Lars H.U.G. (born Lars Haagensen on 11 September 1953 in

Sorgenfri Sorgenfri (lit. "free of sorrow", like Sans Souci) is a neighbourhood in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in Greater Copenhagen lying just north of Kongens Lyngby. The neighbourhood is enclosed between the landmarks of a forest with Lyngby Åmose, ...

) is 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 ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

and painter. He has produced several critically acclaimed albums as a solo artist, and has performed with the group

Kliché Kliché was a Danish rock band from Aarhus, formed by Anders Brill, Lars H.U.G., Jens Valo, and Johannes Voss (Johannes Møller). The group's original members met and formed the band in 1977 while studying at the Aarhus Art Academy. Nils Torp, ...

. Until the mid 1980s, he went by the name Lars Hug. ''Hug'' was the artist's childhood nickname and he also used it as a stage name. In 1987 he was sued by the pipe manufacturer Poul Erwin Hug, which forbid him from performing under their name. In response, he changed his name to Lars Hugh Uno Grammy, which he abbreviated as ''Lars H.U.G.''

Musical career

Lars H.U.G. began his career performing with the group Kliché, which formed in 1977, and released two

albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

. The group officially broke up in 1985. H.U.G. released his first album as a solo artist, ''City Slang'', in 1984 while Kliché was on a break. The album was in collaboration

Søren Ulrik Thomsen Søren Ulrik Thomsen (born 8 May 1956) is a Danish poet. His debut was ''City Slang'', 1981. Life Søren Ulrik Thomsen was born in 1956 in Kalundborg. He grew up in Store Heddinge, Stevns, south of Copenhagen, where he went to school together ...

, and put music to the poet's anthology of the same title. In 1993, he became the first rock musician to receive a work grant from the

Danish Arts Foundation The Danish Arts Foundation ( Danish: Statens Kunstfond) is the principal Danish government funded arts foundation founded by a special Law on 27 May 1964. Statens Kunstfond alongside the :da:Statens Kunstråd (English sometimes State Arts Council ...

. He was nominated by the foundation for a lifetime performance award in 2003. His last album, ''10 Sekunders Stilhed'', was released in 2014 and received gold certification. H.U.G announced his retirement as a musician at the

Crown Prince Couple's Awards The Crown Prince Couple's Awards ( da, Kronprinspaarets Priser) are a set of culture and social prizes awarded annually by Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark. The awards were established in 2004 as a gift from the Bikuben Foundatio ...

in 2016.

Painting

At the age of 18, H.U.G enrolled at the

Jutland Art Academy Jutland Art Academy ( da, Det Jyske Kunstakademi, abbreviated DJK), is a state recognized institute for higher education in Aarhus, Denmark, offering a 5-year programme in contemporary art. The academy has no departments and focuses on conceptuall ...

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwes ...

. He studied there from 1975 until 1978 as a painter. Several of his album covers feature his own art. H.U.G. worked alongside

Michael Kvium Michael Otto Albert Kvium (born 15 November 1955) is a Danish artist. He has excelled in a number of fields such as painting, illustrating, sculpting and various performance genres. Since the early 1980s, he has created grotesque realistic works, ...

in Mojacar,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

in 1988. He held his first major exhibition in 2001 at Gjethuset in Frederiksværk. He has since worked and been exhibited in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, and

Koroni Koroni or Corone ( el, Κορώνη) is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is a municipal unit. Known as ''Corone'' ...

. In 2009, he was invited to an exhibit in Washington DC by the Danish ambassador. He also held a guest lecture at the Corcoran School of the Arts while in DC. In 2010, he was invited to exhibit his works at the Danish Consulate in New York and to attend the Scandinavia House's Cultural Frontrunner Conference.

Discography

''For releases with the band Kliché, see

.''

Albums

* ''City Slang'' (with

) (Medley, 1984) * ''Kysser himlen farvel'' (Medley, 1987) * ''Kopy'' (Medley) 1989 * ''Blidt over dig'' (Medley, 1992) * ''Kiss & Hug From a Happy Boy'' (featuring Once Around the Park) (Medley, 1996) * ''Save Me from This Rock 'n' Roll'' (Medley, 2003) * ''10 sekunders stilhed'' (Genlyd, 2014)

EPs

* ''Replugged Live'' (Genlyd, 2015)

Compilation albums

* ''G.R.E.A.T.E.S.T.'' (Medley, 1993) * ''Greatest H.U.G.'' (

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, ...

, 2004) * ''De første fra Lars H.U.G.'' (EMI, 2012)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:H.U.G., Lars 1953 births Living people Danish rock singers Danish painters People from Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality