The 53rd edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix launched on Thursday with the reveal of the eight artists and songs that will compete in this year’s contest. They’re all aiming to represent Denmark at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool this May.
On Super Saturday 11 February, eight artists will compete for the Danish Eurovision crown at Arena Næstved. Our contenders are: Søren Torpegaard Lund, Nicklas Sonne, maia maia, EYJAA, Frederik Leopold, Micky Skeel, Mariyah LeBerg and Reiley.
Public vote will send three of the eight songs into the Super Final, where an expert jury and the public will decide the winner voting 50/50.
Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2023 lineup
Søren Torpegaard Lund – “Lige her”
Written by: Tim Schou Nielsen, Steven McClintock, Martin Palme Skriver and Lasse Storm
From the stage at the musical theatre scene to the stage at DMGP, 24-year-old musical artist Søren Torpegaard Lund is right here – as his song title “Lige her” translates to in English. After a stint as Tony in West Side Story at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, he now gives it a go as a singer in the biggest music competition in Denmark.
He sings one of only two entries in Danish in this years contest, and he has teamed up with a couple of songwriters, who themselves know everything about being successful in DMGP: Tim Schou from A Friend in London and Martin Palme Skriver from Lighthouse X.
Nicklas Sonne – “Freedom”
Written by: Nicklas Sonne
Nicklas Sonne is a rock artist, who has made a name for himself since 2011 in several Danish metal bands such as Defecto.
He has opened for huge rockstars including Metallica, Rammstein and Dream Theater. Now, he will try to conquer the DMGP stage with big vocals and attitude of a viking.
maia maia – “Beautiful Bullshit”
Written by: Joy Deb, Maja Barløse and Niclas Lundin
Maja Barløse is a Danish artist, songwriter and producer, also working under the alias maia maia. Her style can best be described as millennial pop filled with catchy melodies delivered with big confidence.
She is teaming up with two experienced Swedes as songwriters. Fans will know Joy Deb as one of the songwriters behind Måns Zelmerlöw’s “Heroes” and Saara Aalto’s “Monsters”.
EYJAA – “I Was Gonna Marry Him”
Written by: Maria Broberg, Rasmus Olsen and Thomas Buttenschøn
The Danish-Icelandic duo EYJAA is made up of sisters Brynja Mary Sverrisdóttir, 18, and Sara Victoria Sverrisdóttir, 16, who burst onto the music scene in 2021. Eagle-eyed viewers will remember Brynja from Söngvakeppnin 2020, where she placed fourth in her semi-final with her entry “Augun þín“.
Now they are ready to conquer the competition at DMGP having Thomas Buttenschøn among their songwriters, who placed third together with Chief 1 in DMGP 2021. Let’s see if the sibling duo can climb to the top of the podium this year.
Frederik Leopold – “Stuck On You”
Written by: Frederik Jyll and Lasse Lindorff
Frederik Leopold, 25, is a singer-songwriter from Copenhagen. He’s been making music ever since he got a guitar in his hand at the age of 11. Starting out with releasing two EPs back in 2018 and 2019 he released the single “Ikke alene” in Danish in 2020, dealing with topics such as loneliness and struggling with life as young person.
Co-writer Lasse Lindorff won DMGP in 2014 writing Basim’s “Cliché Love Song”, that represented Denmark on home soil at ESC in Copenhagen 2014.
Micky Skeel – “Glansbillede”
Written by: Martin Bjelke and Micky Skeel Hansen
34-year-old Micky Skeel is a well-known figure in the Danish music industry being both a singer, songwriter and actor. He became somewhat of a teen idol as an actor in several Danish movies and TV series and not least as a member of the boyband PULS from 2010 to 2013.
Back in 2015 he was a part of DMGP, as he wrote and produced the song “Suitcase” for his then-girlfriend Anne Gadegaard. Since 2017 he has been based as a songwriter in Los Angeles, but now he returns to the big stage in Denmark hoping to go one better than 2015 with the Danish titled entry “Glansbillede” (“glossy image” or “picture perfect”).
Mariyah LeBerg – “Human”
Written by: Chief 1, Mariyah LeBerg and Nermin Harambasic
Mariyah LeBerg, 32, is a Danish singer-songwriter with a Lebanese father and Danish mother, who met at a refugee camp in northern Jutland. But already before Mariyah was born, her father left the family leading to Mariyah growing up in a strict Jehova’s Witnesses family. She left Jehova’s Witnesses at the age of 17 and used music as a therapeutic way of dealing with the “outside” world.
