Editing Michael Learns to Rock (section)

===International breakthrough (1993–1996)===
Encouraged by the performance of their first album, Michael Learns to Rock released a second album, ''[[Colours (Michael Learns to Rock album)|Colours]]'', in October 1993 which sold over 1.1 million records.<ref name="fuglsang"/> The album included the singles "[[Sleeping Child (Michael Learns to Rock song)|Sleeping Child]]", "[[25 Minutes]]" and "Out of the Blue". The band toured Asia for the first time. At the Phoebus Concert Hall in Bangkok they played to their largest audience until then of 12,000 people. The performance of this album coupled with the band's live performances resulted in the band receiving 'The Best Performing Act of the Year' award in 1994 at SEA Grammy Awards in Singapore for their performance of "25 Minutes", followed by the 'Gold Preis' from the German radio station RSH (Radio Schleswig-Holstein) in 1995 for radio hits such as "Wild Women'" and "25 Minutes".<ref name="Thaimajor"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Michael Learns to Rock: Legendary Musical Group in One-Night Performance at Bali's Hard Rock Hotel to Aid Aceh Relief on February 6, 2005.|url=http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=2352|access-date=29 September 2010|archive-date=21 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521191423/http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=2352|url-status=dead}} Bali News Retrieved 30 September 2010</ref>

In August 1995, Michael Learns to Rock's third album ''[[Played on Pepper]]'' was released, selling more than 1.2 million units.<ref name="fuglsang"/> Tracks in this album included "[[That's Why (You Go Away)]]" and "[[Someday (Michael Learns to Rock song)|Someday]]". For the first time, the band recorded and produced the whole album themselves.<ref name="mirrormag">{{cite news |title=Learning to Rock|author = Marisa De Silva and Ishani Ranasinghe|url=http://sundaytimes.lk/041010/mirror/4.html|access-date=30 September 2010}} ''Mirror'' magazine.</ref> To promote the album, the group performed 25 shows in ten countries. The release of this album also increased the band's presence in hitherto untapped markets like [[Brazil]], [[South Africa]], the [[UAE]] and eleven countries in the Far East, including [[Japan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Danish Rock Balladeers|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/141108_Realtime/14Nov2008_real79.php |work=Bangkok Post|access-date=30 September 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2012}}</ref>

To capitalize on the success of ''Played on Pepper'' and to curb piracy,<ref name="Thaimajor"/> Michael Learns to Rock released the [[greatest hits]] album ''[[Paint My Love - Greatest Hits|Paint My Love]]'' in October 1996, primarily in Asia; the album sold 3.4 million copies.<ref name="fuglsang"/> The song, "Paint My Love", is an English version of "Kun med dig" by Danish singers Dorthe Andersen and Martin Loft, which was composed by Jascha Richter. The band was also chosen as the headliner for the 'Celebrate Hong Kong' concert on 6 July 1997, marking the [[Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong|transfer of Hong Kong]] from the [[United Kingdom]] to [[People's Republic of China|China]].<ref name="fuglsang"/> The album also topped the charts in South Africa with sales of more than 350,000 copies in South Africa alone.