It’s the last Nordic national final to confirm its format for the 2020 season. But now Denmark’s national broadcaster DR has released details of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020 — and this time the public gets to choose three of the ten competing acts.

The broadcaster today confirmed details of the new format for 2020. As per previous years, a total of ten acts will again compete in the grand final of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. But unlike in previous years, when all ten acts were selected by DR, this year the broadcaster will only select seven.

The remaining three competing acts will be chosen by the Danish public via DR’s P4 radio network. Of the submitted entries, DR representatives will select nine songs to face the public vote.

In January, the radio network will focus on songwriting and DMGP themes and will play the nine songs. Listeners will have the opportunity to vote for their favourites, with the top three getting a place in the DMGP grand final on 7 March.

In order to keep things fair, the seven confirmed finalist songs will also be released in January. This means the Danish public will have three months to get to know all the songs.

DR’s Head of Radio Gustav Lützhøft says it’s a way of getting the public prepared for the national final: “In this way we hope that we can create an even bigger party when it is time for the show itself.”

Denmark joins other countries who use radio to help with their selection process. Sweden’s Melodifestivalen gives one place to an act from the P4 Nästa song competition; Finland’s broadcast YLE is teaming up with youth radio network YleX to select its acts for UMK 2020, and Ireland’s broadcaster RTÉ is teaming up with RTÉ 2FM to select its act.

“Musical breadth”

The focus of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020 will be “musical breadth”, and DR is determined to celebrate the variety of Danish popular music.

The broadcaster gives three examples of Danish hits from recent years: Lukas Graham’s emotional soul-pop song “7 Years”, Volbeat’s bilingual uplifting rock anthem “For evigt”, and Medina’s edgy electro-pop number “Kun for mig”.

DR notes that musical breadth will be given special attention, strongly suggesting that DR isn’t looking for ten identical “Eurovision songs”.

Gustav Lützhøft explains, “The songs in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix are intended to be even more varied than before so that more people can see their musical interest reflected in the show.”

Entries for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020 are open now and close in just under one month, on 1 November 2019. The grand final is due to take place at Royal Arena in Copenhagen on 7 March 2020.

What do you think of the DMGP changes? Will the public make the right choices? What style of music would you like to hear in the grand final? Tell us your thoughts below!

Read more Denmark Eurovision news here

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Jack
Jack
4 years ago

They should also change the national final set. They have the same since 2016 lol

ESCFan2009
ESCFan2009
4 years ago

Seeing the response on my suggestion to select Lukas Graham, I am very thrilled about what will happen when I tell you my second artist: Sigmund (“Say My Name”) 😀
The shade is real and I love it ^^

Denis
Denis
4 years ago

Sounds good but at the end it’s still going to be one ESC worthy song surrounded by 9 similar sounding generic songs that would be fillers in other selections. What’s worse is that ESC worthy song rarely wins..
Still, the only way is up! Good luck neighbours!

Dawid
Dawid
4 years ago
Reply to  Denis

Well, it works well somehow :/

Sun
Sun
4 years ago

They’re lucky there’s one song in the selections that could qualify in Eurovison for the past two years. But the overall selection was full of generic songs.

Euphoria
Euphoria
4 years ago

But hopefully Denmark’s song isn’t going to just be same old same old

Mr. Vanilla Bean
Mr. Vanilla Bean
4 years ago

Denmark’s national final is one of the most extreme examples of how far away a Eurovision NF can be from the potential of the local music market. I honestly think they are in desperate need of a Danish Anouk moment to turn things around and get people interested who do need a performance in the Danish NF in order to get some tiny attention for a split second.

Chicho lopez
Chicho lopez
4 years ago

Tomorrow is leonora jepsen birthday.

Chicho lopez
Chicho lopez
4 years ago

Tomorrow is leonora jepsen birthday!!

FYROM
FYROM
4 years ago

They always say something like this, but in the end they always pick 10 safe po songs that sounds the same

Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting
Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting
4 years ago

I know it has nothing to do with the topic but the singer for Austria in 1968 Karel Gott died yesterday at age of 80…he was one of the most famous Czechoslovak singers and he was very famous in Austria and Germany too…RIP Karel Gott

Mr. Vanilla Bean
Mr. Vanilla Bean
4 years ago

He sure was. It’s in Austria’s breaking news.

Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting
Thunder and lightning it's getting exciting
4 years ago

Here in the Czech Republic it’s a national tragedy…he will have a state funeral 😉

Joe
Joe
4 years ago

I’ve described Denmark’s entries as “musical comfort food” in the past, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I am happy to hear that they’re trying to diversify a bit. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily describe Lukas Graham as an example of quality Danish music (not even just for 7 Years, which is also garbage…any of y’all heard Strip No More?).

ESCFan2009
ESCFan2009
4 years ago

Oh, Lukas Graham is a Danish band? I didn’t know that, I only know “7 Years” as a song and I really like it. Why not select them internally for 2021? 🙂

Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago
Reply to  ESCFan2009

successful singers in denmark never consider doing eurovision, let alone those who are also famous outside of denmark lol

Joe
Joe
4 years ago

The guy from Lukas Graham has his head so far up his butthole I bet that not only does he think Eurovision is beneath him, he probably thinks he should’ve gotten the Nobel Prize already.

Mr. Vanilla Bean
Mr. Vanilla Bean
4 years ago
Reply to  Joe

Well, everyone who ever competed in the Danish NF since I have been watching cannot even dream to have their kind of success. What good is it to have a nice person or rather a person you perceive to be nice represent Denmark if the music sucks? It’s a competition. I don’t know the dude’s personality but the musical quality of the Danish NF HAS been beneath serious musicians so far. Did he ever say something about Eurovision? Or the Nobel Prize, for that matter? 😛

Jonas
Jonas
4 years ago

Well…that depends on your definition of success.

Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago

dr always picks very safe pop songs (i believe denmark is by far the least diverse country when it comes to eurovision entries), so i’m glad the public will get to interfere and maybe bring something new