Alphabeat were a Danish pop band from Silkeborg, fronted by singers Stine Bramsen and Anders Stig Gehrt Nielsen. Their single "Fascination" was a major hit in Denmark during the summer of 2006, as well as the United Kingdom in 2008. Their 2007 eponymous debut album reached number two in Denmark and was certified Platinum. Following its wide release in Europe in 2008, retitled This is Alphabeat, it reached number ten in the UK and was certified Gold in the region. The album also contains their first number one hit in Denmark, "10.000 Nights of Thunder".
In 2009, Alphabeat released the album The Spell; the song of the same name was a number one hit in Denmark. The Spell was reissued as The Beat Is... in the UK in 2010. They went on to release the albums Express Non-Stop (2012), and Don't Know What's Cool Anymore (2019). They have amassed 11 top twenty singles in their native Denmark.
History
2003–2007: Formation and early career
Alphabeat is made up of six members: lead vocalists Anders Stig Gehrt "Anders SG" Nielsen and Stine Bramsen alongside Anders "Anders B" Bønløkke, Rasmus Nagel, Anders Reinholdt and Troels Møller.
The group first formed in 2003 under the name Sodastar, in the Danish town of Silkeborg. As Sodastar, they won the 2004 edition of Danish music contest LiveContest DK, which enabled the creation of a self-titled EP and 16-date promotional tour. In 2006, the group changed their name to Alphabeat, to avoid confusion with a German band.
2007–2009: Alphabeat
The band's eponymous debut album, Alphabeat, was released in Denmark on 5 March 2007, peaking at number two on the Danish Albums Chart and reaching platinum status in five months of release. It was preceded by the singles "Fascination" in June 2006 and "10.000 Nights of Thunder" in January 2007. The former peaked at number 4 in Denmark, while the latter was a number 1 hit.
The band's success in their domestic market attracted the attention of several major labels from larger markets abroad and Alphabeat was eventually signed to EMI's Charisma Records label in the United Kingdom. Their debut UK single, "Fantastic 6", was released on 26 November 2007, followed by the international release of Alphabeat the following year, retitled This Is Alphabeat and featuring a revised track listing. It peaked at number ten on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry on 10 October 2008. "Fascination" was released in the UK in May 2008, peaked at number 6, and was certified Gold. This was followed by the UK release of "10.000 Nights of Thunder" (retitled "10,000 Nights"), which peaked at number 16. Later single releases from the album included "Boyfriend" (DEN #11, UK #15), "Go-Go" (DEN #14), and "What is Happening". On 19 January 2009, Alphabeat announced that they had parted ways with their UK label Charisma Records.
2009–2013: The Spell and Express Non-Stop
It was announced on 7 March 2009 that Alphabeat had signed a new record deal with Polydor Records. The band's manager said, "We are thrilled to be signing to one of the UK's most successful record companies, and looking forward to achieving even more success with the band and Polydor in the coming years." That year, Alphabeat won an EBBA Award.
In August 2009, Popjustice premiered their single "The Spell", which was released on 21 September 2009. The song was a number one hit in Denmark and peaked at number 20 in the UK. On 26 October 2009, their second studio album The Spell was released in Denmark, where it charted at number five and was certified gold in less than two months of release. The UK release of the album was originally set for November 2009, but it was subsequently pushed back until 1 March 2010 and the album's title was changed to The Beat Is... It debuted and peaked at number thirty-nine on the UK Albums Chart.
On 9 January 2010 "DJ" was released as the second single in the Danish market where it peaked at number 6. The second UK single, "Hole in My Heart", was released on 22 February 2010 and debuted and peaked at number twenty-nine on the UK Singles Chart. In May 2010, "DJ" was released as the third single from the album in the UK, retitled "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)"; its single version was remixed by Biffco. The song peaked at number 116 on the UK Singles Chart. In June 2010, "Heat Wave" was released as the third single from the album in Denmark (but fourth overall), and peaked at number 4.