Patrick Dorgan

A singer and songwriter who combines yearning balladry and playful, soulful pop, Patrick Dorgan reached the Top 20 in his native Denmark with his first single, 2014's "On the Way Down." He earned a GAFFA Award nomination for New Danish Name of the Year in 2015. Born to an Irish mother and Danish father, both of whom played variety of music around the house including classic rock and soul, Dorgan was raised in the Copenhagen suburb of Valby. He started a band with friends at the age of 12, and they had the chance to perform a song by Kim Larsen at a school event when he was 13, an occurrence that Dorgan credits with getting him hooked on performing. He went on to study music formally for a time at the college level, but quit before completing a degree. Instead, he worked on honing his songwriting, and eventually formed a backing band to play local shows. The city's music industry took notice, and a management deal was followed quickly by a record contract with Copenhagen Records. "On the Way Down," Dorgan's 2014 debut single for the label, peaked at number 11 on the country's singles chart, ranking even higher on some streaming sites. The following year, he was nominated for a GAFFA-prisen for Danish newcomer of the year. The song was included on his full-length debut, Painkillers, released in late 2015. It reached number 29 on the Danish albums chart in 2016. He followed it in 2018 with the four-track 03:17 EP.