Alphabeat

Alphabeat is a pop band from Silkeborg, Denmark, signed to the Polydor label.

The band, originally named Sodastar, changed its name to avoid confusion with a German band. Their first Danish single, Fascination, was a major success in their home country during the summer of 2007. A second single, 10,000 Nights, met with similar success, as did their first self-titled album, which achieved platinum status in Denmark.

Their sound is mainly inspired by melodic retro pop from the 80s, taking cues from artists like Deacon Blue and Prefab Sprout, with a distinctive layering of male and female harmonies.

Their national success caught the attention of several major foreign labels, and Alphabeat was eventually signed by Charisma Records, a subsidiary of EMI, in the UK. Their first British single, Fantastic 6, was released on 26 November 2007. The band was praised by several popular British publications such as NME, The Sun, The Observer Music Monthly, Digital Spy, and Popjustice.

The band declined an offer to support the Spice Girls’ world tour in 2007-2008, believing it would be “too weird” to suddenly play to a very large audience unfamiliar with their music. On 2 March 2008, the song Fascination reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart based on download sales alone, then number 7 on 9 March after its physical release, and finally number 6 the following week. The band’s first album in the UK is titled This is Alphabeat.

Solo projects are also mentioned, including Comeback Girl and Stine Bramsen.