Denmark are set to choose their entry for Eurovision 2024 on Saturday, February 17th 2024 during Dansk Melodi Grand Prix!
The last time we saw Denmark in a Eurovision final was in 2019 when Leonora’s ‘Love Is Forever’ came 12th. Last year, their hopes were pinned on TikTok star Reiley – who ended up 14th in the semi-final. Therefore, they’ll be on the lookout for the song that’ll get them back to the final in Malmö, Sweden, which happens to neighbour their capital city – and host city of DMGP – Copenhagen!
Here’s who’s taking part…
SABA – ‘Sand’
26-year-old Saba Lykke Oehlenschlæger, who goes just by SABA, enters DMGP this year with her debut single ‘Sand’, which has shot to the top of the odds. She grew up in Ringkøbing after she and her twin sister Andrea were adopted at eight months old from Ethiopia. Andrea is a successful musical theatre star, and last year Saba stepped into her shoes to take over her lead role in Hairspray when she went on maternity leave. It’s not the first time Saba has appeared on TV – in 2020, she and Andrea took part in ‘Min sindssyge tvilling‘, where they headed back to Ethiopia to trace their roots. She has said that she’s proud of her song, and is happy she’s now standing on her own two feet as a singer. You can hear her song below!
Stella – ‘Sign Here’
Stella began her career in 2021 and started writing her music to explain real-life stories as she sees them. Her goal is to make listeners relate to her lyrics, and it seems to be working so far – she’s had her music on rotation on one of Denmark’s biggest radio stations and is one of the country’s freshest new artists. Her song is called ‘Sign Here’, which you can hear below!
CHU CHU – ‘The Chase (Zoom Zoom)’
CHU CHU (Camilla Chu Xu Bjørner) grew up all around the world but currently lives in The Netherlands. She notes her musical roots in K-Pop, Hip-Hop and R&B, saying her sound is very energetic, which her song, ‘The Chase (Zoom Zoom)’ definitely represents. She told ESCUnited that the song is about “zooming” somewhere, and is about being your own driver and using your own strength and force to get to where you need to be. You can hear her song below!
Basim – ‘Johnny’
Basim rose to fame at just 15 years old in 2008 as a participant in Denmark’s version of The X Factor, releasing two albums soon after. He’ll be recognisable to fans of Eurovision – he represented Denmark on home soil back in 2014 with ‘Cliché Love Song’, coming 9th and achieving one of the country’s best results of the 2010s. Since then, he’s had three chart top 10s in 2017 and 2018 and has been spending the last few years behind the scenes working as a producer. He makes his return to DMGP after 10 years with ‘Johnny’ – he told Wiwibloggs about the meaning of his song, which you can hear below!
‘Johnny’ is a song about a man I met back in 2012 at a hospice […]. He told me some things that really made an impact on me, he was very sad about people giving him flowers at the end of his days and it really touched me, and now, years later, I understand the words better because what he really said wasn’t about the flowers – he wanted people to show him some love before he was about to die. […] ‘Johnny’ is a song about remembering each other before it’s too late, giving love before we end up in the grave.
Basim, Wiwibloggs
Roseelu – ‘Real Love’
Singer/songwriter Roseelu (Rosa Frydensbjerg) made her debut in 2021 with the song ‘Playing Alone’, establishing herself as one of Denmark’s top rising stars. Her music explores a mix of both 90s & 00s nostalgia with modern pop and soul influences to create a unique sound. Roseelu moved to Copenhagen at 17 years old to follow her dreams of becoming a singer and has been creating melodies ever since she was a child. She told Essentially Pop in 2021 that she writes her music to get her unprocessed feelings out into the open, and hopes her music can connect emotionally with listeners. ‘Real Love’ is her entry for DMGP this year, and you can hear it below!
Ublu – ‘Planetary Hearts’
Ublu is a rock & dance band consisting of four members – Adam Spanggaard Saarup, Andreas Darger, Marie Rørbæk and Martina Nielsen. Their name translates to ‘Outrageous’ or ‘Shameless’ in English, and they have said their name best represents their music. They released their debut single ‘The Light’ in 2020, and have since gone on to play several concerts across Denmark, becoming a staple at many Danish pride events over the years. Their self-titled debut EP was released in 2022 and recently signed to a new label. This has all led them to DMGP, where their song ‘Planetary Hearts’ could become Denmark’s Eurovision entry. They have spoken of Eurovision being a huge inspiration to them, and that entering would be ‘a dream come true’. You can hear their song below!
Janus Wiberg – ‘I Need Your Love’
Faroese star Janus Wiberg grew his fanbase in his homeland before starting his career in Denmark with the synthpop song ‘Når Lyset Rammer Dig’ to appeal to a more international audience, rather than keeping his career local. Janus makes music in Danish, Faroese and English – opting for the latter with his DMGP entry ‘I Need Your Love’. You can hear his song below!
Aura Dione – ‘Mirrorball of Hope’
One of this year’s fan favourites, Aura Dione (Maria Louise Joensen) is one of the best-known and most established artists in this year’s DMGP. Beginning her career in 2007, she achieved success across Europe with her platinum-selling single ‘I Will Love You Monday (365)’. Aura grew up between Copenhagen, Bornholm and Australia, and started writing songs at just 8 years old. Most of her success came from the late 2000s and early 2010s, when she achieved a number one single with ‘Geronimo’ in Austria, Denmark and Germany. She’s one of the best-selling artists in both Denmark and Germany and has a big fanbase outside of her native country, which could serve her well if she makes it to Eurovision. ‘Mirrorball Of Hope’ is her song – she wrote it for her daughter, and hopes it brings a message of hope and community. You can hear her song below!
In regards to their participation in Eurovision 2024, Ublu has expressed “difficulty” towards Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision 2024, saying at the beginning of February it was too early to say if they will participate in Eurovision should they win DMGP. DR Chief Gustav Lützhøft has said that in the event of Ublu winning but refusing to go to Eurovision, DR will find another solution when it comes to their participation. Referencing Iceland’s current stance on the situation, he expressed that whilst the winning artist will not control whether Denmark itself goes to Eurovision, ‘time will tell’ if DR choose to withdraw or not.
See here for The Phoenix ESC’s statement regarding coverage of Israel at Eurovision.
DMGP 2024 takes place on February 17th at 7pm GMT // 8pm CET live on DR.
Who do you want to win DMGP 2024? Let us know in the comments!
You can keep up to date with Phoenix on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for all the latest Eurovision 2024 news.
Our podcast, Instead We Made A Pod, is available to stream on all platforms.
