How to Live in Denmark

One of the tips I often give to newcomers in Denmark is to learn Danish through song lyrics. Find a Danish lyricist whose music you enjoy listening to on repeat. The repetition will help you get a feel for how the Danish language flows, and you’ll have something to dance to during those long, dark winter months. I did this myself when I first arrived in Denmark, and learned a great deal of Danish from the witty, self-mocking songs of Carsten Lykke.  Here are a few suggestions for your own Danish lyrics journey.  While comparing musical artists is tricky, here are a few suggestions to get you started. (I've put them all together in a Spotify Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/user/31kqr3reee5zzzybramxrkaewz2i?si=JDwYIeTLRUGieHhT14utiw&nd=1&dlsi=aba06e6a8f514d36] and a YouTube Playlist [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-XDjDu0Utk&list=PLyDEh2zE0weX4-tFQgEHh4BjVmMKfNa5a&index=2] for you.) 🎵 Hans Philip: Formerly a rapper, now a talented singer-songwriter. If you like artists like Dominic Fike, Hans Philip is worth a listen. 🎵 Medina: If you enjoy female dance artists like Lady Gaga or Chappell Roan, give Medina a try. She has a long line of dance hits and some interesting collaborations. Fun fact: Lady Gaga's hit “Born This Way” was co-written by Danish percussionist Jeppe Laursen. 🎵 Marie Key: Are you a Swiftie? Marie Key, with her witty, introspective lyrics and focus on personal relationships, might be a good fit.  🎵 The Minds of 99: This popular band regularly sells out stadiums in Denmark. They have a sound similar to The Killers or Arcade Fire. Listen. 🎵 Kim Larsen: For classic rock fans, Kim Larsen is a Danish legend, holding a place in Denmark’s national consciousness similar to Bruce Springsteen in the USA or Elton John in the UK. (Sanne Salomonsen Listen and Anne Linnet Listen are iconic female musicians from the same era.)  🎵 Thomas Helmig: Another Danish icon, with a bit of a Motown vibe.  🎵 Gasolin’: If you like 60s groups like The Animals or Small Faces, try Gasolin’. They’ve been compared to the early Rolling Stones.  🎵 Rasmus Seebach: Fans of Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes would probably like Rasmus Seebach. He's a big star in Denmark, and Danes have watched him grow from a confused young man to the family man and father he is today.  Focus on Danish-Language Artists Here, I’m focusing on Danish artists who sing in Danish. While many Danish musicians sing in English to reach a broader international audience—especially in Asia (like Christopher, a blond, muscular singer who’s a massive star in China and Korea)—for language learning, you’ll get the most benefit from songs entirely in Danish. Music has a way of sticking with you. I bet you can still recall advertising jingles from when you were very young. So listen to the music, look up the lyrics online, and you’ll be on your way to better understanding both the Danish language and culture.  Danish through song lyrics is an engaging and effective way to immerse yourself in the language. Music has a unique ability to make words and phrases stick in your mind, thanks to its rhythm, repetition, and emotional connection. By listening to Danish songs, you can improve your vocabulary, pronunciation, and overall understanding of how the language flows, all while enjoying catchy tunes. -----   One of the great benefits of learning Danish through music is the opportunity to hear everyday language in a natural context. Lyrics often reflect colloquial speech, offering insights into how Danes express themselves in informal settings. As you listen repeatedly to your favorite songs, you’ll begin to recognize common phrases, idioms, and sentence structures. You can look up the lyrics online to follow along, helping you connect the written and spoken forms of Danish. Songs can also give you a deeper understanding of Danish culture. Many Danish lyrics reflect the country’s values, history, and social themes, allowing you to gain a more nuanced perspective on life in Denmark. Artists like Kim Larsen, The Minds of 99, or Marie Key not only provide a fun listening experience but also open the door to cultural insights. Another advantage is the fun, relaxed environment music creates for learning. Instead of sitting down with a textbook, you can pop on your headphones, dance around, or hum along as you pick up the language. Whether you prefer pop, rock, folk, or hip-hop, there are plenty of Danish-language artists to explore. So, start by finding a few Danish songs you enjoy, look up the lyrics, and sing along. Over time, you’ll notice improvements in your language skills—and maybe even discover a few favorite Danish artists along the way!

