Kim Larsen

Born in Frederiksberg and associated with Copenhagen, Kim Larsen left a mark on Danish song over almost five decades by linking rock, pop and folk-inspired writing in a direct form, often anchored in the everyday. He began in the late 1960s and first became known with Gasolin’, a central Danish rock group of the 1970s, before developing a parallel solo career. His first solo album, Værsgo (1973), established a more acoustic and narrative register, while 231045-0637 (1979) extended this blend of simple melodies, social chronicle and popular rock. In the early 1980s, Larsen attempted an English-speaking interlude with Jungle Dreams (1981) and Sitting on a Time Bomb (1982), then returned to Denmark where he wrote and performed the music for Midt om natten (1983), tied to the film of the same name. Thereafter, Larsen led several formations, notably Bellami in the 1980s, with albums such as Forklædt som voksen (1986), Yummi Yummi (1988) and Kielgasten (1989), then Bell*Star and especially Kjukken from the mid-1990s, a group with which he toured long-term and recorded among others Kim Larsen & Kjukken (1996), Luft Under Vingerne (1998), Weekend Music (2001), 7-9-13 (2003), Gammel Hankat (2006), Du glade verden (2012) and Øst for Vesterled (2017). His music remains attached to songs of concise form, between bar rock, ballad, folk-pop and interpretations of the Danish repertoire, with an important emphasis on language, phrasing and social observation.