To celebrate the release of his new single Cheat Code, Lukas Graham joins Bennett of The NEW 96.5 to chat about his latest projects, his past work, and for an exclusive performance in our NEW 96.5 Performance Lounge.
LISTEN NOW: Lukas Graham chats with Bennett from The NEW 96.5 + Audacy exclusive performances
Before diving in to his latest single, Bennett and Lukas look back on the almost decade anniversary of 7 Years and what it means to him.
"I was pre-30's when I wrote it. I was in the middle of my 20s, so there first half of the song is about the life I'd been living growing up - writing songs in South America as a 20 year old. And then, the second half of the song was kind of where I wanted to be and things I wanted to do. The song stops at 61, that's when my father died. I couldn't really visualize myself being older than that right after he passed. And it's crazy that I sang about traveling the world with my songs, I sang about having kids, being married - and now I am married, I have 2 daughters, I travel the world for a living. It's like I wrote a prophecy of my own life that has been self-fulfilling. "
Following his acoustic 7 Years performance, Lukas shares the process behind writing it in his kitchen, and how it differs from his latest project.
LISTEN NOW: Lukas Graham performs 7 Years in The NEW 96.5 Performance Lounge
"This new project that you have coming out, you recorded for 8 nights, right - is that, right? In front of 1,500 people. a night So you recorded a song a night, is that right?" Bennett asks.
"We had this idea a little more than a year ago, that I wanted something at stake on this album - both the idea of recording in front of an audience, inviting an audience into the vocal recording situation, but also to have like a deadline - so by March we had to have all the songs written at least, and when Vega - this legendary concert hall heard about the idea they said, 'why don't we transform the whole house into a studio?'"
Lukas goes on to describe the venue and the recording process, using just a fraction of his bandmate Andreas' 42 guitars, and how his new single Cheat Code came to be.
"I want the album to be fun to perform, and I would like us to write songs that are missing - songs that aren't in the world, and one of the first ones we wrote was the current single Cheat Code. It came out of this idea that there's so many songs about like love gone bad, and I've had one girlfriend, we now have two wonderful daughters, and- I don't really know, like, I've had my heartbroken, but by people dying. I was never left by someone. So it was fun to write a song about keeping a relationship going."
LISTEN NOW: Lukas Graham performs the world premiere acoustic version of Cheat Code
After sharing his "cheat code" to Mother's Day and giving a quick shoutout to his mother in law, Lukas and Bennett chat about ordering our favorite "cheat meal" - a Philly cheesesteak, before performing his final song of our Audacy exclusive performance, Mama Said.
LISTEN NOW: Lukas Graham performs Mama Said in The NEW 96.5 Performance Lounge
Cheat Code is now available everywhere. Listen live to hear it on The NEW 96.5!
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