Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. The Danish entry was selected through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2013, organised by the Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR). Emmelie de Forest represented Denmark with the song "Only Teardrops", which qualified from the first semi-final of the competition and won the contest, placing 1st in the final with 281 points.
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.[1][2] The show was televised on DR1 as well as streamed online at the official DR website.
Format[]
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 vote and a five-member jury panel qualified to the superfinal. In the superfinal, the winner was determined by the public and jury vote. Viewers were able to vote via SMS.[3]
DR opened a submission period between 11 July 2012 and 24 September 2012 for artists and composers to submit their entries. The entertainment director for DR, Jan Lagermand Lundme, stated that the competition would seek out "songs that have a strong chorus".[5] 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.[6] A selection committee selected six songs from the entries submitted to the broadcaster. Four of the participants were invited to compete based on editorial considerations.[7] The competing artists and songs were officially presented during a press conference at the DR Byen in Copenhagen on 16 January 2013.[8]
The final took place on 26 January 2013.[9] In the first round of voting the top three advanced to a superfinal based on the votes of a five-member jury (50%) and a public vote (50%). The three superfinalists were "Stay Awake" performed by Simone, "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest and "Unbreakable" performed by Mohamed Ali. In the superfinal, the winner, "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest, was selected by the public and jury vote.[10] The public and the juries each had a total of 30 points to award in the superfinal. Each jury member distributed 1, 2 and 3 points and the viewer vote was based on the percentage of votes each song received 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.
Emmelie de Forest at the first semi-final dress rehearsal in Malmö.
To ensure fair ticket distribution in the semifinals, the Eurovision Reference Group decided on 7 November 2012 that Denmark would compete in the first semi-final on 14 May.[13] In the first semifinal, the producers of the show decided that Denmark would perform 5th, following Croatia and preceding Russia.[14] On stage, Emmelie de Forest was joined by two drummers: Morten Specht Larsen and Jacob Baagøe Thomsen, and by three backing singers: Anne Murillo, Heidi Degn and Anders Øhrstrøm.[15]
Denmark qualified from the first semi-final, placing 1st and scoring 167 points.[16][17] At the first semi-final winners' press conference, Denmark was allocated to perform in the second half of the final.[18] In the final, the producers of the show decided that Denmark would perform 18th, following Hungary and preceding Iceland.[19] Denmark won the 2013 Contest placing 1st and scoring a total of 281 points.[20]
In Denmark, both the semi-finals and the final were broadcast on DR1, with commentary provided by Ole Tøpholm.[21]
The national jury that provided 50% of the Danish vote in the first semi-final and the final consisted of: Jørgen de Mylius (television and radio host), Soluna Samay (singer), Chief 1 (Lars Pedersen) (producer), Kaya Brüel (singer and actress) and Jimmy Colding (singer).[22] The Danish spokesperson in the grand final was Sofie Lassen-Kahlke.[23]
Denmark
