Review: “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025” (Denmark)

Denmark will select its Eurovision 2025 entry via “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025″.
The national final will be held on March 1st, 2025.
The results will be based on the jury and a public vote.

In this article, I will review the 8 competing songs in the national selection.
The songs will be covered in alphabetical order (of the artists):

#1. Adel the Second – The Unluckiest Boy Alive

• It’s a mid-tempo pop song with Disco elements.
• The song opens with the keyboard playing. Adel has a distinctive voice. For some reason, his accent makes it harder to understand some of the lyrics. The first verse is based on constant keyboard playing. He sings with some mannerisms and vocal twirling. Sometimes, it sounds like he sings from the nose. The first pre-chorus follows, based on the keyboard playing a mid-tempo beat and bowed-string instruments. This part feels a bit more festive and uplifting. Adel sings it with a slightly higher tone of voice. The first chorus itself is quite simple, it is mainly based on the phrase “The unluckiest boy alive”, while the rest is instrumental. The melody is based on keyboards and bowed string elements.
• The second verse is faster than the first one, based on a different tempo. His singing is more rapid, and we hear backing vocals supporting him. The second pre-chorus features disco beats. The second chorus relies on keyboards and bowed string elements, which get more space this time. The bridge is based on faster singing. The melody is based on simple keyboard playing, while his voice is processed with some effects. Thereafter, the song continues with an additional chorus. This time, the production is richer but still rooted in the same basis.
• Overall, the song continues along the same lines of “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix” in the recent decade: It is a radio-friendly song, but its impact is limited. The song isn’t catchy enough, and it just passed by me,

#2. Andreas Kruse – “Hear My Prayer“

• It is an electro-pop mid-tempo song.
• The song opens with a short electronic sound and then transitions into piano playing. The first verse begins like a singer-songwriter’s standard ballad. The melody is based on piano playing, while Andreas sings in a mid-low tone of deep voice. It continues as expected, and he sings in a slightly higher pitch, adding some manners like twirling. We can hear backing vocals in the background. The first pre-chorus is based on a sparser melody, and he sings it in a higher tone of voice, while guitar is added as well. The first chorus follows right after. The electro beats are fragmented. This part sounds a bit more commercial and contemporary. As the chorus progresses, the tempo becomes more dominant.
• The second verse is more rhythmic, based on an electronic beat. Andreas is accompanied by humming backing vocals. The second pre-chorus begins with a higher pitch, while we hear various string elements in the melody. The second chorus is based on an electronic beat and synth elements. The bridge is more laid back and relies on keyboard playing, humming, and moderated beats. He sings softly. Towards the end of this part, the electronic sounds are gradually built back. The last chorus starts with some vocal decoration. It it much shorter than the other choruses.
• The song is radio-friendly, but at a certain point, it sounds too blended. I think that some parts of the song should have been simplified.

#3. Hervé Toure – Allez Allez

• It is an African-Caribbean stadium hymn song, performed in the Danish language.
• The song opens with guitar and drums playing, and “Allez Allez” chanting. The first verse is based on electric guitar stringing and a constant beat. Hervé sings effortlessly in a mid-low tone of husky voice. The first pre-chorus has a more curvy melody, as the different drum beats are more dominant. The first chorus is festive and sounds like a football stadium hymn. The melody is mainly based on tribal beats and different percussion instruments. On the lyrical aspect, we get a thin proposal, and it sounds like the singing gets a much smaller place (compared to the melody).
• The second verse relies on a bolder guitar sound, he sings it with a “lighter” interpretation. We hear fading backing vocals from time to time. The second chorus comes after; the structure is quite circular. In this chorus, the presence of the guitar is bigger, but we can still hear Caribbean elements obtained by the percussion elements. The post-chorus relies on a bolder and longer instrumental part. It is based on a string loop combined with two different beats. The vibes are of a hybrid genre between African and American music, or I’d dare to say with soft Samba influences.
• The bridge is more laid back; the melody is based on keyboards and guitars. It builds up back to the rhythmic chorus. At a certain point, he sings the secondary part, while his pre-recorded voice fills the gap.
• I can’t ignore the fact that this song stands out and is unlike the typical ‘Dansk Melodi Grand Prix’ line-up. Ironically, the only song in Danish feels the least connected to the country’s local music scene. Having said that, I still don’t see enough people connect to it. The verses are quite weak.

#4. Maria Mathea – Air

• It is a ballad.
• The song opens with piano playing, Maria opens the first verse with a soft and tender voice. The chords cut her singing from time to time. It sounds like it was written by a very specific recipe. The first pre-chorus continues in the same line, but some bowed string instruments are added. The lyrics are rhyming. The chorus starts immediately after the pre-chorus and sounds like a part of it. The melody takes us to the field of orchestral/classic ballads. As it progresses, she sings with longer and higher notes. more powerfully. The first chorus ends with an outcry.
• The second chorus is mainly based on the bowed string elements. The singing is more continuous, and her tone of voice is warmer. The second pre-chorus continues similarly, but it is slightly sped up. The second chorus starts with piano playing. Maria opens the singing part in a “small” and more intimate way, but later on, it builds up to the melodramatic direction of powerful and emotional singing. The melody has more layers.
• The bridge shifts in a different direction, but the melody is still based on piano and orchestral elements. Her singing is softer, giving us the chance to hear another color of her voice. The song ends with one last chorus.
• Overall, it is a decent ballad. But I feel like it is too planned by the book like there’s no place for “mistakes”. Maria suggests impressive vocal abilities. I just think we need more from a ballad to stand out.

