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Knud Grabow Christensen (born 19 December 1949), better known by his
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Sebastian, is a Danish singer, guitarist and songwriter. Sebastian started playing guitar in 1966, and started writing songs in 1967. Since having worked in the
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
genre in the 1970s, he became one of the most prominent
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 ...
musicians in Denmark and has scored numerous films and plays. His releases have reached combined sales of over 2.5 million copies since 1971. His singing voice began weakening in the end of the 1980s, because of bad health. He is still active, and has made several popular albums. So far, his career has spanned more than five decades.


Career

Sebastian began his career in the end of the 1960s, where he traveled about with a bus for amateur competitions, arranged by a businessman for small concerts in Denmark. Some others from the bus wanted to record a single, and Sebastian participated with this group called Night and Day. Although the single was never recorded. Inspired by the Scottish singer and songwriter
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...
(born 1946), Sebastian recorded a couple of English-language singles released in 1970, as well as the album ''The Goddess'' released in 1971. The album had limited success with sales of around 10,000 copies, so Sebastian began to write songs in Danish about 1971. His first Danish song was ''Lossepladsen bløder'' (partly inspired by
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
's "Desolation Row" from the album ''
Highway 61 Revisited ''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Dylan continued the musical approach of his previous album ''Bringing It All Back Home'' (1965), usi ...
''), which was released as a
maxi single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...
that year. Sebastian's major commercial breakthrough in the
music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
came when his first Danish-language LP ''Den store flugt'' was released on 17 October 1972, which was praised as a "Donovan-like Dylan" among other things in the reviews back then. ''Den store flugt'' was right below the 32,000 sold copies of Denmark's best-selling album that year, namely ''Olsen'' by the
Olsen Brothers Olsen Brothers () were a Danish rock/pop music duo, formed by brothers Jørgen (born 15 March 1950) and Niels "Noller" Olsen (born 13 April 1954), both from Odense, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. They formed their first band, The Kids ...
. ''Den store flugt'' has had extensive sales that are problematic to certify, but estimated to be 100,000 to 170,000 copies by music critic and journalist Torben Bille, in cooperation with Sebastian. Sebastian contacted Ina Løndahl around 1973, after having listened to her perform in a Danish rendition of the musical ''
Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
''.
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
financed the record ''Menneske min ven'' by Ina, which was released on 14 September 1973. Sebastian collaborated as a songwriter, and had the melody for the title song in advance, which was left over from an earlier musical project. Sebastian's next album ''Over havet under himlen'' was released in November 1973, quickly reached first place on
Ekstra Bladet is a Danish tabloid newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen.About
(in Danish) . Retrieved 22 Se ...
's
record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...
and has reached sales of around 50,000 copies. ''Blød lykke'' released in October 1974, and ''Gøgleren, Anton og de andre'' released in October 1975, respectively have estimated sales of 60,000 and 40,000 copies. The subsequent album ''Måske ku' vi'' (1976) from the film of the same name is estimated as 80,000 copies sold. Sebastian established himself as one of the most significant songwriters in Danish rock, with roots in his
folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...
-inspired music. Although, Sebastian's musical style was gradually expanded since the end of the 1970s, with refined use of a
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
(often played by Kenneth Knudsen) among other things. Sebastian's lyrics were sometimes political in keeping with the spirit of the times, but with an eye to poetic artistry. In 1979, he recorded his own music to texts of
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
on the album ''Tiderne skifter'', which was released in March 1979, got positive reviews and has sold approximately 100,000 copies. He recorded music to texts of Bertolt Brecht again in 1988 with the
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
named
The Good Person of Szechwan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berlau. The play was begun in 1938 but no ...
(Danish: ''Det gode menneske fra Sezuan''). During the 1970s and '80s, he had big hits, for example "Når lyset bryder frem" (1972), "Hvis du tror du er noget" (1972), "Du er ikke alene" (1978) from the film of the same name, and especially "Romeo" from the album ''Stjerne til støv'', which was released in 1981. ''Stjerne til støv'' has estimated sales of 130,000 to 170,000 copies. The next album ''80'ernes boheme'' from 1983 continued the success, with 100,000 to 150,000 copies sold. In 1987, he recorded the song "Vårvise" with
Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also known abroad as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. She is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs to classical vocals and operati ...
. Sissel is also on his album named ''Et eventyr'', which was released on 30 August 1989. In 2015, Sebastian said "Around 1986-1987, I start to lose my voice, and it disappears completely at some point. It was a mixture of damp basement, too many smokes and an unhealthy lifestyle". Since that time in the 1980s, he has written multiple Danish musicals and songs for other singers, with great success. In 2013, Jan Christian Mollestad produced a documentary film about Sebastian named ''Du er ikke alene – filmen om Sebastian''. In 2015, he participated in '' Toppen af Poppen'', and his popularity increased afterwards, especially with the younger audience.


