I can totally understand comments like "
is finally back" since this bunch of songs is quite lovely if you like radio-friendly pop with a very few moments which are more exciting but overall, the NF still feels quite vanilla to me since it lacks variety but few pop songs are somehow competitive and I can see them bringing Denmark back into the Grand Final even if I don't like them.
It's clearly a different
than last year - even though they could have thrown a rock entry or a modern ballad or a song in Danish just for the sake of variety.
01. Saba - Sand
Great voice, catchy hook and lovely synth-pop production and an uplifting and memorable melody. I agree with
@tsegaye it sounds very Melodifestivalen but actually the good kind which would easily get into Melodifestivalen's Final.
Personally, I think that the 2nd part of the chorus is slightly reptitive but I think that's
ticket to finally end that miserable streak of NQs.
02. RoseeLu - Real Love
The chorus is catchy as hell - a big moment in his radio-friendly pop-heavy NF if you ask me! I love the strings in the arrangement - it feels quite uplifting sonically and RoseeLu sounds amazing in the middle 8 part. Also, I feel like it's quite "up-beat" for this NF as well.
03. Janus Wiberg - I Need Your Love
Finally, a voice which draws me in. The lyrics are quite basic but the production and his vocals make up for it. The middle-8 part is quite "OneRepublic"-smash-y but the song also got a few "meh" and "basic talent show" vibes. I would still include it in my Top 300 Eurovision playlist, though.
04. Stella - Sign Here
I guess this is the "obligatory kinda alternative" entrry this year - and it's still very pop-y. Even though the chorus sound great, imo, it's very repetitive but its also very catchy and makes you wanna join Stella.
05. Basim - Johnny
Basim's voice still sound very boy-ish - something I didn't like back in 2013 either. The song itself is a very generic, radio-friendly track which could have sung by Olly Murs a decade ago. They try to attract the general public/str8 folks by these anthemic "oohs" in the second part of the chorus but it still sounds flat at part. I think they wanted to create an uplifting, sing-along tune for the radios but I think they failed. It's below average for me.
06. Chu Chu - The Chase (Zoom Zoom)
No. No. Meh. I'm too old for such shouty intros. The production, however, is very interesting and probably the most exciting one in this field. It's competitive and quite entertaining - catchy hook but it's clearly tailored for GenZ.
07. Aura Dione - Mirrorball of Hope
I feel like this song's verses sound incredibly dated and very 00's Eurovision-esque whilst the chorus has been lazily-written. The built-up sounds really trashy, camp and cheap like it was prodcued a decade ago.
The tone of her voice saves this mess from being a total disaster. The vocalising parts in the chorus are really repetitive as well.
I expected more from her. What a very vanilla and absolutely dated mess.
That sound would have flopped in Eurovision 2006.
08. UBLU - Planetary Hearts
All twinks unite! - I loved the intro but it just went downhill from there. It's a song Markus Rivas could have come up with. Horrible. Do I hear traces of Dubstep in the middle 8? 2011 is that you?