She has co-written her entry this year with a very familiar face in DMGP: Chief 1 has been behind no less than four winning songs (1997, 2012, 2015 and 2022), and together with the well-known K-pop producer Nermin Harambasic she hopes to emulate the success of her co-writers.
Reiley – “Breaking My Heart”
Written by: Reiley, Hilda Stenmalm, Bård Bonsaksen and Sivert Hjeltnes Hagtvet
How do you become the most famous person on the Faroe Islands, the Danish autonomous territory with 54,000 inhabitants? Well, one way is to get no less than 10.8 million followers on TikTok, which is exactly what Reiley, 22, has achieved. His colourful aesthetics and catchy vocals lead to viral success on the app, where his songs were used in thousands of videos and leading him to a record deal with Atlantic Records.
Since the Faroe Islands don’t participate in Eurovision themselves he has come down to Denmark to conquer the stage at DMGP, hoping to be the first Faroese person to win DMGP and get the coveted ticket to Liverpool.
What do you think? Who is your favourite among the eight finalists and could Denmark get back into the Eurovision final for the first time since 2019? Let us know in the comments below.
Søren all the way!
[…] the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet reported that DMGP 2023 contestant Reiley and his song “Breaking My Heart” was in danger of being disqualified from […]
Maybe the selection is not the strongest one, but it’s important to choose that one song which will give Denmark a ticket for the final. Unlike last year, I hope the Danes will make the right choice this time. In my opinion, it’s the song “I Was Gonna Marry Him”.
I will vote for that song!
I am not sure any of these songs will go to final..
Which is literally the most booring of em all 😀
So far the weakest one of all national preselections this year, but this ist nothing new in Denmark. The only song I like is Freedom
I’m surprised “Lige her” isn’t more popular. It will win you all over on the night of the final, I’m confident of this!
It’s very subtle and all, but in this selection, it’s hard to believe that so many people actually have him in their last place on their lists. Easily in top 3 here.
Yes, I have it in 2nd place
It’s DK 57 2.0
Oh dear very middle of the road. Sorry nothing hooking me in at all.
No Ben&Tan 🙁
OK, I’ll admit that there’s prejudice on my side involved, given that we’ve had to endure a couple of terrible DMGP’s so I’m already expecting another terrible one, while my expectations on UMK for instance are the complete opposite. So I’ve given all the songs another go with hopefully a more open mind. And yeah some of them are OK, which is already better than the last couple of years. “Lige her” is charming and sweet and there’s a lovely vulnerability to it. “Freedom” is energetic and stands out because we don’t often get rock from Denmark; overall though it… Read more »
What to say about DMGP that hasn’t been said below? There’s a certain disconnect between what the Danes think it’s impactful and what most of us think. And yes, I’m not putting this solely on the broadcaster. Last year they had an obvious standout with Fuld Effekt, and it didn’t even make the top 3. Denmark likes safe, predictable, and pleasant entries that don’t shake-up anything new or give a unique spin to already seen. Three songs: I Was Gonna Marry Him, Breaking My Heart, and Lige her, and quite okay, but let’s see how ”okay” compared to heavy-hitters once… Read more »
Maybe it’s because I gave up waiting for Denmark to take risks in Eurovision, but this is actually my favorite DMGP’s lineup since I started following national finals. Everything is excessively “behaved” as usual, but I can spot at least 2 entries that can finally keep the Danish away from the bottom half of my personal ranking: “I Was Gonna Marry Him” and “Breaking My Heart” (the most current song in DMGP in years). There’s also “Lige her” that has its charm because Soren’s voice gives it a lot of character (it can be uneventful on the stage though). Maia… Read more »
Indeed, Reiley’s song is one of the most current songs in DMGP for years… I feel there is a vibe around this song, the kid is gifted, dunno if he sings well. Usually these uptempo songs flop live. But it can be the subject of great staging.
This is actually a common problem in indie pop (and not just thinking about Eurovision hopefuls), not every song translates well to a big stage. But I hope Reiley does well, I’m also excited to see the aesthetics he will use to it. Plus, it would be fun to have a Faroese representing Denmark.
