A Danish pop band, Lukas Graham first received international attention with the release of their self-titled album in 2012. Formed in 2011, the group initially shared homemade videos online, prior to landing a music deal with Cophenhagen Records. From there, they released a number of singles in Europe including Ordinary Things, Drunk in the Morning, Better Than Yourself, and Criminal Mind, all of which were critically acclaimed.
Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the group acquired a decent following after posting a number of original songs online in 2011. As their presence grew, they not only earned themselves a music contract with Copenhagen Records, but an opportunity to have themselves a concert tour as well. A highly anticipated event, they sold over 17,000 tickets even before their first music release.
How Lukas Graham Became Famous
On October 17, 2011, the Danish band released their debut single, Ordinary Things through Copenhagen Records. Taken from their upcoming studio album at the time, the track was written by Emil Nielsen, Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, and Sebastian Fogh. Made available as a digital download, the song proved to be a hit in their native Denmark, where it managed to peak at number two on the music chart. Since then, it has gone platinum three times in the country.
Their second record, Drunk in the Morning was dropped online on February 13, 2012. Produced by Backbone, the same individual who had worked on their first single, it once again soared to the top of the Denmark record chart. Elsewhere, the track also charted in Austria, Germany, and the UK. By then, the band had already attained some level of fame in Europe.
On March 26, 2012, Lukas Graham released their self-titled debut album, Lukas Graham. Primarily a pop record, it came with twelve tracks including Drunk in the Morning, Don’t Hurt Me This Way, Before the Morning Sun, Moving Alone, Red Wine, Nice Guy, and Apologize. Supported by four singles, two of which we’ve mentioned above, the album debuted at number one on the Danish Albums chart where it remained for 15 weeks. Since then, it has been certified six-times platinum.
Lukas Graham’s Later Music Releases
Following a two-year long break, the band returned with a new single titled, Mama Said. Made available on June 23, 2014, the song achieved success in a few European countries including Sweden, Finland, Norway, and their native Denmark, where it attained double platinum accreditation. Elsewhere, the track also charted in the United States, where it peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200; in addition to that, the single also enjoyed similar success in Canada, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Beligum, and New Zealand.
Their first record to chart in the United States, Mama said was later certified gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies. As of 2017, the official music video has been viewed over 97 million times on Youtube.
After releasing another single, the group released the Blue Album on June 16, 2015. A sequel to their first album, it garnered many praises from critics upon its release. Produced by Pilo, Hedegaard, and Future Animals, some highlights from the track list include What Happened to Perfect, Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me, Hayo, Funeral, You’re Not There, and Take the World by Storm.
Despite minimal promotion, the album entered the Danish Albums Chart at number one, where it remained for over five months. In the United States, the Blue Album also performed fairly well, having debuted at number three on the Billboard Top 200 with 34,000 preliminary sales. With time, it eventually charted in well over a dozen countries, including France, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Spain, among many others. As of 2017, the album has gone platinum eight times in Denmark and gold in the US.
However, perhaps the most noteworthy of all, is the fact that it gave rise to their most successful single to date, 7 Years. A breakthrough, it topped the charts in several countries around the world including the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Italy, Australia, Sweden, and Austria. A soul-pop song with elements of hip hop, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96 and eventually managed to peak at number 2. To date, the accompanying music video has been played more than 580 million times online.
The seventh best-selling song of 2016, 7 Years was eventually nominated for three Grammy Awards for the categories of Song of the Year, record of the Year, and Best Pop Group Performance.
In addition to all that, they’ve also been featured as a guest artist in Hedegaard’s Happy Home, Suspekt’s Sondagsbarn, and in Brandon Beal’s Golden, all three of which charted in Denmark.
Awards Received by Lukas Graham
A three-time Grammy Award nominee as mentioned above, the group has received several accolades over the past years including a Danish Music Award (e.g. New Danish Name of the Year), and an MTV Europe Music Award (e.g. Best Danish Act).
On top of that, they’ve also been nominated for a Teen Choice Award (e.g. Choice Summer Song), a Kids’ Choice Award (e.g. Best New Artist), two iHeartRadio Music Awards (e.g. Best New Pop Artist, Best Lyrics), a Billboard Music Award (e.g. Top New Artist), and a BBC Music Award (e.g. Song of the Year), among many others.
Lukas Graham’s Snapchat Name – lukasgraham
What is the band up to now? Find out by following them on Snapchat! If you’d like to add Lukas Graham to your friend’s list, click here.
Lukas Graham’s Other Social Media Accounts
Lukas Graham’s Facebook Account
If you want to follow the pop rock band on Facebook, go give their official page a like over at @LukasGraham.
Lukas Graham’s Twitter Account
For the latest news and updates, be sure to follow the group’s Twitter account- you can find them over at @LukasGraham, where they’ve already got 200K folllowers.
Lukas Graham’s Instagram Account
If you’re interested in seeing some behind the scene photos, go ahead and follow them on Instagram- you can find their official account at @Lukasgraham.
Lukas Graham’s Youtube Channel
You can stream many of their official music videos and more over at their Youtube channel @TheForchhammer. Be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already done so!
