A Night with Lukas Graham: Danish Pop Band Stages Debut Full-Scale Concert in Manila

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Danish pop band Lukas Graham made their full-scale Manila debut on Sunday evening, October 22, 2023. Greeting an emotionally stirred-up audience at the New Frontier Theater, vocalist Lukas Forchhammer enthused, “Cheers, ladies and gentlemen! And thank you for coming to my very first concert in the Philippines. [It’s] not the last one — I promise you that.”

Spicing up the evening were performances from a fellow Universal Music artist, the Filipino singer-songwriter and “ERE” hitmaker juan karlos, also known as JK. Irish-Filipino singing sensation ANDREAH served as the stunning opening act.

Night opener

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For her opening performance, ANDREAH started off with her original tracks called “So Far Away,” “Let Me Go Easy,” and “Best Friend,” capturing the hearts of the eager crowd. She also brought along her rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” and her unreleased single titled “Feels Just Great.” These were the last two songs of her opening-act stint.

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“Thank you for singing along, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Lukas Graham. Are you guys excited? He’s wonderful, so you guys are in for an incredible show,” she exclaimed as she teased the main performers of the night.

Going full-scale

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Lukas Graham first performed in the country for a brief mall tour back in 2019. Returning for their first full-scale show, the group was met with a crowd teeming with excitement. The band, whose pop soul hits first hit the airwaves in 2011, performed their well-loved songs, much to the delight of the audience.

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In a series of lively performances, Lukas Graham fired up the night with “Happy Home,” “Take the World,” ”Drunk in the Morning,” and “Share the Love.”

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Up next, the band performed “By The Way,” “Lie,” “Wish You Were Here,” “You’re Not There.” “Better Than Yourself,” “Not A Damn Thing,” and “Home Movies.”

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Serving as a poignant highlight of their show, vocalist Forchhammer shared the emotionally charged story behind “Better Than Yourself.”

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“So I had a talk with JK before the show. We’ve talked about where I’m from. I’m from this tiny neighborhood where, at least, what we have in common right here were the big shields, helmets, and tear gas… This next song was written about some of my friends who went the other way,” he revealed, referring to friends who were part of Denmark’s gangland culture and have since become imprisoned.

Unexpected duo

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Halfway through the show, JK entered the stage to join the band for one of their most popular songs, “Love Someone.” As the two acts performed, the crowd couldn’t help but to sing along.

A week before the event, the artists had a notable social media exchange. Soon after, it was announced that the OPM star will be featured in the show.

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As the audience might have guessed, the band and JK performed “ERE,” which achieved an important milestone a week before the concert: It became the first Filipino song to enter no. 2 on Spotify’s global chart.

“I just learned the song today so help me out,” Forchhammer shared, serving as the cue for the artists to dish out an unexpectedly fresh duet.

The fans enjoyed the musical moment and were also surprised as the Danish act sang the iconic expletive in one of the song’s hooks.

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For the finale, the band rendered “This is Me Letting You Go,” “Don’t You Worry,” “Off to See The World,” “Strip No More,” “Mama Said,” and “Funeral.” Their worldwide hit, “7 Years,” was performed at the encore, prompting a final sing-along from the crowd.

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The band can also be remembered performing said encore track back in 2019 during the 4th Wish Music Awards.

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Sunday’s show was part of Lukas Graham’s 2023 Asia tour. The band previously performed in Taipei, Taiwan and Seoul, South Korea.

Lukas Graham Live in Manila is presented to you by Midas Promotions and KDR Music House.

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Stream Lukas Graham’s songs here:

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ALSO READ: A1 Celebrates Silver Anniversary with Nostalgic Manila Show
Written By: Joram Flores
Edited By: Emmy Borromeo
Photos By: Kenneth Valladolid

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