After their slump, Denmark seems to be moving on to the right direction. Reiley, Nicklas and Søren left the best first impressions in me 🙂
Im happy that overall i see a bit more positivity towards our national selection.. Some still being too harsh i think Sure there are songs that i like more than others.. Human being the only one i dislike.. then a few songs that are pleasant to listen to but still dosnt manage to be more than a pleasant song that end up right in the middle I agree with Reiley and Nicklas being my favorites so far after a few listenings Also lige her is a nice song that im excited to see how they stage it “I was gonna… Read more »
Well, didn’t really expect anything from Denmark anyway but there is one pleasant surprise in the mix, Soren Torpegaard Lund’s “Lige her”. Hopefully the live performance will manage to convince them because this is by far the best and the only interesting choice they’ve actually got.
I know for a fact that Søren can sing perfectly live, so that won’t be an issue. Let’s see how the staging will be.
Hey i have seen you before ?
So you are on Wiwibloggs aswell
Do you know anything about if they will keep the song in Danish if they win?
Hi Mark, I’m here and there and everywhere 🙂
Both Søren and Micky have an English version ready if they win, actually “Lige her” was penned in English first.
Haha i see that you are all over the place.. but you are doing a great job and i love your work so everything is good 🙂 I dont really get the idea of performing one version in DMGP just to translate it for Eurovision Its not a new thing and also worked out quite well at times But i just hold back a bit on voting for a song in danish if we havnt heard at least a small bit of what Europe will get if we are sending that exact song But “lige her” sounds really so classic… Read more »
DMGP has been rather weak recently and so I take this as a step in the right direction. But I still feel robbed of Ben & Tan and would love to see them back whether as a duo or soloists in the future! Reiley and Nicklas Stone are my choices out of these 8 finalists
I only like 3 songs: Lige Her, Beautiful Bulls*it, and Breaking My Heart.
I’m feeling like these might be my three picks as well.
DMGP has just devolved into an even more generic Melodifestivalen. Can’t wait to see them fail to qualify a third time in a row
I would choose Reiley for the modernity and the youth or Nicklas for the rock side and his experience. Good luck Denmark!.
Well done, Denmark! After years of mediocre songs, 2023 is a strong one! On first listening, Reiley is by far the best, it’s what struck me the most. Second comes Freedome, classic rock vibe but two years in a row? Overall, all songs are good enough and I like quite a few of them already. I think Reiley has the catchiest song that stands out a bit. It’s time for fresh faces.Go Reiley, go Faroe Islands!
I think EYJAA’s «I Was Gonna Marry Him» is by far the best songs in this year’s Danish MGP. I think it also could do quite well in Liverpool.
I like it, but only if the love story is seen as a severe teenage crush, one that will soon pass.
Are they both singing to the same person? That marriage would not be legal. I’m sorry, these are the things I consider.
why are you always overthinking Jonas? you are so funny hahaha
I definitely like it. Maybe you shouldn’t take me too seriously, but the only way the song works for me is thinking this is just a temporary thing for them. The only nice thing they say about this manboy is a compliment on his physical attributes. Nothing about his character. Anything more is just too mature for a 16 year old to sing. Of course it feels genuine to them now, but they will soon meet another “work of art” and forget all about this person. My interpretation.
They are very mature. Maybe I was being ageist. I like that this marriage was only a dream for the future, not an actual date in their diary.
Hi Una ?
The ?-mark was a smiley 🙂
At first, I found the lyrics to be too literal, and them too young to sing it. Then again, from the second listening it crossed my mind that the song can possibly be taken as a poem from the olden days. Back when 18-year-old’s engagement was seen as something expected, and her fiancee breaking it off would not only be devastating, but also could mean that she’ll be left alone. The whole setting with the girls in white in the fog, the whistly instrumental, the literal lyrics in the verses… it really feels traditional and transported me to like 100… Read more »
Now that you say it, yes, I can see that. Like something from the Bronte sisters. This song could be about Heathcliff.
I’m glad that you liked the interpretation. 🙂
“Lige her” for the win!
“Breaking my heart” a distant silver.
For me Reiley stands out as very modern song that could get the best result of these songs. Also Eyjaa is great with timeless classic song that could be take Denmark to final. Others are ok.
Btw there’s to much negativity from Esc fans that can’t be justified. Just remember singers have a heart and feelings too. So we need more constructive criticism.
Yeah, if you were from Denmark and wanted your country to do better I could get it, but otherwise why so much venom?
The last few years have been disappointing, so I’d say this is just the mindset that some people came in with. The first song was enough for me to make it better than usual.