#5. Mariya – I Belong to Me

• It is a dark pop song with some electronic elements.
• The song opens with electric guitar riffs and processed pre-recorded humming. The first verse relies on a bass-sampled cyclic loop. The atmosphere is dark and mysterious. Maria sings this part in a mid-tone voice. The first pre-chorus follows, the melody is based on two combined beats, and alongside the bass beat, we hear a synth beat. The first chorus is more melodic. The melody is based on keyboards playing and a slow-mid simple beat. Maria sings it soulfully with a warmer tone of voice. The singing comes with longer notes. The transition from the pre-chorus to the chorus feels unnatural, but at the same time, it is part of the surprise in the arrangement.
• The second verse comes after, and we get the electro-synth sounds back. She sings this part with a sharper and lower tone of voice. This time, the verse features more electronic production, which comes through in the processed metallic backing vocals. The second pre-chorus is shorter and relies on a faster beat. Once again, the chorus comes right after. The melody is based on keyboards and mid-beat. The chorus is longer this time.
• The post-chorus relies on delicate singing with a soft electronic production. It ends with one last chorus with more powerful singing and backing vocals. Towards the end, we get some vocal decorations. The song is finalized cyclically, as we get the processed vocals from the intro again.
• Unlike many other songs in the line-up, it is much more memorable. I feel like there’s. a character emerging from the song. In my opinion, the song has a lot of staging potential. I also like the creativity in some parts of the lyrics.

#6. Max Ulver – Supernova

• It is a funk-pop song.
• The song opens with a short instrumental part composed of bowed string elements. The first verse begins with electric guitar riffs. The melody is based on the guitar and a mid-tempo soft beat combined with a percussion beat. Max sings in a mid-high tone of voice. It sounds like his singing is processed with some effects like reverb. The first pre-chorus brings a different energy, which takes the song in a more generic direction. The lyrics become repetitive at a certain point. The first chorus is based on a very simple and common. The melody is based on keyboards, guitars, and bass beats. He sings it more airier and with a higher tone of voice. The first chorus ends with “oh oh oh”.
• The second verse starts with a more funky production. this part is lighter and conveys more fun, but also, here, we get a lot of effects over his voice. This time, the pre-chorus is shortened and already combined in the second chorus. He sings with longer notes. The word “Supernova” repeats again and again. Max is supported by backing vocals.
• The bridge starts with metallic pre-recorded voices. Thereafter, we get a more laid-back production, where the melody is based on guitar and keyboards and simple singing. The song ends with one last chorus.
• No surprises here, it is one of the regular saccharine songs we usually get in the Danish selection. Sadly, I liked the intro, but as the song progressed, I lost interest, and the song lost its potential. The lyrics have led me down.

#7. Sissal – Hallucination

• It is a dance-pop song, with electronic elements.
• The first verse is based on electric (and regular) keyboards playing and a constant moderated beat. She sings this part in a mid-low tone of warm voice. Sissal lengthens some of the words. There are some effects on her voice. The first pre-chorus is more rhythmic, and the production becomes more electronic. The beat grows until she reaches a long and high note. The first chorus is based on the beat from the first verse (in a faster variation) and keyboards playing. Sissal sings this more powerfully and more confidently. The melody also features some synth elements. For some reason, the chorus stops out of the blue.
• The second verse has a more sparse melody, and it lets her sing more freely with more manners. The electronic beats are bolder. The second chorus comes right after, and it is more of an EDM piece with a “well-defined” electronic beat and soulful singing. The post-chorus includes faster singing with echo effects and a denser (and danceable) beat. She is supported by backing vocals. The bridge is mainly based on synth and backing singing. She opens the last chorus with a softer singing. Thereafter, the beat slaps faster while she sings with soul elements.
• The song is quite catchy and memorable. I do see some similarities to well-known dance-pop songs from 2010-2015 (Loreen’s “Euphoria” included). In addition, the transition parts should be smoother. But to sum up, the song has a chance to qualify and go beyond! I can see both the jury and the public voting for this. Her live performance will be crucial, as this song relies on accurate vocals.

#8.Tim Schou – Proud

• It is a country-pop song.
• The song opens with a classic guitar melody and Tim‘s pleasant voice. Tim sings effortlessly and tenderly. The first chorus comes after, and he sings it with a higher tone of voice, with a quite intense interpretation. The melody is based on mid-beat and guitar playing. However, the main element is his singing. Towards the end, the production becomes more electronic while he hums in a loop.
• The second chorus is more upbeat, and he sings faster in a mid-tone voice. This time, he is supported by backing singers. The melody is based on a mid-tempo electro-bass beat. We get a short transition part which is more like speaking. Thereafter, the second chorus arrives, where the melody is based on a different beat and guitar playing. He sings intentionally. The chorus transits into a more electronic production with a drum beat. The out-chorus has a more 1980’s sound.
• Thereafter, we get an additional chorus which starts more unplugged, and it focuses on his voice. He sings it emotionally. The electro beat and drum beat are gradually added, while we can hear some backing vocals.
• Tim Schou is an artist I appreciate. One of his latest singles “Ashes” (which was released in 4 different versions) is one of the songs I like. However, I find this song too simple, like it is led by a fear of being “out of the box”. I enjoyed the vocals and the text, but not the whole composition. In a semi-final without jury voting, Tim will struggle.

Prediction

In general, it seems that Sissal will be the most likely winner of the selection unless the performance goes extremely badly. Andreas Kruse will probably be in the super-final as well.

My Personal Ranking

1. Sissal – Hallucination
2. Mariya – I Belong to Me
3. Andreas Kruse – Hear My Prayer
4. Maria Mathea – Air
5. Tim Schou – Proud
6. Hervé Toure – Allez Allez
7. Max Ulver – Supernova
8. Adel the Second – The Unluckiest Boy Alive

Who is your “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025″ winner?
Who will win the selection?

Denmark was allocated to perform in the second half of semi-final 2.

Eurovision 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland on the 13th, 15th and 17th of May 2025