All opinions expressed in this article are those of the person quoted and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the other team members or ESC United as a whole.
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2023 is soon upon us! Once again, 8 acts will battle it out for the ticket and honor of representing Denmark at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, so the question that remains, who will it be? The panelists have decided, upon hearing the audio of each song, since no live performance was made available, by the time the submissions were sent it.
Only two members of the team has taken the time to review the songs, which are:
- David Popescu – Denmark
- Tyler Griffith – United States of America
We shall see what the two had to say about the 8 competing song, and if their combined score can predict the actual winner, ahead of the show.
Song 1: Frederik Leopold – “Stuck On You”
David – 2: “This is the definition of the fantasy less music that exists in Denmark, it lives in it’s own time in the country, which has absolutely zero appeal. It’s that attempt on making a hit, with some classic vibes. Frederik adds some charm to the song, but other than that… I might be Danish, but songs like this are why I avoid typical Danish music.”
Tyler – 4: “Copy and paste my write-up for Reiley here. The prominent use of the autotune is concerning to me, as I’m not sure if it’ll cover up bad vocals in the live performance. The beat is catchy, and I can see it getting televotes with enough energy, but the vocal style is not something I’m into at all. Sorry, but low score, hope the live changes my mind!”
Song 2: Eyjaa – “I Was Gonna Marry Him”
David – 4: “VERY questionable lyrics, a huge lack of proper structure, the words just come out in any order, it’s hard to have an idea of how the song went after you’ve heard it. I actually enjoy the composition, but how it’s lyrically built really sets me off and leaves me more confused.”
Tyler – 6: “I enjoyed the instrumentation for this, even if it feels slightly too basic for my tastes. It has a decent rhythm to it, and the vocals are good too. The big thing I don’t care for are the lyrics lol. I get lamenting over him skipping town just so he could fulfill a midlife crisis or adventuring, but girl, screw him he sucks! I would have liked a twist where there’s the initial lamentation, before realizing that, “nah, screw him” at the end could have made the song better for me. Decent entry!”
Song 3: Micky Skeel – “Glansbillede”
David – 5: “Very Danish, but in a good way, and I’m not talking about the song being in Danish. I believe many Danes can relate to the lyrics, and it also shows some effect of the Danish language as well. Composition wise is well done, maybe a bit too sweet boy style and too sugar coated, but it has it’s catchiness.”
Tyler – 6: “A perfectly serviceable song! It’s good, it’s a nice road trip song too. “Glansbillede” is fine, and I’m sure the performance will be okay too. I’m not sure how this makes it through, as this doesn’t seem to have good recap material to be engaging for the televote. But as an entry by itself, regardless of the Eurovision connection, it’s good! Would add it to my Spotify.”
Song 4: Maia Maia – “Beautiful Bullshit”
David – 4: “Very repetitive, as soon as the song starts, it remains with that same beat throughout the entire song. Tempo-wise, it’s quite nice and never stops, but also again… never changes. The title can be a bit of a setback, and clearly a big no no, but they couldn’t come up with something more clever? No doubt that composition wise, it’s better than lyrically.”
Tyler – 6,5: “This song is probably the most schlager sounding song I’ve heard so far this season, and I really don’t mind it one bit! It’s dancey, it’s poppy, I can see the audience having fun with it, but it isn’t a classic or masterpiece. It might get Denmark back into the final, but also wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t. It’s good, but not GREAT. Demerits for this song not being Eurovision ready (“Beautiful Bee Ess” just doesn’t sound as catchy!)”
Song 5: Nicklas Sonne – “Freedom”
David – 4: “I’m just going to assume this is the rocker anthem of national finals this year. We often do have these rock songs, but THIS is a full out rock song. Somehow… I’m just not digging it. It’s all berserk and 300% on the speakers, but it feels dragging and lasts longer than I personally wish, as if it spends all the energy immediately and eventually becomes flat and a bit too much of the same. Very cool effort, just not properly executed.”
Tyler – 3,5: “Stating the obvious, the rock instrumentation in this is definitely unique for an ESC entry. There’s a slightly more metal bend to it, which isn’t a bad thing, but my main criticism is just the lyrics are bad! The lyrics are much too repetitive and drags the song as a result, making the song feel much longer to get through. The live could be fun to watch, but I don’t care for the song all that much either.”
Song 6: Mariyah LeBerg – “Human”
David – 3: “I would literally describe this as a hippie anthem, it’s all over the place, trying to include as much as possible and doesn’t really go anywhere, despite it tries to do so. I’m struggling to remember anything, other than the title and all kinds of random instruments, to the point where I don’t know what to think”
Tyler – 4,5: “The requisite “We’re All Different, But Actually, We’re All The Same” song, and that’s never really been a genre that has endeared itself to me. It’s a basic concept that I’m still surprised broadcasters go, ‘Yes, we definitely need to pick this in our limited national final :)’. “Human” doesn’t bring anything new to the table for me. Mariyah sounds decent at least, but I just don’t care for this song so bye.”
Song 7: Søren Torpegaard Lund – “Lige Her”
David – 1: “This couldn’t be any slower, could it? It’s just going nowhere, and neither am I.”
Tyler – 5: “Lige her” is a pleasant song, but doesn’t really spark any need to get invested in it. The song feels airy and fluffy, but way too light to stay in my mind. The lyrics are fine, the singing is fine, the song overall is just fine! Nothing much really to say than that.”
Song 8: Reiley – “Breaking My Heart”
David – 3: “This gets absolutely nowhere, it is simple simplicity. The use of the repeated chorus, the lacking verses, the similar beat. It’s not hitting the spot at all, more as it’s rather bothering. I do hear the attempt of building something up, but it get’s completely forgotten and the song ends up going nowhere, as said before.”
Tyler – 4: “I already don’t like the sound of Reiley’s voice, but looking past my own personal preferences, the song has potential as being an Andra Chansen song in Melodifestivalen. The biggest demerit is the autotune, as I’m really not sure if there will be a way for Reiley to sound good with how much the studio version of the song relies on that. The beat is catchy though, but I just can’t shake the feeling that this will flop.”
Final Score!
With that! The two panelists have shared their opinion about each song and given them a score as well. The scores that have been given were between 1 and 10, with 1 being the lowest score and 10 the highest. With only two panelists for this review, it means that 20 is the maximum and perfect score, while 2 is the absolute lowest. In case of a tie between two or more songs, the song that receive the highest individual score, will be ranked higher.
Let’s now have a look at the final outcome:
- Micky Skeel – 11 points
- Maia Maia – 10,5 points
- Eyjaa – 10 points
- Mariyah LeBerg – 7,5 points
- Nicklas Sonne – 7,5 points
- Reiley – 7 points
- Søren Torpegaard Lund – 6 points
- Frederik Leopold – 6 points
Not exactly much that makes the difference, but top 3 surely sticks out from the rest, with Micky Skeel‘s song “Glansbillede“, taking the top of this review panel. We shall see on the 11th of February if this is the outcome of this national final, or if the two panelists just aimed completely wrong with their view on the songs.
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2023 will take place in Næstved Arena at 20:00 (8 PM) local and CET time, where the public will be in charge of picking the 3 super-finalists and then together with a jury in the super-final, decide who will get the ticket to Liverpool.
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