The Best Danish-Language Bands And Artists

The Best Danish-Language Bands And Artists

We assume that you arrived at this page because you’re learning Danish and are looking for some awesome Danish-language songs to listen to in order to improve your skills. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place.

Listening to music with lyrics in your target language is a great way to pick up some new vocabulary and get a feel for how the language sounds when it’s used by native speakers. It’s also a lot of fun as well as highly effective for memorization. You’re much more likely to remember a catchy phrase from a song than you are a sentence from a textbook, after all.

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The Danish music industry has a lot to offer, from pop music to their own brand of reggae, and everything in between. There’s something for everyone!

We compiled this list to introduce you to some of Denmark’s finest bands and artists. As some of the bigger names in the industry only sing in English, we didn’t include them. All of the artists below sing exclusively in Danish or include Danish-language songs on their albums.

We’ve split the list up into different musical genres, so you’ll easily be able to find songs to fit your tastes. We’ve also included links to the artists’ songs on YouTube, so you can start listening right away.

Danish pop bands

Barbara Moleko

Barbara’s music genre is a mix of pop and R&B, and she sings almost exclusively in Danish. She’s worked with artists like pop singer L.O.C. You can listen to her debut song, “Gå en tur”, below:

Rasmus Seebach

Rasmus is a singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 2009 with his debut song, “Engel”, a catchy Danish pop song that has over 13 million views on YouTube. Check out the music video below:

Fyr og Flamme

Former Eurovision contestants Fyr og Flamme are a Danish twosome made up of Jesper Groth and Laurits Emanuel. Their music is primarily Danish-language pop. You can listen to their chart-topping song, “Menneskeforbruger”, below:

Shu-bi-dua

Shu-bi-dua is a Danish pop-rock band that was formed in the 1970s. They’re one of the most popular bands in Denmark, and they’re known for their humorous lyrics. You can listen to one of their most famous songs, “Danmark”, below:

Kaya Brüel

Kaya Brüel is a Danish singer-songwriter who writes both English and Danish-language songs. Her music is primarily pop, but it also includes elements of folk and jazz. You can listen to her song, “Linedanser”, below:

Anne Gadegaard

Anne Gadegaard is a Danish singer who represented Denmark in 2003’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest with the song, “Arabiens Drøm”. Her music is described as pop and dance. Listen to “Arabiens Drøm” below:

Joey Moe

Joey Moe is a Danish singer and songwriter who specializes in pop and R&B. He came on the scene in 1996 and was part of a boy band that participated in Popstar, the Danish talent contest. Listen to his song, “Du’ En Éner”, below:


Danish rock bands

Gasolin’

Gasolin’ was a Danish rock band that was popular in the 1970s. They were known for their bluesy, hard-rock sound, and were often compared to British band The Beatles. They sang in both English and Danish. Listen to one of their Danish hits, “Vad Gør Vi Nu Lille Du”, below:

Kim Larsen

Kim Larsen was the frontman of Gasolin’, and he also had a successful solo career. His music is a mix of rock, pop, and folk, and he sings primarily in Danish. You can listen to his song, “Kvinde Min”, below:

Hjalmer

Hjalmer (aka Hjalmer Larsen) is the son of Kim Larsen, and he’s followed in his father’s footsteps by making Danish-language rock music. His debut single, “Hvis du går”, was released in 2017, and was a hit in Denmark. You can listen to it below:

Gnags

Gnags is a Danish rock band that was formed in the 1960s by frontman Peter A. G and his brother. They’re one of the longest-running bands in Denmark and have released over 20 albums. Check out their hit song, “Den Dejligste Morgen”, below:

TV-2

TV-2 is a popular Danish rock band that was formed in 1981. Their music has been described as a mix of pop, rock, and synth-pop, and they sing primarily in Danish. You can listen to their song, “De første kærester på månen”, here:

Magtens Korridorer

Magtens Korridorer is a Danish rock band that was formed in the mid-1990s. They’re known for their political lyrics and their mix of rock and punk. You can listen to their song, “Milan Allé”, below:

Ulige Numre

Ulige Numre is a Danish rock band that was formed in 2011 by frontman Carl Emil Petersen. Their music is a mix of rock and pop, and they sing primarily in Danish. The band was dissolved in 2017, but you can listen to one of their most popular songs, “København”, below:


Danish heavy/death metal bands

Afsind

Afsind is a Danish black metal band that was formed in 2012. Their debut album, “Afsind”, was released in 2020. Their music is described as atmospheric and dark, with elements of black metal, death metal, and post-rock. You can listen to their song “Tortur” below:

Huldre

Huldre is a Danish folk metal band that was formed in 2009 in Copenhagen. Their music brings elements of rock and Danish and Nordic folk music into the metal genre. You can listen to their song “Varulv” below:

Bersærk

Bersærk is a Danish heavy metal band that was formed in 2012. Their music is a combination of heavy rock and doom metal, with elements of Danish folk music. Check out one of their hit songs, “Hvem havde troet”, below:


Danish hip-hop, R&B, and rap bands

Tessa

Tessa (aka Theresa Ann Fallesen) is a Danish rapper whose musical influencers include American female rappers like Nicki Minaj. Though most of her hits are in English, she does also rap in Danish. You can listen to one of her Danish hits, “Til Banken”, featuring other Danish female hip hop artists Natasja and Karen Mukupa here:

Ukendt Kunstner

Ukendt Kunstner is a Danish hip-hop duo that was formed in 2012 by rapper Hans Philip and producer Jens Ole McCoy. The band was active until 2016, and in that time released 3 albums.

