A Friend in London was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band that represented Denmark in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

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, with the song "

New Tomorrow "New Tomorrow" is a 2011 English language song by Danish pop/rock band A Friend in London. It represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. On 26 February 2011, the song won the Danish preselection contest ...

" and took fifth place in the final with 134 points. The group announced their split in 2014.

Career

A Friend in London (also known by its acronym AFIL) was formed in 2005 when the band members were at a boarding school in Vostrup,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The lead singer, Tim Schou, won the contest Danish Young Talent 2005 which led to the recording of the band's first single, "Thoughts of a Boheme". The Danish national radio station P3 picked up on the sounds of the band, providing airplay for the single "Shoot Me". Danish TV station

TV2 Channel 2 or TV 2 may refer to: Television networks, channels and stations *Channel 2 (Iran), operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting *Channel 2 (Israel), a commercial television station *, entertainment and music television in Latvia * ...

used the band's track "Dead Beat" in a TV-commercial contest. The band started touring Denmark extensively with more than 100 different gigs. Their break came in 2008 with the Bodog Million Dollar Battle of the Bands where they won the European leg of the competition reaching the final 10 qualifying round in the United States. The band refused to continue further with the competition, because of complexity of contractual aspects the organizers wanted to impose on them and other participants. Following that, they toured Canada and the United States. The band became very popular in Canada, where since 2009 they have made three successful tours, the last being in 2011. The tour included shows in June 2009 at

NXNE North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea marke ...

(North by NorthEast) and

Canadian Music Week Canadian Music Week (or CMW) is an industry conference and music festival held over ten days in Toronto and Ontario, Canada. History Canadian Music Week began in 1981 and has grown to become one of Canada's largest and most influential media a ...

as well as a performance at ''Breakfast TV'', a major morning show in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. They ended up signing a management agreement with a Canadian music group.

2011: Eurovision Song Contest

A Friend in London took part in 2011 version of the

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (), also known as Melodi Grand Prix or simply DMGP, is an annual music competition organised by the Danish public broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) since 1957, which determines the for the Eurovision Song Contest. The fe ...

with their song "

" written by

Lise Cabble Lise Cabble (born 10 January 1958, in Amager) is a Danish singer and songwriter. Cabble has written more than ten songs for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision Song Contest performers. Notable songs include the 1995 Danish song ''Fra Mols til S ...

and

Jakob Glæsner Jakob may refer to: People * Jakob (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jakob (surname), including a list of people with the name Other * Jakob (band), a New Zealand band, and the title of their 1999 EP * Max Jakob Memorial Aw ...

, winning the Danish preselection show and to go to represent Denmark in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. There was controversy and allegations that chorus of the song was plagiarized from a Chinese folk song "Silk Road" and big similarities with three other songs named:

Andreas Johnson Jon Erik Andreas Johnson (born 22 March 1970 in Bjärred, Sweden) _Biography_))).html" ;"title="allmusic ((( Andreas Johnson > Biography )))">allmusic ((( Andreas Johnson > Biography )))/ref> is a Swedish pop/rock singer-songwriter and musician ...

’s " Sing for Me" that participated in ''

Melodifestivalen 2006 Melodifestivalen 2006 was the selection for the 46th song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 45th time that this system of picking a song had been used. Five heats had taken place to select the ten songs for the final, ...

'', the German group Future Trance United's song "Face 2 Face", which itself was a cover from the song "Herz an Herz" from the German band Paso Doble from the year 1986, and

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singe ...

's "

Shine Shine may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Shine'' (film), a 1996 Australian film based on the life of David Helfgott, a pianist * Shine, a fictional character in the American animated TV series ''Shimmer and Shine'' Lite ...

". One of the co-writers Jacob Glæsner commented that "the song is very popular in its expression and consist basically only of five tones. It is unavoidable that it doesn’t remind of a song one have already heard". Partly because of the criticism, the band has confirmed in interviews they will make changes to the song prior to presenting it in the

2011 finals. A Friend in London performed the song at the Eurovision 2011 and finished fifth, but caused controversy when lead singer Tim Schou said in front of a live audience "You know baby, I want to...I want to fuck you!" after

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

singer

Mandy Huydts Mandy Huydts (born April 9, 1969) is a Dutch singer and voice actress. Singer At age 9, Huydts began her career at VARA's Kinderen voor Kinderen. In 1986 she and the girl group Frizzle Sizzle took 13th place at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contes ...

announced that the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

had awarded the song "New Tomorrow" twelve points. Schou later stated: "When the camera came and we got the first points I was so excited. I apologise, Europe! I apologise! We got the fifth place, baby!".

2012–14: ''Unite'' and breakup

The band released their debut album ''

Unite Unite may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London * ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993 * ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005 Songs ...

'' on 21 January 2013, having pre-released the tracks "New Tomorrow", "Calling a Friend" and "Get Rich in Vegas" in advance. Prior to the release of the album, they supported

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...

and the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

during their European tour. As a result,

Howie D. Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973) is an American singer. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his friend and bandmate A.J. McLean throu ...

of the Backstreet Boys is featured on a remake of "New Tomorrow". The track featuring Howie D. is found as a bonus track on the iTunes Deluxe Version. The album also featured the Canadian singer

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

on the track "Rest from the Streets". The original band broke up in 2013 with three of the original members, Aske Damm Bramming, Esben Svane and Sebastian Vinther Olsen leaving. Páll "Tim" Schou continued with the band for a token period 2013 to 2014 with new members Jesper Madsen, Johan Jørgensen and Thomas Duus included. But after just a few months, Schou announced the band was folding for good.

