Stefan Forrest Explained

Stefan Forrest, also known as Don Stefano (born 10 June 1989), is a Danish-born producer, singer and songwriter, who currently lives and works in Los Angeles, USA, signed with Warner Chappell Music.

Career

Stefan Forrest is best known for his production and song writing contributions to the Danish Band, Lukas Graham,^[1] Oliver Kesi ("Dumme Penge", Søvnløs") & Patrick Dorgan. Forrest is also noted for singing the hook on Kesi's "Dumme Penge" as well the multi-platinum selling hit, "Søvnløs".

As one-half of the production duo, Future Animals, Forrest's first notoriety came about through his songwriting and production for Lukas Graham. Lukas Graham's debut release album, the self-titled Lukas Graham topped the Danish charts for 15 weeks, and as of December 2015 has remained in the Danish Top 40 for 100+ weeks. Lukas Graham's sophomore release, the self-titled international album Lukas Graham (2015) alternatively known as the Blue Album, was released in Denmark on 16 June 2015 debuting at No. 1 for 15 consecutive weeks and has since yielded four Number 1 singles, including "7 Years".^[2]

The Future Animals finalized Lukas Graham's 2016 U.S. debut album, which was released on 1 April 2016. "7 Years" has topped iTunes USA Top 100 most downloaded singles and currently has found its way to three consecutive weeks at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles. He has also produced songs for singers Selena Gomez, Julia Michaels^[3] and Hailee Steinfeld. In 2019 he released the album Last Summer through his Future Animals outfit.^[4] Forrest is also the founder of the Rocket Science record company, through which he has released original music.

Personal life

Stefan is also co-owner of Sliders restaurant located in the Copenhagen districts of Nørrebro and Vesterbro.^[5]

Discography

Year	Artist	Album	Song	Role
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Ordinary Things	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Nice Guy	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Drunk in the Morning	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	When You're With Me	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Apologize	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Criminal Mind	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Don't Hurt Me This Way	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Moving Alone	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Oohhh (Interlude)	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Never Let Me Down	Songwriter
2012	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham	Better Than Yourself (Criminal Mind Pt. 2)	Songwriter
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	7 Years	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Take The World By Storm	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Mama Said	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Happy Home	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Hayo	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	When I Woke Up (interlude)	Songwriter
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Don't You Worry ´Bout Me	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	What Happened To Perfect	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Strip No More	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	You're Not There	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Lukas Graham	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Funeral	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Patrick Dorgan	Painkillers	Painkillers	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Patrick Dorgan	Painkillers	On The Way Down	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Patrick Dorgan	Painkillers	Amazing	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Patrick Dorgan	Painkillers	Bitter	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Patrick Dorgan	Painkillers	Lullaby	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Patrick Dorgan	Painkillers	Marilyn	Songwriter (FutureAnimals)
2015	Suspekt	De Bedste Til Smatten	Hun Er På Mig	Songwriter
2015	TopGunn	Ingen Andre	Veninder	Songwriter
2015	Kesi	Barn Af Byen	Søvnløs	Songwriter
2015	Kesi	Barn Af Byen	Dumme Penge	Songwriter/Singer
2016	Scarlet Pleasure	Youth Is Wasted on the Young	Wanna Know	Songwriter
2017	Future Animals	Ask For It	Ask For It	Songwriter/Singer
2017	Kidd	Bedre	Bedre	Songwriter/Singer
2017	Lukas Graham	My Little Pony	Off To See The World	Songwriter
2018	Lukas Graham	3 (The Purple Album)	Love Someone	Songwriter
2018	Lukas Graham	3 (The Purple Album)	Lullaby	Songwriter^[6]
2018	Lukas Graham	3 (The Purple Album)	Redemption Song	Songwriter^[7]
2018	Lukas Graham	3 (The Purple Album)	Not A Damn Thing Changed	Songwriter^[8]
2018	Lukas Graham	3 (The Purple Album)	Promise	Songwriter^[9]
2018	Lukas Graham	3 (The Purple Album)	Unhappy	Songwriter
2018	Future Animals	Single	Crazy Love	Songwriter/Singer
2019	Kesi	Single	Vågn Op	Songwriter/Singer
2019	Lukas Graham	Single	Lie	Songwriter

