Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Denmark participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" written by Lise Cabble, Julia Fabrin Jakobsen and Thomas Stengaard. The song was performed by Emmelie de Forest. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest was the winner as decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting over two rounds.

Eurovision Song Contest 2013
Country Denmark
National selection
Selection processDansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013
Selection date(s)26 January 2013
Selected artist(s)Emmelie de Forest
Selected song"Only Teardrops"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (1st, 167 points)
Final result1st, 281 points
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2012 2013 2014►

Denmark was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 14 May 2013. Performing during the show in position 5, "Only Teardrops" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 18 May. It was later revealed that Denmark placed first out of the 16 participating countries in the semi-final with 167 points. In the final, Denmark performed in position 18 and placed first out of the 26 participating countries, winning the contest with 281 points. This was Denmark's third win in the Eurovision Song Contest; their last victory was in 2000.

Background

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Prior to the 2013 contest, Denmark had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-one times since its first entry in 1957.[1] Denmark had won the contest, to this point, on two occasions: in 1963 with the song "Dansevise" performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann, and in 2000 with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" performed by Olsen Brothers. In the 2012 contest, "Should've Known Better" performed by Soluna Samay qualified Denmark to the final placing twenty-third.

The Danish national broadcaster, DR, broadcasts the event within Denmark and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. DR confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on 27 May 2012.[2] Denmark has selected all of their Eurovision entries through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. On 10 July 2012, the broadcaster announced that Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013 would be organised in order to select Denmark's entry for the 2013 contest.[3]

Before Eurovision

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Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013

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Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013 was the 43rd edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the music competition that selects Denmark's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The event was held on 26 January 2013 at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning, hosted by Lise Rønne, Louise Wolff and Sofie Lassen-Kahlke and televised on DR1 as well as streamed online at the official DR website.[4][5] The national final was watched by 1.785 million viewers in Denmark.[6]

Format

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Ten songs competed in one show where the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top three songs based on the combination of votes from a public televote and a five-member jury panel qualified to the superfinal. In the superfinal, the winner was determined again by the votes of the jury and public. Viewers were able to vote via SMS.[7]

The five-member jury panel was composed of:[8]

Competing entries

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DR opened a submission period between 10 July 2012 and 24 September 2012 for artists and composers to submit their entries.[9] The entertainment director for DR, Jan Lagermand Lundme, stated that the competition would seek out "songs that have a strong chorus".[10] The broadcaster received a record breaking 692 entries during the submission period; the previous record was set in 2009 when the broadcaster received 684 entries.[11] A selection committee selected eight songs from the entries submitted to the broadcaster, while two of the participants were invited to compete based on editorial considerations. DR held a press meet and greet at the DR Byen in Copenhagen on 16 January 2013 where the competing artists and songs were announced and officially presented. Among the artists was Brinck who represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.[12]

Artist Song Songwriter(s) Selection
Albin "Beautiful to Me" Brian Risberg Clausen, Mads Haugaard Open submission
Brinck "Human" Niels Brinck Kristensen
Daze "We Own the Universe" Thomas G:son, Peter Boström
Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops" Lise Cabble, Julia Fabrin Jakobsen, Thomas Stengaard
Frederikke Vedel "Jeg har hele tiden vidst det" Pernille Georgi, Thomas Reil, Jeppe Reil
Jack Rowan feat. Sam Gray "Invincible" Achmad Darwich, Jack Rowan, Sam Gray Invited by DR
Kate Hall "I'm Not Alone" Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson, Michelle Bell, Oscar Holter, Jakke Erixson, Simon Hermansen Open submission
Louise Dubiel "Rejs dig op" Casper Lindstad, Rune Braager, Louise Dubiel Invited by DR
Mohamed Ali "Unbreakable" Morten Friis, Michael Parsberg, Peter Bjørnskov, Lene Dissing Open submission
Simone "Stay Awake" Lars Halvor Jensen, Carsten Lindberg