Awards

Sebastian received "Gramex-prisen" in 1979, "DJBFA's hæderspris" in 1982, "Wilhelm Hansen Fondens Hæderspris" in 1996, and is granted subsidies from the
Danish Arts Foundation The Danish Arts Foundation ( Danish: Statens Kunstfond) is the principal Danish government funded arts foundation founded by a special Law on 27 May 1964. Statens Kunstfond alongside the :da:Statens Kunstråd (English sometimes State Arts Council ...
. His album with songs for Astrid Lindgren's ''
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter ''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter'' ( Swedish: ''Ronja rövardotter'') is a children's fantasy book by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981. The book has been translated into at least 39 languages. It was adapted as a film ...
'' (Danish: ''Ronja Røverdatter'') received a Danish grammy award in 1992, for best Danish children's release of the year. In 2004, Sebastian received "IFPIs Ærespris" at the
Danish Music Awards The Danish Music Awards (DMA) is a Danish award show. The show has been arranged by IFPI since 1989, and was originally called ''IFPI-prisen'' ("IFPI Award") until 1991, when it changed its name to ''Dansk Grammy'' ("Danish Grammy"). It was c ...
. In 2006, his album ''Stjerne til støv'' (1981) entered the
Danish Culture Canon The Danish Culture Canon () consists of 108 works of cultural excellence in eight categories: architecture, visual arts, design, design and crafts, film, literature, music, performing arts, and children's culture. An initiative of Brian Mikkelsen i ...
. He received "Pionerprisen" at Årets Steppeulv in 2008. In 2012, his album ''Øjeblikkets mester'' received the prize for Danish vox pop release of the year at the Danish Music Awards. In 2019, he received "Polka Verner Legat", which was founded by Søs Egelind and Kirsten Lehfeldt in 2002, and is granted annually at
Smukfest Smukfest (also known as the Skanderborg Festival) is an annual music festival, held during the second weekend of August in Denmark. Its location, in a beech forest in the vicinity of Skanderborg, has given rise to the slogan "Denmark's Most Beautif ...
to a distinct Danish cultural person. With the prize, 190,000
Danish krone The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; sign: kr.; code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common use; the former precedes ...
r were granted.Stemmen er slidt, sangene holder
GAFFA ''Gaffa'' (stylized as ''GAFFA'') is a free Nordic music magazine with local editions in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''Gaffa'' is Denmark's largest and oldest music magazine. It has been published since 1983 and has 320,000 print readers and 75 ...
.


Discography


Studio albums

* ''The Goddess'' (1971) * ''Den store flugt'' (1972) * ''Over havet under himlen'' (1973) * ''Blød lykke'' (1974) * ''Gøgleren, Anton og de andre'' (1975) * ''Måske ku' vi'' (1976) * ''Ulvehøjen'' (1977) * ''Ikke alene Danmark'' (1978) * ''Tiderne skifter'' (1979) * ''Cirkus fantastica'' (1979) * ''Nattergalen'' (1980) * ''Stjerne til støv'' (1981) * ''80'ernes boheme'' (1983) * ''Tusind og én nat'' (1984) * ''Skatteøen'' (1986) * ''På vulkaner'' (1987) * ''Det gode menneske fra Sezuan'' (1988) * ''Skatten på Sjørøverøya'' (1988) * ''Et eventyr'' (1989) * ''Piratpladen: Demoindspilninger '77-'87'' (1990) * ''Miraklernes tid'' (1990) * ''Ronja Røverdatter'' (1991) * ''Gøngehøvdingen'' (1992) * ''Cyrano'' (1993) * ''Aladdin'' (1995) * ''Hans Christian Andersen'' (1996) * ''Pippi'' (1998) * ''Den nye Cyrano'' (2000) * ''Klokkeren fra Notre Dame'' (2002) * ''Jernbyrd'' (2007) * ''Øjeblikkets mester'' (2011) * ''I Danmark er jeg født'' (2012) * ''Hodja fra pjort: Sangene'' (2014) * ''Sange til drømmescenariet'' (2017) * ''Hun nåede at klappe hunden'' (2019) * ''Tidløs erindring'' (2021) * ''Dengang det var før'' (2022) * ''Hjertedanser'' (2023)


