The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present a Breakthrough Artist Award to Lukas Graham during the Music Biz 2017 convention’s Awards Luncheon on Thursday, May 18, 2017, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, TN. Lukas Graham have solidified their status as the biggest breakout act of 2016, earning three Grammy nominations of their single “7 Years,” including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The Danish band, led by vocalist and songwriter Lukas Forchhammer, propelled to the top of the charts with over two billion streams across the globe. Their quadruple-platinum debut single “7 Years” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the highest-selling single by a debut artist this year, and the third highest-selling single overall. “7 Years” is featured on Lukas Graham’s Certified Gold self-titled debut album, which received overwhelming critical acclaim since its April 1 release, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 with accolades from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard and more.
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“We are proud to recognize Lukas Graham’s massive success in the U.S. this year with a prestigious Breakthrough Artist Award,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “In only a few short months, they have managed to take the country by storm, performing on major TV shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Good Morning America, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden and CONAN, not to mention awards shows such as The Billboard Music Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, where they were also nominated for Best New Artist. We’re happy to celebrate what they have accomplished and are excited to see what the future holds for these promising artists.”
Hailing from Christiania, an autonomous, artistic community in the center of Copenhagen, Forchhammer developed his songwriting. Classically trained with the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir, with a musical scope widened by his Irish folk roots and passion for hip-hop, he possesses an ability to capture the full range of emotions in his music. The band is continuing their ground-breaking year with new single “You’re Not There,” which is a tribute to Forchhammer’s late father. Known for their live show, Lukas Graham will continue to headline sold out shows around the world for the remainder of the year and into 2017.
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Previous recipients of the Music Biz Breakthrough Artist Award have included Carrie Underwood, John Legend, the Killers, Nicki Minaj, Emeli Sande, Ariana Grande, Meghan Trainor, Sam Hunt and Halsey.
Music Biz 2017, which will return to Nashville from May 15 - 18, is the music industry’s premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. Registration is open now with early bird discounts in effect until early 2017.
For more information or to register for the event, visit musicbiz2017.com.