Final

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The final took place on 26 January 2013.[13] In the first round of voting the top three advanced to the superfinal based on the votes of a five-member jury (50%) and a public televote (50%). In the superfinal, the winner, "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest, was selected by the public and jury vote. The viewers and the juries each had a total of 30 points to award in the superfinal. Each juror distributed their points as follows: 1, 2 and 3 points. The viewer vote was based on the percentage of votes each song achieved. For example, if a song gained 10% of the viewer vote, then that entry would be awarded 10% of 30 points rounded to the nearest integer: 3 points.[14]

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Danish Eurovision 2012 entrant Soluna Samay, British Eurovision Song Contest 1976 winner Brotherhood of Man, Irish Eurovision Song Contest 1980 and 1987 winner Johnny Logan and Swedish Eurovision Song Contest 1984 winner Herreys performed as the interval acts.[15][16]

Final – 26 January 2013
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Frederikke Vedel "Jeg har hele tiden vidst det" Eliminated
2 Brinck "Human" Eliminated
3 Kate Hall "I'm Not Alone" Eliminated
4 Louise Dubiel "Rejs dig op" Eliminated
5 Daze "We Own the Universe" Eliminated
6 Simone "Stay Awake" Advanced
7 Jack Rowan feat. Sam Gray "Invincible" Eliminated
8 Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops" Advanced
9 Albin "Beautiful to Me" Eliminated
10 Mohamed Ali "Unbreakable" Advanced
Superfinal – 26 January 2013
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
1 Simone "Stay Awake" 8 7 15 3
2 Emmelie de Forest "Only Teardrops" 11 15 26 1
3 Mohamed Ali "Unbreakable" 11 8 19 2
Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song Cutfather L. Sørensen J. de Mylius M. Lucia Kato Total
1 "Stay Awake" 1 1 2 2 2 8
2 "Only Teardrops" 3 3 3 1 1 11
3 "Unbreakable" 2 2 1 3 3 11

Promotion

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Emmelie de Forest made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Only Teardrops" as the Danish Eurovision entry. On 12 April, Emmelie de Forest appeared during the SVT1 programme Gomorron Sverige in Sweden.[17] On 21 April, de Forest performed during the London Eurovision Party, which was held at the Shadow Lounge venue in London, United Kingdom and hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell.[18]

At Eurovision

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According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 17 January 2013, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Denmark was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2013, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[19]

Once all the competing songs for the 2013 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Denmark was set to perform in position 5, following the entry from Croatia and before the entry from Russia.[20]

The two semi-finals and final were broadcast on DR1 with commentary by Ole Tøpholm.[21] The Danish spokesperson, who announced the Danish votes during the final, was Sofie Lassen-Kahlke.[22]

Semi-final

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Emmelie de Forest during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

Emmelie de Forest took part in technical rehearsals on 6 and 10 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 13 and 14 May. This included the jury show on 13 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.

The Danish performance featured Emmelie de Forest in a cream coloured loose tank dress designed by Danish designer Anja Elefteria and performing with two drummers, one of them who also played the penny whistle, and three backing vocalists. The stage colours were predominantly red, yellow and orange and the performance also featured a pyrotechnic fountain effect.[23][24][25] The two drummers that joined Emmelie de Forest were Jacob Baagøe Thomsen and Morten Specht Larsen, while the three backing vocalists were: Anne Murillo, Heidi Degn and Anders Øhrstrøm.[26]

At the end of the show, Denmark was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final.[27] It was later revealed that Denmark placed first in the semi-final, receiving a total of 167 points.[28]

Final

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Emmelie de Forest during the winner's press conference

Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries appeared in the semi-final running order. Denmark was drawn to compete in the second half.[29] Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Denmark was subsequently placed to perform in position 18, following the entry from Hungary and before the entry from Iceland.[30]

Emmelie de Forest once again took part in dress rehearsals on 17 and 18 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Emmelie de Forest performed a repeat of her semi-final performance during the final on 18 May. Denmark won the contest placing first with a score of 281 points. This was Denmark's third victory in the Eurovision Song Contest; their last victory was in 2000.[31]

Voting

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Voting during the three shows consisted of 50 percent public televoting and 50 percent from a jury deliberation. The jury consisted of five music industry professionals who were citizens of the country they represent. This jury was asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury could be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The following members comprised the Danish jury: television and radio host Jørgen de Mylius, singer and 2012 Danish Eurovision entrant Soluna Samay, producer Chief 1 (Lars Pedersen), singer and actress Kaya Brüel and singer Jimmy Colding.[32]

