Danish pop-soul-funk band Lukas Graham performed their hit song “Mama Said” at the MTV Video Music Awards pre-show Sunday night, hosted by DJ Khaled at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.
The quartet, led by its namesake and frontman Lukas Graham (real name: Lukas Forchhammer), also features drummer Mark Falgren, bassist Magnus Larsson, and keyboardist Morten Ristorp, and they opted to kick off their performance with a stripped-down intro before gaining momentum with a three-piece brass band that joined them on stage.
They are nominated for Best New Artist, competing against fellow Scandinavian Zara Larsson (who’s from Sweden), DNCE, Desiigner, and Bryson Tiller. (Bryson Tiller and DNCE are currently leading the popularity contest.)
Though they may seem like newcomers, the group of longtime friends has been quite popular in their pop-obsessed homeland for the past five years. What put them on the fast track to international stardom was their hit “7 Years,” which came out last year. Lukas Graham’s full-length, self-titled album was released in the U.S this past spring and has kept them in the spotlight ever since. They also have amassed a dedicated social media following and have been enthusiastically interacting with their fans leading up to the awards show, including posting this tweet revealing some of their backstage antics:
Attempted plank at the MSG… (Fail) @LoveStick_ pic.twitter.com/OYCdR3GD6A
— Lukas Graham (@LukasGraham) August 28, 2016
Stay updated with our list of 2016 MTV Video Music Award winners and also check out our live-updating red carpet coverage as the show rolls on.
