Through two qualification heats 8 songs have been directly chosen for the Danish final, but who will get the last two spots? The selection kicked off today.
By adding two qualification heats to its national selection Denmark has followed the steps from neighbour countries like Sweden and Norway, however its procedure is quite different. In all three countries songs will have a second chance to qualify, in Denmark all songs left in the qualification heats without a ticket for the final are in for a chance while in both Sweden and Norway you have to have qualified for a so-called second chance competition.
As Denmark has now chosen 8 of the 10 songs for its final, 2 spots are open. The competition for these kicked off today. DR has placed the 8 songs left into two groups; P3 for the songs which appeal to the younger audience and P4 to the more mature listeners. Each morning the songs will be played on these radio stations and then people simply vote again through telephone and SMS. The voting will be open from Monday at 6am to Thursday at 9am.
Click here to listen to the 8 songs.
Esctoday.com has taken a closer look at the 8 remaining songs in order to see what works for and against each song qualifying.
In the P3 “youth” group:
Camille feat. DJ Mary – It ain’t for the money – To vote: “sang 01” to 1212
Why it will qualify: The young people who listen to this kind of music will probably vote for it and it has been mentioned that it was the young people who, via SMS, gave Lordi the 12 points from Denmark, so it is a big group of people who does have a lot to say.
Why it won’t qualify: This style of music is mainly heard at discotheques in the middle of the night and most people over 30 would never vote for such a song. In Denmark it is popular to do karaoke of the Danish entries, but can anyone see this song work as a karaoke hit?
Aud Wilken – Husker du – To vote: “sang 02” to 1212
Why it will qualify: It has an interesting tune and lyrics. Being placed in the “youth” group this might appeal to listeners who normally don’t show an interest in the Melodi Grand Prix simply because it doesn’t sound like a typical MGP song and is far from the Schlager style. Furthermore it might be an advantage that she is the only one in this group who sings in Danish.
Why it won’t qualify: It is up against Cammille feat. DJ Mary who is famous in the discotheque environment where the P3 listeners are to be found. Another of it competitors are Merhaba which will appeal to the youngest of the listeners. Aud might be seen as being too old for this group.
Julie Lund – Merhaba – To vote: “sang 03” to 1212
Why it will qualify: It has a catchy chorus that everyone can remember and the song moves quickly. It is good to dance to and it is particularly good to listen to if you are stuck in a traffic jam.
Why it won’t qualify: The lyrics which tell the story of a Middle – East born young man who came to Denmark to find freedom and a blonde girl to marry simply doesn’t do well in Denmark where the integration between the Danes and the Arab speaking world doesn’t include marrying each other. Furthermore most people voting might see this song as something that would have been more suitable in the junior contest.
DQ – Drama queen – To vote: “sang 04” to 1212
Why it will qualify: It is a catchy song building up to a big party. It is a song that will automatically get people dancing and singing along. It is popular to do karaoke of the Melodi Grand Prix songs and this is perfect for it. Furthermore people who wouldn’t normlly vote for a drag show might forget that when they hear iton the radio.
Why it won’t qualify: To most of the young listeners on P3 this might be too much Swedish Schlager. Furthermore a new survey tells that 53% of the 15-25 year old are looking down on homosexuality – drag shows are associated with this. That might be a big disadvantage for the song.
In the P4 “mature” group:
Jørgen Olsen – Vi elsker bare danske piger – To vote: “melodi 01” to 1212
Why it will qualify: The song is quite catchy and easy to sing along to; you actually do remember it after 3 minutes and isn’t that what it is all about? This song could do well as a karaoke hit. Furthermore most people from the age of 30 and up have so many great memories which include Jørgen Olsen and his brother – the thought of Jørgen being kicked out of a Danish final somehow doesn’t seem right to many people. Jørgen does have a big name when it comes to Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and some will vote for it because of him.
Why it won’t qualify: The song starts out quite ok, but seems to die half way through and the conversation between him and a band member simply kills the song; many will be quite annoyed at this. Most people still remember Fly on the wings of love and they have too high expectations due to that. In a comparison this song doesn’t stand a chance and it will disappoint.
Christoffer Brodersen – Paparazzi – To vote: “melodi 02” to 1212
Why it will qualify: It is one of those happy songs which most people don’t have anything against and it has a catchy tune and lyrics easy to sing along to. To do well you need a catchy chorus that people will remember – this one has the chance of being stuck in your head after you heard it.
Why it won’t qualify: It sounds like Søren Poppe (Rollo & King) added Latino rhythms, both things being not popular in Denmark at the moment. It is too Danish, it worked in 2001, but can we do it again? Furthermore having been placed in the “mature” group means he is up against Jørgen Olsen, which won't be easy to beat and a possible advantage of singing in Danish is lost.
Dariana & Olau – Flammer inden i – To vote: “melodi 03” to 1212
Why it will qualify: Denmark has always liked duets when it comes to Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and traditionally the Danish population will 8 out of 10 times chose a song with a Danish style rather than think about what is most international.
Why it won’t qualify: It is not a song easy to sing along to and the chorus might be forgotten as soon as the song is over. This sounds like something Denmark has sent several times before and after Lordi the population might think that being traditional doesn’t work anymore.
Heidi Degn – On top of the world – To vote: “melodi 04” to 1212
Why it will qualify: It is a song building up in the usual way and it sounds like a radio hit. With a radio competition this can do very well indeed. Denmark is in the semi-final and the thought of having to qualify for the final might lead the population to choose the mainstream in the hope that it is a “secure” card.
Why it won’t qualify: It will blend in with the rest of the radio music and even people not listening to the radio will vote. It will be seen as too typical mainstream pop where no one can tellif it is Denmark, Estonia or Malta.
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