Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Denmark was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Sand", written by Jonas Thander, Melanie Wehbe, and Pil Kalinka Nygaard Jeppesen, and performed by Saba. The Danish participating broadcaster, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Participating broadcasterDanish Broadcasting Corporation (DR)
Country Denmark
National selection
Selection processDansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024
Selection date(s)17 February 2024
Selected artist(s)Saba
Selected song"Sand"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (12th)
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2023 2024 2025►

Background

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Prior to the 2024 contest, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Denmark fifty-one times since its first entry in 1957.[1] It had won the contest, to this point, on three occasions: in 1963 with the song "Dansevise" performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann, in 2000 with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" performed by Olsen Brothers, and in 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, "Øve os på hinanden" performed by Fyr og Flamme, "The Show" performed by Reddi and "Breaking My Heart" performed by Reiley all failed to qualify to the final.[1]

As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, DR organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster had selected all of its Eurovision entries thus far through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. DR confirmed its intention to participate at the 2024 contest on 12 May 2023, announcing that Dansk Melodi Grand Prix would again be organised in order to select its entry for the contest.[2]

Before Eurovision

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Saba, winner of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024, at the PrePartyES event in Madrid

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024

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Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 was the 54th edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (DMGP), the music competition that selects the Danish entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The event was held on 17 February 2024 at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, and was hosted by Sara Bro [da] and Stéphanie Surrugue [da].[3][4][5][6] The show was broadcast on DR1 and on DR's online platform DR TV.[7]

Format

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Eight acts competed in one show where the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round, open between 10 and 16 February 2024 and again during the live final of 17 February, the top three songs qualified to a superfinal, where a second voting round determined the winner. The results of both rounds were based on the 50/50 combination of votes from the public and a 20-member jury panel (a larger one than in previous editions), composed for the first time since 2012 of ten international members – from the five most recent winning countries, i.e. Sweden, Ukraine, Italy, the Netherlands and Israel – alongside ten Danish professionals. Viewers were able to vote each song once per round via a new version of the mobile application introduced in the 2023 edition or, during the live show, via SMS. Artists were given the option of a live orchestra accompaniment for their live performances.[3][4][8][9][10]

Competing entries

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On 29 August 2023, DR opened a submission period until 27 October 2023 for artists and composers to submit their entries. Songs could be submitted and performed in any language, however, in order to qualify to compete, at least one composer, lyricist or performer had to be a Danish citizen or exhibit connection to Denmark (such as permanent residence in the country or marriage to a Danish citizen). By the end of the submission window, around 600 entries had been received. DR also selected contestants by direct invitation of artists from the Danish music scene.[7][9][11][12] The selection process was completed on 27 October 2023,[13] with the selected entries announced and released on 25 January 2024; they were presented in a dedicated programme hosted by Fyr og Flamme on 10 February, one week before the final. Among the entrants was Basim, who represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. For the first time in the history of the event, none of the competing entries contained lyrics in the Danish language, all of them being in English.[7][14][15]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Aura Dione "Mirrorball of Hope"
Basim "Johnny"
Chu Chu "The Chase (Zoom Zoom)"
  • Amy Jeyasri Larsen
  • Christopher Engel Snitkjær
  • Emma Lincoln
  • Merle Pi Madsen
  • Nina Vejen Henriksen
Janus Wiberg "I Need Your Love"
RoseeLu "Real Love"
Saba "Sand"
Stella "Sign Here"
Ublu "Planetary Hearts"
  • Adam Spanggaard Saarup
  • Andreas Darger
  • Emil Emborg
  • Frej Fogh Darger
  • Marie Rørbæk
  • Martina Nielsen

Final

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The final took place on 17 February 2024.

