Mads Langer

Lots has come to pass since Mads Langer released his debut album 'Attention Please' back in 2006. His second album has got the simple title 'Mads Langer', and is the result of a long journey. From the darkest part of Jutland to Copenhagen, on toNew York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, back to Denmark, road tripping to and from folk schools in his old racked Volkswagen. But the journey described above, is most likely the shortest route on his journey. First of all, the journey has been a bundle of detours in his own musicality and personality, to become full circle.

Mads Langers long journey to find himself

Mads Langer was hanging in the jacuzzi, popping one bottle after the other of fancy champagne courtesy of a huge record company on his arrival in New York. The world was supposed to be lying at his feet, but nevertheless, he couldn't find the heart to enjoy it at the time, back in autumn of 2006. He felt lonely and was longing to hang out with the boys back at home in Copenhagen, all squashed together in the local pub watching Champions League. "It wasn't cool at all. I had gotten to far away from my point of departure as a musician, and the rock star life style was to much for me to grasp in retrospect, being a yoke from out nowhere in Denmark" says the 25 year old musician. At that stage, Mads had been praised as the 'new hope' by the danish music industry, but the success was scarcely as intense as predicted. The first single, 'Breaking News' was a huge success, but the track also presented Mads as someone else, than who he really was. In the video he appeared as the classic rock'n'roll star with more attitude than stubble, wearing shades when the sun had been long gone. "From that point on, it all went slowly yet steadily down the wrong track. All the 'talking' about me being the 'next big thing', made me loose my focus from the process in favor of the goal." Despite the hype and enthused reviews, the debut album 'Attention Please' sold neither gold nor platinum, and the boost slowly decreased. Before the record label had a chance to evaluate the process, the 'salvation' came from abroad. An american spotter, who previously had discovered names such as Dido, Keane and Coldplay, saw the light in Mads Langer. Not long after, Mads found himself sitting on a plane towards the almighty states, to perform in front of a wide range of american record label bosses. It was a long journey, New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin back and forth, where the yoke gave, what seemed an endless line of intimate gigs. Nevertheless, Mads did not return back to Vesterbro in Copenhagen empty handed. The many months on the road running after his shadow, had made him a better musician. The guitar was his lone and reliable companion, and there were plenty of experiences and adventures to write about.

Mads Langer decided to start 'all over' as a musician. To help him forget the rock'n'roll attitudes, he went on a long road tour with his A-Z map and guitar towards various boarding and folk schools around the country, playing in total more than 60 acoustic gigs for petrol money and lived on the profit from selling his album at the venues. "Its was the right thing for me to do at that time. I received true affirmation and I regained belief in myself as a musician,- that I could touch people with my music. It left me with positive feelings that has since been the core in my new material" says Mads Langer, who increased his audience by releasing an EP and composed and conducted the play 'Hedvig & The Angry Inch', staged at Nørrebro Teater in Copenhagen in 2008.

Now he is ready with his second coming, carrying the simple title 'Mads Langer'. He explains the title as wanting to cut to the bone of who he really is. According to him self, he has succeeded in doing so. As soon as Mads regained the good mood and felt like writing songs again, it was all full steam ahead. "When my first album was released, I had only ever written about 20 odd songs. This time, I had more than 90 to choose from, when we were putting the album together" says Mads, who spend time experimenting with various genres in the process of writing. "I've written everything from punk to jazz, and I now feel that I got a sharp eye on well-functioning and present songs". Mads Langer considers this second album as a true Grand Tour he felt as a necessity following 'Attention Please': "I used to write songs on broad topics, like pseudo - political issues. Now I concentrate on more down to earth topics. I've had the need to knock myself off the podium and trash the shades alongside the attitude, and so far I've succeeded" says the exiled country boy, who has composed an even album with a heap of piano, acoustic guitar and his distinctive vocals. "You can find plenty of different moods, but there is also a significant red thread throughout the entire album" Mads thinks. The new album includes songs about broken hearts, isolation and dreams versus realities. The first single, Fact - Fiction, became a hit on MySpace in acoustic version, with around 60.000 plays. The mixed version has now hit the Danish radios, where it is in heavy rotation. Alike his debut album, Mads Langer has written all the material, but this time he has also worked with a bunch of international acknowledged song writers such as Boots Ottestad (Robbie Williams, Thomas Dybdahl and Macy Gray), Sacha Skarbek (James Blunt, Ron Sexsmith, Jason Mraz) and Tim Christensen (Danish Platinum selling artist and songwriter, Celine Dion).