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Denmark DENMARK 2025 - Sissal - Hallucination

How do you rate this entry?

  • 12

    16 14.0%
  • 10

    8 7.0%
  • 8

    12 10.5%
  • 7

    15 13.2%
  • 6

    13 11.4%
  • 5

    8 7.0%
  • 4

    15 13.2%
  • 3

    7 6.1%
  • 2

    6 5.3%
  • 1

    6 5.3%
  • 0

    8 7.0%

  • Total voters
    114

hijirio

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Gives me Infernal and Medina vibes. Dated in such a beautiful way.

Easy :12: from me

Love her outfit, love her staging!

All in all, best Danish entry since… 2007?

Will probably share the same destiny sadly. xcry
 

jatojo

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All in all, best Danish entry since… 2007?

Will probably share the same destiny sadly. xcry

I think it's 50/50. Both when you look at the odds, and when you compare the songs in semi 2. It doesn't look quite as hard as last year when Denmark had about the same odds at this point, but was up against exactly 10 songs that looked very hard to beat - and proved to be that in the end.
 

Fluke

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Once again, Denmark sends an entry that seems like it would be 6th place in Melodifestivalen. That doesn't even mean it's bad, or worse than the MF winners (which i usually don't like anyway). It just means that it feels like it came from MF and wouldn't have done that well in it. While Norway and Finland have kind of their own style, i find Denmark utterly undefinable in the ESC. Looking back, i actually liked both Fyr og Flamme, Reddi and Reiley, but they're all completely unrelated in style and really have nothing to do with any Danish identity that could be established in the ESC.

Whatever, anyway, back to this entry. I kind of like it. Kind of soulful glitz-pop, almost a bit artsy at one point. But very monotonous repetition of the title, which seems to be the case with many entries this year, but the composition is more sophisticated and substantial than many similar efforts. Vocals are strong, but her appearance a bit awkward. I just have to mention the clothes.

I'm probably the biggest BBW fan on here, but i find her outfit off-putting and almost distasteful. When you're at the center of attention for the entire song like this, it really matters, and it looks really weird when she bends forward at one point. She should go with something dignified in white or red, that would suit her. Staging otherwise is a bit static and stiff, the dancers meaningless and pretentious.

So i think this has a good chance at being their first finalist since 2019, but really, overall that seems pretty hard to predict this year. So many entries in the middle, neither really outstanding or guaranteed non-qualifiers, that almost anything can happen, but for now, i'm putting this just above the middle.
 

NemesisNick

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This evening I watched the Danish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025, on demand, online from the UK, having missed it Saturday 1 March 2025. For the record, a) I didn’t preview any of the songs, or look at the lyrics beforehand, so my on demand viewing tonight was my first time of seeing / hearing them, b) since I haven’t seen the lyrics, I’ve had difficulty identifying song parts in some cases, and c) since the show ended Saturday night, I’ve managed to avoid accidentally seeing the results anywhere online, so at the moment I still don’t know the scores, and have been able to judge the songs as if I’d been watching live Saturday evening. Here are my points of view I wrote about the eight songs whilst watching the main part of the show:

Song 1: Mariya - "I Belong To Me"
It’s difficult judging the first song when one hasn’t’ previewed any of the songs beforehand. I’m mystified as to the need to create multiple copies of Mariya at the start. Presumably this has been created with mirrors. The chorus and bridge are quite catchy. Red featured heavily in the stage lighting, and white light beams appeared at times. Strobe lighting was also used during the instrumental break. Mariya was accompanied by a group of dancers. On the whole, not bad an entry to open DMGP 2025, but I’m not sure this would have much success at Eurovision.

Song 2: Tim Schou - "Proud"
The guitar could be heard from the start. Tim sang the pre-chorus more powerfully than the first verse, and he was joined by a backing group for the chorus. The second verse was sung more powerfully than the first, and has a beat. After a slow, gentle form of the chorus to act as a bride, there was a powerful closing chorus, with falling fireworks at the back. Altogether quite a memorable song, and Tim sang well, but would this style be too dated for Eurovision these days?

Song 3: Max Ulver - "Supernova"
I liked the way strings could be heard at the start, and this was followed by a beat. Soud effects varied thereafter. The chorus is quite powerful and memorable; I like the way it ends with “oh oh oh oh supernova”. Blue featured heavily thoughtout, and except during the bridge when red was used. Finally, was it necessary for Max to be lifted near the end? Altogether, quite a memorable song, this could make it to the final at Eurovision, but how well it would do once there is questionable.

Song 4: Hervé Toure - "Allez allez"
Firstly, why was Hervé performing in what looked like an open book, and what was the significance of the moon on the background screen at various points in the song? The chorus is very catchy, and has a strong beat. Whilst watching, I was trying to figure out what language Hervé was singing in; was it all French, or was just the title French?

Song 5: Maria Mathea - "Air"
Now for a ballad, or is it a power ballad. I like the way they created the effect of sun rays shining through water, on the background screen, at the start. I noticed the way Maria gradually built up power during the first and second verses. The chorus is very powerful, and has a beat. I noticed lightning effects were added to the background screen during the second and final instances of the chorus. Altogether, quite a good ballad, or power ballad, Maria has a good voice, which she was able to vary as required for the different parts of this song.

