Aphaca (band)
Danish indie pop group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aphaca (stylised as APHACA) is a Danish pop band formed in 2018 in Nørrebro. The band has released two studio albums and two extended plays, all of which have reached the Danish top 40 charts. The band has also released multiple number one songs. They have received multiple awards from DR P3 and GAFFA, including DR P3's top prize in 2025.
History
Lead singer Rumle Hueg Kærså first appeared on Voice Junior when he was 12 years old.[2] The band later formed in 2018,[3] when the members met each other at Det frie Gymnasium, a private school, in Nørrebro.[4][5] The group released several singles in 2019 and were initially signed to United Records,[3] but would not release their debut studio album until 2022.[6] The album, Et aar uden dig (lit. 'One Year Without You'), was released on 24 June.[7] It later received poor reviews.[8]
Aphaca returned in 2024 with an extended play, Mig og min mund (lit. 'Me and my mouth'), released on 22 March 2024.[9] The EP would later outperform their first studio album, reaching number 12 on Hitlisten, the Danish top 40 charts, on 16 July 2025.[10] The EP produced two songs which would go on to achieve platinum certification from IFPI Danmark.[11][12] Their second EP of 2024 was released on 11 October 2024.[13] Kan du mærke suset? (lit. 'Can You Feel the Rush?') was noted for being underwhelming in comparison to their other work.[6] Despite mixed reviews, the EP went on to peak at number 10 on the Hitlisten charts, the same week as their previous EP reached its peak.[10] One song from the EP, "Smelter under månen", became the band's first big breakthrough hit.[14] It went on to peak at number two and achieve double-platinum certification.[15]
At the end of 2024, Aphaca was nominated at the Danish Music Awards as New Danish Live Name of the Year. In their first time nominated for a major award in Denmark, the band would ultimately not win the award.[16] In March 2025, the group was nominated for several awards at the annual GAFFA Awards. Their compilation album, Magna, was nominated for Danish Release of the Year and Pop Release of the Year, winning the former.[17] The group also won as New Danish Name of the Year, with their song "Smelter under månen" winning the prize for Danish Hit of the Year.[17] The band was again nominated for awards in October 2025, receiving two nominations at that year's P3 Guld , hosted by DR P3. They won both awards for which they were nominated, winning The Prize and Listener Hit for "En drøm om et menneske".[18]
Aphaca released their second studio album on 27 February 2026, Vild ungdom (lit. 'Wild Youth').[19] The album was met with positive reviews, with GAFFA, Politiken, and Soundvenue all giving the album five-out-of-six stars in their reviews.[20][21] With its debut on the Hitlisten charts 11 March, the album reached number one.[22] Two songs from the album, "Flue i et spind" and "Hvor kommer vi fra", also debuted on the singles chart at number one and number three respectively.[23]
Live performances
Aphaca announced a multi-city tour in October 2024, set for four dates in May 2025.[24] Later in the summer, they also played Roskilde Festival. Originally booked to play a smaller stage, they were upgraded to the festival's second-largest stage just days prior.[25] The performance received positive reviews,[26][27] with one Politiken writer stating Aphaca was one of the "hottest and best" rock bands from Denmark.[25] The band played at Tivoli Gardens in late July for the venue's weekly free concerts,[28] and Smukfest in the following month.[29][30]
On 22 September 2025, Aphaca announced a free show that would be held in Copenhagen two days later to celebrate a new single, "Vi pumper hjertet op".[31] Originally not announcing the location, the band unveiled the day of the show that it would be held at Enghaveparken.[4] The show was attended by several thousand people,[32] receiving positive reviews.[33][34] Soon after the performance at Vesterbro, it was announced the band would play a sold-out concert[3] set for October 2026 at Parken.[5]
The band played the biggest stage at the 2026 Jelling Music Festival, where their performance was met with praise.[35] They also played at Roskilde for the second consecutive year, as well as Tinderbox Festival in Odense.[35]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN [36] | |||
| Et aar uden dig |
|
18 | |
| Vild ungdom |
|
1 |
|
Extended plays
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN[36] | ||||
| "Blomsterbørn" | 2019 | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Lucifer" | — | |||
| "Shangri-La" | — | |||
| "Flora Flora" | 2021 | — | ||
| "Aphaca123" | 2022 | — | Et aar uden dig | |
| "Hjerteklang" (featuring USSEL) |
— | |||
| "Synger bare" | 2024 | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Et sted hvor vi de første" | 2025 | 2 |
| |
| "En drøm om et menneske" | 1 |
|
Vild ungdom | |
| "Vi pumper hjertet op" | 4 |
|
Non-album single | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN[36] | ||||
| "Smelter under månen" | 2024 | 2 |
|
Kan du mærke suset? |
| "Hjertet på gaden" | 2025 | 18 |
|
Mig og min mund |
| "Til solen er sort" | 22 |
| ||
| "Klip klap sandaler" | 28 |
|
kan du mærke suset? | |
| "Flue i et spind" | 2026 | 1 |
|
Vild ungdom |
| "Hvor kommer vi fra" | 3 | |||
| "Himmelskib" | 13 | |||
| "Dagen er gået" | 18 | |||
| "Flyver som fugle" | 19 | |||
| "Sidste lys" | 40 | |||
| "Hold om mig" | 34 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Danish Music Awards | New Danish Live Name of the Year | Aphaca | Nominated | [16] |
| 2025 | GAFFA Awards | Danish Release of the Year | Magna | Won | [46] |
| Danish Pop Release of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Danish Hit of the Year | "Smelter under månen" | Won | |||
| New Danish Name of the Year | Aphaca | Won | |||
| P3 Guld | The Prize | Won | [18] | ||
| Listener Hit | "En drøm om et menneske" | Won | |||
| 2026 | GAFFA Awards | Single of the Year | Won | [47] | |
| Name of the Year | Aphaca | Won | |||
| Live Name of the Year | Won | ||||
| Pop Name of the Year | Won |