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2012	Danish Music Awards	New Danish Name of the Year	Lukas Graham
		Audience Prize of the Year
		Band of the Year
		Male Artist of the Year
		Newcomer of the Year
		Songwriter of the Year
		Best Pop Album	Lukas Graham
2013	Carl Prisen	Talent Of The Year	Lukas Graham
2015	MTV Europe Music Awards	Best Danish Act	Lukas Graham
		Best European Act
2016	MTV Video Music Awards	Best New Artist
	MTV Europe Music Awards	Best New Act
		Best Push Act
		Best Danish Act
		Best Song	"7 Years"
	BBC Music Awards	Song of the Year
	LOS40 Music Awards	International New Artist of the Year	Themselves
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Summer Song	"7 Years"
	Carl Prisen	Composer of the Year – pop	Lukas Graham
		Song of the Year	"7 Years"
2017	Grammy Awards	Record of the Year
		Song of the Year
		Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
	iHeartRadio Music Awards	Best Lyrics
		Best New Pop Artist	Lukas Graham
	Kids' Choice Awards	Best New Artist
	Billboard Music Awards	Top New Artist
	2017 ASCAP Pop Awards	ASCAP Pop Awards	Winning Song	"7 Years"
2020	2020 BMI Pop Awards	BMI Pop Awards	Winning Song	"Love Someone"

Certifications

Studio albums

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:17em;"