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that Denmark had placed first with both the public televote and the jury vote in the semi-final. In the public vote, Denmark received an average rank of 3.33, while with the jury vote, Denmark received an average rank of 3.58. In the final, Denmark had also placed first with both the public televote and the jury vote. In the public vote, Denmark received an average rank of 4.97, while with the jury vote, Denmark received an average rank of 6.23.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Denmark and awarded by Denmark in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Russia in the semi-final and to Norway in the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Denmark

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Points awarded by Denmark

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References

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  1. ^ "Denmark Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Eurovision 2013: Austria, Netherlands And More Confirm Participation!". The Eurovision Times. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  3. ^ Bygbjerg, Søren (10 July 2012). "Entries wanted for the Danish National Song Contest 2013". dr.dk. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ Storvik-Green, Simon (2 January 2013). "More details of the Danish final revealed". Eurovision.tv.
  5. ^ Bygbjerg, Søren (4 October 2012). "Herning vært for det største Grand Prix nogensinde". DR. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  6. ^ Christensen, Kasper Madsbøll (10 March 2014). "1,8 millioner fulgte med da Basim vandt Melodi Grand Prix". dr.dk (in Danish).
  7. ^ Bygbjerg, Søren (14 January 2013). "Her er juryen: Stjerner skal vælge årets Grand Prix-vinder". DR. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  8. ^ Storvik-Green, Simon (14 January 2013). "Denmark: Details of DMGP jury announced". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  9. ^ Therkelsen, Søren. "Rules Governing the Danish National Song Contest 2013" (PDF). DR. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  10. ^ Storvik-Green, Simon (11 July 2012). "Denmark calls for songs with "a strong chorus" for 2013". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  11. ^ Storvik Green, Simon (25 September 2012). "A record 692 songs submitted in Denmark". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  12. ^ Storvik-Green, Simon (16 January 2013). "Ten fantastic acts revealed in Denmark". Eurovision.tv.
  13. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (4 October 2012). "DANISH NATIONAL FINAL ON JANUARY 26TH". esctoday.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013". eurosong.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  15. ^ Busa, Alexandru (21 January 2013). "Soluna Samay to perform at the Danish national final". Esctoday.
  16. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (3 January 2013). "Guest stars for Danish final announced". Esctoday.
  17. ^ Larsson, Ronny (12 April 2013). "Storfavoriten Emmelie de Forest: Jag har alltid älskat Kurt Cobain". blog.qx.se. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  18. ^ "London Eurovision Party: Eight acts from ESC 2013 take part with special guests!". EuroVisionary. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  19. ^ Siim, Jarmo (7 November 2012). "Running order Malmö 2013 to be determined by producers". Eurovision.tv.
  20. ^ Siim, Jarmo (28 March 2013). "Eurovision 2013: Semi-Final running order revealed". Eurovision.tv.
  21. ^ Grønbech, Jens (18 March 2013). "Kommentator forudser: Emmelie får kamp til stregen". DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  22. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (18 May 2013). ""Good evening Malmö" - Jury order revealed". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  23. ^ "Pictures: Ecological dress for Emmelie in Malmö". eurovision.tv. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  24. ^ "A fiery start for Denmark in Malmö". eurovision.tv. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Emmelie concentrates for Danish success". eurovision.tv. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  26. ^ "De skal med Emmelie på scenen i Malmø". DR (in Danish). 6 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  27. ^ Leon, Jakov (14 May 2013). "We have our first ten finalists!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  28. ^ "First Semi-Final of Malmö 2013". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  29. ^ Brey, Marco (14 May 2013). "First Semi-Final Winners' Press Conference". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  30. ^ Storvik-Green, Simon (17 May 2013). "Running order for the Grand Final revealed". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  31. ^ "Grand Final of Malmö 2013". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Afsløring: Her er den danske jury". DR (in Danish). 18 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  33. ^ a b "Results of the First Semi-Final of Malmö 2013". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Results of the Grand Final of Malmö 2013". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.