Electric, explosive, euphoric
Who the hell are Infernal?
Electric, explosive, euphoric: Infernal is an energetic Danish duo made up of Lina Rafn and Paw Lagermann. We've made dance floor anthems, cry-into-your-pillow ballads and everything in between since 1997 – and we are nowhere near calling it quits.
We met in the '90s (yeah that's a while ago, we are aware), and we’ve been head-over-heels in a musical love affair ever since, all shimmering beats, hooks, strobe lights, and a bassline that never stops pumping.
From nightclub IN to Infernal
Beginning 🔥
Infernal sprang to life in 1997 – three friends on Copenhagen’s club scene who just wanted to play with sound.
Our first single, Sorti de L’enfer, was released mostly for fun – yet it turned into an underground smash. That lit a fire under us, and in 1998 we dropped our debut album Infernal Affairs, featuring tracks like Kalinka and Your Crown. The record moved 80,000 copies and crowned us one of Denmark’s biggest dance acts.
In 2000 Søren Haahr left the group, and we powered on as a duo – undeterred. With the trance hit Sunrise and the album Waiting for Daylight we kept pushing forward, and when You Receive Me was picked as the theme song for Big Brother, we put out a revamped version of the album: Muzaik. We veered from straight-up club bangers to tender ballads – and even nabbed Danish Artist of the Year at the DeeJay Awards.
But it wasn’t all raves and roses. In the early ’00s we struggled for our next move. We produced for others, made downtempo tracks – some wound up on chill-out compilations abroad. We piled up songs by the dozen but lacked a clear direction.
Then Søren (now recording as Red$tar) hit us with a wild idea: a trance track featuring a banjo. The result was Banjo Thing, an unexpected club hit that gave us the jolt we needed.
It reminded us what Infernal is all about: daring to take chances and making the dance floor explode in brand-new ways.
From Paris to Berlin, and the rest of the world
Breakthrough 🌍
In 2004 we were ready to go global. From Paris to Berlin was our third album – and its title track catapulted us from Danish dance floors to clubs in London, Ibiza, Berlin, and Tokyo.
With that irresistible electro hook, it became one of Denmark’s biggest pop triumphs ever. In 2006 it shot to #2 on the UK chart and landed among the year’s best-selling singles. Not bad for a track cooked up in our Copenhagen studio!
We seasoned the success with classic Infernal mischief: during the 2006 World Cup we re-cut the song as From London to Berlin in salute to England’s national team – right up until they got knocked out and we yanked it back, laughing. No worries, though; From Paris to Berlin had already branded us one of Denmark’s hottest music exports. By the end of 2007 the album had shifted over a million copies worldwide, and suddenly we were lighting up stages everywhere while crowds – from Tokyo to Tyrol – screamed the chorus back at us. Pure magic.
And we weren’t finished. Self Control cracked the UK Top 20, Ten Miles took Spain by storm and hit #1, and back home we held two of 2006’s most-downloaded tracks. In 2007 we followed up with I Won’t Be Crying – a dark club hit built on a Depeche Mode sample and a video still pulling in millions of views.
We’d found our secret sauce: whether it was eurodance, trance, or pop, it sounded like Infernal – and it worked.
Electric Cabaret and more
Reinvention on the dance floor 🕺🏻
After our international breakthrough we refused to rest on our laurels. In 2008 we cranked up a more mature, electronic sound with Electric Cabaret – or as Lina put it: “a little less feathers & sequins, a little more jeans-and-T-shirt.”
The lead single Downtown Boys became our first airplay #1 and hit #2 on the singles chart; the album went platinum, and fans latched onto new favourites like Punk Disco and Redefinition. Proof that Infernal could still surprise – on our own terms.
In 2010 Fall From Grace landed, balancing club energy with vulnerability. But the album was a wake-up call: the format was draining us. We ditched the album mindset and pivoted to singles and shows instead – a daring move, allowing us to keep the creativity alive.
Come 2012 we tried a Danish release for the first time as Paw&Lina. Stolt af mig selv? broke into the Top 10 and unlocked a fresh, sparkling lyrical side – not as Infernal, but as a creative playground. One thing became crystal clear: great pop doesn’t need translation.
For the rest of the decade we dropped singles whenever the urge hit – and you could feel that spark. Hurricane, Not Alone, Fist Up, and We Too set dance floors ablaze while we toured every inch of the country and headlined festival main stages – often alongside artists who were barely born when we started. (Vi Elsker 90’erne 2019? We blew the roof off!)
But we’ve also been down. We’ve argued, smashed gear in the studio, and almost thrown in the towel. Yet we kept going. When music is the heartbeat, you find a way.
And we did – and still do. Twenty-five years on and still at full throttle.
Our Journey
25 years with Infernal
The party continues 🎉
In 2017 we hit the 20-year mark at full throttle. In 2022 we turned 25 – and decided to celebrate with something special: a brand-new album.
HORMESIS became our musical manifesto for a quarter-century. The title nods to the idea that hardship makes you stronger – and we poured everything we’d learned from the highs and lows into a record that looks both back and forward. Yes, there are bagpipes. Because why not?
The album proved the spark hasn’t faded – far from it. It was our thanks to everyone who’s danced with us all the way, and proof that we’re still here: playful, fired up, and hungry for more.
Since then fresh tracks have dropped: 1000 Colours, Techno Tombola, the official Vi Elsker anthem We Luv, and the uplifting Inner Fire – because the flame has to stay lit, even when the world stalls.
And now? We’re only just getting started. The next chapter is brewing backstage – maybe album #7? Our ’00s vibes are suddenly hot again, and we’ve got a hunch the best is yet to come. One thing’s certain: we don’t do this because we have to; we do it because we can’t help ourselves.
Think we’ve retired? NO CHANCE! We’re still right in the middle of beats, chaos, and love – exactly where we belong. With platinum plaques, awards, and millions of concertgoers behind us we know one thing: as long as you keep partying with us, we’ll keep going. The story continues… 🔥🚀
