Interview: Lukas Graham on life, loss and '7 Years'

Lukas Graham is having a moment. And he knows to savor every minute of it.

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, the 27-year-old singer is one of pop's brightest new stars. He and his band have enjoyed success in their native country and greater Europe since 2012. This year, they conquered America with the smash hit "7 Years," which reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts last month. They're currently on a club tour of the U.S. — and their Friday stop at Nashville's 3rd & Lindsley has been sold out for weeks.

But if you've listened to the lyrics of "7 Years," you know that Graham understands that this incredible moment — like all others in his life — is fleeting. He sings wistfully about his memories at ages 7, 11 and 20, and imagines what life might be like at 30 and 60. His father died suddenly at age 61, just months after Graham's music career had taken off.

Graham gave The Tennessean a call during his travels across the country to discuss the tour, his approach to songwriting, losing his father and what the world should know about his home country.

"Back home, we never really got to grasp our rise to fame, if that makes any sense. It went so quick. We released our first album in 2012, March. And then my father died in September, so it's like we had this massive rise to fame, great success, played all the festivals, and then my dad goes and dies, unfortunately. And I'm catapulted into this black hole of grief, and I'm trying to maintain some sort of balance in my life, which was absolutely impossible. It's really lovely to be able to do this tour and feel the fame in some sense. It's not that the fame was the goal, but just to feel the connection with people and (appreciate) the success. I just flew back home for the weekend, and I brought my mom back over (to the U.S.). She's gonna see our show in Chicago, Detroit and Norfolk, Virginia. It's gonna be great to show my mom, 'People are singing along to the songs I wrote.'"

"We normally go into the audience and give everyone a picture, and everyone gets an autograph. (I) get to meet people and talk to people. You don't do that at a big show, because it's absolutely impossible. What I like about the small shows is you get to engage your audience in a different way. You get to (look) people in the eye when you're singing the song, and you get to hear them sing along. It's not just a blur."

"I'm from a country of 5.5 million people. (laughs). Not a lot of people in *Europe* know about us. The neighborhood I'm from and the gusto that I bring to it is different from the country I'm from. But we're a very liberal, you could say 'spirtually non-religious' country, and a very moral country. It's a strange place if you're an American, I believe. All the values of Denmark are basic Christian values, but most people (there) would tell you that they're not religious."

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, and that is why we call it the present. I remember my grandmother, even after my father died, and after my grandfather died. She lost two children and the love of her life. If you ask my grandmother when is the best time of your life, she'll look at you and say, 'It has to be now.' And she's more than 90 (years old)! (laughs) I admire that strength and that heart, that will to live. Not the will to live in an extravagant way, or in a mediocre way, but just to live fully every day. If doing the crosswords gives you something, then do the damn crosswords! Don't say, 'I'll do them tomorrow.' Sit down and do them now. I do my best to catch a workout, have fun with my boys. We have a drink after the shows and we look either in the eye, and we remind each other, 'Let's enjoy this. This is not coming back.'

"I write very fluidly. It's like, pour water on the ground and it's see where it runs (laughs)....some people call me an open channel. You can treat me like a rubber ball, and I'm sure a lot of songwriters in Nashville would love me and hate me. The thing is, I'm not precious about my work before it's done.

"We're enjoying seeing America as 50 countries rather than a single one...It's nice to meet people that are different from you, because differences create opportunity, not the other way around. If we were all alike, it would be a boring world, wouldn't it?