Duncan Laurence Releases Debut Album, “Small Town Boy”

Capitol Records has released Duncan Laurence’s debut album, Small Town Boy, which includes the global hit “Arcade,” plus “Love Don’t Hate It,” “Someone Else” and “Feel Something,” Combined global streams of Laurence’s songs are approaching 300 million. Listen to the album below.

“Throughout the process of making this album, I experienced more freedom in music than ever before. I was able to write, produce and arrange my own music,” says Duncan Laurence. “Each song opens a window into my life and tells my own story. Creating this album allowed me to grow as a person and learn more about myself and who I want to be as a musician. It is a dreamy, raw and poppy invitation into my world – really everything I could ever wish for in my first album.”

“Arcade” took the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s Global Viral chart last year and has since received radio airplay in 58 countries. With nearly 20 million U.S. streams included in the song’s 250+ million combined global streams tally, the Dutch artist has already had remarkable success stateside. The song won the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Laurence’s performance of “Arcade” at the competition was hailed as “powerful” by The New York Times and “haunting” by The Guardian. Check out Laurence’s 1 Mic 1 Take performance of “Arcade,” filmed at the historic Capitol Studios, HERE.

“Arcade” recently went viral on TikTok following its use in the “Dracotok” meme, which pairs the song with a deleted scene from a Harry Potter film. Check out Laurence’s TikTok post, wherein he transforms into a nerdy Harry Potter version of himself, HERE.

His second single, “Love Don’t Hate It,” appeared on 16 New Music Friday playlists, including the U.S. Premiering the official video, Billboard observed, “[Laurence] mediates the battle between love and hate to a peaceful truce. As the growling guitar and low, thudding piano in the verses are stacked up against Laurence’s impactful falsetto, the song embodies the confrontation of polar forces with the singer elevating the brightest moments to a decisive victory.”

Laurence recorded “Someone Else” in Los Angeles, collaborating with a team of songwriters and producers that included Brett “Leland” McLaughlin (Troye Sivan, Selena Gomez) and Bram Inscore (Icona Pop, Mayer Hawthorne). The Honey Pop said, “the song evokes the constant reminder of that one person you were in love with, and who sadly walked away…” “Last Night” is a tribute to imperfect relationships, valuing vulnerability over cold perfection. The final track on Small Town Boy is legendary Dutch DJ/producer Armin van Buuren’s “Feel Something,” which features Laurence on vocals. Laurence wrote “Feel Something” in Los Angeles with Leland. Prior to the global pandemic, Laurence played the prestigious Pinkpop Festival and over 30 European headline shows.