Singles and EPs

* ''Babe, I Can Carry Your Tombstone / I Won't Do It, Mama'' (1970) * ''Rocking Chair Observation / Give Me a Little Peace'' (1970) * ''Lossepladsen bløder'' (1971) * ''Når lyset bryder frem'' (1972) * ''Hvis du tror du er noget / Rose'' (1972) * ''Hey Ho'' (1973) * ''Vascomat-Liza'' (1973) * ''Flyv Lykkefugl'' (1974) * ''Mona, Månen er blå / Blød lykke'' (1974) * ''Farvel (Nu' du helt din egen)'' (1975) * ''Gøgleren'' (1975) * ''Måske ku' vi'' (1976) * ''I morgen kommer aldrig'' (1976) * ''Her er en sang / Ansigt til ansigt'' (1977) * ''Du er ikke alene'' (1978) * ''Den lille malkeko'' (1979) * ''Romeo'' (1981) * ''Topsy'' (1983) * ''80'ernes boheme'' (1983) * ''Hodja fra Pjort'' (1985) * ''Afrika (Vi er børn af samme jord)'' (1985) * ''Vårvise / Summertime'' (1987)


Live/compilation albums

* ''Den store flugt / Over havet under himlen / Blød lykke'' (1974) * ''Når lyset bryder frem'' (1976) * ''Sebastian i Montmartre'' (1978) * ''Live'' (1980) * ''First Time Around'' (1981) * ''Her er en sang - og 20 andre'' (1982) * ''Flyv lykkefugl'' (1983) * ''Den danske sang: Opsamling '81-'85'' (1985) * ''26 hits'' (1988) * ''Hjerternes sange, roser & torne: De 75 bedste sange fra 1970-92'' (1992) * ''Dejavu'' (1995) * ''Romeo-serenader'' (1999) * ''Sangskatten I'' (2007) * ''Sangskatten II'' (2007) * ''Sangskatten III'' (2007) * ''De største hits'' (2009) * ''Sange fra dengang'' (2010) * ''Så blidt til stede'' (2015) * ''De bedste sange'' (2015) * ''De allerbedste børnesange'' (2019) * ''De allerstørste sange'' (2019) * ''Live: Hele vejen'' (2020)


