Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Country Denmark
National selection
Selection processDansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018
Selection date(s)10 February 2018
Selected entrantRasmussen
Selected song"Higher Ground"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Niclas Arn
  • Karl Eurén
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (5th, 204 points)
Final result9th, 226 points
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2017 • 2018 • 2019►

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Higher Ground" written by Niclas Arn and Karl Eurén. The song was performed by Rasmussen. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Higher Ground" performed by Rasmussen was the winner as decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting over two rounds.

Denmark was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2018. Performing during the show in position 5, "Higher Ground" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 12 May. It was later revealed that Denmark placed fifth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 204 points. In the final, Denmark performed in position 15 and placed ninth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 226 points.

Background

Prior to the 2018 contest, Denmark had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-six times since their first entry in 1957.[1] Denmark had won the contest, to this point, on three occasions: in 1963 with the song "Dansevise" performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann, and twice in Sweden: in 2000 with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" performed by Olsen Brothers, and again in 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest. In the 2017 contest, "Where I Am" performed by Anja Nissen qualified Denmark to the final placing twentieth.

The Danish national broadcaster, DR, broadcasts the event within Denmark and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. DR confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 4 July 2017.[2] Denmark has selected all of their Eurovision entries through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. Along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster announced that Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018 would be organised in order to select Denmark's entry for the 2018 contest.[2]

Before Eurovision

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018

Rasmussen at Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018 was the 48th edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the music competition that selects Denmark's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The event was held on 10 February 2018 at the Gigantium in Aalborg, hosted by Annette Heick and Johannes Nymark and televised on DR1 as well as streamed online at DR TV.[3][4] The national final was watched by 1.393 million viewers in Denmark.[5]

Format

Ten songs competed in one show where the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top three songs based on the combination of votes from a public vote and a five-member jury panel qualified to the superfinal. In the superfinal, the winner was determined by the public and jury vote.[6] Viewers were able to vote via SMS or a mobile application specifically designed for the competition. Viewers using the app to cast a vote were provided with one free vote. The five-member jury panel was composed of five Danish Eurovision fans: Julie Lund Mikkelsen, Jens Erik Møller, Morten Madsen, Christian Kaad and Anna Bennike.[7]

Competing entries

DR opened a submission period on 4 July 2017 for artists and composers to submit their entries. Entries could be submitted throughout the year, however only songs submitted by 15 September 2017 were considered for the 2018 edition of the competition.[2] Mads Enggaard, who was appointed as the new music producer of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, stated that the competition would seek out "songs that are inspiring and create pictures and arouse emotions".[8] 30 songs were shortlisted from the entries submitted to the broadcaster and a selection committee of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix fans, members of the public and industry professionals selected ten songs.[9] DR held a press meet and greet at the Koncerthuset in Copenhagen on 22 January 2018 where the competing artists and songs were announced and officially presented.[10][11]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Albin Fredy "Music for the Road" Rune Braager, John Garrison, Olivio Antonio
Anna Ritsmar "Starlight" Lise Cabble
Carlsen "Standing Up for Love" Thomas Thörnholm, Michael Clauss, Dave Rude
Ditte Marie "Riot" Theis Andersen, Lise Cabble, Chris Wahle
Karui "Signals" Annelie Karui Saemala Overbeck, Jeanette Bonde, Daniel Fält, Jonas Halager
Lasse Meling "Unfound" Lasse Meling, Kim Nowak-Zorde, TheArrangement
Rasmussen "Higher Ground" Niclas Arn, Karl Eurén
Rikke Ganer-Tolsøe "Holder fast i ingenting" Rune Braager, Clara Sofie Fabricius, Andrea Emilie Fredslund Nørgaard
Sandra "Angels to My Battlefield" Chief 1, Ronny Vidar Svendsen, Anne Judith Stokke Wik, Nermin Harambasic, Sandra Hilal
Sannie "Boys on Girls" Sannie Carlson, Domenico Canu, James Reeves

Final

The final took place on 10 February 2018. In the first round of voting the top three advanced to a superfinal based on the votes of a five-member jury (50%) and a public vote (50%). In the superfinal, the winner, "Higher Ground" performed by Rasmussen, was selected by the public and jury vote.[12][13] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Austrian Eurovision Song Contest 2014 winner Conchita Wurst performed as the interval act.[14]

