Donkeyboy
Encyclopedia
Donkeyboy are a pop
band from Drammen, Norway, formed in 2005. The band consists of Cato Sundberg
(vocals
, rhythm guitar
), Kent Sundberg (synth
, backing vocals
), Peter Michelsen (guitar
, backing vocals), Thomas Drabløs (drums
), and Alexander Garborg Ågedal (bass guitar
).
after an employee came across their music on MySpace
. Their debut single, "Ambitions" was released on 26 March 2009 and was put into heavy rotation
by NRK P3
. The song's chorus is built around a bassline similar to those used on Michael Jackson
's "Billie Jean
" and some of Madonna
's 1980s songs. The song features guest vocals by Linnea Dale
. "Ambitions" debuted on the Norwegian singles chart
at number seven on 6 April 2009, and reached the number one spot on 29 June, after 13 weeks on the charts
. "Ambitions" remained at the number one spot for 12 consecutive weeks, before being replaced by the band's second single "Sometimes
" on September 22. This was the first time ever for a Norwegian artist to occupy the top two spots on the singles chart. Guitarist Peter Michelsen described the situation as "completely absurd".
Donkeyboy's debut album Caught in a Life
was released on 19 October 2009. It was produced by Simen M Eriksrud and Espen Berg at Livingroom Studios in Oslo. Sven Ove Bakke of Dagbladet
gave the album four out of six, and described it as "revolving around its already established hits with a combination of self-assured conviction and uneasy duteousness." He concluded that the album was overshadowed by its hit single.
The band supported fellow Norwegians a-ha
in the UK and Oslo legs of their Foot of the Mountain
tour in November 2009.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band from Drammen, Norway, formed in 2005. The band consists of Cato Sundberg
Cato Sundberg
Cato Sundberg is a Norwegian musician and songwriter, best known as the front man of pop group Donkeyboy. Sundberg founded the group in 2005 with, amongst others, his brother Kent. In 2009, the pair were nominated for a Spellemannprisen for their band's debut album, Caught in a Life, in the...
(vocals
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Kent Sundberg (synth
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
), Peter Michelsen (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals), Thomas Drabløs (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), and Alexander Garborg Ågedal (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
).
Biography
Donkeyboy were signed to Warner MusicWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
after an employee came across their music on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Their debut single, "Ambitions" was released on 26 March 2009 and was put into heavy rotation
Spin (radio)
In radio broadcasting, a spin is a single play of a song. The term is also used as a unit to measure popularity, typically in spins per week...
by NRK P3
NRK P3
NRK P3 is one of three nation-wide analogue radio channels operated by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . It was established as NRK's third radio channel in 1993, and focuses on youth culture: principally music, together with humour, entertainment, and health education.Over the years NRK P3...
. The song's chorus is built around a bassline similar to those used on Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
" and some of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's 1980s songs. The song features guest vocals by Linnea Dale
Linnea Dale
-Biography:Born in Tinn, Telemark, Norway, Linnea Dale is currently attending the high school Skien videregående skole. She was a contestant on the fifth season of the Norwegian Idol series in 2007, finishing in seventh place. She performed "What Do I Know About Love", a song written by herself, in...
. "Ambitions" debuted on the Norwegian singles chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
at number seven on 6 April 2009, and reached the number one spot on 29 June, after 13 weeks on the charts
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
. "Ambitions" remained at the number one spot for 12 consecutive weeks, before being replaced by the band's second single "Sometimes
Sometimes (Donkeyboy song)
Sometimes is an English language massive hit in Norway for the Norwegian band Donkeyboy, their second most successful single after "Ambitions", their debut single that stayed 13 weeks on top of the Norwegian Singles Chart...
" on September 22. This was the first time ever for a Norwegian artist to occupy the top two spots on the singles chart. Guitarist Peter Michelsen described the situation as "completely absurd".
Donkeyboy's debut album Caught in a Life
Caught in a Life
Caught in a Life is Norwegian band Donkeyboy's debut album in October 2009. It was produced by Simen M Eriksrud and Espen Berg at Livingroom Studios, Oslo. It topped the Norwegian Albums Chart in the winter of 2009.It was released on October 19, 2009...
was released on 19 October 2009. It was produced by Simen M Eriksrud and Espen Berg at Livingroom Studios in Oslo. Sven Ove Bakke of Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
gave the album four out of six, and described it as "revolving around its already established hits with a combination of self-assured conviction and uneasy duteousness." He concluded that the album was overshadowed by its hit single.
The band supported fellow Norwegians a-ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
in the UK and Oslo legs of their Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain
Foot of the Mountain is the ninth and final studio album by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. It was released on 19 June 2009 and reached #1 on the German Album Chart and #2 on the Norwegian Album Chart...
tour in November 2009.
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
ICE Iceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population... |
|||
| 2009 | "Ambitions Ambitions (song) "Ambitions" is an English language song by Norwegian band Donkeyboy, taken from their debut album Caught in a Life. It was released as their debut single in 2009 and was a number-one hit in the Norwegian Singles Chart.... " |
1 | 1 | 27 | Caught in a Life Caught in a Life Caught in a Life is Norwegian band Donkeyboy's debut album in October 2009. It was produced by Simen M Eriksrud and Espen Berg at Livingroom Studios, Oslo. It topped the Norwegian Albums Chart in the winter of 2009.It was released on October 19, 2009... |
| "Sometimes Sometimes (Donkeyboy song) Sometimes is an English language massive hit in Norway for the Norwegian band Donkeyboy, their second most successful single after "Ambitions", their debut single that stayed 13 weeks on top of the Norwegian Singles Chart... " |
1 | — | — | ||
| "Broke My Eyes Broke My Eyes Broke My Eyes is an English language hit in Norway for the Norwegian band Donkeyboy, their third most successful single after "Ambitions" and "Sometimes", their second single... " |
6 | — | — | ||
| "Awake Awake (Donkeyboy song) Awake is an English language hit in Norway for the Norwegian band Donkeyboy, their fourth single taken from their album Caught in a Life after singles "Ambitions" and "Sometimes" and "Broke My Eyes" ."Awake" released in 2009 reached #8 in the Norwegian Singles Chart.- Charts :... " |
8 | — | — | ||
| "Blade Running Blade Running Blade Running is an English language hit in Norway for the Norwegian band Donkeyboy, their fifth single taken from their album Caught in a Life after singles "Ambitions" and "Sometimes" , "Broke My Eyes" and Awake "Blade Running" released in 2009 reached #8 in the Norwegian... " |
8 | — | — | ||
| 2010 | "Stereolife Stereolife Stereolife is an English language hit in Norway for the Norwegian band Donkeyboy, their sixth single taken from their album Caught in a Life after singles "Ambitions" and "Sometimes" , "Broke My Eyes" , "Awake" and "Blade Running" ."Stereolife" released in... " |
— | — | — | |
| 2011 | "City Boy" | 1 | — | — | |