Michael Learns to Rock

One of Denmark's most successful acts during the late 20th century and early 2000s, Michael Learns to Rock was formed in March 1988 by vocalist/keyboardist Jascha Richter, guitarist Mikkel Lentz, drummer Kåre Wanscher, and bassist Søren Madsen. Based in Aarhus, the musicians began playing shows that summer, developing a soft, family-friendly pop sound dominated by love songs and piano ballads. The self-titled debut album Michael Learns to Rock was released in September 1991, topping the Danish Album Chart and climbing to Number 5 in Norway. "The Actor," the record's biggest single, was even more successful, cracking the Top 10 across Scandinavia while also charting at Number 1 in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. The band's subsequent albums continued to fare well in both European and Asian countries. 1993's Colours spawned the Top 10 Danish singles "Sleeping Child" and "25 Minutes," becoming Thailand's second best-selling record of all time along the way. 1995's double-platinum album Played on Pepper featured international hits like "That's Why (You Go Away)," while 1997's Nothing to Lose, 2000's Blue Night, and 2004's Michael Learns to Rock (the latter of which was released in Asia as Take Me to Your Heart) all went platinum on both continents. Rebranding itself as a soft-rock trio following the departure of co-founding member Søren Madsen, Michael Learns to Rock continued to dominate Danish pop culture throughout the first two decades of the 21st century, released Eternity in 2008, Scandinavia in 2012, and Still in 2018.