Final – 10 February 2018
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Ditte Marie "Riot" Eliminated
2 Anna Ritsmar "Starlight" Advanced
3 Rasmussen "Higher Ground" Advanced
4 Sannie "Boys on Girls" Eliminated
5 Sandra "Angels to My Battlefield" Eliminated
6 Lasse Meling "Unfound" Eliminated
7 Carlsen "Standing Up for Love" Eliminated
8 Karui "Signals" Eliminated
9 Rikke Ganer-Tolsøe "Holder fast i ingenting" Eliminated
10 Albin Fredy "Music for the Road" Advanced
Superfinal – 10 February 2018
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
1 Anna Ritsmar "Starlight" 13% 18% 31% 2
2 Rasmussen "Higher Ground" 30% 20% 50% 1
3 Albin Fredy "Music for the Road" 7% 12% 19% 3

Promotion

Rasmussen made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Higher Ground" as the Danish Eurovision entry. On 5 April, Rasmussen performed during the London Eurovision Party, which was held at the Café de Paris venue in London, United Kingdom and hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell.[15] Between 8 and 11 April, Rasmussen took part in promotional activities in Tel Aviv, Israel and performed during the Israel Calling event held at the Rabin Square.[16] On 14 April, Rasmussen performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the AFAS Live venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Edsilia Rombley and Cornald Maas.[17]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 29 January 2018, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Denmark was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 10 May 2018, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[18]

Once all the competing songs for the 2018 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Denmark was set to perform in position 5, following the entry from San Marino and before the entry from Russia.[19]

The two semi-finals and final were broadcast on DR1 with commentary by Ole Tøpholm.[20] The Danish spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Danish jury during the final, was Ulla Essendrop.

Semi-final

Rasmussen during a rehearsal before the second semi-final

Rasmussen took part in technical rehearsals on 1 and 5 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. This included the jury show on 9 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[21]

The Danish performance featured Rasmussen dressed in a black costume and performing with four backing vocalists. The stage colours were predominantly blue and white and white sails were located on both sides of the stage.[22] During the final chorus of the song, one of the backing vocalists went to the back of the stage and waved a big white flag with several effects including snow and a wind machine.[23][24] Following technical rehearsals, the Danish delegation requested a harsher snowfall effect as the snow provided by the Portuguese broadcaster was too light and fluffy for the song. This request was granted.[25] The four backing vocalists that joined Rasmussen on stage were: Daniel Firth, Gustav Emil Bresler, Jesper Paasch and Mads Engelhardt. An additional off-stage backing vocalist was also featured: Anders Ørsager.[26]

At the end of the show, Denmark was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Denmark placed fifth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 204 points: 164 points from the televoting and 40 points from the juries.[27]

Final

Shortly after the second semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Denmark was drawn to compete in the second half.[28] Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Denmark was subsequently placed to perform in position 15, following the entry from the Czech Republic and before the entry from Australia.

Rasmussen once again took part in dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Rasmussen performed a repeat of his semi-final performance during the final on 12 May. Denmark placed ninth in the final, scoring 226 points: 188 points from the televoting and 38 points from the juries.[29]

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1–8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, 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. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Denmark and awarded by Denmark in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Denmark

Points awarded by Denmark

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Danish jury:[32]

