Helle Meinertz (middle), deputy head of mission from the Danish Embassy in China, gives a speech. Photo: Courtesy of the Danish Embassy in China

The Danish Embassy in China has played a constant role in boosting the cultural interactions. To celebrate the launch of Nordic Echo, a Danish-Chinese joint music album produced by Danish songwriter Knud Torben Christensen and Chinese musicians, the Danish Embassy, Tencent Musician, Nordic music publisher Edition Wilhelm Hansen, and executive producer of the project Morten Luxhøi held a small concert at the Danish Embassy on Thursday.

Born in 1949, Christensen, better known by his stage name Sebastian, is a household Danish songwriter, composer, singer, and guitarist whose music career spans over five decades. With several musical and opera successes behind him and record sales of more than two million, he has made a mark on the Danish music scene.

At the event, Morten Luxhøi, a contributor behind Sebastian's China project, said that the music of Sebastian is universal and his lyrics work well when translated into Chinese, which prompted him to cooperate with Chinese musicians. "It's been important for us to match the songs and artists in such a way that it supports their existing profile and style, because our hope is that these songs will have a new life in China. That's why the artist has been very much involved in choosing their song and developing the right sound," Luxhøi said.

Titled Nordic Echo, the album consists of 10 of Sebastian's famous songs, which are translated into Chinese and interpreted by Chinese artists.

"I am very happy that one of Denmark's greatest songwriters' [works] has been translated into Chinese and that a common joy for music has resulted in this cooperation and exchange of music and culture between Denmark and China," Helle Meinertz, deputy head of mission from the Danish Embassy said.

After half a year of preparation, recordings and production, the Danish music publisher Edition Wilhelm Hansen and Tencent Musician, a domestic online music streaming platform, released the music.

According to the Danish Embassy, one of Sebastian's songs will be available on the streaming services of Tencent Music Entertainment across China each week from August 1 and last for ten weeks. The entire album will be released in October.