Listen to their song, “København”, which features Murro, here:

Suspekt

Suspekt is a popular Danish hip-hop trio that was formed in 1997. The band originally consisted of 4 members, but in 2008 one of them left to work as a producer with American rapper Akon. Their music is a mix of hip-hop and hardcore rock, and they rap primarily in Danish. Check out their hit song, “Proletar (hvor jeg står)”, below:

Wafande

Wafande (born Wafande Pierre Jolivel Zahor) is a popular Danish R&B and hip-hop singer. His music is a mix of soul and pop, with elements of reggae. He is the son of a blues singer, so music has always been a big part of his life.

Wafande sings mainly in English, but some of his songs are in Danish. Wafande grew up in Christiania, the famous “free town” in Copenhagen, and his music often reflects his experiences there. Listen to his song, “Gi mig et smil”, featuring Kaka, here:

Sivas

Sivas Torbati, better known by his stage name Sivas, is a Danish rapper of Iranian descent. He is one of the most popular rappers in Denmark, and his music is a mix of hip-hop, trap, and R&B. Listen to his debut song, “D.A.U.D.A”, here:

Den Gale Pose

Den Gale Pose is a Danish hip-hop group that reached mainstream success in the late 1990s. The group, which was formed in the 1980s, initially had 4 members, but now stands at 2. Their music is mainly hip-hop and rap. You can listen to their song, “Spændt op til lir”, here:

Nik & Jay

Nik & Jay is a Danish R&B and hip-hop duo that was formed in 2002. The group is made up of Niclas Genckel Petersen and Jannik Brandt Thomsen. Their music is a mix of R&B, hip-hop, and pop, and they rap primarily in Danish. Check out one of their songs, “En Dag Tilbage”, below:

Burhan G

Burhan G (born Burhan Genç Koç) is a popular Danish R&B and pop singer-songwriter. He is of Turkish/Kurdish descent, and his music is an eclectic mix of R&B, pop, and rock. He’s done collabs with some of the top Danish hip-hop and pop artists; his song, “Karma”, featured L.O.C. Listen to it here:


Danish reggae bands

Djämes Braun

Djämes Braun is a Danish reggae band that was formed in 2012 and originally consisted of the duo Pilfinger and Kenno. Since 2017, the band has become a solo act, with only Pilfinger remaining. The music is described as reggae and dancehall. Check out one of the hit songs, “Farlig Tiger”, below:

Pharfar

Pharfar (born Søren Schou) is a popular Danish reggae and dancehall artist. A self-taught drummer and DJ, he’s been active since 2009, and his music has elements of dance/house in it. Listen to his song, “La’ mig rulle dig”, here:

Natasja Saad

Natasja Saad was a popular Danish reggae singer. She was born in Copenhagen to a Danish mother and a Sudanese father. Saad became interested in Reggae music at a young age and even performed with well-known American rapper Queen Latifah. She reached international fame with the reggae version of 2003’s house song “Calabria”.

Sadly, just as her star was rising, Natasja Saad died in a car accident in 2007, at the age of 32. Her estate has released 3 albums posthumously. You can listen to her song, “Gi’ mig Danmark tilbage”, here:

Tøsedrengene

Tøsedrengene is a Danish Reggae band that was active from the late 1970s to the mid-80s. Their music is a unique blend of rock, pop, and reggae, and they sang exclusively in Danish. They were like Denmark’s answer to the British band UB40, and they released 6 albums in their short time together. You can listen to their song, “Så Gik Der Tid Med Det”, below:

Bliglad

Danish band Bliglad was a reggae group from Aarhus, Denmark, that was formed in 2003. They were known for bringing humor and fun into their music, and they worked with some of Denmark’s top reggae artists, such as Natasja. You can listen to their debut single, “Dans for satan”, below:

Kaka

Kaka (aka Rajabu Willer) is a popular Danish reggae singer with Tanzanian roots. He has done collaborations with other big Danish artists like Wafande and Natasja. He blends hip-hop with reggae and dancehall. You can listen to his hit song, “Bang Bang”, here:

Shaka Loveless

Shaka Loveless is a popular Danish singer-songwriter and rapper who rose to fame with his 2012 hit “Tomgang”, which reached No.1 on the Danish charts. He is the son of blues musician James Loveless, who hails from America. Listen to “Tomgang” below:

Bikstok Røgsystem

Bikstok Røgsystem is a popular Danish reggae band that was formed in 2005. They’re known for being one of the first bands to perform reggae and dancehall music in their native Danish language. Listen to their hit song, “Fabrik”, here:

Klumben

Klumben (aka Christian Andersen) is a Danish reggae artist who first rose to fame with his hit single “Kriminel” in 2010. He is based in Copenhagen and his musical focus is dancehall with a mix of rap. Listen to “Kriminel” here:


We couldn’t include everyone, and we’re sure we missed some great Danish artists. But these are some of our favorites, and we know you’ll enjoy their music. Check them out and let us know what you think!

You’ll probably want some more Danish-language entertainment after listening to these great bands, so check out our list of The Best Danish-Language Movies On Netflix, or read our collection of The Best Danish Proverbs And Quotes (With Audio And English Translations).