Photographed by Christopher Patey on Nov. 17 at The Foundry at SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

THE POP MEMORIALISTS airplay charts and peaking at No. 2 on the meetings. I had an instant connection with Billboard Hot 100. But not everyone thought the guy. He encouraged us to be broader Lukas Graham it was the obvious runaway hit. “There is in our songwriting. My father had just died (FROM LEFT) nothing in the song to make it a Billboard and I remember he said, “Just like you can’t Morten Ristorp, Mark Falgren, Cameron song — and that’s why I’m thrilled it got that make a memorable record that’s only about Strang [chairman/CEO, Warner Bros. traction,” says Forchhammer. “No matter partying, you can’t make one only about your Records] and Lukas Forchhammer what comes next, it will be swallowed up by dead father.” He was right. “7 YEARS” the mother lode. But I’ll take a quadruple- Radio Songs (4 weeks), Mainstream platinum single and a gold album in a year!” STRANG Radio station KROQ [Los Angeles] Top 40 (1 week), Adult Top 40 (3 weeks) was an early believer. Conan also took a chance It took Warner Bros. Records chairman/CEO STRANG Lukas is a brilliant, thoughtful and put them on the show last December after Cameron Strang three years to break Danish writer, and he was making a very personal seeing them at a tiny showcase in Hollywood. act Lukas Graham’s Grammy-nominated album. We all set a very high bar for what Things turned a corner in January, after we smash “7 Years.” The Copenhagen group — we wanted the band to accomplish. had them play at our Burbank headquarters led by partial namesake Lukas Forchhammer, for key radio folks. Programmers were raising 28 — went quadruple-platinum with the FORCHHAMMER After meeting with their hands while Lukas performed, signaling wistful anthem, crowning several Billboard Cameron, I canceled all the other label they were in. —CHRIS WILLMAN GROOMING BY SARAHGROOMING REDZIKOWSKI BY

76 BILLBOARD | DECEMBER 17, 2016