Alphabeat

This article is about the Danish band. For their self-titled album, see Alphabeat (album). For the David Guetta song, see The Alphabeat (song). For other uses, see Alphabeat (disambiguation).
This article also covers solo career of Stine Bramsen and of project THANKS by Alphabeat singer Anders SG, and its guitarist Anders B
Alphabeat

Alphabeat performing at Gröna Lund in Stockholm on 26 July 2008
Background information
Origin Silkeborg, Denmark
Genres Dance-pop, Europop, indie pop, house, wonky pop, power pop
Years active 2004–present
Labels Copenhagen, Charisma, Polydor, Fascination
Website www.alphabeat.dk
Members Anders SG
Stine Bramsen
Anders B
Rasmus Nagel
Anders Reinholdt
Troels Hansen

Alphabeat are a Danish pop band from Silkeborg, fronted by singers Stine Bramsen and Anders SG and signed to Polydor Records. Their single "Fascination" was a major hit in Denmark during the summer of 2007 and a significant hit in the United Kingdom in 2008. Follow-up single "10.000 Nights of Thunder" (or just "10,000 Nights" in the UK) saw equal acclaim, and their eponymous debut album reached number two in Denmark and number ten in the UK. It has sold over 100,000 copies and their three top twenty singles have sold of 400,000 altogether in the region.[1]

History

2006–07: Formation and early career

Alphabeat was made up of six members: Anders SG, Stine Bramsen, Anders B, Rasmus Nagel, Anders Reinholdt and Troels Hansen. Their sound is mainly retro 1980s melodic pop, taking inspiration from British bands Deacon Blue and Prefab Sprout, amongst others, with distinctive overlays of male and female harmonies. The band was previously named Sodastar, but this was changed to avoid confusion with a German band.[2]

2007–11: Alphabeat and The Spell

The bands self-titled debut album, Alphabeat, was released in Denmark on 5 March 2007, peaking at number two on the Danish Albums Chart and reaching platinum status in five months of release. The band's success in their domestic market attracted the attention of several major labels from larger markets abroad and Alphabeat was eventually signed to EMI's Charisma Records label in the United Kingdom. Their debut UK single, "Fantastic 6", was released on 26 November 2007, followed by the international release of Alphabeat, retitled This Is Alphabeat, the following year. It peaked at number ten on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on 10 October 2008. In 2009 Alphabeat won an EBBA Award. Every year the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) recognize the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year.

Alphabeat received several positive reviews in major British publications such as the NME, The Observer,[3] Digital Spy[4] and Popjustice.[5] On 20 December 2008, it was announced via press release that the band had been dropped by their UK label Charisma Records. In a statement from the band on 19 January 2009, it was confirmed that they had chosen to leave the label after being given the opportunity.

It was announced on 7 March 2009 that Alphabeat had signed a new record deal with Polydor Records. The band's manager said, "We are thrilled to be signing to one of the UK's most successful record companies, and looking forward to achieving even more success with the band and Polydor in the coming years."[6]

In August 2009, Popjustice premiered their single "The Spell" which was set for an October release, with their second album released shortly thereafter.[7] The album was released as The Spell in Denmark on 26 October 2009, where it charted at number five and was certified gold in less than two months of release. Originally set for release on 2 November 2009,[8][9] the UK release was subsequently pushed back until 1 March 2010 and the album's title was changed to The Beat Is...[10] It debuted and peaked at number thirty-nine on the UK Albums Chart.

On 9 January 2010 "DJ" was released as the second single in the Danish market, with a UK release, under the title "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)", scheduled for 31 May. The second UK single, "Hole in My Heart", was released on 22 February 2010, debuting at number twenty-nine on the UK Singles Chart.

2012–present: Express Non-Stop

Alphabeat's third studio album, Express Non-Stop, was released on 24 September 2012.[11] The album's first single, "Vacation", was released as a digital download in the UK on 12 March 2012.[12] A second single, "Love Sea",[13] was released on iTunes on 13 August 2012.

Touring

Alphabeat made their UK debut at Monto Water Rats in May 2007 and later that year embarked on their first UK tour (The Wolfbaggin' tour), supporting Lil Chris and Daniel Powter. They were offered the chance to open for the Spice Girls during their 2007–08 Return of the Spice Girls tour, but declined the opportunity, feeling that it would be "too weird" to suddenly play in front of a 23,000 audience unfamiliar with the band's music.[14][15]

They have often been associated with the wonky pop movement—their manager owns the brand name[16]—and they have played a number of Wonky Pop events and tours.

During the summer of 2008 they played numerous British and international festivals including T in the Park on "Camper's Friday",[17] Roskilde Festival,[18] T4 on the Beach, Summerfestival (in Klaksvík, Faroe Islands, in early August),[19] and in October 2008, along with many other bands at the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull, England for hundreds of young girlguides.[20]

During late 2008, Alphabeat began a twenty-two-gig tour in the UK and the Netherlands, with many shows sold out.[1] In the same year, the band was planning to play select shows with American singer Katy Perry on her 2008 world tour. However, in March 2009, Alphabeat cancelled their appearances in support of her US tour. Their management stated that they were instead working on their second album and planned to tour the US later in the year.