Final – 17 February 2024[16]
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Saba "Sand" Qualified
2 Stella "Sign Here" Eliminated
3 Chu Chu "The Chase (Zoom Zoom)" Eliminated
4 Basim "Johnny" Qualified
5 RoseeLu "Real Love" Eliminated
6 Ublu "Planetary Hearts" Eliminated
7 Janus Wiberg "I Need Your Love" Qualified
8 Aura Dione "Mirrorball of Hope" Eliminated
Superfinal – 17 February 2024[17]
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
1 Saba "Sand" 22 15 37 1
2 Basim "Johnny" 15 19 34 2
3 Janus Wiberg "I Need Your Love" 13 16 29 3

Ratings

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Viewing figures[18]
Average
viewership
Share (%) Average rating
(%)
Total
viewership
Total rating
(%)
967,200[a] 67.3% 16.9% 1,574,262 27.5%

Promotion

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As part of the promotion of her participation in the contest, Saba attended the Melfest WKND event in Stockholm on 8 March 2024, the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024, the Barcelona Eurovision Party on 6 April 2024, the London Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024, and the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024.[19] She was also set to perform at the Nordic Music Celebration's Eurovision Night in Oslo on 20 April 2024 but was forced to be absent due to undisclosed personal reasons.[20][21]

Calls for boycott

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The inclusion of Israel in the list of participants for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war sparked controversy in Denmark as well as several other participating countries, with calls and petitions for broadcasters to boycott the event. By mid-January 2024, Gustav Lützhøft, head of culture, children and youth at DR, stated that the broadcaster would support Israel's participation,[22] leading to demonstrations outside the DR Koncerthuset during the announcement of DMGP contestants on 25 January, calling for the broadcaster or the eventual winning artist to boycott the contest.[23] None of the entrants expressed their overt support for a boycott;[24] Ublu later stated their opposition to Israel's participation ahead of the show.[25]

While not mentioning Israel's participation in the contest, on 29 March 2024, Saba released a joint statement with other Eurovision 2024 entrants – namely Bambie Thug (Ireland), Gåte (Norway), Iolanda (Portugal), Megara (San Marino), Mustii (Belgium), Nemo (Switzerland), Olly Alexander (United Kingdom), Silvester Belt (Lithuania) and Windows95man (Finland) – calling for "an immediate and lasting ceasefire" in Gaza as well as the return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.[26]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country would perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[27] Denmark was scheduled for the first half of the second semi-final.[28] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Denmark was set to perform in position 7.[29]

In Denmark, all the shows were broadcast on DR1 as well as online via DR TV, with commentary provided by Ole Tøpholm.[30][31] In addition, as part of the Eurovision programming, DR and SVT collaborated with other EBU member broadcasters – namely ARD/WDR, the BBC, ČT, ERR, France Télévisions, NRK, NTR, RÚV, VRT and Yle – to produce and air a documentary titled ABBA – Against the Odds, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Sweden's first victory at the contest with "Waterloo" by ABBA.[32][33]

Performance

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Saba took part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 2 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May.[34] Her performance of "Sand" at the contest involved LED lighting and actual sand scattering on the stage.[35]

Semi-final

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Denmark performed in position 7, following the entry from Austria and before the entry from Armenia.[29] The country was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. This marked the fourth consecutive time that Denmark failed to advance from the semi-finals. It was later revealed that Denmark finished 12th out of 16 countries, scoring 36 points.

Voting

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Below is a breakdown of points awarded to and by Denmark in the second semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public.[36] The Danish jury consisted of Jesper Groth, who represented Denmark at the 2021 contest as a member of the group Fyr og Flamme, Ihan Haydar, who represented Denmark at the 2022 contest as a member of the band Reddi, Vicky Leander, Las Thomsen, and Søren Torpegaard Lund.[37] In the second semi-final, Denmark placed 12th with 36 points. Over the course of the contest, Denmark awarded its 12 points to Israel in the second semi-final, and to Switzerland (jury) and Croatia (televote) in the final.[38][39]

DR appointed Stéphanie Surrugue [da] as its spokesperson to announce the Danish jury's votes in the final.[40]

Points awarded to Denmark

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Points awarded to Denmark (Semi-final 2)[38]
Score Televote
12 points
10 points   Norway
8 points
7 points   San Marino
6 points
5 points   Estonia
4 points   Latvia
3 points
2 points    Switzerland
1 point

