Michael Learns to Rock
| Michael Learns to Rock | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Soft rock |
| founding | 1988 |
| Website | http://www.mltr.dk |
| Founding members | |
Vocals, keyboard |
Jascha Richter |
Drums |
Kåre Wanscher |
guitar |
Mikkel Lentz |
| Former band members | |
bass |
Søren Madsen |
Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) is a Danish soft rock band that sings songs in English . It was founded in 1988 and has sold more than 9 million albums, mostly in Asia. So far six studio albums as well as live and best-of albums have been produced.
history
Jascha Richter (vocals, keyboards) and Kåre Wanscher (drums) were attending high school in Aarhus when they saw guitarist Mikkel Lentz with his group Rocking Studs in 1987 and asked him to start a band. A year later Søren Madsen joined them, he played bass.
The group had their first appearance in May 1988 in Aarhus, soon followed by first place in an annual talent show there, although they initially had no name. In an interview, Richter admitted that she named herself after Michael Jackson :
“Yeah, it was like Johnny Hates Jazz and Frankie Goes to Hollywood . Sure, I've regretted it many times, but we were successful, so we had to make a quick decision, and over time I got used to the name. "
A member of the competition jury, JP Anderson, became the band manager. MLTR played live, but their debut album of the same name, Michael Learns to Rock , wasn't released until September 1991. A single from the album, The Actor , was number one on the Danish charts and also did well in Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
In 1993 the album Colors was released , which sold over 1 million times. It contained the singles Sleeping Child , 25 Minutes and Out of the Blue . The group also toured Asia for the first time. Two years later came MLTR's third album, Played On Pepper , which sold 1.2 million units and the group played 25 shows in 10 countries. The hits from this album were That's Why (You Go Away) and Someday .
The album Paint My Love was released in 1996 and 3.4 million copies were sold. The band was selected to headline the Celebrate Hong Kong concert on July 6, 1997, for the broadcast from Hong Kong from the UK to China. Her fourth studio album, Nothing to lose , came out in September 1997.
Soon after, MLTR members took a break to spend time with their families and develop projects on their own or in collaboration with other artists. Richter also wrote a few new songs, and the band's anthem Strange Foreign Beauty was added to a greatest hits album in 1998.
In 2000 Søren Madsen decided to leave the group for a solo career, the three remaining members produced the album Blue Night , which went platinum in Denmark and sold well in Asia. The band attributed their success in Asia to clean, vivid visuals and vocals in English as a second language, and the fact that their lyrics are relatively easy to learn and sing.
After the release of Blue Night , the band took a longer break, which Jascha Richter used to work on his solo album Planet Blue . The band members later admitted they were considering breaking up during this time, but ultimately decided against it after their success with their Greatest Hits album. By 2004 the band got back together for another album.
Take Me To Your Heart (2004) focused on the Asian market. The single Take Me To Your Heart was a remake of Jacky Cheung's Goodbye Kiss (吻别) and was popular in China , Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan . MLTR sang an English and Chinese duet of Take Me To Your Heart with Chinese singer Yanbin Hu (Anson Hu) at a 2005 New Year party in Guangzhou , China. A duet version of the song with the South Korean star Shin Hye-sung from the boy band Shinhwa was also recorded.
Discography
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Albums
- 1991: Michael Learns to Rock
- 1993: Colors
- 1995: Played on Pepper
- 1997: Nothing to lose
- 2000: Blue Night
- 2004: Take Me to Your Heart
- 2007: Best of Michael Learns to Rock-Live
- 2008: I Walk This Road Alone
- 2009: Eternity
- 2012: Scandinavia
- 2018: Still
Compilations
- 1996: Paint My Love - Greatest Hits
- 1999: MLTR
- 1999: Strange Foreign Beauty - Remixed & More
- 2002: 19 Love Ballads
- 2004: All The Best Of
- 2005: Frostbite
- 2007: The Best of Michael Learns To Rock - Live
- 2008: Eternity & Beyond: New Album & Greatest Hits
- 2013: The Ultimate Collection
- 2014: 25: The Complete Singles
- Unknown: Everlasting Love Songs
Web links
- Michael Learns to Rock - Official Website
- MLTR on iTunes
- MLTR on YouTube
- MLTR on Last.FM
- MLTR Universe fansite