Lukas Graham may have become the biggest music band sensation of 2016, according to the Chicago Tribune . Really, the Danish pop-soul group had everything it could wish for last year: sudden worldwide recognition, major Billboard success , and three Grammy nominations.
. @LukasGraham are hot tonight in Detroit!! #LukasGrammy ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/QmX65wjsHd
— WarnerBrosPromo (@WarnerBrosPromo) January 25, 2017
But Lukas Graham’s success didn’t just end there. The band’s frontman, Lukas Forchhammer, released his self-titled major label debut and had his first child with his long-time girlfriend.
In his recent phone interview with the Chicago Tribune , Forchhammer, whose band Lukas Graham is nominated for three Grammys in 2017 – Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance – opened up about how it really felt to become one of the biggest sensations of the year after the release of just one song, “7 Years.”
Forchhammer explained his group Lukas Graham’s success with a Mark Twain quote.
“Life is gonna test you by letting nothing happen, or letting everything happen at once.”
And really, the Danish band — which currently consists of Forchhammer, Mark Falgren, Magnus Larsson, and Morten Ristorp — was slowly growing back in Denmark. And within a matter of months, they were giving shows around the world.
“A year ago, no one in the U.S. knew who we were, now we have a quadruple platinum single, we have 3 Grammy nominations, and we’re halfway through our second headlining U.S. tour.”
Legendary night at the Ryman! What a beautiful concert hall. pic.twitter.com/THkzQlXYE5
— Lukas Graham (@LukasGraham) January 23, 2017
When asked if Lukas Graham was prepared for this kind of rapid-fire success, Forchhammer said that hardly anyone could be ready for this kind of success and travel. Forchhammer, whose band has had a very busy schedule ever since its smash hit “7 Years” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 last April, says their rapid success is “tough on the body and the mind.” But he is certainly not complaining.
“But there was definitely some sort of anticipation throughout all these years, of writing songs and getting better and better.”
When asked if he knew “7 Years” would be the song that brought Lukas Graham worldwide recognition, Forchhammer said that he had “no idea” but admitted he had always hoped it would, because the song is “so unique.”
Although Forchhammer admits that the song doesn’t have “a hook” and it lacks the same “lyrical themes,” it won the hearts of so many people around the world for its lyrics. The Lukas Graham vocalist admits that it’s “a really great feeling” to know that people actually respond to the lyrics, not just the music.
From Kentucky to Tennessee with ?? Nashville was epic last time, let’s redo that tonight ladies and gentlemen:D @LoveStick_ pic.twitter.com/PNt5eEx2Y2
— Lukas Graham (@LukasGraham) January 22, 2017
Forchhammer also confessed that “7 Years” “just flew out” of him when he started asking himself if he wanted to become a dad following his father’s death in 2012, according to the Dallas Observer . Lukas Graham’s lead vocalist admits that the hit song is about growing older and realizing that there are “bigger things to think about and deal with than just being here.”
While Forchhammer admits “7 Years” took him only three and a half hours to write, the Lukas Graham hit song has scored three Grammy nominations: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
After the song had made Lukas Graham a household name in Denmark, it attracted plenty of attention in America and was released by Copenhagen Records in September of 2015. In addition to peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 last April, “7 Years” became the fourth best-selling song in the U.S. in 2016.
Lukas Graham Frontman Talks Politics, Fatherhood, and ‘7 Years’ Worth of Grammy Nominations https://t.co/djfG7x88a5 pic.twitter.com/lYgRnubDm2
— Beatclass Music (@BeatclassMusic) January 10, 2017
Even though it’ll definitely be tough to repeat the success of “7 Years,” the Lukas Graham vocalist insists he isn’t worried about his band’s ability to follow up the smash hit.
[Featured Image by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images]
