As always, Denmark will choose an artist and a song via the “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2022” which will be held on Saturday, the 5th of March 2022.
8 artists will compete on the right to represent the country.
The results will be determined by 2 rounds of voting. In the first round, all 8 artists will compete. In the second round (“Super final”), only 3 artists will compete.
All rounds will be determined by public vote solely.
In this article, I will give my review of the songs
#1. Patrick Dorgan – Vinden suser ind (Eng: The wind is blowing in)
It’s a singer-songwriter ballad.
The melody is based on piano playing. The first verse is calming and relies on monotonous melody. Patrick‘s voice is soft and gentle. Towards the end of some of lines, he uses some nice manners. The second verse continues the same line, but he sings it a little bit more powerfully. In addition, we can hear some wind instruments in the background. The chorus has a different melody, we can hear guitar playing alongside the keyboards. Patrick sings a part of the chorus in a beautiful high voice. The third verse relies on some sting elements, and yet his singing is soft and stable. Thereafter, we can hear another chorus. This time the chorus ends in a transition part where we can hear a harmony of backing vocalists and some vocal improvisations. The last chorus accelerate power until it ends. This time, Patrick in a more “rocky” vibe and the backing vocals are involved in the middle of the chorus.
On the hand, there’s something basic and expected in the song. On the other hand, when it comes from an experienced singer, it elevates the value of the song.
#2. Conf3ssions – Hallelujah
It’s a upbeat pop song with wide influences of the 1990’s music.
The song starts with the first verse which is performed by a female singer. You can’t ignore the special color of voice she suggests. The melody is based on keyboards playing. At the beginning, her voice is thick in a mid-low pitch and the production is minimalistic. As we get to the pre-chorus, the production is upgraded: we can hear drum beat and a sampling of some string elements. The chorus is energetic and upbeat. The singer who performed the first part, is the lead singer in this part. However, this time she is joined by 2 other singers. The chorus is composed of 2 different beats: one of them is a drum-beat, while the other is an electronic edition of string element playing. The chorus is catchy, and has a uplifting hymn flavor. Moving on the second verse, which is performed by a male singer. He sings with a warm and mid-high voice. The melody is namely based of a drumbeat. We can hear the third singer accompanying him as a secondary voice. The second pre-chorus is performed by the third members of the band. She sings her part in a soul style. with some trilling decoration. They sing together the second chorus. where we namely can hear the 2 girls. The 2 beats that were mentions before are back. The bridge is a gospel piece, where in each the spot sheds light on another singer. We get the last chorus with the lead singer from before, as the other members are playing a significant role in singing the secondary vocals. There is something comforting and even heart-warming in this song. It has optimistic message, but some how it prevent of being too kitschy. The production is on point. and the three group members have done a wonderful job in singing it.
#3. Der var engang – En skønne dag (Eng: someday)
It’s a country pop in the Danish language.
The sing starts with a short instrumental part that’s composed of guitar playing. The first verse is composed by acoustic guitar playing. The lead singer in this part is the male singer. He has a low and semi-raspy voice, while the girl that’s singing with him has a more soft and thin voice. The first verse is calm and simple. In the pre-chorus, we get a wider range of sound, but still it remains on the very narrow scope of country pop song that’s composed by guitar playing. The chorus is performed with 2 of them sing in equal sound. The second verse is performed in English and Danish together. The song keeps on going with the same structure.
It is probably the most anti-Eurovision song in the line-up, but at the same time is is forgettable. The song is flat and stays on the same line along the time.
#4. Fuld Effekt – Rave med de hårde drenge (Eng: Rave with the tough boys)
It’s an electronic hip-hop song with techno elements, that’s performed in the Danish language.
The song starts with one line of talking. Immediately after, we get a techno electric beat that’s accompanied by a drum beat. The first part of the song is the chorus. The lead singer sings in a very fast rate. From time to time, we can hear some sound effects: like sirens and alerts. The first verse isn’t that melodic, and remains more or less on the same shape. Thereafter, we get another chorus which is very similar to the first one. It relies on a batch of beats. The second verse is performed by another band member, he sings very fast, sometimes barely breathing. His singing style is more like rap, rather than hip-hop. His part is accompanied by a beat that’s composed on synth guitar playing. The dream beat is stronger is this verse. The third chorus relies on the same drum beat, but it is considerably short, as we actually get the bridge. The bridge is performed with almost no melody at the background, but we do have is a messy production. The last chorus arrives and it is done with electro beat. The song ends after less than 3 minutes.
On the one hand, it is special in the line-up, especially when we talk about the Danish selection. However, I found their singing too aggressive, while the production is too messy. Sometimes it is all about dosage – getting too much from something can end in a bad result.
#5. Josie Elinor, Jack Warren – Let me go
It’s a country love pop song.
The song starts with a guitar stringing. The first one to open the song is Jack. His singing is simple, as we almost get no production at the first verse. Thereafter, we can hear some percussion elements in the background. We move to the pre-chorus which is the direct continuation of the verse. The chorus is more intimate and probably will make some listeners more emotional. In the chorus, we can hear Josie as the backing vocalist. She sings the second verse alone. This verse’s melody is based on guitar playing and percussion elements.