Denmark has one of the highest job mobility rates in the world - about 20% of Danes start new jobs each year. Frequent job changes are a reflection of the Danish concept of "flexicurity" – flexibility with the security of the welfare state. As a matter of fact, if you stay in the same job for many years in Denmark, people start to wonder why.  Young people switch jobs the most, of course, but even people in the prime of their careers, as well as employees over 55, job hopping in Denmark is much more common than it is in other European countries. In the Danish job market, staying in the same job for many years, or not moving within the company, might raise eyebrows. Denmark doesn't really offer lifetime employment. In the audio version of my book, How to Work in Denmark: Tips for Finding a Job, Succeeding at Work, and Understanding your Danish Boss, now available on Amazon Audible, Saxo, Apple Books, and other platforms, I address this topic. The Danish job market is incredibly fluid, with easy hiring and firing processes, much simpler than in many other European nations, including Sweden. Being let go isn't a career killer here - it happens to most people sooner or later. Flexicurity in Denmark makes it inevitable.  The situation is a little trickier for people who are  in Denmark on a work visa. Losing a job could mean a short window to find another one before having to leave the country. It also complicates job switching, as the new employer must take over the visa sponsorship. However, once you achieve permanent residency, you can fully participate in the Danish job-switching culture. Because Danish employers can let you go at almost any time—with few restrictions—it’s crucial to stay proactive as an employee. Keep your skills updated, continuously learn new things in your field, and maintain an up-to-date LinkedIn profile.

Did you know that Copenhagen has its own color? It’s called Copenhagen Green, and it’s a dark emerald green, mixed with a fair amount of black. A little like the dark green we see on the leaves of trees here late in August. Pantone 3435C [https://icolorpalette.com/color/pantone-3435-c], for you designer types.  You’ll notice that all Copenhagen benches are this color, an you will see Copenhagen Green on many wooden doors and window frames in the old city, as well as lamp posts, railings, even small bridges in the beautiful Ørestedsparken. This was a conscious decision by city leaders in the early 1900s. They felt the combination of green and black blended well with both natural and urban settings, and that using it widely would create a sense of harmony. Plus almost everybody likes green.  Learn more about the design quirks of Copenhagen in this podcast, and find out how to take my self-guided audio tour of Danish Design in Copenhagen at voicemap.me/DanishDesign [http://voicemap.me/Danishdesign].   --------------------------

Many countries have a fictional character who represents them. Uncle Sam for the USA, Marianne in France, Mother India. Others have a legendary figure, who was real at one point but is now shrouded in myth, like King Arthur in England. For Denmark, Holger Danske is both. He was probably real, although he didn’t live in Denmark. He was a Danish knight living in France in 8th century, serving Charlemagne and he appears in several of the epic poems of the time as Ogier the Dane. When those poems were translated into Old Norsk, he became Oddgeir danski, which gradually morphed into Holger Danske. He has been a hero for centuries. And he is a sleeping hero. The legend is that when Denmark is in trouble, Holger Danske will rise from his slumber and come to its defense. This is why during World War II, when Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, one of the largest resistance groups called itself Holger Danske. If you’re not Danish, you may have experienced Holger Danske in the form of consumer products. There is a Holger Danske moving company with trucks all over Denmark, a Holger Danske beer, Holger Danske Aquavit liquor, Holger Danske tobacco. There’s a Holger Danske bar. Holger Danske has appeared on the Danish national football shirt.  And, very famously, there’s a statue of Holger Danske in the basement of Kronborg Castle, often known as Hamlet’s Castle, in Helsingør, Denmark – which Shakespeare referred to as Elsinore. I go by the castle in my new audio tour of Helsingør [https://voicemap.me/tour/helsingor/helsingor-old-town-walking-tour-hamlet-s-castle-and-the-little-merman] for VoiceMap. Check it out at voicemap.me/hamlet.  --------------

In June of each year, the streets of Denmark are suddenly full of young people wearing stiff white caps with bands of various colors - burgundy, midnight blue, light blue. These teenagers have just graduated from gymnasium, the Danish equivalent of high school, and the white hat is a sign of that accomplishment.  They wear the white hat everywhere they go for the two or three weeks after final exams, and it awakens a deep sentimentality in the usually practical and private Danes. It has a sort of magic.  When my daughter received her white cap last year, total strangers stopped her in the street to say “Congratulations on the hat” – tillykke med huen. Bus drivers congratulated her as she boarded, and so did supermarket clerks at the checkout counter.  Getting the hat is seen as a very happy occasion on the road from childhood to the big wide world. The white cap holds a special place in the Danish national consciousness. The open-backed truck tour If you visit in Denmark in June, you’ll see teenagers celebrating their graduation, riding through town on the back of open-backed trucks, wearing their fresh white caps and cheering or blowing whistles. Using there’s some pop music pumping at a very high volume.  The sides of the truck are covered with white banners, traditionally bedsheets, on which are painted slogans that are more or less obscene. Everybody on the truck except the driver is several beers in and shouting at passerby on the sidewalk, who shout back.