It’s true that I didn’t like their song at all last year, and then I saw REDDI pop up on one of the weekly round-ups here with a song that hit me right in my power-pop wheelhouse. It made me wonder what kind of Eurovision box they were squeezing themselves into.
nicklas sonne has the most interesting song of dmgp. i’m generally a rock fan so i have bias but i think of denmark sent him they’d do well based on the rock results in the past few years
Nicklas is giving Ollie a run for his money!
I’m quite confused why there are so many negative comments. I’m impressed with the selection given the flack it got last year. Like, last year, there were a lot of dated, but very retro songs. This year, there’s a lot more modern stuff.
Just because the level is a bit better doesn’t mean it’s good. I just hope we Danes make the right choice.
Denmark is like a Lego: functional and plastic.
It won’t happen, but send to Agnes Obel!!!!!
404 – no good entry found
They’re all duplicates lol. It’s like Denmark invented a song cloning machine
I think Nicklas Sonne could be the winner of Danish NF, his song is the strongest of this lot. But nothing to do at Eurovision, hard to imagine him (or any other from this NF this year) as a finalist in Liverpool
This is the same Denmark that won just 10 years ago right?
I have two questions for Danish fans here: 1. Who’s popular in Denmark right now?, and 2. What type of music is popular in Denmark? I feel like your music industry is being badly underrepresented and even misrepresented in DMGP and Eurovision. Other nearby countries, like Finland and The Netherlands, really know how to attract their best and most promising (upcoming) acts to go for Eurovision, but it seems that Denmark is not able to do that. What’s going on? Is there any involvement from DR’s pop radio station on the committee selecting the songs, like YLEX in Finland? Are… Read more »
The currently most popular Danish artists would probably be Tobias Rahim, Andreas Odbjerg and Gilli, although Gilli isn’t particularly strong as a live performer. Tobias Rahim and Andreas Odbjerg’s music is Danish-language pop, whereas Gilli is a rapper who has explored many different music style throughout his career; his most recent releases have been inspired by Brazilian funk. But most established artists aren’t interested in taking part in DMGP, unless they need a career boost. And last year’s edition of DMGP was the first ever edition of DMGP to be watched by less than a million Danish viewers. I don’t… Read more »
Eyjaa has the best song, but Niklas Sonne should represent Denmark to finally end Denmark’s streak of soft happy songs.
I’m agree ! It’s my favorite from DMGP !
EYJAA’s love interest was right to run away. Of course he wants to see the world before getting married, he’s a teenager.
LOL! Like they’re barely legal let alone getting married.
Once again Dansk MGP is on brand. Safe, boring, middle of the road and forgettable. I can’t pick one that I like more than the others because nothing stands out. None of these are qualifiers.
How is metal from Nicklas Sone forgettable?
Well, it stands out because there are no other rock songs in DMGP, but it turns out that even rock is bland and boring in DMGP.
Reiley is the only one who catched me. I think that he has the best chances to win here.
“Lige Her” is quite nice. The rest aren’t really up to much. More importantly, Portugal’s songs are getting released….now. :3
I can’t wait for FdC! 🙂 A part of me wants to listen to them now, and another part thinks I’d have a brain overload after Moldova and Denmark in such a short period of time (even if FdC is (hopefully) a serious upgrade over both of these selections.
For me there are many decent songs in the selection but nothing that really stands out for eurovision…but maybe the live performance can surprise us
I dont think the selection is awful tbh, I think personally its better than last year. Its certainly not one of the stronger selections we have so far though. The songs I like: Reiley: Quite a nice song, NGL within the first 10 seconds of listening to it, I was thinking in this song, I think it might remind me of Taylor Swifts Style or One Republic’s back when we were kids (there may be others it sounds like). I dont mind it at all but I am slightly concerned I immediately went, in that song. Eyjja: Not a bad… Read more »
Denmark, please just try an internal selection once.
I really like Reileys aesthetic though. I’m certain he’ll bring some nice visuals to the stage in Liverpool. His song isn’t bad either, it’s basic but catchy. I think it’s Denmark’s only hope.
Internal selection would not even help. Then it’s just a team that chooses a bad song.
Some artists are opposed to national selections. Doing internal selections means security for an established act to go straight to Eurovision.
An example this year would be Slovenia’s Joker Out. They wouldn’t compete in EMA, but they would represent their country if internally selected.
I don’t trust DR’s ability to choose internally.
If this is what they choose for a NF, I’m scared of thinking what they would choose internally
Exactly
The problem isn’t what DR chooses, but it’s what they receive.
