Danish trio Lukas Graham, fronted by Lukas Forchhammer, has reason to celebrate. Their 2016 smash hit 7 Years, which topped the charts in 13 countries and earned three Grammy nominations, has become the first track by a Danish artist to clock 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Perhaps their song Take The World By Storm (also from their debut album) would have made for a more obvious headline. But that likely wouldn't suit Lukas's subtler, introspective style. At least that's how we felt after he stopped by Spotify's Stockholm office to talk about this incredible achievement-and more. Lukas touched on his earliest musical exposures and influences during his upbringing in Copenhagen's Christiania commune, how his songwriting process has evolved across albums-and the effect Spotify has had on his band's meteoric trajectory.
You are the first Danish artist to reach one billion streams. What's going through your mind as you reach this milestone? What would you like to say to fans, those from the Nordics and worldwide?
Only a few days ago did I realize how unique this is. It's pretty amazing to be the first to do it, especially considering how many amazing Danish acts came before! Thank you' is a word too small to use, but it's the only one I have. Thank you for listening and for continuing to listen.
How did your upbringing in Christiania, a commune in the center of Copenhagen, influence your musical upbringing? What were your earliest exposures to music, and who are your most memorable musical influences from that time?
I guess that the amount of concerts and different genres of music performed in Christiania has had a huge impact I was exposed to everything from Irish folk to pop rock and more heavy electronic music, as well as more culturally highbrow classical music. So I went to concerts from a very young age. I specifically remember watching Rage Against The Machine warming up for the Stone Temple Pilots and the Fugees warming up for Das EFX. Both in the Grey Hall in Christiania. I was about seven years old coincidentally. My father's record collection was probably my biggest inspiration in the early days, and as a teenager rap music took over in terms of lyrical content.
Your 2016 self-titled album Lukas Graham (The Blue Album) has a different sound from your newest release, 3 (The Purple Album). How would you say your style has changed? How about your creative process?
The style of our music changes to fit the songs that are being written. Different themes and stories influence the overall sound, and I don't think anyone on our team ever wanted to be creatively static. On the contrary, we're constantly trying to get out of our own box, so to speak. Also why I write with so many different writers now-in an attempt to catch something unique that we as a team haven't been able to. With that said, I still write the bulk of my material with the same good ole boys, Stefano, Rissi Rissi, and Pilo.
What would you say is the role that Spotify has played in your career from launch to now?
I'm not sure if it's too much to call ourselves the Arctic Monkeys of Spotify. I feel like our international breakthrough came about because of Spotify-the way streams in the Nordics and Germany pushed an unknown act into the global top 50 with a song that wasn't available outside of the Nordics and GSA. It was a trippy ride, and luckily we've landed on the other side without losing our minds.
What artists are on your recently played? Any that fans might find surprising? Plus, what's the most surprising sound/artist who's influenced you?
I've been trying to keep up to date with a few of the newer releases, listening to two Danish rappers called Branco and Gilli. Kacey Musgraves's latest album, and it's impossible not to mention Billie Eilish. Nineties rap has influenced me the most lyrically, and musically it's folk music, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
Danish trio Lukas Graham, fronted by Lukas Forchhammer, has reason to celebrate. Their 2016 smash hit 7 Years, which topped the charts in 13 countries and earned three Grammy nominations, has become the first track by a Danish artist to clock 1 billion streams on Spotify.
