Michael Learns to Rock (also known as MLTR) is a Danish soft rock/pop rock band that performs songs in English. It was formed in 1988 and has sold over 10 million records worldwide, mainly in Asia. It has produced seven studio albums as well as several live and greatest hits albums. The band has attributed its success in Asia to a clean-living image and singing in English as a second language, and the fact that their lyrics are relatively easy to learn and sing.
According to their record label releases, their sound is "the perfect balance of [a Scandinavian glow and the international pop song] that has been instrumental in forming the compelling sound of the band", though the lead singer and song writer Jascha Richter disagrees with this, maintaining that the music defies geographical categorization.
History
According to their record label releases, their sound is "the perfect balance of [a Scandinavian glow and the international pop song] that has been instrumental in forming the compelling sound of the band", though the lead singer and song writer Jascha Richter disagrees with this, maintaining that the music defies geographical categorization.
HistoryMichael Learns to Rock (1987-1992) In 1987, the singer-keyboardist Jascha Richter and drummer Kåre Wanscher were high school students in Aarhus, Denmark, when they saw guitarist Mikkel Lentz with his group the Rocking Studs and asked him to form a band. A year later Søren Madsen joined, playing bass.
The group debuted in Aarhus in May 1988 and later entered the city's annual talent show that year. The band won and hurriedly had to come up with a name. In an interview Richter admitted that it was named after Michael Jackson: "Yeah, it was like Johnny Hates Jazz and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Sure, I've regretted calling ourselves this many times since, but we were successful so quickly we had to stick with it and over time I got used to it."
A member of the contest jury, J.P. Andersen, became the band's manager. Michael Learns to Rock played live but did not release its eponymous debut album, Michael Learns to Rock, until September 1991. A single from the album, "The Actor," topped the Danish chart and also did well in Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Paint My Love & Nothing to Lose (1993-1999)
In 1993, Michael Learns to Rock released Colours which sold over 1 million records. The album included the singles "Sleeping Child," "25 Minutes" and "Out of the Blue". It also toured Asia for the first time. Two years later Michael Learns to Rock's third album, Played On Pepper came out, also selling more than 1 million units, and the group played 25 shows in 10 countries. Tracks on this album included "That's Why (You Go Away)" and "Someday."A member of the contest jury, J.P. Andersen, became the band's manager. Michael Learns to Rock played live but did not release its eponymous debut album, Michael Learns to Rock, until September 1991. A single from the album, "The Actor," topped the Danish chart and also did well in Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Paint My Love & Nothing to Lose (1993-1999)
The greatest hits album "Paint My Love" was released in 1996 and sold 3.4 million copies. The band was also chosen as the headliner for the "Celebrate Hong Kong" concert on July 6, 1997, marking the transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China. Their fourth studio album, Nothing To Lose, was released in September 1997.
Soon after, Michael Learns to Rock's members took a break to spend time with their families and develop projects on their own or in collaboration with other artists. They also decided to rebrand the band under the simpler name of MLTR. During the lay-off, Richter wrote some new songs for the band, including "Strange Foreign Beauty" which was added to the 1999 greatest hits album "Greatest Hits - Strange Foreign Beauty". This album featured their previous hits, either remixed or refined in some way or the other.
Take Me To Your Heart/ Michael Learns to Rock (2000-2006)
In 2000, Søren Madsen decided to leave the group, to embark on a solo career. The three remaining members carried on and produced the album Blue Night, which almost went platinum in Denmark and sold well in Asia, logging in sales of close to one million. The following year saw the release of the MLTR biography, "Something You Should Know", authored by Poul Martin-Bonde, along with a few previously unreleased recordings. The English translation of the book was called "It Never Rains On Bali", a reference to an incident that took place during the band's 1995 Bali concert, where a no-rain forecast proved wrong and the unexpected rain indeed did stop the concert.
After the release of "Blue Night", the band took a prolonged hiatus, with Jascha Richter branching out to work on his solo album, "Planet Blue". Jascha and the band later admitted that they even considered disbanding during this time. They ultimately decided against it, following the success of their greatest hits album releases, including "19 Love Songs / Love Ballads" in 2002. By 2004, the band regrouped again for their sixth album, called "Michael Learns to Rock", released in Asia as "Take Me To Your Heart". At the same time, they decided to change their name once again, reverting from MLTR back to the original Michael Learns to Rock.
