The Benefits

Denmark's the Benefits fuse high-octane pop-funk-soul-hip-hop with brass-band energy, drawing from Dr. Dre, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Sgt. Pepper's album, and the Muppets' house band. Inuit singer Ilanguaq Lumholt from Greenland, recognized for his refined suit selections, joined forces with Denmark-born multi-instrumentalist Thomas Stengaard, frequently spotted wearing a bass drum strapped to his chest. Their breakthrough arrived in 2007 once the track "Physical" and its self-produced video began circulating on YouTube and European radio. The clip's humorous, hyperactive style reached American audiences later that year through Universal and the advertising firm Screenvision, whose pre-feature content played in movie theaters nationwide. While audiences encountered the song and footage on the big screen, Lumholt and Stengaard tracked their debut album inside a former underground bomb shelter in Copenhagen, where Universal scheduled its release for spring 2008.