Denmark: Tim Schou among the 8 artists in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025

Denmark has a long and proud Eurovision history, having won the competition 3 times. And on Thursday the eight artists and songs for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 were revealed, all aiming to represent Denmark at Eurovision in Basel and hopefully bringing the Scandinavian country back to the Grand Final for the first time since 2019!

Among the 8 acts are 2011 Eurovision alum Tim Schou (now without A Friend In London) and some solid names on the songwriting and -producing side with several Eurovision winners in the lineup.

You can listen to the songs by clicking each title down below. And you can also vote in our poll for your favourite(s).

The final will take place at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning on Saturday 1 March with returning hosts from last year, Stéphanie Surrugue and Sara Bro.

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 line-up

Tim Schou – “Proud”
Authors: Tim Schou, Joachim Ersgaard, Benjamin Rosenbohm and Emil Lei

He came 5th at Eurovision back in 2011 with his band A Friend In London. Now 14 years later Tim Schou is back as a solo artist in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with his entry “Proud”, a strong and personal anthem about finding your dreams again: “The song is about finding pride in everything we are and everything we have been through. To dare to accept our scars and everything that makes us who we have become.”

Tim hopes that both the song and his performance will touch the many TV viewers: – “If I can remind just one person of the journey they have been on, and that it is possible to start over and reinvent yourself, then the goal has been achieved.

– It feels surreal to be standing here again 14 years after my debut in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. I have
performed on everything from big stages to small living rooms – and most importantly, I have come to understand myself better as both an artist and a person, and I look forward to showing that, on the platform I come from.”

Mariya – “I Belong To Me”
Authors: Mariya, Julie “Kill J” Aagaard, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt and Dino Medanhodzic
Singer, songwriter and dancer Mariya is making her debut in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix this year with the song “I Belong To Me” – and both the song and the stage it will be performed on are important to Mariya: – “Dansk Melodi Grand Prix is ​​a huge platform. I have to fill this space, and it is hugely liberating. Look at me! I am here! I did it, and I am allowed to be here!”

Mariya wrote the song together with songwriter Julie Aagaard, who has had plenty of entries in both DMGP and other national finals as well as Eurovision. In addition, the song is co-written by Jimmy “Joker Thörnfeldt, who won Eurovision with the song ‘Tattoo’ by Loreen in 2023. ‘I Belong To Me’ was written in Avicii’s former studio in Stockholm, and the song was produced by Swede Dino Medanhodzic:

– “With this song, another oasis of openness will emerge. You are not wrong because you have big dreams, or because you work hard for something that seems impossible to others.”

When Mariya steps onto the stage at Boxen in Herning, she hopes to stir up something in people:
– “Now the girl from the underground comes to stand on one of the world’s most commercial stages. I
hope the audience thinks ‘Wow, how strong she is. Wow, she has been fighting to be able to stand here.”

Max Ulver – “Supernova”
Authors: Max Ulver, Remee, Frederik Nordsø and Fridolin Nordsø
Singer and songwriter Max Ulver wrote “Supernova” together with Remee – a former 3 times DMGP winner – and brothers Frederik and Fridolin Nordsø, who have delivered a number of hits both in Denmark and internationally for artists like Christopher, Tobias Rahim and Drew Sycamore. The song ‘Supernova’ combines Police-inspired attitude rock with great pop hooks and is inspired by a magical experience that Max himself has had:

“- It’s about meeting the right person. I remember the second I saw her. She lit up the whole room. It was pure magic. I worked as a volunteer at the legendary Copenhagen venue Rust, and in 2010 I met superstar Bruno Mars, who advised me to go all in on the music.”

Max followed Bruno Mars’ good advice – and has since taken on work both at home and abroad. He has studied at the Rhythmic College and the London Centre of Contemporary Music, among other places. Max Ulver had his big breakthrough as a songwriter in 2020, when he went to number 1 in China with the song ‘Lover’ from the Chinese superstar KUN, which has been streamed more than 1 billion times.

His big dream was to become either a rapper or a professional skateboarder. Now he will be on stage in front of all of Denmark with his entry for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

Maria Mathea – “Air”
Authors: Maria Mathea, Emil Lei and Julie “Kill J” Aagaard
Singer and songwriter Maria Mathea enters Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with her song ‘Air’, which is the result of a Nordic collaboration. The song was written by the two well-known Danish songwriters Emil Lei (“Love Is Forever” 2019) and Julie Aagaard (“Yes” 2020) together with the artist herself, who is Swedish. Although this is the first time that Maria has stepped on stage as an artist, she has previously written songs for, among others, the Moldovan national final, the Eurovision hit “Solo” in 2023 from Poland with Blanka and – not least – Dansk Melodi Grand Prix:

“- I had the honor of having a song in the Danish Melodi Grand Prix 2023 with EYJAA (‘I Was Gonna Marry Him’), and it was an incredibly nice experience to collaborate with everyone involved. I love working in Denmark and with Danes. Your unique approach to songwriting is truly something special.

– As a singer, this is a dream come true. I have experienced Eurovision as a songwriter and as a backup vocalist, but never as a lead artist. Being allowed to participate with this song fulfills what has always been my biggest dream.

She has studied music and music business in both Sweden and London and has been writing professionally for other artists since 2016. She has worked as an A&R, backing vocalist, songwriter and has worked with big names like Hardwell, Lost Kings, Elliot, Ummet Ozcan, KAAZE, Theoz, YooA, Hooverphonic and others. Overall, Maria’s music has generated over 240 million streams.

