A Friend in London was a Danish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band that represented Denmark in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, with the song "

New Tomorrow "New Tomorrow" is a 2011 English language song by Denmark, Danish pop/rock band A Friend in London. It represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. On 26 February 2011, the song won the Danish preselectio ...

" and took fifth place in the final with 134 points. The group announced their split in 2014.

Career

A Friend in London (also known by its acronym AFIL) was formed in 2005 when the band members were at a boarding school in Vostrup,

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. The lead singer, Tim Schou, won the contest Danish Young Talent 2005 which led to the recording of the band's first single, "Thoughts of a Boheme". The Danish national radio station P3 picked up on the sounds of the band, providing airplay for the single "Shoot Me". Danish TV station TV2 used the band's track "Dead Beat" in a TV-commercial contest. The band started touring Denmark extensively with more than 100 different gigs. Their break came in 2008 with the Bodog Million Dollar Battle of the Bands where they won the European leg of the competition reaching the final 10 qualifying round in the United States. The band refused to continue further with the competition, because of complexity of contractual aspects the organizers wanted to impose on them and other participants. Following that, they toured Canada and the United States. The band became very popular in Canada, where since 2009 they have made three successful tours, the last being in 2011. The tour included shows in June 2009 at

NXNE North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, particularly emerging talent. Acts that have had break out appearances at NXNE at small venues ...

(North by NorthEast) and

Canadian Music Week The Departure Festival + Conference, formerly known as Canadian Music Week, is an industry conference and music festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.David Friend"Canadian Music Week buyers rename event Departure Festival, expand its scope" ...

as well as a performance at ''Breakfast TV'', a major morning show in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. They ended up signing a management agreement with a Canadian music group.

2011: Eurovision Song Contest

A Friend in London took part in 2011 version of the

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (), also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster DR since 1957, which determines for the Eurovision Song Contest. The festival has produced ...

with their song "

" written by

Lise Cabble Lise Cabble (born 10 January 1958, in Amager) is a Danish singer and songwriter. Cabble has written more than ten songs for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision Song Contest performers. Notable songs include the 1995 Danish song '' Fra Mols til ...

and

Jakob Glæsner Jakob may refer to: People * Jakob (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jakob (surname), including a list of people with the name Other * Jakob (band), a New Zealand band, and the title of their 1999 EP * Max Jakob Memorial Awa ...

, winning the Danish preselection show and to go to represent Denmark in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. There was controversy and allegations that chorus of the song was plagiarized from a Chinese folk song "Silk Road" and big similarities with three other songs named:

Andreas Johnson Jon Erik Andreas Johnson (born 22 March 1970) Biography )))">allmusic ((( Andreas Johnson > Biography )))/ref> is a Swedish pop/rock singer-songwriter and musician. Career Johnson was born in Bjärred, Sweden; both his parents were profession ...

’s " Sing for Me" that participated in ''

Melodifestivalen 2006 2006 was the 46th edition of the Swedish music competition , which was organised by (SVT) and took place over a five-week period between 18 February and 18 March 2006. The winner of the competition was Carola with the song "Evighet". She repre ...

'', the German group Future Trance United's song "Face 2 Face", which itself was a cover from the song "Herz an Herz" from the German band Paso Doble from the year 1986, and

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

's " Shine". One of the co-writers Jacob Glæsner commented that "the song is very popular in its expression and consist basically only of five tones. It is unavoidable that it doesn’t remind of a song one have already heard". Partly because of the criticism, the band has confirmed in interviews they will make changes to the song prior to presenting it in the

2011 finals. A Friend in London performed the song at the Eurovision 2011 and finished fifth, but caused controversy when lead singer Tim Schou said in front of a live audience "You know baby, I want to...I want to fuck you!" after

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

singer

Mandy Huydts Mandy Huydts (born 9 April 1969) is a Dutch singer and voice actress. Singer At age 9, Huydts began her career at VARA's Kinderen voor Kinderen. In 1986 she and the girl group Frizzle Sizzle took 13th place at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest ...

announced that the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

had awarded the song "New Tomorrow" twelve points. Schou later stated: "When the camera came and we got the first points I was so excited. I apologise, Europe! I apologise! We got the fifth place, baby!".

2012–14: ''Unite'' and breakup

The band released their debut album ''

Unite Unite may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Unite'' (1GN album), 2016 * ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 * ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1992 * ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005 Songs *"Unite!" ...

'' on 21 January 2013, having pre-released the tracks "New Tomorrow", "Calling a Friend" and "Get Rich in Vegas" in advance. Prior to the release of the album, they supported

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block had ...

and the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...

during their European tour. As a result,

Howie D. Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973), also known as Howie D, is an American singer and actor. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his frie ...

of the Backstreet Boys is featured on a remake of "New Tomorrow". The track featuring Howie D. is found as a bonus track on the iTunes Deluxe Version. The album also featured the Canadian singer

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

on the track "Rest from the Streets". The original band broke up in 2013 with three of the original members, Aske Damm Bramming, Esben Svane and Sebastian Vinther Olsen leaving. Páll "Tim" Schou continued with the band for a token period 2013 to 2014 with new members Jesper Madsen, Johan Jørgensen and Thomas Duus included. But after just a few months, Schou announced the band was folding for good.

