How 7 Years changed Lukas Graham’s life

MANILA, Philippines — Danish music star Lukas Graham is back in Manila to grace the New Frontier Theater stage tonight.

Lukas is known as one of the 25 artists to join Spotify’s Billions Club, thanks to his 2015 chart-topper, 7 Years, from his self-titled international album. The song struck a chord with music fans due to its message about family, friendship and passing of time. The video for 7 Years has now amassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube, while the song itself boasts nearly two billion streams on Spotify.

He has consistently created music that mirrors his life. Subsequent albums like 3 (The Purple Album) touch on his marriage, and his latest release, 4 (The Pink Album), draws inspiration from his daughters.

Guesting in his Manila concert, presented by Midas Productions and KDR Music House, is local Universal Music artist Juan Karlos, whose track Ere made him the first Filipino artist to break into the Spotify Global Chart.

When asked about his upcoming show during a virtual presscon, Lukas said his setlist would align with what he’s performed at summer festivals worldwide. “Several of my songs are quite emotional, but we still have some party songs, so I think fans could be expecting to laugh, dance, and cry during the concert,” he said. “I love being able to make people have a big party, but I also love how my lyrics and my more poignant ballads can evoke a multitude of emotions in the audience. I think people could expect both ends of the emotional scale for this concert.”

He also shared fond memories of his previous time in the country. “I mean, very, very nice people. I remember my first time, well, my only time in the Philippines was just like four amazing days, meeting really nice people and eating terrific food,” he recalled. “And where I’m from, we don’t have as nice fruit as you guys have. It’s usually very cold up here. So when I was in the Philippines, I was enjoying a lot of the tropical fruits. And then, the people I met… It was a very nice and welcoming culture.”

He also reminisced about the gifts he received during his visit. “I remember a lot of the presents I got. I still have this little thing. It survived. It’s hanging on one of my medals, awards. And then, I got a really nice little jeepney car. But my kids destroyed it, unfortunately, so I have to get a new one. The gift-giving culture is really cute.”

Lukas shared the story behind 7 Years, the song that led him to play overseas. “I was 24 or 25 when I wrote the song. The first half of the song was about the life I’d been living — traveling and starting to write songs. The second half of the song is about the life I was dreaming of having. When I wrote the song, I didn’t have any kids. Now I have the kids. When I wrote the songs, I didn’t have a wife. I got the wife. And when I wrote the song, we hadn’t traveled all the way around the world. And now that’s what we do every year,” he said.

“The song is like… I wrote the prophecy of my own life in some sense. I still enjoy singing 7 Years live a lot because it’s the song that changed my life. It’s the song that allowed me to travel all over the world, and among the places I’ve visited is the Philippines.”

Meanwhile, the singer emphasized his current goal to find happiness in his work as an artist. Staying at home during the pandemic gave him a renewed appreciation for his career. “My dad was a construction worker and worked in garbage handling. My mother was a school teacher. And so I’m very, very grateful for the talent that I’ve been given and for the job that I have. I think being forced to stay at home for two years really made me realize how lucky I am.”