Song 6: Adel the Second - "The Unluckiest Boy Alive"
The chorus is quite catchy, and has a beat, but I’m not overly keen on how it was sung, nor the way the other parts of the song for that matter. Hearing the lyrics, it sounds to me as though Adel is singing about the problems of not having enough money, so this could be seen as a protest song. Blue lighting was used, and blue featured heavily on the background screen here.

Song 7: Sissal - "Hallucination"
I liked the electronic sound that could be heard from the start, and continued through the song. The chorus is sung in a powerful manner, but I’m not keen on the way Sissal sings “Hallucination” in the stretched-out manner. The graphics on the background screen gave the illusion of travelling through space at high speed, and fireworks near the end provided the climax to this entry. By far the liveliest entry so far, this could well qualify for the ESC 2025 Grand Final if this goes to Basel.

Song 8: Andreas Kruse - "Hear My Prayer"
The final song already; it’s amazing how time flies. There were some rather weird sounds at the start. Andreas performed the opening section softly, and suddenly pitched high for what I think is the pre-chorus. The chorus is quite powerful, and has a beat. During the second verse, which has a beat, he climbed the staircase for some reason. Altogether quite a powerful entry; presumably this is a power ballad, and it’s amazing that Andreas is able to pitch high like he does.

The three that advanced to the Super Final were:

Tim Schou - "Proud"
Sissal - "Hallucination"
Adel the Second - "The Unluckiest Boy Alive"

The winner was Sissal - "Hallucination". I liked the way they did the horizontal bar chart for the three super finalists; the jury scores were shown first, followed by the public vote scores, and it was a very close finish. I’ve since looked at Wikipedia and found that Sissal won the jury vote with 20 points, but finished second in the public vote with 18 points. Once both sets of points were added together, Sissal won outright with a combined score of 38 points. That was just one point ahead of runner-up Tim Schou; talk about a close result.

Congratulations to Sissal for winning. So Sissal will represent Denmark with "Hallucination" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel in May. Denmark is drawn to perform in the second half of the Second Semi-Final on 15 May 2025. The United Kingdom votes in that semi-final, but time will tell whether or not I will want to vote for Finland that evening. Good luck to Sissal in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 Second Semi-Final, and in the Grand Final if she gets there.

Well done to the other seven artists who took part in DMGP 2025 on Saturday evening. In particular, well done to Tim Schou and Adel the Second for making it to the Super Final; that in itself was an achievement to be proud of.
 

lavieenrose

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Phoenix, AZ / Oovoo Javer
I'm growing obsessed with Hallucination, or more accurately, growing obsessed with Sissal.

A ChatGPT approximation of a pop song. So little name recognition that when I tried to look her up pre-show I would get messages from Google about "did you mean: sisal." A staging budget of roughly three Dansk Krone that were subsequently misappropriated. The guy from all-time bad Eurovision entry New Tomorrow also competing in the NF and Nancy Kerriganing her ankles preshow. She had three minutes to serve And. She. Well she kind of didn't but also kind of did. This is what it truly means to EARN the Prestigious Lavieenrose Ironic :8: Points,* which I will be giving up for it.

*I know that it's not actually a prestigious award I'm not that much of an arrogant ('Singing').
 

Lietuvis

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January 2, 2015
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1,025
Not sure how I feel about this. Perhaps I'll give it more time before scoring. Being Loreen is not easy ;)
 

jatojo

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February 15, 2020
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It's plain stupidity if they don't make some significant changes to the outfit and the dancers. Denmark does tend to stick to the original setup, but there were obvious flaws that even Sissal recognized. So this time, I really hope they take the criticism seriously.
 

jatojo

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February 15, 2020
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As of now, Denmark is a borderline qualifier. In fact, according to the odds, Denmark is going to end up in the 11th spot. That's worrying, since being a borderline qualifier has resulted in zero qualifications for Denmark in recent years. But I do think that the potential is bigger this time, and compared to last year, it doesn't look as hard to break into the top 10 in the semi.
 

theditz83

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Sack the pointless dancers and just stand on that stage and sing your bloomin' lungs out Sissal, with a stunning laser show. That's how to stage this one - no gimmicks needed, as your magnetism and immense vocals can carry this without any other rubbish to distract.
 

NemesisNick

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Dorchester, Dorset, United Kingdom
I've made a review video of the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025, which took place on Saturday 1 March 2025. This video includes my opinions on all eight songs, in order of performance (based on DMGP 2025 performances), and my ranking from eighth to first in My Eurovision Scoreboard. Please note that I didn't preview any of the songs before watching DMGP 2025, so my first ever time of seeing or hearing the eight finalist songs was whilst watching DMGP 2025 on demand, and thus I was judging the entries with no prior familiarisation.
 