They sing the chorus together. The so-called is a raw version of the chorus.
The last chorus starts with an unplugged version of the chorus. Josie gives some vocal improvisations in this part as well.
My problem with this song is that’s something that we’ve probably heard million times before. The lyrics are kitschy, their singing sounds like other singers, and the song has no curves or peak points. The general atmosphere is of the last track on an American romantic comedy movie, exactly when it is time to turn off the video.
One last point: Don’t you think it is a kind of “revamped version” of “Yes” by Ben and Tan (Denmark entry for Eurovision 2020)
#6 .Morten Fillipsen – Happy Go Lucky
It’s a mid-tempo pop song.
The song starts with drum playing and a light electronic beat. The first verse is based on the same beat and electric guitar playing. Towards the end of the first verse, we can hear synth string elements, as well as fading backing vocals. The chorus has an optimistic vibe, its melody is based on guitar playing and drum beat. Even though the song is in Danish, there is one phrase in English – “happy go lucky”. The second verse is more rhythmic, as the mid-tempo beat wraps the melody. The melody is based on keyboards playing as well. The pre-chorus begins with the synth effects and then we get another occurrence of the chorus. Thereafter, we have an instrumental part composed of the synth elments that continue to the last chorus until it decays.
The song gives a nice throwback to the 1980’s music, I find the chorus more memorable than the verses, even though the chorus is repetitive. However what’s the added value of this song? How is it different from plenty of other nice/Ok songs in the national selections?
#7. REDDI – The Show
It’s a power ballad that grows into an upbeat rock song.
The song starts with the piano playing. The lead singer has a beautiful alt voice that you can’t ignore. With her mid-low voice, she tells a story. The melody of the first verse is based solely on the piano playing. Although it is minimalistic, the outcome is effective. The pre-chorus begins with a minor change in the melody. The main motive that demonstrates the change is the singing. The lead singer lengthens the pronunciation. The chorus is more powerful, and we can hear her singing in a higher tone. The chorus is performed with more sensitivity and even some thin falsetto singing. After a short trilling, the song turns in a completely different direction. The second verse is a pop-rock piece with massive electric playing. This part is much faster and more energetic. The style resembles the radio-friendly rock songs from 2005 – 2007. The pre-chorus tihs time loses its magic compared to the first time when it emphasized fragility. The chorus continues the same line, but we can hear the guitars in more diverse ways. An instrumental of guitars (that are joined by drum playing) connects between the second chorus and the bridge. The bridge begins with a modulation that builds up to a rock piece once again, but this time the melody is speed-up. The lead singer ends the last chorus with some vocal improvisations, where we can also hear some of the other members as backing vocalists.
When I’ve heard it for the first time, it came as a surprise. The connection between the emotional ballad and the rock genre was quite unnatural. However, as I listen to it more and more, I’m impressed by the sophisticated choice. Another advantage that I can count here is the special voice that the lead singer brings.
#8. Juncker – Kommet for at blive (Eng: come to stay)
It’s a mid-tempo country pop-rock song.
The song starts with whistles and guitar playing. The singer has a deep and raspy voice. The melody of the first part is composed of keyboards and guitar playing. The chorus is softer in its interpretation, but at the same time, it belongs more to the rock genre, as the electric guitar is dominant.
He is accompanied by backing singers that duplicate his singing. The second verse is similar to the first one, but has some similarities with the chorus, due to the use of electric guitars. The second chorus arrives and shares the same shape as the first chorus. After the second chorus, we get an instrumental part that’d based on whistles, guitar playing, and light percussion elements. The last part is a different melody wisely, as we can hear unique guitar playing (that should have come before).
The song ends out of no where.
Th song is decent, and it sounds like that artist is faithful to his own art. However, it isn’t strong enough to grab the listener. It sounds like something that will work in aonther role – for example a soundtrack, but definetly not a song for Eurovision.
My Personal Ranking
- Conf3ssions – Hallelujah
- REDDI – The Show
- Patrick Dorgan – Vinden suser ind
- Morten Fillipsen – Happy Go Lucky
- Josie Elinor & Jack Warren – Let me go
- Juncker – Kommet for at blive
- Fuld Effekt – Rave med de hårde drenge
- Der var engang – En skønne dag
My Prediciton
In general, “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix” is one of the not predictable national selections.
Relying on the popularity of the songs, as well as their choices in the past. I will mark the follwoing songs as potantial super-finalists – 3 of the following 4:
- Fuld Effekt – Rave med de hårde drenge
- Conf3ssions – Hallelujah
- Morten Fillipsen – Happy Go Lucky
- Josie Elinor & Jack Warren – Let me go
Denmark will compete in the second half of semi-final 1 which will be held on the 10th of May 2022.
If the country qualifies, Denmark will participate in the grand final on the 14th of May 2022.
You’re welcome to read all about Eurovision 2022 on our homepage
