DENMARK

The Danish Final was held on March 8th at Arena Fyn in Odense, hosted by Louise Wolff & Jacob Riising. The winner was chosen by SMS voting (50%) and an "expert" jury (50%) in two rounds of voting - the first to select the top 3 and the second to select the winner. The host nation's entry will be " Cliché Love Song" sung by Basim.

Although I didn't catch the singing of the songs live, I watched the Danish final from just before the selection of the songs going forward to the superfinal. As even the show was well run ad very slick and the stage was quite simplistic but very effective - I wonder if this is a peek into things to come in May!

The performance used the whole of the t-shaped stage. He is backed by one female and two male backing singers and two male dancers. All six are dressed in black and white suits but with individual variations. Although Basim is very much the singer and the star of the song it is also very much an ensemble effort. The dance routine during the chorus is simple and could be easily danced along with at home. The groups has great connection with the audience although I think the balance of dancers and singers needs to change.

The song is a mid tempo pop song with a Motown/Jackson 5 type feel to it. Very similar to Bruno Mars style. It is certainly the type of song that could be heard on Radio 2 and has a retro yet contemporary feel. The song starts with a short chorus which gets the this part of the song in your head immediately. The song is quite formulaic and the chorus (although not very good) is very clever by using the scatting so that anybody can join in. The song is a little saccharine for my liking but is expected for its genre.

I am quite impressed by the way this mini groups works together and with the audience. Their outfits are also striking. My main concern is with the two dancers as I found them far too over the top and distracting. The three backing singers also danced but did so much more reservedly which suited the song much more. I would suggest that they are replaced with 2 more singers - possibly another female. I was also impressed by Basim's voice and tone as it was very similar to the recorded version.

I don't think this was the best song in the Danish Final but he was by far the best and most charismatic singer plus the overall performance was most eye-catching. It needs some tweaks but will be a fair entry to represent Denmark in Denmark. A decent song but not a winner.

Artist - Basim 

Song - Cliché Love Song

Music - Lasse Lindorff, Kim Nowak-Zorde, Daniel Fält, Basim

Lyrics - Lasse Lindorff, Kim Nowak-Zorde, Daniel Fält, Basim