Loindici

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Bejba
It's plain stupidity if they don't make some significant changes to the outfit and the dancers. Denmark does tend to stick to the original setup, but there were obvious flaws that even Sissal recognized. So this time, I really hope they take the criticism seriously.
I know DR didn't change their stagings much, but do they need a hundred people to tell them "this looks ugly, give us more"?

Yes, you can't come with a completely new staging in one week, but sure you can cook up massive improvements. I hope this is not just DR being lazy and they could listen to Sissal when it comes to this.
 

Betwixt Tales

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March 27, 2021
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DR scraps Grand Prix winner's stage show after harsh criticism: 'We've started completely from scratch.

Grand Prix winner Sissal will have a completely new stage show when she represents Denmark at Eurovision in May.

"Please, please, please do a new show for Eurovision!". That's just one of the many comments that have poured into singer Sissal's social media in recent days. This weekend she won the Danish Melodi Grand Prix 2025 with her song 'Hallucination', and since then her inbox has been red-hot with messages from viewers and new fans.

They praise her vocals. They praise the song. But one point of criticism comes up again and again: Sissal's stage show.

- I've received hundreds of messages from people who are so upset that my stage show doesn't live up to their expectations. They write: "This song deserves a good performance and a real chance to do well at Eurovision," Sissal tells dr.dk.

Although she was happy with her performance at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, she understands the criticism of her show.

- There was perhaps a common thread missing in my performance, and it perhaps felt a bit empty. Fortunately, the show was good enough to win in Denmark, but it is not enough for Eurovision.

Here at dr.dk, several Grand Prix experts have also stated that Denmark's stage show needs an overhaul. And DR have listened to the criticism.

That is why they've started making a completely new stage show that Sissal will bring with her when she represents Denmark at Eurovision in Switzerland in May.

- We have started completely from scratch. We have scrapped everything we had in Herning and started fresh, says Sissal, when dr.dk meets her at DR's secret stage rehearsals in DR Byen.

Gets a new stage show and new costume

The new stage show is still in development and in fact so new that the people behind it would rather not reveal too much of what exactly will happen on stage.

Sissal does give a little hint, however:

- In Herning it was just me and two dancers, but for Eurovision the plan is that there will be an extra element that will help symbolize the song's message, says the 30-year-old singer – somewhat cryptically.

At Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, Sissal was dressed in a green, shiny suit. But the stage costume will also change for Eurovision, she reveals.

- I think my suit was really cool and beautiful – I loved it! – but I can see why some might think it "just" looked like a swimsuit, she says and continues:

- So yes, my outfit will change. We are going to create a coherent package where the clothes, the show, the colors on the stage and the theme of the song are more connected.

DR boss: Stage show must be able to stand the distance for Eurovision

DR's Grand Prix boss, Erik Struve Hansen, is also happy that Sissal will get a new and larger stage show for Eurovision.

- Sissal's performance at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix was not quite what we, the team behind it, had hoped for. It can sometimes be difficult to see until you see the whole package on stage, he explains, and says that the criticism from viewers and fans has not gone unnoticed by DR.

- We, ourselves, have had the feeling that this show needed something more to stand the distance for Eurovision – and that feeling is of course only reinforced when you get so many and strong reactions from outside people.

He confirms that Sissal's stage show has been completely rethought from scratch, and that the show that people will see at Eurovision is completely different from what viewers saw at Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

- There may still be small parts from what we saw in Herning, but the basic idea is completely new. It is a completely new show, he says and continues:

- The message to the creative people behind the show has been: "Make the coolest show possible, and don't think about what it costs". So the ideas have been given free rein, and then we've looked at what can be done practically with the money we have available. But there's a high (*spending) ceiling.

Sissal believes in a Danish final spot for Eurovision

After Saturday's Grand Prix final, Erik Struve Hansen told dr.dk that the deadline for submitting the finished stage show was so tight that they couldn't recreate Sissal's stage show from scratch.

But it's happened.

- Because people have worked so hard and worked around the clock, we've still managed to create something completely new. And I'm really happy about it, says the Grand Prix manager.

It is a very important performance that Sissal will deliver on the Eurovision stage in May. She'll try to sing Denmark through to the final for the first time since 2019.

And Sissal believes that the mission can be successful with the new stage show.

- I feel that the song has a good chance of making it to the final if we upgrade the stage show. And the people I work with are insanely talented, so I trust them.

Erik Struve Hansen also reassures the Grand Prix fans who are nervous that the stage show will hinder Denmark's chances of reaching the Eurovision final for the first time in six years.

- People should be scared. We are going to put on a super strong and super beautiful show. The message to the team behind it has been that they have to put on the best possible show for Eurovision, and we will.

*Danish saying, so hard to translate.

This is a translation of this article: DR skrotter Grand Prix-vinders sceneshow efter hård kritik.
 

Funix

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Promising news. My fear is definitely if the upgrade is a 'Denmark 2023' again, then I think were better off with the staging as it stands now
 

jatojo

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Promising news. My fear is definitely if the upgrade is a 'Denmark 2023' again, then I think were better off with the staging as it stands now
A bit more clothing would do it for me. I'm happy to read that this will be among the changes.
 
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