In popular culture

Páll Schou, the lead vocalist of the band took part in the inaugural season of the reality television show '' Skjulte stjerner'' (meaning Hidden star) aired from 2 September to 14 October 2011 on Danish television. He introduced a young new Danish artist called

Thomas Meilstrup Thomas Meilstrup also known as just Thomas (born in Denmark on 23 January 1998) is a Denmark, Danish singer, musician and actor. He was in Eventyrteatret (Adventure Theatre) where he took lessons in acting, dancing and singing. He was invited to ...

mentoring him throughout the show and singing duets with him. Thomas and his mentor won the series and Thomas Meilstrup released his debut single "Almost There" featuring Tim Schou. The band's single "New Tomorrow" was used as the basis for the spaceflight documentary, ''Challenging Endeavours: A tale of two shuttles'', that premiered on YouTube in February 2013.

Members

*Páll "Tim" Schou – lead vocals, guitar *Aske Damm Bramming – bass, backing vocals (2005–2013) *Esben Svane – drums, backing vocals (2005–2013) *Sebastian Vinther Olsen – guitar, backing vocals (2005–2013) *Johan Jørgensen – guitar, backing vocals (2013–2014) *Jesper Madsen – bass, backing vocals (2013–2014) *Thomas Duus – drums, backing vocals (2013–2014)

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other songs

*"Thoughts of a Boheme" (2005) *"Dead Beat" *"Easy" (3 June 2006) *"Solo Machine" (2010) *"Break and Fall" *"

" – Song for Africa (4 October 2011) *"Gorgeous" Christmas song (Dec-2011) re-recorded as "Christmas Love" (27 November 2012) *"New Tomorrow" (feat.

Howie D Howard Dwaine Dorough (born August 22, 1973) is an American singer. He is a member of the pop vocal group Backstreet Boys. Early life Dorough was born August 22, 1973, in Orlando, Florida, where he met his friend and bandmate A.J. McLean throug ...

) (2012) *"New Tomorrow" (vs. Crystal Lake) (2012) *"Rest from the Streets" featuring

(2013)

Videography

The band released music videos for various songs via Guineapig Productions. Directors included Ib Christian Henricson, Marie Louise Henricson and Lena Nyhus *2008: "Shoot me" *2012: "Get Rich in Vegas" *2013: "Rest from the Streets" featuring

with the actress Mathilde Norholt

After breakup

Tim Schou

Band member Tim Schou, in 2011, he appeared in the Danish TV show '' Skjulte stjerner'' (meaning ''Hidden Stars'') on

DR1 DR1 (DR Et) is the flagship television channel of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). It became Denmark's first television station when it began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week. Besides its ...

Danish television station as mentor and costar with the child singer

presented by the mononym Thomas, performing many songs including a mashup of "

(I've Had) The Time of My Life "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" is a 1987 song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and used as the theme song for the 1987 film ''Dirty Dancing''. The song has won ...

" / "

Baby An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

", " Over the Rainbow", a mashup of A Friend in London songs "

" / "

Calling a Friend Calling may refer to: * Religious calling, a religious vocation * Effectual calling, a theological term * Vocation, or occupation * Audible animal communication, including mate calling and territorial threat sounds * Game call, a device that is u ...

", a mashup of

Listen (Beyoncé song) "Listen" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. The song was written by Beyoncé, Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Samantha Worley and Anne Preven, and produced by The Underdogs (duo), The Underdogs, Matt Sullivan and Randy Spendlove for the ...

" / "

Dancing on My Own "Dancing On My Own" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 20 April 2010 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''Body Talk Pt. 1'' (2010), the first in her ''Body Talk'' series. "Dancing On My Own" was produced by ...

" and in the final a mashup of "

Moves like Jagger "Moves like Jagger" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on June 21, 2011, as the fourth and final single from the re-release of the group's third studio album '' Hands All Over'' (201 ...

" / " Run to You" and a repetition of ""Over the Rainbow". Thomas alongside mentor Schou went on to win the series. In 2013, Schou landed the leading role ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'' the musical in the role of Claude. The play played at the Oestre Gasvaerk Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark. Also in 2013, he was the winner of Danish TV show ''Stjerner på vippen'', being the Danish version of ''

Splash Splash or Splash! or The Splash may refer to: Common meanings * Splash (fluid mechanics), sudden disturbances on the surface of water Entertainment * ''Splash'' (film), a 1984 fantasy film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah ** ''Splash, Too'' ...

''. After the break-up of the band, Tim Schou continued a solo career. In 2014, he landed a role as Flounder in the Danish version of a Disney musical ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a h ...

'' that played at The

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...

and opera, Copenhagen. Also in 2014, he played D'artagnan in the musical comedy '' The 3 Musketeers'' that played at the Oestre Gasvaerk Theater in Copenhagen. In 2015 he was signed to Sony/ATV and Iceberg Publishing and engaged in a tour notably in USA, UK (supporting

Aaron Carter Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987November 5, 2022) was an American singer and rapper. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the ...

), Germany, Sweden etc. Singles include "Supernova" in 2014, "Goodbye" in 2015, "Novocaine" and "Medicine" in 2016. ;Discography *2011: "Almost There" *2014: "Supernova" *2015: "Goodbye" *2016: "Novocaine" *2016: "Medicine"

References

External links

Tim Schou Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friend in London Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Denmark Danish pop music groups Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2011 Dansk Melodi Grand Prix contestants Dansk Melodi Grand Prix winners Musical groups established in 2005