The album "Take Me To Your Heart" focused on the Asian market. The single "Take Me To Your Heart" was a remake of Jacky Cheung's "Goodbye Kiss", and was popular in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan. MLTR sang an English and Chinese duet of "Take Me To Your Heart" with Chinese singer Hu Yanbin at a 2005 New Year's Party in Guangzhou, China. The band also did a duet of the song with South Korean star Shin Hye-sung, of boy band Shinhwa. This album has been one of the major successes of MLTR in Asia, especially China.
The Best of Live album & Eternity (2007 - Present)
In 2007, MLTR released "The Best of Michael Learns to Rock Live" and in July toured Hong-Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. Elsewhere, this album was released as "The Live Musical Adventures of Michael Learns to Rock/ I Walk This Road Alone", and featured live recordings from their Take Me To Your Heart Asian Tour, mainly from the September 2005 concerts in India.
In November 2008, MLTR released their seventh studio album titled Eternity under their own independent label, MLTR Music, in association with the Danish label At:tack. The band mention on their website that the name is an indication of the fact that "the band plan to make music for as long as they still find joy in the process". Although the sales were slow (admittedly, according to the band), the second single from the album, "Sweetest Surprise", reached No. 1 in Thailand within a few weeks of release.
In the following year, another track "It's Gonna Make Sense" gained popularity in Asia after it was played as the farewell song on the Philippines reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother. The song's intro almost resembles that of Avril Lavigne's My Happy Ending. The promotion of the album took MLTR on the Eternity South East Asia Tour, the response to which, the band declare, has led them to consider playing more concerts abroad (This is mentioned on their official website).
As of June 2010, the band have completed touring their home-country, Denmark, having played unplugged concerts in the months of February & March, with fair success. In a blog dated April 13 2010 on the band's website, the band announced that they have started working on their next album. The band shall set out on a three-city tour of India playing shows at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to promote the latest album Eternity. More Unplugged shows in Denmark and possibly, in China, are lined up on the band's schedule for the later part of the year.
Singles Hits
1992 The Actor"
1993 Sleeping Child"
1995 Someday"
That's Why (You Go Away)
1997 Paint My Love
Breaking My Heart
Nothing to Lose
2000 You Took My Heart Away
As of June 2010, the band have completed touring their home-country, Denmark, having played unplugged concerts in the months of February & March, with fair success. In a blog dated April 13 2010 on the band's website, the band announced that they have started working on their next album. The band shall set out on a three-city tour of India playing shows at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to promote the latest album Eternity. More Unplugged shows in Denmark and possibly, in China, are lined up on the band's schedule for the later part of the year.
Singles Hits
1992 The Actor"
1993 Sleeping Child"
1995 Someday"
That's Why (You Go Away)
1997 Paint My Love
Breaking My Heart
Nothing to Lose
2000 You Took My Heart Away
The Best Of Michael Learns To Rock
- Paint My Love
- Breaking My Heart
- Complicated Heart
- Take Me To Your Heart
- It's Make Gonna Sense
- 25 Minute
- Someday
- That's Way (Yo Go Away)
- Nothing to Lose
- Sleeping Child
- The Actor
- Love Will Never Lie
- You Took My Heart
- Wild Women
- Eternal Flame
- I'm Gonna Be Around
- Strange For The Beauty
- Breaking The Rules
- I Still Carry On
- Out of The Blue
- Romantic Balcony
- How Many Hour
- Paint My Love (Accoustic Version)
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Learns_to_Rock
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12 comments:
wow MLTR :D nice group from Denmark
Saya suka lagu paint my love...
salam kenal..
Paint my love.... (remember me......)
Kang, Link nya sdh Tertancap di Blogroll, Bro klo bisa tambahin di Keyword Blog nya, Info Unik, Menarik, atau yg agak nyangkut ama Blog ane bro.. Biar agak Relevan gtu Blognya.. Makasih ya
Alhamdulilah, nambah Sodara Lagi! :)
Waduh,,,asik bangt bintang idolaku nich hmmm
feel langsung enak dgr lagunya MLTR ..
sekalian konfirmasi kalau link ada sudah terpasang diblog saya..
keep sharing...jangan lupa komen back yah....
Info HP
MLTR....owww...d lappy ane banyak tuh.
Ad 3 album... he he he..!
Kadang d pake utk materi listening anak2 d skul
Mereka paling suka Sleeping Child
Salam Blogger
i love acoustic version of paint my love
from
MotoGP
gya~~~
MLTR,,
love all that song sooo much..
:((
pas bgt didengerin klo lg sedih,lgsg mewek beneran,ha.ha.ha.ha.ha...
They have easy listening songs...
inget masa dulu euy....sleeping child ma paint my lovenya...
Keren br0 blog nya
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