Points awarded by Denmark

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Detailed voting results

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Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.[41] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

The following members comprised the Danish jury:[37]

Detailed voting results from Denmark (Semi-final 2)[38]
Draw Country Televote
Rank Points
01   Malta 14
02   Albania 13
03   Greece 9 2
04    Switzerland 5 6
05   Czechia 10 1
06   Austria 8 3
07   Denmark
08   Armenia 6 5
09   Latvia 4 7
10   San Marino 15
11   Georgia 11
05   Belgium 12
13   Estonia 7 4
14   Israel 1 12
15   Norway 3 8
16   Netherlands 2 10
Detailed voting results from Denmark (Final)[39]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Rank Points Rank Points
01   Sweden 3 20 11 10 6 7 5 5 6
02   Ukraine 11 4 3 11 11 6 6 2 10
03   Germany 20 23 6 17 16 19 14
04   Luxembourg 9 8 25 9 7 11 1 20
05   Netherlands[b] 22 25 4 2 3 3 N/A
06   Israel 15 7 16 23 24 22 3 8
07   Lithuania 14 26 21 18 14 26 10 1
08   Spain 25 10 15 19 8 18 19
09   Estonia 26 22 26 5 25 20 16
10   Ireland 4 2 8 25 17 5 7 8 3
11   Latvia 12 14 1 22 20 8 4 7 4
12   Greece 6 19 18 26 5 12 18
13   United Kingdom 10 12 19 6 18 15 21
14   Norway 21 6 7 13 22 14 11
15   Italy 7 18 12 16 9 16 12
16   Serbia 2 13 20 15 23 10 2 22
17   Finland 23 15 23 3 15 13 9 2
18   Portugal 19 17 13 20 10 23 24
19   Armenia 8 3 14 12 19 9 3 13
20   Cyprus 17 24 24 14 13 25 15
21    Switzerland 1 1 2 4 1 1 12 6 5
22   Slovenia 24 11 10 21 26 24 25
23   Croatia 5 16 9 7 2 4 8 1 12
24   Georgia 18 5 17 24 21 17 23
25   France 13 9 5 1 4 2 10 4 7
26   Austria 16 21 22 8 12 21 17