If they receive bad songs, they can only choose the best of a bad bunch. If they internally select, they can collaborate with Warner Music Denmark to guarantee an artist a spot at Eurovision.
I refuse to believe that better songs were not submitted. DR chooses based on what the Danes would like to hear on the radio. Not what would do well in Eurovision.
The only one that grabed my atention was the first one, Søren Torpegaard Lund.
Next year should be an internal selection year for Denmark. National finals are overrated anyway, especially for Nordic countries.
But then DR just chooses a bad song? So rather that the public chooses a song.
I’m very much questioning the validity of the results anyway. They always keep details anonymous so it’s entirely possible that all the results are made up by DR.
I don’t think DR is trying to lie about the result. We Danes will have to vote for something, even if the songs are not of the greatest quality.
At least there is a better chance for other countries to sneak in the final, although I believe Denmark can still be a qualifier with 2-3 of these songs.
As a JW myself, the comment that our families are strict is a bit harsh. Yeah, there’s things we don’t do, but there’s also plenty we can do. We’re not miserable, anti-fun, Bible thumpers.
One of my closest friend is an ex-JW. Thank God he was able to leave that destructive cult. It did him so much harm.
Yeah, maybe it’s fine if you’re in it and into it. But the people I know who tried to get out… it wrecked them.
Still have to listen to the rest but Reiley’s got a nice little ear worm, at least.
not surprised at all that the best song of the selection has Iceland involved
I’m a bit surprised that most people like Eyjaa’s song the most; I think it’s just as bland and cliché as most of the others. I can see why they went for DMGP, because they wouldn’t stand a chance in Söngvakeppnin.
Im on team Eyjaa. I like the instrumental part and the mysterious vibe. But I agree that it is nothing special.
How does the country that brought us “Only Teardrops” reach such a situation? There is no way they qualify for the final with songs like that, maybe their semi-final will be really weak, but if not then they have no chance.
I think they’ve gota chance, especially against Gustaph.
I’m hoping that the draw will put Latvia (my country) in the semi with Belgium and Denmark. Preferably, the 15 song one.
Another weak selection Denmark! Im so disappointed in my own country. What is going on? People really hyped up DMGP this year but why? This is another boring DMGP with generic songs. With all that said my favorite is EYJJA, and I think we might have a little chance to qualify with the right staging.
I really like it. Some good songs and interesting singers with good backstories.
Some of the songs are good for the danish radio. Not eurovision
Listen, I want our neighbours to do well. But I do not know where they lost the strength they had. It’s like winning in 2013 was a life-long goal and now they simply do not care any-more. Their boss said that the main goal with MGP is to produce music Danes listen to. That is fine but you are not going any-where in ESC with that. I can’t see Denmark in final this year again but I also do not see any changes next year.
I totally agree. If they want to produce music to us Danes, why are we participating in Eurovision at all? Just play it in the danish radio then.
I also doubt this is representative of the Danish music scene. No rap/hip-hop? Really? Or dance music?
And are these unknown artists the best of Denmark? Feels like DR struggles to get recognised names in the mix
not a bad selection. but when you see what finland/czech republic/portugal are doing you are left underwhelmed.
denmark will never win eurovision again until something changes. i guess internal selections would be a way to go, it’s not like dmgp is that important in denmark.
The sister duo would provide a safe qualifier (with the right staging ofc) but Denmark manages to outdo itself again when it comes to being bland and boring. It’s sad, their selection used to be one of the strongest but in the 2020’s it just lost it’s spark for some reason. I refuse to believe that there weren’t better songs in the preselection, or at the very least more original songs. But again, the sister duo have a really catchy song that could do very well with juries.
“Safe”, “inoffensive” and “colouring between the lines” have been the keywords for DMGP in recent years, and sadly it’s more of the same. I think Reiley has a young and crisp song that’s catchy enough, although it gets a bit repetitive. Soren sounds sweet and melodic, Frederik has a cute Scandipop song that’s bit too messy. About the rest, the less said the better. Sorry Danish Eurofans…
Of course, no Ben & Tan. Five them a chance
Give*
I dont even think Ben & Tan makes music together anymore.
They don’t. Ben works mostly as a songwriter (and has a song in Melfest again this year), Tanne isn’t active in the music business at the moment.
mweh
Is it me, or does DMGP get worse and worse every year? Maybe bad karma for mistreating Ben &Tan? I can confidently say, in this sea of mediocre songs, either Reiley, or Soren will win, so, I predict a male artist for Denmark 2023.