I put a question mark in parenthesis in the title ’cause, Denmark…what are you doing, Denmark? There was a lot of talk after last year’s missed qualification (the third one in as many years) that Denmark might come back with a real contender to represent them in Malmö (which is about 45 minutes away from Copenhagen, where a lot of fans attending ESC will actually be staying this year) because the last time that ESC was held in Malmö, all the way back in 2013, Denmark notched their third – and so far last – win. Would Denmark really settle for another flop so close to home?
Now, I’m not saying these are bad songs (some of them aren’t very good, but that’s a different matter). But…I guess I’m a little surprised that only 8 artists were invited to compete in this final, and that none of these songs, even the two I liked, are actually competitive to go and do anything at ESC. There are persistent rumors that the Danish delegation actually does not want to even risk winning Eurovision again after hosting in 2014 nearly bankrupted the whole country, and as wary as I am of outlandish conspiracy theories, I’m sorta kinda starting to buy into this one. I wasn’t honestly even sure how to format this piece, because neither song I am about to discuss is even a sure-fire qualifier, but here we go nonetheless:
I actually really quite like this song, and it’s the only one I added to my playlist. There’s something anthemic about the arrangement that makes you want to light up a lighter and just wave your arm left and right, and Stella’s vocal is distinctive and effective. That said…is this a finished song? Is it a rough draft? Why is there no second verse? Why is the last minute and a half just the chorus repeated over and over? The lyrics seem to be suggesting some sort of narrative which ultimately goes nowhere (what is this song about? Sign what? What is happening?). While I can get lost in this and listen to it and be happy, I just don’t think this would really come across as a finished product that could even be staged effectively.
Again, this is fine. It’s a fine song. Saba is absolutely striking and she sings it confidently. That’s…it? It’s just an absolutely passable, well-produced pop song that kinda says nothing and kinda goes nowhere. I would even ideally like the electronic production if it actually built up to something, but here the pre-chorus seems to crank up only for the drop to sorta…happen. It’s all so very by-the-numbers, it kinda sounds like something you would find dumped in a corner in the Melodifestivalen basement of forgotten songs (the Swedish team behind the song actually includes Melanie Wehbe, whom I love, and people who have written songs for Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, among others, but not every song can or needs to be a hit). It seems as though this one might win and go to ESC, where…we’ll see what happens.
ESC Etc. 
Leave a comment