Welcome once again to another post. This is a rather late blog, since the final starts in a few hours, but today I shall be reviewing the Danish efforts in DMGP 2018. Now, I found that the Danish selection was very strong before, up til about 2015, when things started going downhill. However, I’m hoping the 2018 entries will change my mind. Anyway, let’s get on with the reviews.

Ditte Marie – Riot

Having taken a break for 6 years, after sending Overflow in DMGP 2012 (deserved better), Ditte has returned with a very well produced pop entry. And glory glory, I think we have our winner already! It starts off minimalistic, but unlike Starlight, it breaks into a pumping chorus, which takes the song even higher. I adore this, honestly. Denmark, you may have cocked up on the running order, but fix your mistakes and pick this!

Prediction: 1st

Anna Ritsmar – Starlight

This is giving me serious Alan Walker vibes, without any of the hard drops. This is rather well produced, and Anna’s vocals are smooth. I like this. The main issue is that this doesn’t break into anything particularly heavy, and even the tropical pop chorus seems small and inoffensive. But I can’t say I dislike it. But why is Denmark pitching their best entries in so early in the running order!

Prediction: 3rd

Rasmussen – Higher Ground

This is the favourite apparently. I don’t see why at all, I really don’t enjoy this at all. It sounds so much more like a battle scene song than a Eurovision entry, and I could see this getting dropped in the semi. Denmark, what do you see in this? The keychange at the end doesn’t help this either. Overrated, to be honest.

Prediction: 5th

Sannie – Boys on Girls

I disliked Saturday Night whenever I heard it. (Very unpopular opinion, don’t flay me.) But I was hoping for a funky kinda pop entry from Sannie this time. But what did I get? A terribly outdated attempt. The ‘boys on girls, girls on boys, etc etc’ chorus is dreadful. This song just makes me cringe the whole way throughout. DENMARK, DO NOT. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS.

Prediction: 8th

Sandra – Angels to my Battlefield

Before the songs were released this was the favourite, but it’s absolutely rocketed in the odds since. What does ‘send your angels to my battlefield’ mean? I don’t know. The song in itself seems average and boring honestly. Nothing much to remark on at all. NEXT.

Prediction: 9th

Lasse Meling – Unfound

This is a big guilty pleasure for me. I know it’s a literal carbon copy of your average Shawn Mendes song, but I love it. The funky guitar lines add so much to this. The buildup is perfect, and the chorus is the perfect intensity for this song. Altogether I must say this is one of the better entries in this selection. I’d say a lot of people will dislike this, but I’m not one of them. I’d love to see this get top 3.

Prediction: 2nd

CARLSEN – Standing Up For Love

I remember when this song won DMGP in 2016, why is it back already? Why are there so many O’G3NEalikes popping up nowadays? The lyrics are bleh and the instrumental is nothing special. It plods along with cliches and then – KEY CHANGE! Is this the soundtrack to hell? I really feel like CARLSEN owe S Club 7 a lot of royalties for the amount of inspiration they took from it. Or for soullessly ripping it off. Whichever, take your pick.

Prediction: 10th

KARUI – Signals

I’m really confused by 15 seconds in. A lot of randomly placed sound effects and a spam bass line with some piano bumps in there. This seems to be the Intoxicating Caramel of this selection, except only slightly better produced, and it’s the instrumental that confuses me in this. I don’t really like it.

Prediction: 7th

Rikke Ganer-Tolsøe – Holder fast i ingenting

The token Danish language entry. I love that word, ‘ingenting’. It rolls off the tongue so easily. Anyway, onto the song. I’m not sure what genre of pop this, is but I like it. The blaring synths in this add a lot, with a strangely dark feel not changed even by the higher plucks. No winner by any shot, but a decent entry in all honesty.

Prediction: 4th

Albin Fredy – Music for the Road

Ahh, the token country music entry. Begins with the typical ‘rolling stone’ cliche, and though the instrumental is bearable, this is a bit of a cliche. This is really unauthentic country music, and the lyrics have been done over and over. It seems nearly a mockery when the pop chorus comes in and pumps. If you’re gonna do country pop, do it well. It must also be mentioned that the chorus is a carbon copy of Alvaro Soler’s smash hit Sofia.

Prediction: 6th

PREDICTION:

1. Ditte Marie – Riot

2. Lasse Meling – Unfound

3. Anna Ritsmar – Starlight

4. Rikke Ganer-Tolsøe – Holder fast i ingenting

5. Rasmussen – Higher Ground

6. Albin Fredy – Music For The Road

7. KARUI – Signals

8. Sannie – Boys on Girls

9. Sandra – Angels to my Battlefield

10. Carlsen – Standing up for Love

To conclude, this is a very very bleh selection, but there is some gems hidden beneath the trash. And the best of them is the show starter, Riot by Ditte Marie. I’m not predicting that Eurovision will be going to Denmark any time soon though.

I was going to do the Sanremo reviews, but since there’s no elimination it’d take a helluva lot of work. And I’m tired. So expect another post sometime soon, the big Saturday is coming up soon, when there’s at least 10 NFs on!