Denmark and yield three smashes - "Drunk In The Morning" and "Better Than Yourself" would go #1 and "Ordinary Things" peaked at #2. All in all, cumulative single sales in Denmark would surpass 150,000 with nearly 40 million collective streams. That success translated to the rest of Europe. In Germany, "Drunk In The Morning" became a staple and the record reached #1 on iTunes. "Happy Home" would give him his third number one in Denmark in 2014, additionally going platinum in Sweden and triple platinum in Norway.

"Mama Said" and "7 Years" set the stage for the release of Graham's full-length North American debut, which will arrive in 2016.



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