Thomas Kjellerup - Troubadour

Since the breakthrough with Anni's song in 1991, Thomas Kjellerup has been one of Denmark's most sought-after troubadours. He is one of the few here at home who can take the stage alone and hold and move an audience for a full evening, armed only with his acoustic guitar and his poetic and atmospheric songs.

Thomas Kjellerup has been a full-time troubadour for more than 30 years. Over three decades and with ten albums, he has carved himself into the ranks of storytellers who describe human life for better and worse, and for many people the songs have become part of life, almost like a small supplement to Højskolesangbogen. The songs are sung at weddings and funerals and at everything in between—everyday life and the festive.

Every morning, Dage som denne, Stilfærdigt farvel and Skrøbelige hjerte are among the troubadour's most widely spread songs, together with Anni's song, and the elf-nonsense song 'Jeg tror der findes nisser' is something many people will not want to be without at Christmastime.

Thomas Kjellerup wrote his first song in Varde in 1979, when he was 21 years old and had just moved to West Jutland. He was born and raised in Odder, wrote most of his songs in Esbjerg from 1982 to 2001, and in 2002 he returned to his homeland. Since 2009 he has resided in Aarhus.

The simple, evocative lyrics and the memorable melodies are Thomas Kjellerup's hallmarks. The songwriter's philosophy has been clear from the start: a good song cannot be ignored. It has a life of its own and finds its way to the audience in time. In other words, he relies both on his own songs and on the audience's ability to recognize a good song when it is there.