Mekdes

Mekdes Vinholt Pedersen (born 1998), known mononymously as Mekdes, is a Danish–Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and producer. Releasing one studio album and two extended plays, he has been nominated for several awards in the Danish music industry, including his win at DR P3's Guld, being named as "The Talent" for 2021. He featured alongside URO to release the song "" in 2023, which has since received triple-platinum certification from IFPI Danmark.

Career Born in Ethiopia, Mekdes was adopted and moved to Denmark at eightmonths old. Raised in Starup, he moved with his family to Kolding when he was 12, where he continues to live. He played handball for much of his childhood and, while in school, dropped out of a music course. During 2019, he performed at several festivals around Denmark including Spot, NorthSide Festival, and Smukfest. In front of approximately 100listeners, his performance at Spot marked his first concert, In November2019, he was presented with the Growth Layer Award from the DPA, an association for Danish songwriters, composers, lyricists and producers. The DPA cited his dedication to songwriting and singing talent.

With the COVID-19 pandemic canceling festivals and other performances during 2020, Mekdes spent time at his home in Kolding and worked on music, The album was written, performed, and produced by Mekdes alone, aside from the track "Lonely", which was co-produced by Vasco. While citing his vocals and songwriting as a positive for Mekdes and the album itself, critics mentioned the production as a drawback. He began playng live shows again in September and October, In November2020, he received a nomination from the Danish Music Awards as one of the new Danish live performers of the year, though he ultimately did not win the award. He became the first Danish artist to be invited to Spotify's Oyster Studio, which highlights musicians from Scandinavia, releasing the single "Give You More".

In December2020, Mekdes announced his tour for 2021, scheduling 13concerts between in April and May. He also returned to festivals, including GrimFest in July. In the latter half of 2021, he was nominated for DR P3's award. The program described his "wild vocals and obvious natural talent" as he won his first award. after previously releasing a single of the same name in late2021. Receiving recognition for the production of the album from the Danish Music Awards, he was nominated for Producer of the Year, though he did not win the award.

In January2023, URO released a song in a collaboration with Mekdes. The song, entitled "", reached triple-platinum certification from IFPI Danmark. It was later released on URO's debut studio album. Their song was nominated for P3's Listener Hit at the yearly in late2023, though did not win the award. The duo performed the song at Roskilde Festival, Denmark's largest music festival, in June2024. They also performed at the Crown Prince Couple's Awards ceremony in November 2024.

Mekdes released his second studio album on 9 January 2026. The album received mixed reviews.

Personal life Mekdes lives in Kolding with his partner. Format: Download

Extended plays Title Details Fly

Singles TitleYear Peak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum DEN "Right Direction" 2018 — "Out Of Here" — "On My Mind" 2019 — "Lose a Minute" — "In Favor of You" 2020 — "Lonely" — Fly "Give You More" — "Hanging Upside Down" 2021 — "Greedy" — Greedy "" 2022 — "" 2023 10IFPI DEN: 3× Platinum 2022 Danish Music Awards Danish Producer of the Year Greedy 2023 P3 Guld Listener Hit ""