Earlier this week, the Danish broadcaster DR unveiled the ten songs set to compete in Denmark’s annual Melodi Grand Prix – the contest which will find the nation’s entry to the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.
The contest takes place this tonight. And in it, we’ve got ourselves a strong selection of songs. We know you’re all busy people though – so you’ll be wanting to know which songs to prioritise when it comes to taking a listen.
Here we have the ten songs, the artists, and the writers behind them – ranked in order of best to worst;
‘Boys and Girls’
Sannie
Sannie Carlson, Domenico Canu, James Reeves
The lady otherwise known as Whigfield has contributed a super-kitsch number to MGP. A synthpop track with a playful injection of pure Europop, and the slightest hint of retro cool. We’ll be very curious to see how this one is staged. And outside the context of MGP, this is the one that perhaps most stands up as a banger in its own right.
‘Riot’
Ditte Marie
Lise Cabble, Theis Andersen, Chris Wahle
We had high hopes for Ditte’s song after her last two appearances at Melodi Grand Prix. And she hasn’t disappointed. ‘Riot’ is pure pop, total Eurovision, and comes with the biggest chorus of the lot.
‘Starlight’
Anna Ritsmar
Lise Cabble
A very simple pop song, and therein lies all of its bags and bags of charm. It’s a total earworm before the first listen is even through. And impossible not to like. Its simplicity might just see it cruise to an easy win on tonight.
‘Holder Fast i Ingenting’
Rikke Ganer-Tolsøe
Rune Braager, Clara Sofie Fabricius, Andrea Emilie Fredslund Nørgaard
Rikke turns in what’s probably the most contemporary song of the lot, and certainly the most representative of the Danish pop scene in general. Vaguely moody Danish synthpop – with the brightness levels turned up quite a bit for Eurovision.
‘Music for the Road’
Albin Fredy
Rune Braager, John Garrison, O. Antonio
This is superb. A rousing take on country-infused pop music. His voice sounds perfectly suited to the genre, and he more than delivers the huge chorus with the justice its deserves. With the right staging (make it ALL OUT country-camp), this could be awesome in Lisbon. Or just in Copenhagen on tonight.
‘Higher Ground’
Rasmussen
Niclas Arn, Karl Eurén
A Nordic folk-rock epic of a song. The sort of song you’d expect Nordman or Roger Pontare to contribute to Melodifestivalen. It’s got an undeniably well crafted chorus, and sticks out as something different in the line-up. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this win on tonight. And we wouldn’t be mad at that result either.
‘Standing Up for Love’
CARLSEN
Thomas Thörnholm, Michael Clauss, Dave Rude
A vaguely country-pop effort. And we mean vague in the sense of the effort they’ve put into it too. It’s nice. But that’s not what you want your song to come across as, leading into Eurovision. Worth a listen to the end though, for the key change they deliver.
‘Angels to My Battlefield’
Sandra
Lars’ Chief 1′ Pedersen, Ronny Vidar Svendsen, Anne Judith Stokke Wik, Nermin Harambasic, Sandra Hilal
An earthy folk-pop track, the likes of which the Danes so love to vote for in Melodi Grand Prix. As strong as the chorus is though, the other elements of the song let it all down somewhat.
‘Unfound’
Lasse Meling
Lasse Meling, Kim Nowak-Zorde, TheArrangement
Perhaps on its own this might stand out as a better song. But among this lot, it gets totally lost.
‘Signals’
KARUI
Annelie Karui Saemala, Jeanette Bonde, Daniel Fält, Jonas Halager
Jazz-lite, and somewhat r&b too. Neither genres executed well at all though.
