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BIOGRAPHY LARS H.U.G.

Lars Haagensen was born on 9/11 1953 in Copenhagen. “Hug” was a childhood nickname that he later adopted as his artistic name. After being sued in 1987 by the owner of the name, a claim was made for an estimated $10.000 for the right to continue to use the three letters h u g. Using his sense of creativity, Lars changed his name to Hugh Uno Grammy, so he could still use the acronym H.U.G. So after all it was a blessing in disguise. He got a lot of PR and “the poor bloke didn’t get a penny”.

Lars H.U.G has since he started been one of the leading, most progressive and widely respected Danish artists of his time. He has covered musical genres from new wave to pop, jazz to experimental and electronic music. He is also an acclaimed visual artist, something that has always been an integrated part of his musical career. He has produced pictures for many of his own covers and he could be seen as a visual pop artist, for whom music and art are intertwined.

Lars quit high school at the age of eighteen, found a job, a place to live and started painting. In 1975 Lars H.U.G enrolled at the Art Academy of Jutland, but instead off cutting an ear off, he brought an electric guitar!-Shortly after, he and some colleagues started the punk/new wave group Kliche. Inspired by musicians like Roxy Music and Kraftwerk, Kliche soon established themselves as an important Danish underground band, willing to break away from the classic perception of a rock band. Instead they appeared as futuristic workers of a nuclear power plant. The band’s musical adaptation of Mao Zedong’s poem, “Militia Women”, became Kliche’s first hit single and in many ways paved the way for H.U.G.’s long and illustrious solo career. 13 years later he preformed by the Lenin Hills in Moscow shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2004 Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark quoted the lyrics from one of H.U.G.’s songs as the very last words in his speech to his wife, Mary Donaldson, at their wedding. Link

Later that same yearhe was the first to receive the Award set by the world famous Danish composer, Bent Fabricius Bjerre.

Lars H.U.G. has in his full career general received 9 Grammy and Music Awards.

Aside from taking part in several minor projects, H.U.G has continued touring and giving concerts with his own band, with the Danish Radio Orchestra and performing at the opening of DR`s new Concert Halls.H.U.G has recorded music for filmmaker Jørgen Leth “Århus” and composed music for Artist Marco Evaristti’s spectacular “The Last Fashion” - a collection to die for”. A show inspired by inmates on death row in US. Link

Lars H.U.G remains one of Denmark’s best loved artists and has dedicated time to working with charities such as Amnesty International, Folkekirkens Nødhjælp and Medics Without Borders, producing works of art and giving concerts.

H.U.G has become a very productive painter since his first huge retrospective exhibition at the GJET Huset in 2001 – “1000 Soundless Pictures”.

Lars H.U.G’s works of art are highly sought-after, and in 2007 an art collector bought all his available paintings.

In July 2009 H.U.G was invited to make an Exhibition in Washington DC by the Danish Ambassador and to experience President Obama’s inauguration. In that matter he gave a lecture at the prestigious Cochran School of Art in Washington DC.
Short after in 2010 Lars H.U.G. exhibited his paintings in New York at The Royal Danish Consulate . and participated as a member of the Cultural Frontrunner Conference at Scandinavian House New York.

Later 2010 The Great Dekoration Project at Tivoli. LINK TIL BILLEDER

2011-2013 Lars startet his work on composion his first Danish spoken record in 28 years "10 seconds of silens”.

2014 Realesed of the new album. The record became a huge succes.
Starting up with a spetacular concert at “NORTHSIDE” in his home town Århus and later followed by a concert with the famus Danish Radio Orcester.

2015 & 2016 Lars H.U.G. BAND was touring across the contry from, “Tinderbox” over “Tivoli”, till “Roskilde Festival” where he played for the 13th time at the great arena scene.

2016 LARS and his BAND recived the Danish Press "Live award “Band of the Year”.
Later this year NyY Carlsbergfonden bought 3 pieces of Lars´ Paintings. Artworks witch are used both on his cover and on the scene as scenografic.

01.09.2016 Lars played his “LARS L.A.S.T. H..U.G. Vega Concert”.
And in october 2016, short after preforming in Danish Television in the Crown Prince Couples Award Show for 1 Million Danish viewers Lars finaly anouncing:
“I Am Stopping as an active player - no more touring around, but still active as an artist and composer" i would still singing in the bathroom.

THE 01..09.2016 “LARS L.A.S.T. H..U.G. Vega Concert”/ “Stop On Top”, was filmed an recorded. The team behind is still in process by Mix- & Cuting to finish the project. Release hopefully 1. september 2018.

Chronology: Disco-graphy

1980 “Supertanker” Kliche LINK YOU TUBE (More info) (Kliche on myspace.com)

1982 “Okay Okay Boys” Kliche (Live video) LINK

1984 “City Slang” Lars H.U.G with poems by Søren Ulrik-Thomsen

1987 “Kysser Himlen Farvel” Lars H.U.G.

1987 “Musicians guide to the sounds of the universe” (LINK)

1988 Painting Studio with Michael Kvium Mojacar, Spain

1989 Lars H.U.G. performed at the Lenin Hills outside Moscow “Next Stop”

1989 “KOPY” Lars H.U.G and the Copies One Grammy Award

1992 “Blidt over dig” – Grammy awards: Best Album, Best Male Artist, Best Pop Album

1992 Painting studio Brooklyn, New York

1996 “Kiss and Hug” – Grammy awards: Best Album, Best Male Artist, Best Pop Album

2001 “1000 Soundless Pictures” (More info in Danish) FIRST RETRO EXIBISION

2003 “Save Me From This Rock’n Roll” RECORD RELEASE

2004 Medics Without Borders (Read article in Danish) LINK

2005 Touring.

(UDGÅR2005 List of albums released from 2000-2005 in own name (More info in Danish)

2006 Painting studio, Koroni, Greece

2006 Receives Gentofte Municipality’s Cultural Awards (More info in Danish)

2007 Touring (More info) LINK HUGINFO

2008 Amnesty International (Read article – in Danish)

2008 The Last Fashion Show (More info)

2009 DR opens the new Concert Hall (Watch live performance)

2009 Painting Studio, Berlin & DC, Lecture at Corcoran Washington DC (More info)

2010 Dekoration at TIVOLI / The Japanese Pagoda

(2010 Tivoli Art Projekt) UDGÅR
2011 City Slang Redux movie CPH-DOX 11

2012 Aid Concert Syrien

2013 New Nordic Native Tour

2014 Nortside Festival NORTHSIDE? “10 SEKUNDERS STILHED” RECORD RELEASE

2014 Danish National Chamber Orchestra, radio concert

2015 Tour: Vega, Train, Roskilde Festival, Skanderborg and Tivoli

2016 DR Concert Hall

2016 1. september LARS L.A.S.T. H.U.G. VEGA CONCERT

2017 CONVERSATION MEETINGS WITH CHRISTIAN HAVE AT MOLS AND SOSTRUP INCLUDING
Croquis exhibition, AT THE CASTLE Sostrup Slot LINK

2018 SEVERAL EXIBITION TO BE PLANED