They performed a mini UK tour to promote The Spell in autumn 2009 and toured the UK throughout April 2010, on The Beat Is... Tour. They also played a support slot for Lady Gaga on the UK and Irish leg of her The Monster Ball Tour, which took place in February and March 2010. They made their US debut at the 2010 SXSW Festival. In June 2010, they co-headlined with Wheatus at Trinity May Ball, in Cambridge, UK.

On 26 July 2011, Alphabeat were the midline act at the pre-event party for the UK contingent of 4000 scouts, the night before leaving for the 22nd World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. The year after, on 28 July 2012, Alphabeat performed as the closing act for Jamboree Denmark 2012.

Discography

Main article: Alphabeat discography

Solo projects

Stine Bramsen

In 2011, Stine's vocals were featured in a dance hit by Danish duo Morten Hampenberg & Alexander Brown entitled "I Want You (To Want Me Back)". The single was certified gold in Sweden. In 2013, she was featured in "32" a popular release by Danish band Carpark North. In 2014, she had even an even bigger success with her single "Prototypical," which was released in January 2014 [21] and appeared at number 2 on the Sverigetopplistan Swedish Singles Chart in its first week of release.

On 2 June 2014, Bramsen released a second single, "Move Forward".[22]

Discography / EPs
Year EP Peak positions
DEN
[23]
2015 Stine Bramsen EP 16
Fiftyseven 1
Discography / singles
Year Single Peak positions Album
DEN
[23]
2014 "Prototypical" 2 Stine Bramsen
and
Fiftyseven
"Move Forward" —
2015 "Karma Town" 30
"Woman" — Fiftyseven
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released.
Discography / featured in
Year Album Peak positions Album
DEN
[23]
2011 "I Want You (To Want Me Back)"
(Morten Hampenberg & Alexander Brown feat. Stine Bramsen)		 4
2013 "32"
(Carpark North feat. Stine Bramsen)		 5 Carpark North album
Phoenix

THANKS

In July 2014, lead singer Anders SG, and guitarist Anders B, formed a solo project called "THANKS". They have described their sound as "Motown meets EDM anno 2014. The Jets produced by Calvin Harris and Rostam Batmanglij with Phil Spector on the line".[24]

On 24 July, the duo released a music video for their first single "Comeback Girl". [25]

Discography / singles
Year Single Album
2014 "Comeback Girl" TBA

References

  1. 1 2 Words: Peter Krogholm (2008-10-23). "Alphabeat receives UK Gold Record, tour | All Scandinavian Music". allscandinavian.com. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  2. ↑ Lindsay, Cam (2008-03-04). "Alphabeat - "Fascination" • Music / Video •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  3. ↑ Burgess, John (30 May 2008). "Alphabeat, This is Alphabeat". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  4. ↑ "Alphabeat: 'Fantastic Six' - Music Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  5. ↑ "100% Solid Pop Music". Popjustice. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  6. ↑ Published Friday, Mar 6 2009, 11:40 GMT (2009-03-06). "Alphabeat sign new record deal - Music News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  7. ↑ "Alphabeat". Facebook. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  8. ↑ "Alphabeat to release second album". Newsbeat (BBC News Online). 21 August 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  9. ↑ Balls, David (24 September 2009). "Alphabeat LP 'influenced by '90s dance'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  10. ↑ "'The Spell' Album Artwork". thisisalphabeat.com. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  11. ↑ "THIS IS "LOVE SEA"". alphabeat.dk. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Alphabeat are back - Blogs". GayTimes. 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  13. ↑ "Watch: Alphabeat - 'Love Sea'". Clixie. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "Danish snub for Spice Girls". The Sun. News Group Newspapers. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Alphabeat: Supporting Spice Girls would have been weird". inthenews.co.uk. 3 June 2008.
  16. ↑ Youngs, Ian (1 January 2009). "Electric dreams for pop in 2009". BBC News Online. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  17. ↑ "T in the Park 2008 - Alphabeat". BBC. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/20080420181638/http://www.roskilde-festival.dk:80/2008/frontpage/system/bands/singleband/alphabeat/. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ Archived 4 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Alphabeat singer Stine Bramsen debuts solo single - listen - Music News - Digital Spy". "digitalspy.co.uk". Robert Copsey. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  22. ↑ "Stine Bramsen on Twitter: ""Move Forward" is out now and I hope it'll please and inspire you!"". "twitter.com". Stine Bramsen. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  23. 1 2 3 "Stine Bramsen discography". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "THANKS - Comeback Girl". MyFizzyPop. Paul Reynolds. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "Scandipop.co.uk - Thanks: 'Comeback Girl'". "scandipop.co.uk. Scandipop. Retrieved 28 September 2014.

External links

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