Hervé Toure – “ALLEZ ALLEZ”
Authors: Jakob Groth and Christian Juncker
Singer and songwriter Hervé Toure enters Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 with the song “Allez Allez”, which despite the French title is the only song this year to be sung in Danish. 

– “As a child, the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix was a gathering point for my family, and “Fly On The Wings Of Love” went straight to the heart. It will be a dream come true to stand on stage in the Jyske Bank Boxen. I hope to bring people together and inspire everyone to take charge of their own lives.

The song is about using your inner strength and finding the will to overcome the obstacles you encounter on your path through life. At the same time, the song is a tribute to – and the belief in – that everyone can help shape their own destiny, exactly as Hervé and his family had to when they left a safe and good life in the Ivory Coast to explore new opportunities and first ended up in several different places in Europe before finding their home in Denmark:

– “I am not bound by nationality. I am proud of my Ivorian origins, but I am also Danish. In fact, I can feel at home anywhere in the world. I always stand out no matter where I go. It is a gift that has given birth to my belief that anything is possible.”

Hervé Toure has many dreams and talents. He has, among other things, previously been a professional footballer in the French 3rd division and in addition, he has also displayed his acting skills at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen in Matthew Lopez’ play “Arven”, which won a Danish Theatre Award for Best Play in 2023.

Adel the Second – “The Unluckiest Boy Alive”
Authors: Adel the Second and Søren Christensen
Singer and songwriter, Adel the Second – or Oliver Adelborg, makes his debut in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 with “The Unluckiest Boy Alive”. Adel the Second himself is the man behind the song, which is inspired by pop and house music with orchestral elements.

The song has an optimistic pop production and sound, while the lyrics, on the other hand, lead to thoughts on the difficult days in life – the days when everything is uphill. Nevertheless, the message of the song should be taken with a grain of salt:

– “I’m not really trying to convince anyone that I’m the one who has it the worst of all. But I do think it’s very human to catch yourself feeling exactly that way from time to time. I think that gives the song a sarcastic twinkle in the eye.

– I have always dreamed of being allowed to do a big show on a big stage. I want to have more fun than I have had before. I need something big and fun and exciting to happen. I hope that here at Dansk Melodi Grand Prix I will be allowed to prove that there is a place for me in the Danish music industry. So Denmark can expect a show.”

Sissal – “Hallucination”
Authors: Malthe Johansen, Chris Rohde-Frisk, Lina Spangsberg, Marcus Winther-John, Linnea Deb and Melanie Wehbe Singer and songwriter Sissal’s entry to Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 is the song “Hallucination”, which she has written herself together with Malthe Johansen, Chris Rohde-Frisk, Lina Spangsberg, Marcus Winther-John and the Swedes Linnea Deb and Melanie Wehbe (“Sand” 2024). – “Hallucination is about meeting someone where the connection feels so real that it almost seems unreal. When we wrote the song, we could feel that we had created something very special.”

Sissal loves Dansk Melodi Grand Prix and Eurovision and describes it as a world she feels at home in. She loves big parties, the queer environment and respects the artists who stand up and are themselves. Her own dreams are big and range from performing at festivals where people can sing along to her songs, to being the voice in a Disney film – and performing in front of the Danish King Frederik.

She is inspired by Swedish and Norwegian electronic pop like Dagny and Robyn. The latter made a huge impression on her when she released ‘Dancing on My Own’ and, like Ariana Grande, is one of Sissal’s biggest sources of inspiration. She always sang in front of her family and performed for the first time on a public stage at the age of 10 in a competition similar to MGP. From an early age, it was clear that Sissal had a very special gift. Her voice.

But Sissal’s voice is not the only thing that defines her. Her tireless ambition and willpower have quickly become her hallmark. No matter what challenges she encounters, she never gives up. It is not only about music, but also about breaking boundaries and inspiring others to believe that anything is possible.

Andreas Kruse – “Hear My Prayer”
Authors: Andreas Kruse, Linda Dale, Malte August and Rasmus ’Majalle’ Olsen

This is the first time Andreas Kruse has competed in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, but it is far from the first time that he has taken to one of the biggest music stages here in Denmark. Back in 2018, Andreas became nationally known when he won the X-Factor as part of the group ’Place On Earth’. In 2022, he released his debut single as a soloist, and now Andreas is ready to once again pursue his musical dreams:

– “You don’t achieve your dreams without having a dream to begin with. So the wildest dream scenario for me would be to go all the way with my participation in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with the song ’Hear My Prayer’.”

The song was written together with Norwegian Linda Dale, who co-wrote last year’s Swiss Eurovision winning song ”The Code” with Nemo. In addition, Andreas wrote the song with Malte August and Rasmus ‘Majalle’ Olsen, who is, among other things, the regular producer of the award-winning Danish singer Pil:

– “I think we have made a song that is perfect for Melodi Grand Prix, and that I really feel I have put my own stamp on. Andreas says that the song is sung in a form of helplessness to ‘something’ that is higher than ourselves. ‘Hear My Prayer’ can be interpreted as a unifying and common echo of all the individual problems that we as humans each carry around.”

Format of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025

The eight entries will be performed in the final, where three of them will be voted through to a superfinal by 50% public vote and 50% jury vote.

The winner will be found among the three superfinalists, again with 50% public vote and 50% jury vote. The jury consists of 10 international experts from ten different countries and 10 selected Danish super fans.

Who is your favourite among the eight acts? Can any of them finally make Denmark proud again at Eurovision? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.