Collaboration

Notable collaboration with another singer arranged by release titles, release years and artists. *
Lis Sørensen Lis Sørensen (born 28 May 1955) is a Danish pop/rock singer and songwriter. In the 1970s, she worked with Anne Linnet in Shit & Chanel, and they continued in the 1980s with Anne Linnet Band. In 1983, Lis Sørensen released her first solo alb ...
: ''Tiderne skifter'' (1979) by Sebastian; ''Cirkus Fantastica'' (1979) by Sebastian; ''Tilfældigt forbi'' (1979) by Lone Kellermann og Rockbandet; ''Live'' (1980) by Sebastian; ''Stjerne til støv'' (1981) by Sebastian; ''Anne Linnet Band'' (1981) by Anne Linnet Band; ''80'ernes boheme'' (1983) by Sebastian; ''Topsy'' (1983) by Sebastian; ''Tusind og én nat'' (1984) by Sebastian; ''Øbberbøv sangen'' (1984) by Sebastian; ''Den danske sang (Opsamling 81-85)'' (1985) by Sebastian; ''Afrika (Vi er børn af samme jord)'' (1985) by Sebastian; ''Red Barnet'' (1985) by various artists; ''Skatteøen'' (1986) by Sebastian; ''På vulkaner'' (1987) by Sebastian; ''Hjerternes sang'' (1989) by Lis Sørensen; ''Et eventyr'' (1989) by Sebastian; ''Miraklernes tid'' (1990) by Sebastian; ''Pippi'' (1998) by Sebastian; ''Grænseløs Greatest'' (1999) by various artists; ''Con amor'' by Lis Sørensen *
Sanne Salomonsen Susanne Salomonsen (born on 30 December 1955) is a Danish singer and songwriter, better known under the nickname Sanne Salomonsen. Salomonsen joined a local rock band in 1967, and her first solo album was released in 1973. She became one of the m ...
: ''Over havet under himlen'' (1973) by Sebastian; ''Menneske min ven'' (1973) by Ina; ''Sanne Salomonsen'' (1973) by Sanne Salomonsen; ''Blød lykke'' (1974) by Sebastian; ''Gøgleren, Anton og de andre'' (1975) by Sebastian; ''Ulvehøjen'' (1977) by Sebastian; ''Ikke alene Danmark'' (1978) by Sebastian; ''Anne Linnet Band'' (1981) by Anne Linnet Band; ''Pippi'' (1998) by Sebastian * Peter Thorup: ''Blød lykke'' (1974) by Sebastian; ''Musik blev mit liv'' (1974) by Eddie Skoller; ''Gøgleren, Anton og de andre'' (1975) by Sebastian; ''Christiania'' (1976) by various artists; ''Måske ku' vi'' (1976) by Sebastian; ''Pas Paa'' (1980) by Steffen Dam; ''Skatteøen'' (1986) by Sebastian * Ina Løndahl: ''Over havet under himlen'' (1973) by Sebastian; ''Menneske min ven'' (1973) by Ina; ''Fra en anden mands verden'' (1974) by Jan Toftlund *
Sissel Kyrkjebø Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also known abroad as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. She is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs to classical vocals and operati ...
: ''På vulkaner'' (1987) by Sebastian; ''Soria Moria'' (1989) by Sissel Kyrkjebø; ''Et eventyr'' (1989) by Sebastian * Michael Falch: ''Afrika (Vi er børn af samme jord)'' (1985) by Sebastian; ''Skatteøen'' (1986) by Sebastian; ''Det gode menneske fra Sezuan'' (1988) by Sebastian * Søs Fenger: ''Skatteøen'' (1986) by Sebastian; ''Miraklernes tid'' (1990) by Sebastian; ''Ronja Røverdatter'' (1991) by Sebastian *
Anne Linnet Anne Kristine Linnet (born 30 July 1953) is a Danish singer, musician and songwriter. She has released a number of solo albums and has also been a member of the bands Tears, Shit & Chanel, Anne Linnet Band, Marquis de Sade and Bitch Boys. Ann ...
: ''Tiderne skifter'' (1979) by Sebastian; ''Anne Linnet Band'' (1981) by Anne Linnet Band * Lars H.U.G: ''Skatteøen'' (1986) by Sebastian; ''Kopy'' (1989) by Lars H.U.G. * Marianne Mortensen: ''Det gode menneske fra Sezuan'' (1988) by Sebastian; ''Cyrano'' (1993) by Sebastian * Susanne Elmark: ''Pippi'' (1998) by Sebastian; ''Klinkevals'' (1999) by Sebastian *
Flemming Bamse Jørgensen Flemming is a surname and a male given name referring, like the more common '' Fleming'', to an inhabitant (or descendant thereof) of Flanders,Steffen Brandt: ''Skatteøen'' (1986) by Sebastian; ''Pippi'' (1998) by Sebastian * Lone Kellermann: ''Tilfældigt forbi'' (1979) by Lone Kellermann og Rockbandet * Rebecca Brüel: ''Pippi'' (1998) by Sebastian * Blå Øjne: ''Romeo & Julie'' (1999) by Blå Øjne * Majbritte Ulrikkeholm: ''Pippi'' (1998) by Sebastian * Michael Bundesen: ''Ronja Røverdatter'' (1991) by Sebastian * Eddie Skoller:Sebastian > Credits > Eddie Skoller
Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...
. ''Ronja Røverdatter'' (1991) by Sebastian


Cinema

Works by Sebastian appear in these films: *1973 Rapportpigen *1976 Måske ku' vi *1978 Du er ikke alene *1980 Krigernes børn *1983 De uanstændige *1984 Hodja fra Pjort *1999 Klinkevals *2000 Juliane Jensen


Television

Works by Sebastian appear in these television series: *1984 Øbberbøv (Title Song) *1987 Nana (Title Song) *1992 Gøngehøvdingen (Film music) *1998 Vip & Victor (Introduction) *2001 Klinkevalsen (Film music)


References


External links


Official website

Sebastian
in
Den Store Danske Encyklopædi ''Den Store Danske Encyklopædi'' () is the most comprehensive contemporary Danish language encyclopedia. The 20 volumes of the encyclopedia were published successively between 1994 and 2001; a one-volume supplement was published in 2002 and two ...
* *
Biography from the Royal Library

Biography at bandlist.dk

Interview and background from Dagbladenes Bureau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebastian 1949 births Living people Danish male singer-songwriters Danish singer-songwriters Danish pop singers 20th-century Danish male singers 21st-century Danish male singers