Details	Peak chart positions										Certifications
DEN ^[10]	AUS ^[11]	AUT ^[12]	GER ^[13]	NOR ^[14]	NZ ^[15]	SWE ^[16]	SWI ^[17]	UK ^[18]	US ^[19]
Lukas Graham	Released: 26 March 2012 Format:CD, digital download Label: Copenhagen	1	–	–	41	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: 7× Platinum^[20]
Lukas Graham (Blue Album)	Released: 17 June 2015 Format: CD, digital download Label: Copenhagen	1	1	31	28	15	2	3	34	2	3	DEN: 9× Platinum^[21] BPI: Gold^[22] RIAA: Gold
3 (The Purple Album)	Released: 26 October 2018^[23] Label: Warner Bros. Formats: Digital download, CD	1	—	—	57	2	—	3	85	—	89	DEN: 2× Platinum^[24]
"—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		DEN	AUS	AUT	GER	NL ^[25]	NOR	NZ	SWE	UK	US ^[26]
"Ordinary Things"	2011	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: 3× Platinum^[27]	Lukas Graham
"Drunk in the Morning"	2012	1	–	42	30	–	–	–	–	127	—	DEN: 3× Platinum^[28]
"Criminal Mind"		4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: 2× Platinum^[29]
"Better Than Yourself (Criminal Mind Pt 2)"		1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: 3× Platinum^[30]
"Mama Said"	2014	1	42	–	–	–	3	29	13	48	36	DEN: 2× Platinum^[31] BPI: Gold RIAA: Platinum^[32] RMNZ: Gold^[33]	Lukas Graham (Blue Album)
"Strip No More"	2015	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: 2× Platinum^[34]
"7 Years"		1	1	1	6	1	4	1	1	1	2	DEN: 3× Platinum^[35] ARIA: 5× Platinum^[36] BPI: 5× Platinum GLF: 3× Platinum^[37] MC: 7× Platinum RIAA: 5× Platinum RMNZ: 3× Platinum^[38]
"You're Not There"	2016	25	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: Platinum^[39]
"Take the World by Storm"		10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: Platinum^[40]
"Off to See the World"	2017	9	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: Gold^[41]	My Little Pony: The Movie
"Not a Damn Thing Changed"^[42]	2018	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: Platinum^[43]	3 (The Purple Album)
"Lie"	2019	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DEN: Platinum^[44]
"—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lukas Graham discography. AllMusic. 3 May 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160521033123/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lukas-graham-mn0003065843/songs. 21 May 2016.
2. Web site: DMA – Danish Music Awards Nominees. Soundvenue. October 2015. 3 May 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160924043313/http://soundvenue.com/musik/2015/10/se-de-nominerede-til-aarets-dma-suspekt-lukas-graham-og-marie-key-i-toppen-af-feltet-165454. 24 September 2016.
3. Web site: Meet Stefan Forrest, the Creative Mind Behind some of Today's Top Hits [Q&A] / Ones to Watch.
4. Web site: Future Animals Releases Catchy and Nostalgic Dance-Pop Single "Last Summer". July 2019 .
5. Web site: Preview of Sliders opening in Copenhagen 2014. AOK. 3 May 2016.
6. Web site: Lukas Graham - Lullaby Lyrics.
7. Web site: Lukas Graham – You're Not the Only One (Redemption Song).
8. Web site: "Not a Damn Thing Changed" by Lukas Graham. 14 October 2018.
9. Web site: Lukas Graham – Promise.
10. Peak positions in Denmark:
    • For all except noted: Web site: Discography Lukas Graham. Danish Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
    • For "Søndagsbarn": Web site: Suspekt feat. Lukas Graham – Søndagsbarn. danishcharts.dk/.
11. Web site: Discography Lukas Graham. Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171119205721/http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lukas+Graham. 19 November 2017.
12. Web site: Discographie Lukas Graham. Austrian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505214436/http://www.austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lukas+Graham. 5 May 2016.
13. Web site: Discographie Lukas Graham. German Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151227072116/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-1446193. 27 December 2015.
14. Web site: Discography Lukas Graham. Norwegian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160505231712/http://www.norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lukas+Graham. 5 May 2016.
15. Web site: Discography Lukas Graham. New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
16. Peak positions in Sweden:
    • For all except noted: Web site: Discography Lukas Graham. Swedish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160322221208/http://www.swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lukas+Graham. 22 March 2016.
    • For "Golden": Web site: Brandon Beal feat. Lukas Graham – Golden. swedishcharts.com/. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160506083901/http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Brandon+Beal+feat%2E+Lukas+Graham&titel=Golden&cat=s. 6 May 2016.
17. Web site: Discographie Lukas Graham. Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160528020736/http://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lukas+Graham. 28 May 2016.
18. Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
    • For all except noted: Web site: Lukas Graham. Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160412142601/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48904/lukas-graham/. 12 April 2016.
    • For "Drunk in the Morning": Web site: CHART: CLUK Update 26 March 2016 (wk12). Official Charts Company. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160411181339/http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/160326cluk.txt. 11 April 2016.
19. Chris Stapleton Surges to No. 2 on Billboard 200, Lukas Graham, Weezer and Twenty88 Debut in Top 10. Billboard. Caulfield, Keith. 10 April 2016. 11 April 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160411034523/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7326494/chris-stapleton-traveller-billboard-200-chart-lukas-graham-kanye-west-life-of-pablo. 11 April 2016.
20. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM 'LUKAS GRAHAM' (CPH). IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302202000/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-lukas-graham-cph. 2 March 2016.
21. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM "LUKAS GRAHAM (BLUE ALBUM)". IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302211058/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-lukas-graham-blue-album-1. 2 March 2016.
22. United Kingdom . Lukas Graham. 14 July 2024.
23. News: Lukas Graham Announces New Album. Broadwayworld.com . 7 September 2018. 8 September 2018. Milligan . Kaitlin .
24. Web site: Home . hitlisten.nu.
25. Web site: Discografie Lukas Graham. Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160222122018/http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lukas+Graham. 22 February 2016.
26. [{{BillboardURLbyName | artist = Lukas Graham | chart = Hot 100 }} Lukas Graham – Chart history: The Hot 100]. Billboard.
27. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM 'ORDINARY THINGS' (CPH). IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302203601/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-ordinary-things-cph. 2 March 2016.
28. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM 'DRUNK IN THE MORNING'. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302202730/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-drunk-morning. 2 March 2016.
29. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM 'CRIMINAL MIND'. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302204559/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-criminal-mind. 2 March 2016.
30. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM "BETTER THAN YOURSELF (CRIMINAL MIND PT. 2)". IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302221309/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-better-yourself-criminal-mind-pt-2-1. 2 March 2016.
31. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM 'MAMA SADI'. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302211047/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-mama-sadi-1. 2 March 2016.
32. Web site: Gold & Platinum. Recording Industry Association of America. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160602231656/http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=lukas+graham. 2 June 2016.
33. New Zealand. single. 4229. 6 May 2016.
34. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM 'STRIP NO MORE'. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302222852/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-strip-no-more-1. 2 March 2016.
35. Web site: LUKAS GRAHAM '7 YEARS'. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music. Hitlisten. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302221321/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content%2Flukas-graham-7-years-2. 2 March 2016.
36. Web site: ARIA CHART WATCH #397. auspOp. 3 December 2016. 3 December 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220030349/https://www.auspop.com.au/2016/12/aria-chart-watch-397/. 20 December 2016.
37. Web site: Swedish Recording Industry Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20130503004610/http://www.ifpi.se/wp-content/uploads/. dead. 3 May 2013. Swedish Recording Industry Association. 18 February 2016.
38. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 29 April 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160501153426/http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=4227. 1 May 2016.
39. Web site: Certificeringer. IFPI Denmark. 11 December 2016. Danish. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170122092941/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=certificeringer&page=96. 22 January 2017.
40. Web site: Certificeringer. IFPI Denmark. 27 February 2018. Danish. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170122092941/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=certificeringer&page=96. 22 January 2017.
41. Web site: Certificeringer. IFPI Denmark. 27 February 2018. Danish. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170122092941/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=certificeringer&page=96. 22 January 2017.
42. Web site: Not a Damn Thing Changed. 12 October 2018. Spotify. 12 October 2018.
43. Web site: Certificeringer. IFPI Denmark. 17 March 2020. Danish. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170122092941/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=certificeringer&page=96. 22 January 2017.
44. Web site: Certificeringer. IFPI Denmark. 14 April 2020. Danish. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170122092941/http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=certificeringer&page=96. 22 January 2017.