The 2015 “Expert” Panel – DENMARK

The ESC United “Expert” Panel is back once again reviewing all Eurovision songs and rank them accordingly.

You are probably asking yourself on how we pick our panel and the criteria. We looked at people from all walks of life to bring together a unique group of panelists with a wide range in taste. They all bring different skills and tastes to the table so who are they?

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Arie – The Professional Musician
Daniel – The Noob
Katja – The Schlager Queen
Mike – The Smart One
Olivia – The Journalist

You can read more about them HERE

Disclaimer: While we picked, what we perceived individuals with a wide range in taste, it is subjective to a certain degree so just enjoy their thoughts and if you don’t agree, feel free to post your comments below.

Anti Social Media won the Danish NF with the song “The Way You Are”. It won the jury vote but not the televote. Will our panel agree with the juries or the viewers? Let’s find out.

Arie – The Professional Musician
First of all, I must admit that I love the sound of this song.  It has that fun Beatles/late 60s era feel that makes me want to dance.  (That’s the first 20 seconds).  If you like the first 20 seconds, logic dictates that I should like the rest of the song….since the rest ALL sounds the same.  They do nothing with arrangement that makes it either dynamic nor original, and this simple fact hurts the rest of the song.  So in essence, the song ends up being an okay version of a song that I would really love!
Points: 7/10

Daniel – The Noob
Nothing but cheerfulness! Every time I listen to this young and dynamic band, I have to stop myself from dancing. You can literally hear that they have so much fun singing and performing their song, even without seeing them on stage. I can not say any negative about this song. It is so catchy that I am not able to get the melody out of my head. Actually I already put this song in my playlist. Excellent choice, Denmark! 10 Points from me! They definitely deserve it.
Points: 10/10

Anselm – The Alternative Guy
Hmm, I’m a bit torn when it comes to Denmark this year. On the one hand, the song sounds quite formulaic and way too generic. On the other hand, I actually enjoy listening to this quite a lot – especially the backing singers make it quite a charming entry after all. I can also see it standing out amongst the sea of slow songs. And it’s definitely the best choice Denmark could’ve made in this terrible, terrible national selection they had this year.
Points: 6/10

Katja – The Schlager Queen
Talking about AFIL, here comes Denmark! With a radio friendly MOR pop entry, by yet another pop-rock band! Who’d have thunk it! I have to admit that Anti Social Media were nowhere near my top favorites in their national Final, but now in retrospect, Denmark chose well. This will definitely stand out as being one of the few happy-upbeat songs in the field. Unfortunately ASM’s lead singer lacks the charisma of Tim Schou to score heavily on the final night. But I think Denmark should qualify yet again.
Points: 6/10

Mike – The Smart One
I enjoyed the pulchritude in the official video however found the antics in the back seat of the car to be even more juvenile than expected. This Beatles-inspired ditty is pleasant and decently sung with Beatles harmony. Denmark takes us to the 60s this year after the 50s last year. However, the melody and lyrics are innocuous at best and forgotten within minutes. There is nothing new about this song, nothing different, nothing inspirational, or more than mildly interesting. It is cotton candy. It is easy to digest and quite sugary and even enjoyable. However it lacks any kind of nourishment. Empty calories.
Points: 5/10

Olivia – The Journalist
Hello 1950s! This song has grown on me like daffodils in spring. There is something quite refereshing about Denmark’s entry. It’s fresh, it’s clean, and reasonably catchy. You can’t help but feel uplifted by the song’s message. However, all boy-bands, playing faux-guitars have never done that well. And with strong competitionthis will be an uphill struggle unless the staging is extraordinary. But it’s a perfectly acceptable, friendly contribution. Will it qualify? Yes. Will it fly? No.
Points: 6/10

Overall: 40 Points

A great score for Denmark, it looks like it’s the kind of sound that is hard to dislike. With that, Anti-Social Media is taking the lead in the ranking but we still have 36 countries to go.

Let’s have a look at the current ranking (Click on the Country for the full review):

1	Denmark Anti-Social Media The Way You Are Points: 40

2	Russia Polina Gagarina A Million Voices Points: 36

3	Czech Republic Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta Hope Never Dies Points: 33

4	Moldova Eduard Romanyuta I Want Your Love Points: 26

Do you think that the panel got this right?!? Share your thoughts below and join the convo on our Forum. See yah soon!