Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Country	Denmark
National selection
Selection process	Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020
Selection date(s)	7 March 2020
Selected entrant	Ben and Tan
Selected song	"Yes"
Selected songwriter(s)	Emil Lei Jimmy Jansson Linnea Deb
Finals performance
Final result	Contest cancelled
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2019 • 2020 • 2021►

Denmark originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.

Background[]

Prior to the 2020 contest, Denmark had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-eight times since their first entry in 1957.^[1] Denmark had won the contest, to this point, on three occasions: in 1963 with the song "Dansevise" performed by Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann, in 2000 with the song "Fly on the Wings of Love" performed by Olsen Brothers, and in 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" performed by Emmelie de Forest. In the 2019 contest, "Love Is Forever" performed by Leonora came 12th in the final with 120 points.

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 2020 Eurovision Song Contest on 25 May 2019.^[2] Denmark has selected all of their Eurovision entries thus far through the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

Before Eurovision[]

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020[]

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020 was the 50th edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the music competition that selects Denmark's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. The event was held on 7 March 2020 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, hosted by Hella Joof and Rasmus Bjerg.^[3] For the first time since 1999, a live orchestra was used in the final. The Antonelli Orchestra accompanied each performance in varying capacities.^[4] The show was televised on DR1 as well as streamed online at the official DR website.

Format[]

Nine songs competed in a radio semi-final and were divided into three groups of three songs. The winning song of each group determined exclusively by an online vote via the official DR website qualified to the final. A jury also selected two songs out of the remaining non-qualifying songs to qualify to the final as wildcards. Ten songs consisting of the five semi-final qualifiers alongside five pre-qualified songs competed in the final 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 exclusively by a public vote. Viewers were able to vote via SMS or a mobile application specifically designed for the competition. Viewers using the app to cast a vote were provided with one free vote.

The five-member jury panel was composed of:^[5]

•  [da] – radio host on DR P3
• Mich Hedin Hansen (Cutfather) – songwriter and music producer
• Ida Corr – singer
•  [da] (Pilfinger) – music producer
• Nicolai Molbech – radio host

Competing entries[]

DR opened a submission period between 2 October 2019 and 1 November 2019 for artists and composers to submit their entries.^[6] The broadcaster received 600 entries during the submission period. A committee of regional DR P4 representatives selected nine songs from the entries submitted to the broadcaster for the semi-final, while an alternative selection committee selected the five pre-qualifying songs. The competing artists and songs for the semi-final and final and were officially presented on 20 January 2020 and 31 January 2020, respectively.

The DR P4 committee was composed of:

Semi-final[]

Users were able to cast one vote per group between 20 and 24 January 2020 and the song with the most votes of each group advanced to the final. The top-voted song in each group advanced to the final, alongside two wildcard entries selected by the DR P4 committee from the eliminated acts.

Final[]

The final took place on 7 March 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the show took place with no live audience being admitted.^[7][8][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. In the superfinal, the winner, "Yes" performed by Ben and Tan, was selected solely by a public vote.

At Eurovision[]

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 28 January 2020, a special 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 second semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.^[10] However, due to 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, the contest was cancelled.

In the Eurovision Song Celebration YouTube broadcast in place of the heats, it was revealed that the song would have performed 11th, between Switzerland and Albania.^[11]

References[]