Lukas Graham

As a song that strives to capture a whole life’s worth of joys and regrets in a mere four minutes, Lukas Graham’s “7 Years” is as ambitious as it is affecting. It expresses something universal through its poignant ruminations on the passage of time and the need to stay connected to family and friends. That may explain why it topped the charts in 13 countries after first appearing on the Danish band’s self-titled second album in 2015. The many new fans who presumed Lukas Graham was a sensitive solo artist were surprised to discover they were actually a group, founded in 2011 in Copenhagen by singer and multi-instrumentalist Lukas Forchhammer. (It was an easy mistake given that Forchhammer, a former child actor and member of the Copenhagen Boys Choir, named his group after his first and middle names.) Steeped in Forchhammer’s love of ‘70s soul, folk and pop, effervescent early tunes like “Drunk In the Morning” established his knack for crafty, Beatles-esque melodies and his warm delivery well before “7 Years” broke the band worldwide. Those qualities remained at the fore on “Love Someone”, a richly heartfelt ballad from the band’s third album, 3 (The Purple Album), that returned them to the charts throughout Europe and Asia in 2018. On 2020’s “Share That Love”, a collaboration with American rapper G-Eazy, Forchhammer leans a little more into the ‘90s hip-hop influence that’s another key component of Lukas Graham’s engaging, emotive music.