Lukas Graham channels grief into emotional '7 Years'

Lukas Graham had just popped a bottle of champagne when he got the call that his dad died.

Doing press at the time in Germany in 2012, he immediately traveled back to his native Denmark to be with his family. But it wasn't until about a year later that he started processing his grief through songwriting, the result of which is 7 Years: a wistful pop ballad about growing up and getting old. Since its release last fall, the track has climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and sold 659,000 downloads, according to Nielsen Music.

"It was definitely cathartic to write — it's weird to describe what it's like to lose a parent," Graham says. Hearing fans' responses, "most are quite positive, but some people find it very sad and dispiriting, where I find it empowering. It's supposed to give you life energy rather than suck the living daylights out of you."

Graham grew up in Christiania, a self-governing artistic community in Denmark, and started singing with the Copenhagen Boys Choir when he was 8 years old. The freedom and creativity that environment fostered "gave me a lot of my backing, in terms of people encouraging you to do what you want to do and be an artist," says Graham, 27 (whose full name is Lukas Graham Forchhammer).

Living abroad in Buenos Aires and New York after high school, he eventually moved back to Denmark and started a band, which shares his name and consists of drummer Mark Falgren, bassist Magnus Larsson and keyboardist Kasper Daugaard. They posted a performance of one of their first songs, Criminal Mind, on YouTube in 2011, and two years later, signed to Warner Bros. Records in the USA.

Now they're gearing up for the stateside release of their self-titled debut album, out April 1. Laid-back and soulful, songs effortlessly blend elements of hip hop and folk while relaying oftentimes relatable experiences, such as coming from nothing (Mama Said) and regrettable booty calls (Drunk in the Morning). Like 7 Years, Don't You Worry 'Bout Me and Funeral grapple with loss, but in a more upbeat fashion.

"There are a lot of emotional and personal stories," Graham says. "It's a good sneak peek into what it's like to be 20 to 30 years old."

The album's cover also has personal significance to Graham. It shows a young boy in what is presumably a museum, looking at a picture of a naked woman. The painting is an actual piece of artwork from a Copenhagen cafe where his parents took him for "fancy dinners" as a child.

"It was only after I was grown up that I realized that cafe wasn't a fancy restaurant — it wasn't expensive in any way," Graham says. "I grew up poor and never noticed that, so putting that picture on the cover is a tribute to my childhood. The picture also characterizes our music: naked and beautiful."

Last week, the band played South By Southwest in Austin and will next embark on a nearly sold-out North American tour, kicking off March 28 in West Hollywood. Graham says his band's roller-coaster year has been "amazing" so far, although he only wishes his dad was here to experience it.

"I have no doubts he'd be happy. He was a big supporter and he'd be proud of the way I'm doing it. It's a pity he can't see it."