Madcon: Who Are They?

London, UK. (Top40 Charts/ SONY BMG MUSIC Entertainment) - Madcon are Yosef & Tshawe, children of exile who originate from Africa. Located in Norway we founded Madcon in the early 90s. What really sets Madcon apart from the competition is how we put a lot of our own background into our music which bring both originality and honesty to the table. Many artists are influenced by or copy music that comes out of the US, but Madcon don't! We express our truth and adress issues that people over here can relate to. Also we try to spread a positive message, the world needs it.

Madcons approach to the music game is refreshing and fun, they are in it for the love of music, and this really shows through their enormous ability to spread joy!

What does the name 'Madcon' stand for?
As young kids they used to 'obtain' what they needed in life by not paying for it. Not by being thugs or gangsters, but by being smalltime hustlers or cons - hence the name Madcon.

It's such a fantastic re-working - where did the idea for Beggin' come from?
Yosef and Tsahwe were out one night, and Tshawe was feeling broken hearted. The guys were sitting down having a heart to heart conversation, when all of a sudden Beggin by Frankie Valli came out the speakers. Tshawe really felt the lyrics, and the track was a banger. So they took the song and made a 2008 new and approved version, that even Frankie Vallie himself approved of! So in short it was a coincidence - they were at the right place at the right time.

What can we expect from your album, 'So Dark The Con of Man'?
The title "So Dark The Con Of Man" indicates the state of mankind being in a dark place. But, despite the name the album is very uplifting! It's a melting pot of musical influences touching evertything from reggae, to african muisc, to latino music, to rock, to motown, to hip hop, r&b and the list goes on. We are very unafraid to cross borders and break boundaries when it comes to music - why limit oneself to being just one thing.

What's your biggest achievement?
Beggin went 7xplatinum in Norway, and the album went 2xplatinum in 30 days - that felt pretty nice.

What's next for Madcon?
The UK baby! Here we come!