Trending Tunes
Finally reaching American ears, Lukas Graham and his song “7 Years” has skyrocketed through the charts over the past few weeks. The song goes through Graham’s life— past, present and future— bringing the listener through reminiscent memories as well as contemplation of the future.
The song plays like a movie in lyrics, opening with the sound of a film reel. Graham begins by thinking back to being told by his mother to make friends as a seven-year-old and reflects on his beginnings as a songwriter. In his actual life, Graham has been a professional singer since the age of eight, performing across the world in the Copenhagen Boys Choir. A classically trained musician, Graham did not start exploring pop and rap music until later in his life, and published his first rap song “Pain Has Many Faces” at age twenty.
The lyrics of “7 Years” continue into Graham’s current life in his twenties where he has been able to share his story through music. In 2012, Graham released his first album, which propelled him to being the most popular live act in Denmark. After being number one on in Denmark and Norway, the album spread across Europe to Germany where his songs topped the iTunes charts.
Switching from present to future, “7 Years” looks into Graham’s life as a thirty-year-old when his songs will have been sold and he will desire to begin a family. This verse goes right into the distant future as a sixty-year-old where he hopes to thank his parents for how far he has come and have children of his own that still take time to visit. Although the life Graham depicts in the details of his verses— one of a recording artist that travels around the world for a living— are not that of an average person, the chorus remains grounded on the commonalities between all human life: a life that seeks fulfillment in relationships and questions the future. He asks, “Will I think the world is cold or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?” These broad, existential questions leave the listener with a dose of reality and reassurance that one is not alone in contemplating the details of the future.
In the vein of Ed Sheeran combined with a smooth voice in the realm of Sam Smith, Graham has found his place in the developing genre of acoustic pop hip hop. Thought provoking lyrics and well developed musical arrangements make Lukas Graham an up and coming artist to keep an eye on. Be sure to take a listen to “7 Years” if you haven’t already and stay tuned for his full length self titled studio album being released on March 25.