Notes

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  1. ^ Including 398,400 via streaming services
  2. ^ The Netherlands was disqualified prior to the final.[42][43]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Denmark". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ^ Ellegaard, Christian (12 May 2023). "DR-chef om dansk Eurovision-fiasko: 'Nej, vi har ikke mistet grebet'" [DR director about the Danish Eurovision fiasco: 'No, we didn't lose our grip']. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b "DR vil knække koden til Eurovision Song Contest: Nu skal vi i finalen" [DR wants to crack the code for the Eurovision Song Contest: Now we're going to the final]. B.T. (in Danish). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Falk, Simon (28 September 2023). "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024: København bliver værtsby og DR har strategiske ændringer til showet" [Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024: Copenhagen will be the host city and DR has strategic changes for the show]. Good Evening Europe (in Danish). Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  5. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (28 September 2023). "Denmark: DMGP 2024 date, host city and venue unveiled". ESCToday. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. ^ Álvarez, Jesús (27 November 2023). "Sara Bro y Stéphanie Surrugue presentarán el Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (DMGP) 2024" [Sara Bro and Stéphanie Surrugue will present Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (DMGP) 2024]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Ellegaard, Christian (25 January 2024). "En tidligere vinder og en popstjerne: Her er deltagerne i Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024" [A former winner and a pop star: Here are the participants in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024]. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  8. ^ Farren, Neil (28 September 2023). "Denmark: Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 on February 17". Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b Papadopoulos, Giorgos (4 November 2023). "Denmark: 500 songs submitted for Eurovision 2024 – Fundamental changes aimed at breaking the non-qualification streak!". Eurovisionfun. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Sådan stemmer du med Grand Prix-appen" [How to vote through the Grand Prix app]. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  11. ^ Wettergren, Svante Oskar (29 August 2023). "Indsend dit hit til Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024" [Submit your hit for Dansk Melodie Grand Prix 2024]. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  12. ^ Bijuvignesh, Darshan (31 August 2023). "Denmark: Submissions Open For Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  13. ^ Ampatzidis, Ioannis (10 January 2024). "Denmark: Artists and Songs to be revealed on January 25!". Eurovisionfun. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
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  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (10 February 2024). "Tonight: Finland, Italy & Latvia Select for Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
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  17. ^ Álvarez, Jesús (17 February 2024). "Saba con «Sand» gana el DMGP 2024 de manera unánime" [Saba with "Sand" wins DMGP 2024 unanimously]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  18. ^ Carabaña Menéndez, Hugo (22 February 2024). "Audiencias de preselecciones: El DMGP arrasa (67,3%), el Eesti Laul despunta (41,5%), el Supernova mejora (28,22%) y Das Deutsche Finale marca el mejor dato desde 2010 (14,7%)" [Ratings of preselections: DMGP sweeps (67.3%), Eesti Laul stands out (41.5%), Supernova gets better (28.22%) and Das Deutsche Finale marks its best value since 2010 (14.7%)]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  19. ^ Granger, Anthony (26 February 2024). "Denmark: Saba Confirms Eurovision Promotional Tour". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  20. ^ Granger, Anthony (12 March 2024). "Denmark: Saba Joins the Nordic Music Celebration". Eurovoix. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  21. ^ Granger, Anthony (10 April 2024). "Norway: Alessandra Joins The Nordic Music Celebration While Saba Pulls Out". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  22. ^ Herskind, Ida (11 January 2024). "Musikere: Hvis Rusland kan udelukkes fra Melodi Grand Prix, bør Israel også blive det" [Musicians: If Russia can be banned from the Song Contest, Israel should be too]. Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  23. ^ Asmussen, Birgitte Skovlund (25 January 2024). "DR har ikke planer om at boykotte Eurovision, selvom Israel deltager" [DR has no plans to boycott Eurovision, even if Israel participates]. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  24. ^ Christensen, Pernille; Mejdahl Buhl, Christian (25 January 2024). "Boykot eller ej? Israel deler Grand Prix-deltagerne" [Boycott or not? Israel splits the Grand Prix participants]. Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  25. ^ Ellegaard, Christian (14 February 2024). "Danske Grand Prix-deltagere vil have Israel smidt ud af Eurovision: 'Vi kan ikke bare lukke øjnene'" [Danish Grand Prix participants want Israel kicked out of Eurovision: 'We can't just close our eyes']. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  26. ^ Mancheño, José Miguel (29 March 2024). "Varios artistas de Eurovisión 2024 firman un comunicado conjunto pidiendo un alto al fuego en Gaza" [Various Eurovision 2024 artists sign a joint statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  27. ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (13 December 2023). "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30". Eurovoix. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed!". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  30. ^ Grace, Emily (25 January 2024). "Denmark: Ole Tøpholm To Commentate On Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Melodi Grand Prix og Eurovision Song Contest" [Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision Song Contest]. dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  32. ^ "BBC One and iPlayer commission feature documentary ABBA: Against The Odds to celebrate 50 years since ABBA's Eurovision win". BBC Media Centre. BBC. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Record number of EBU Members unite for new ABBA documentary". ebu.ch. EBU. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Rehearsal Schedule". Eurovisionworld. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  35. ^ Grace, Emily (29 April 2024). "Denmark: All The Details About Saba's First Rehearsal". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Voting Procedures 2024". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Grand Final of Malmö 2024 – Jurors". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  38. ^ a b c d "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Malmö 2024 – Denmark". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  39. ^ a b c "Results of the Final of Malmö 2024 – Denmark". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  40. ^ Van Dijk, Sem Anne (8 May 2024). "Denmark: Stéphanie Surrugue to Announce the Points at Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  41. ^ "How the Eurovision Song Contest works". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  42. ^ "Statement on Dutch participation in the Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  43. ^ "How do I vote for my favourite Eurovision song?". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
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