In popular culture

Páll Schou, the lead vocalist of the band took part in the inaugural season of the reality television show '' Skjulte stjerner'' (meaning Hidden star) aired from 2 September to 14 October 2011 on Danish television. He introduced a young new Danish artist called

Thomas Meilstrup Thomas Meilstrup also known as just Thomas (born He was in Eventyrteatret (Adventure Theatre) where he took lessons in acting, dancing and singing. He was invited to sing in the Stig Rossens Christmas special, also singing at various festivals. ...

mentoring him throughout the show and singing duets with him. Thomas and his mentor won the series and Thomas Meilstrup released his debut single "Almost There" featuring Tim Schou. The band's single "New Tomorrow" was used as the basis for the spaceflight documentary, ''Challenging Endeavours: A tale of two shuttles'', that premiered on YouTube in February 2013.

Members

*Páll "Tim" Schou – lead vocals, guitar (2005–2014) *Aske Damm Bramming – bass, backing vocals (2005–2013) *Esben Svane – drums, backing vocals (2005–2013) *Sebastian Vinther Olsen – guitar, backing vocals (2005–2013) *Johan Jørgensen – guitar, backing vocals (2013–2014) *Jesper Madsen – bass, backing vocals (2013–2014) *Thomas Duus – drums, backing vocals (2013–2014)

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other songs

*"Thoughts of a Boheme" (2005) *"Dead Beat" *"Easy" (3 June 2006) *"Solo Machine" (2010) *"Break and Fall" *"

" – Song for Africa (4 October 2011) *"Gorgeous" Christmas song (Dec-2011) re-recorded as "Christmas Love" (27 November 2012) *"New Tomorrow" (feat.

Howie D Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973), also known as Howie D, is an American singer and actor. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his frie ...

) (2012) *"New Tomorrow" (vs. Crystal Lake) (2012) *"Rest from the Streets" featuring

(2013)

Videography

The band released music videos for various songs via Guineapig Productions. Directors included Ib Christian Henricson, Marie Louise Henricson and Lena Nyhus *2008: "Shoot me" *2012: "Get Rich in Vegas" *2013: "Rest from the Streets" featuring

with the actress

Mathilde Norholt Mathilde Norholt (born 1983) is a Danish actress. She is mainly known for her role in the DR television series ''Lykke'' and for musicals and theatre. Early life and education Mathilde Norholt was born in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhage ...

After breakup

Tim Schou

Band member Tim Schou, in 2011, he appeared in the Danish TV show '' Skjulte stjerner'' (meaning ''Hidden Stars'') on

DR1 DR1 (DR Et) is the flagship television channel of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). It became Denmark's first television station when it began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day, three times a week. Besides it ...

Danish television station as mentor and costar with the child singer

presented by the mononym Thomas, performing many songs including a mashup of "

(I've Had) The Time of My Life "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" is a 1987 song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and used as the theme song for the 1987 film ''Dirty Dancing''. The song has won ...

" / "

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

", "

Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...

", a mashup of A Friend in London songs "

" / " Calling a Friend", a mashup of

Listen (Beyoncé song) "Listen" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. The song was written by Beyoncé, Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler and Anne Preven, and produced by The Underdogs, Matt Sullivan and Randy Spendlove for the 2006 musical film ''Dreamgirls'', ...

" / " Dancing on My Own" and in the final a mashup of "

Moves like Jagger Moves may refer to: * ''Moves'' (ballet), by Jerome Robbins * ''Moves'' (magazine), a periodical * ''Moves'' (Singing Adams album), 2012 * ''Moves'' (Kirara album), 2016 * "Moves" (Big Sean song), 2017 * "Moves" (Olly Murs song), 2018 * A mo ...

" / " Run to You" and a repetition of ""Over the Rainbow". Thomas alongside mentor Schou went on to win the series. In 2013, Schou landed the leading role ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'' the musical in the role of Claude. The play played at the Oestre Gasvaerk Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark. Also in 2013, he was the winner of Danish TV show ''Stjerner på vippen'', being the Danish version of '' Splash''. After the break-up of the band, Tim Schou continued a solo career. In 2014, he landed a role as Flounder in the Danish version of a Disney musical ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'' that played at The

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

and opera, Copenhagen. Also in 2014, he played D'artagnan in the musical comedy '' The 3 Musketeers'' that played at the Oestre Gasvaerk Theater in Copenhagen. In 2015, he was signed to Sony/ATV and Iceberg Publishing and engaged in a tour notably in USA, UK (supporting

Aaron Carter Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987November 5, 2022) was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of th ...

), Germany, Sweden etc. Singles include "Supernova" in 2014, "Goodbye" in 2015, "Novocaine" and "Medicine" in 2016. ;Discography *2011: "Almost There" *2014: "Supernova" *2015: "Goodbye" *2016: "Novocaine" *2016: "Medicine"

References

External links

Tim Schou Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friend in London Danish pop rock music groups Dansk Melodi Grand Prix winners Musical groups established in 2005 Eurovision Song Contest entrants