LUKA has marked himself as a promising new act on the Danish music scene…
We sat down with the singer/songwriter to talk about his new album and venturing into international fame.
Bridge: It’s great to get to chat with you, Luka! Let’s start by you telling us who you are…
LUKA: I am a 36 year old singer and songwriter from Denmark. My artist name is LUKA and my birth name is Lasse Kjær. I am also a family man and have two wonderful children and a lovely girlfriend. As a very well-known Danish folk musician once said: “Listen to my songs and you will know who I am”. So if you really want to know who I am. Then read my lyrics.
Bridge: That’s beautiful! We will be doing just that! How long have you been writing and performing?
LUKA: I have been interested in music since I was quite young. I composed my first song when I was 4 years old. It was only when I grew up and had children that I really went after a career in the music industry. At that time I made the music while the kids were sleeping. And in order not to wake them up, I whispered which has resulted in an airy vocal that I use a lot today. Since then I have released an album and 2 EPs. And today I’m ready with a brand new EP called “Back To The Beginning”
Bridge: It comes full circle, doesn’t it? Every little detail of life, like whispering to keep from waking your kids, fits into the puzzle.
I find your lyrics are very thoughtful, what inspires your writing the most?
LUKA: My life, my experiences and the people around inspire me. Stories inspire me. And I love trying to interpret small messages and important life values in my lyrics. Especially values that we often take for granted. Such as the small values in everyday life when we eat dinner with the family or read a book to our children. I think music is indispensable to all people because it helps to process emotions and confirm or change states of mind. Therefor I also use the music as therapy. I use the music to process all the experience and impressions I get through the day. If I’m stressed, music helps. If I’m happy, the music makes me even happier.
Bridge: That’s the kind of music that touches people the most. Music based on every day life experiences. In a day and age where repeating one random phrase results in a top 10 song, I find that to be refreshing!
I’m curious, what has your experience been in the Danish music industry?
LUKA: Denmark is a small country. And therefore, it is more common and normal to talk to the important people in the Danish music industry. And this is an advantage when you have to bring collaborations to life. I have written in Danish before. And Danish lyrics are something that we Danes praise highly. And therefore it has been a bit of a challenge in the Danish market to write in English.
Bridge: What difficulties have you faced branching out to international territory?
LUKA: There is no doubt that it has become easier to publish music today even if you do not have a label. So there are more options than there were before. But it also means that far more musicians have joined the music industry. So the competition has never been greater than today. On Spotify, 60,000 new songs are released every day. This means that 420,000 songs are released every week, all of which compete to get on “New Music Friday”
Bridge: As an artist myself, that is extremely frustrating and bittersweet. Easier to get in, but also easier to get lost.
Despite that, what goals do you have for your music in 2021?
LUKA: In Denmark I work with Warner, who helps me get my music released in Denmark. But on the international stage, I have a new collaboration on the way with Magic Records, which I am very excited to bring to life. My goal is to break through on the international stage.
