The 53rd (yes, that’s correct 53rd) staging of the Danish internal selection competition Dansk Melodi Grand Prix was held on Super Saturday (Feb 11, 2023) in the Southern Zealand city of Næstved, Denmark. Sometimes dwarfed by other Nordic nation’s internal selection shows the Danes opt for one show and one chance to pick a winner. As per previous editions 8 acts battled it out for a chance to represent Denmark in Liverpool this May.
Hosted by local celebrities Tina Müller and Heino Hansen the packed Arena Næstved was bursting with excited locals ready for the heat of battle. Having had all week to vote for their favourite 2023 act these votes, along with those cast during the live event, were combined to send the top 3 acts to the super final. No jury votes in this first run…only 100% public voting. So, who was in the running?
Nicklas Sonne – “Freedom”…a rousing rock-metal track
Frederik Leopold – “Stuck on You”….radio friendly, if a little dated, man-pop
maia maia - “Beautiful Bullshit”…accessible sing-a-long pop
Mariyah LeBerg – “Human”… whimsy alt-pop
Micky Skeel – “Glansbillede”…a Robbie Williamsesque crowd pleaser
EYJAA – “I Was Gonna Marry Him”…Icelandic sisters with an ode to being ghosted
Soren Torpegaard Lund – “Lige Her”…a stylish yet a little boring torch song
Reiley – “Breaking My Heart”…a Faroese version of Troye Sivan with a chorus begging to be sampled on TikTok
The Danes can be a funny bunch when it comes to their internal selection often veering to safe options which don’t always translate to success at Eurovision proper. So, it comes as no surprise that pre-contest favourites EYJAA and maia maia found themselves missing out on the super final in favour of a trio of lads.
So, who’d be taking the ticket to Liverpool? Would it be Micky Skeel’s inoffensive mid-tempo pop rock “Glansbillede”, towering crowd-pleaser Nicklas Sonne with his rock-metal “Freedom” or Faroese social media sensation Reiley who’s “Breaking My Heart” skirted some rule-breaking controversy pre-contest but was cleared to compete. The winner of the super final would be determined by the more familiar 50% public vote and 50% jury vote.
Oozing personality Nicklas Sonne delivered a solid public vote but the jury’s tipped in favour of the contemporary stylings of Reiley propelling the lad from the Faroe Islands to the win. Reiley becomes the first-ever Faroese winner of the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and is set to break some hearts in Liverpool.
Super-Final Results…
Reiley – “Breaking My Heart” (43% of the votes – Jury 28%/ Public – 15%)
Nicklas Sonne – “Freedom” (34% of the votes – Jury 14%/ Public – 20%)
Micky Skeel – “Glansbillede” (23% of the votes – Jury 8%/ Public – 15%)
Can a bit of Faroese magic advance Denmark back into the Grand Final or will the Danes hearts get broken for another year?