Madrugada (band)

Madrugada

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1993 in Stokmarknes, Norway
Founder	Sivert Høyem, Robert Burås, Frode Jacobsen
Defunct	15 November 2008 (initially)
Fate	Reunited in June 2018
Headquarters	Oslo , Norway
Area served	Europe, Norway, United States
Key people	Sivert Høyem (vocals), Frode Jacobsen (bass), Jon Lauvland Pettersen (drums)
Products	Alternative rock music albums and live performances

Madrugada is an alternative rock ensemble from Norway, established in Stokmarknes in 1993. The founding lineup consisted of Sivert Høyem on vocals, Robert Burås handling guitar duties, and Frode Jacobsen playing bass. Following the passing of Burås on 12 July 2007, Høyem and Jacobsen finalized their last album featuring the original members. This eponymous record was released on 21 January 2008, succeeded by a farewell tour culminating in their concluding performance on 15 November 2008.

In June 2018, Høyem, Jacobsen, and Jon Lauvland Pettersen reunited to reform Madrugada for a European tour scheduled in 2019.

Madrugada’s musical approach is characterized by a stripped-down alt-rock sound with strong influences from blues. The band’s name translates to "dawn" in both Spanish and Portuguese.

History

The band began its journey in Stokmarknes in 1993 under the name Abbey's Adoption. The initial lineup featured Jon Lauvland Pettersen on drums, Frode Jacobsen on bass, Sivert Høyem as vocalist, and Marius 'Wah Wah' Johansen on guitar. In 1995, Robert Burås joined as guitarist, which led to their relocation to Oslo and Johansen’s exit. By 1998, after securing a six-album contract with Virgin Music Norway, they adopted the name Madrugada.

Their first album, Industrial Silence, was launched on 30 August 1999 to critical praise and was followed by their sophomore effort The Nightly Disease in 2001.

Due to internal disagreements, Pettersen departed early in 2002 and was succeeded by Simen Vangen. Subsequently, the band commenced work on their third album, Grit.

The fourth studio album, The Deep End, was recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles with producer George Drakoulias. It saw release in early 2005 across Norway, Europe, and the United States. The lead single "The Kids Are on High Street" was aimed primarily at Norwegian radio stations. Shortly after the album’s release, Vangen left to focus on jazz pursuits.

On 14 December 2005, Madrugada issued Live at Tralfamadore, which became the top-selling album in Norway that year; The Deep End ranked second. The band received three accolades at the Spellemannprisen, including Best Rock Album and Spellemann of the Year.

Following this acclaim, members explored individual projects: Høyem released his second solo record Exiles in 2006; meanwhile, Burås’ other group My Midnight Creeps put out Histamin in March 2007.

In early 2007, work began on their fifth album with producer John Agnello but was interrupted due to Burås’ untimely death on 12 July at age 31.

The single "Look Away Lucifer" came out on 10 December 2007; their final self-titled album followed on 21 January 2008. Most guitar parts had been recorded before Burås passed away.

During spring 2008, Madrugada toured Europe accompanied by My Midnight Creeps guitarist Alex Kloster-Jensen and Cato Thomassen.

A comprehensive double compilation titled The Best of Madrugada was released in 2010 and included one new song called "All This Wanting to Be Free".

On 15 June 2018, the band announced their reunion featuring original drummer Jon Lauvland Pettersen and revealed plans for a European tour in 2019.

Band members

Current lineup

• Sivert Høyem – lead vocals (1993–2008, 2018–present)
• Frode Jacobsen – bass guitar (1993–2008, 2018–present)
• Jon Lauvland Pettersen – drums (1993–2002, 2018–present)

Former members

• Robert Burås – guitarist (1993–2007, deceased 2007)
• Erland Dahlen – drums (2005–2008)
• Simen Vangen – drums (2002–2005)
• Marius "Wah Wah" Johansen – guitar (1993–1995)

Touring musicians

• Erland Dahlen – percussion (2019)
• Mikael Lindqvist – piano and keyboards
• Fredrik Viklund – guitar and keyboards (2005–2006)
• Alexander Kloster-Jensen – guitar and keyboards (2008)
• Cato Thomassen – guitar and keyboards (2008, 2019)
• Christer Knutsen – guitar and keyboards (2019)

Awards

• 1999: Awarded Spellemannprisen for Best Rock Band and Newcomer of the Year for Industrial Silence
• 2002: Received Spellemannprisen for Best Rock Band with Grit
• 2005: Honored with Spellemannprisen for Best Rock Band and overall Spellemann of the Year for The Deep End; also won Hit of the Year alongside Ane Brun for "Lift me"
• 2006: Spellemannprisen awarded for Best Rock Band for Live at Tralfamadore
• 2008: Received Spellemannprisen for Music Video of the Year for "Look Away Lucifer"
• 2022: Awarded Spellemannprisen Best Rock Band for Madrugada's 2022 release

Studio albums

• Industrial Silence (1999)
• The Nightly Disease (2001)
• Grit (2002)
• The Deep End (2005)
• Madrugada (2008)
• Chimes at Midnight (2022)

EPs

• Madrugada EP (1998)
• New Depression EP (1999)
• Electric (2000)
• Higher EP (2000)
• Hands Up – I Love You (2001)
• A Deadend Mind (2001)
• Ready (2002)

Live albums

• Live at Tralfamadore (2005)
• The Industrial Silence Tour 2019 (Live at Rockaplast) (2023)

Compilation albums

• B-sides and Rarities from Industrial Silence (1999)
• B-sides and Rarities from The Nightly Disease (2001)
• The Best of Madrugada (2010)

Singles

• "Beautyproof" (2000)
• "Majesty" (2003)
• "The Kids Are on High Street" (2005)
• "Hold on to You" (2005)
• "Stories from the Streets" (2005)
• "Lift Me" featuring Ane Brun (2005)
• "Look Away Lucifer" (2008)
• "What's on Your Mind?" (2008)
• "Half-Light" (2019)
• "Nobody Loves You Like I Do" (2021)
• "Dreams at Midnight" (2021)
• "The World Could Be Falling Down" (2021)
• "Ecstasy" (2021)
• "If I Was the Captain of This Ship" (2022)