Detailed voting results from Denmark (Semi-final 2)[30]
Draw Country Jury Televote
B. Rice S. Fenger E. de Forest L. Andrews L. Meling Rank Points Rank Points
01  Norway71263356112
02  Romania1381313121414
03  Serbia1671151310112
04  San Marino1717817111613
05  Denmark
06  Russia1410174141115
07  Moldova91547109256
08  Netherlands5143646547
09  Australia3211111238
10  Georgia1291512171516
11  Poland1013141551274
12  Malta2658738101
13  Hungary151191661311
14  Latvia657924792
15  Sweden13228210210
16  Montenegro11161611161717
17  Slovenia44101097483
18  Ukraine811214158365
Detailed voting results from Denmark (Final)[31]
Draw Country Jury Televote
B. Rice S. Fenger E. de Forest L. Andrews L. Meling Rank Points Rank Points
01  Ukraine11122523191918
02  Spain4421555620
03  Slovenia982322251621
04  Lithuania8201015231516
05  Austria6923938210
06  Estonia10117744712
07  Norway2421917151838
08  Portugal20131620222325
09  United Kingdom1515621181483
10  Serbia231119861223
11  Germany37113112112
12  Albania22231525202424
13  France17656249213
14  Czech Republic7241111161356
15  Denmark
16  Australia13310121092
17  Finland12251319172015
18  Bulgaria1817189210122
19  Moldova21222218212514
20  Sweden51082107447
21  Hungary25142024122219
22  Israel132416138311
23  Netherlands19191213111765
24  Ireland141614481174
25  Cyprus25712765101
26  Italy16182414142117

References

  1. ↑ "Denmark Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Granger, Anthony (4 July 2017). "Denmark: Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Undergoes Revamp For 2018". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Weaver, Jessica (6 September 2016). "Denmark: Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018 on 10 February". esctoday.com. ESCToday. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  4. ↑ Grønbech, Jens (9 February 2018). "LYT Hør alle sangene til Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018". dr.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Menéndez, Hugo Carabaña (11 March 2020). "1.194.000 daneses siguieron el Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020". ESCplus (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ↑ Grønbech, Jens (22 January 2018). "DR dropper årelang tradition i Melodi Grand Prix: Seerne får en helt ny oplevelse". dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  7. ↑ Karlskov, Troels (10 February 2018). "5 Grand Prix-fans har samme magt som 5,5 mio. danskere: Intet pres på vores skuldre". dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Bygbjerg, Søren (4 July 2017). "DR vil genopfinde Melodi Grand Prix: Her er alle ændringerne". dr.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Grønbech, Jens (28 October 2017). "DR åbner op om Melodi Grand Prix: Slut med al mystikken". dr.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Presseinvitation: Mød solisterne til Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018". dr.dk (in Danish). 11 January 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "Denmark: DR reveals the ten Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2017 hopefuls" (in Danish). DR. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Watch: Denmark picks song for Viking-themed raid on Eurovision Song Contest". The Local Denmark. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  13. ↑ Agadellis, Stratos (20 February 2018). "Eurovision 2023 Denmark: DR reveals full voting breakdown of DMGP - ESCToday.com". Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  14. ↑ Buhl, Christian Mejdahl (30 January 2018). "Vender tilbage til Danmark: Eurovision-vinder optræder til Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018". DR. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  15. ↑ Granger, Anthony (5 April 2018). "Tonight: London Eurovision Party 2018". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Israel: Watch the performances at Israel Calling 2018 Party in Tel Aviv". INFE. 11 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "Eurovision in Concert 2018 Videos". Eurovisionworld.com. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  18. ↑ Jordan, Paul (29 January 2018). "Which countries will perform in which Semi-Final at Eurovision 2018?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  19. ↑ "Running order for Eurovision 2018 Semi-Finals revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "Danske experten tror på svensksuccé i Eurovision". 3 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Lisbon 2018: Rehearsal Schedule". eurovisionworld.com. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  22. ↑ "Denmark's Rasmussen surrenders to Eurovision stage for first rehearsal". eurovision.tv. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Cobb, Ryan (1 May 2018). "Day 3: Boat sails and snow for Denmark's Rasmussen – REVIEW". escXtra. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  24. ↑ Malam, Luke (4 May 2018). "Day 6: Rasmussen struggles with his snow effects – PREDICTION & REVIEW". escXtra. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Royston, Benny (4 May 2018). "Denmark's Eurovision Vikings worried as the wrong kind of snow hits Rasmussen's Higher Ground in Lisbon". metro.co.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  26. ↑ Knoops, Roy (20 April 2018). "Denmark: Rasmussen presents his team for Lisbon 2018". Esctoday. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  27. ↑ "Second Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  28. ↑ "Second Semi-Final qualifiers meet the press". eurovision.tv. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  29. ↑ "Grand Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  30. 1 2 3 "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  31. 1 2 3 "Results of the Grand Final of Lisbon 2018". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  32. ↑ Groot, Evert (30 April 2018). "Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
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