Wiwi Jury Denmark Edition: Simone with “Heart Shaped Hole”

The Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – is continuing its journey around Denmark. Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2016 is almost upon us and we’re here to review the ten finalists. Yesterday, Veronicas Illusion brought us to the dance floor with “The Wrong Kind”… it was so right! Today, we’re paying a visit to DMGP veteran Simone. Can “Heart Shaped Hole” fill the winner’s trophy shaped gap in her mantle? Read on to find out…

Simone “Heart Shaped Hole”

Reviews: Simone with “Heart Shaped Hole”

Kristin: At first I was sceptical because “Heart Shaped Hole” is not from a musical genre, that I typically enjoy. Thankfully, Simone washed most of my doubts away with her powerful voice. This may not be my alltime favorite, but Simone does a great job, and the song is sort of stuck in my head, but in a good way. This is an extremely “easy on the ears” tune and should it win DMGP, it would most certainly send Denmark straight to the final without any trouble. Good song, good singer and all in all not too shabby.

Score: 8/10

Deban: Suspense builds from the very first beat, ushering listeners into a chorus that simply envelopes you. Despite the vulgar title, “Heart Shaped Hole” is truly wholesome. It gathers momentum with Simone’s vocal range, which spans many octaves. This is her third showing at the contest, but her best effort to date. Fortunately, she’s also one of the front runners for DMGP victory this year.

Score: 9/10

DMGP 2016: Our top three

Anthony: In contrast to her 2010 and 2013 entries, this is Simone’s strongest attempt so far. I’m filling that hole with true love for this song. The gradual build-up draws you in before the chorus bursts into life. After two third place finishes, I’ll be delighted if Simone makes it third time lucky this year.

Score: 8/10

Bernardo: Dark, sassy, powerful — “Heart Shaped Hole” combines awesome production with a compelling voice and thoughtful lyrics. It’s my favorite this year and screams Eurovision. I have a feeling Simone is going to give a stellar performance live and conquer Denmark. Well done!

Score: 10/10

DMGP 2016: First reactions

Edd: As we saw back in 2013, Simone has beautiful, clear, and surprisingly powerful vocals. That said, the girl lacks charisma – as does her song. I love the Kygo-style synths in the middle-eight – but other than that it’s all very forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s well-written and well-produced. It just lacks soul.

Score: 6.5/10

Sami: I prefered “Stay Awake”, but I really like “Heart Shaped Hole”. It’s very 2016 and I’m sure juries would appreciate it at Eurovision. With good staging, Simone could take Denmark back to the top five.

Score: 9/10

Mikhail: “Heart Shaped Hole” is a really strong song, but I’m left empty. I’m not sure whether it’s heart shaped, but the void is real. Good melody, great vocals, but we’ve heard it a million times. It’s time to move on from all these pop-power-ballads that have zero emotion and no message.

Score: 7/10

Robyn: I can see the appeal of “Heart Shaped Hole”, but I can’t enjoy it because of the awful lyrics. It’s attempting some bold, emotional Sia-style lyrics, but the confusing mixed metaphors end up sounding like Simone is literally engaging in a gruesome act of home surgery. But despite the horror movie lyrics, Simone seems too polite to really sell it. But then, the song begins with “I put on the mask” – yep, while she’s brutally cutting out her lover’s heart, she’s being safe and wearing a surgical mask.

Score: 6.5/10

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2016: Interviews

Padraig: I tired of Sia months ago. So naturally, I have little time for the many imitators she’s spawned. Saying that Simone, is amongst the better tributes. But her voice is too pure for a song such as “Heart Shaped Hole”. Instead of grit, we get smooth caramel. This could contend for a top ten spot in Stockholm, but it lacks the spark needed to win.

Score: 7.5/10

William: She’s cutting him out of her life and filling her heart-shaped hole with passion, soul and just the right amount of anger. The female voice over the electro backing has shades of Sia — it’s edgy, it’s current and most importantly it tells a story. When Simone sings I believe what she’s saying. If she can deliver this live, she may be reprising it in Stockholm.

Score: 8.5/10

Our jury consists of 22 people, but we only have room for 10 written reviews. Here are the remaining 12 scores.

Antranig: 9.5/10

Bogdan: 10/10

Cristian: 10/10

Dayana: 9.5/10

Denise: 10/10

Gökhan: 9/10

Josh: 10/10

Liam: 10/10

Luis: 7.5/10

Patrick: 10/10

Ramadan: 8/10

Sopon: 9.5/10

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 8.83/10

To reduce potential bias, we drop the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. We removed a low of 6.5 and a high of 10.

SEE OUR CURRENT DANSK MELODI GRAND PRIX 2016 REVIEWS AND RANKINGS.