The Danish song and act were selected on March 1st through the show "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix" . In the final there was an initial round of voting to select the top 3 then another to choose a winner. Voting was a 50-50 mix was a mixture of televote and jury. Going to Basel is Sissal with the song "Hallucination"
Sissal Jóhanna Norðberg Niclasen is 30 years old and is from Thorshavn in the Faroe Islands. She has been singing since she was very small and even won the Faroese version of MGP at aged 10. Since moving to Denmark in 2020, she's played at festivals, dubbed a role in a Disney film and, most importantly, released her debut EP "Hear Me Now" earlier this year. She also has a handful of other tracks available to stream online. Her music has a strong electronic pop sound with an obvious Nordic/Swedish production influence. She also has her sights set beyond performing as she is training to become a teacher.
Sissal is joined on stage by 2 dancers. Sissal is wearing a long sleeved leotard which has a greenish-black sparkle to it that gives off a green low around its edges. The dancers seem to be wearing a similar material but they are totally covered, including heads, plus as they are mainly in the shadows they are not really noticed as much. Sissal's movement is very natural with some sidesteps, hand waving as well as moving down to the floor on her knees. She also has a constant wind machine which creates movement in her hair which is effective on the close up head-shots. The background is rather non-descript with strobing lights mainly in shades of white, blue and pink. The song starts will a verse then pre-chorus and short chorus. This is run through again but with more instrumentation although the verse is quite short. There is then a lengthy bridge with shorter sharper lines followed by an extended chorus to the end.
It is quite clear that this entry is route one Loreen: at times it reminds you of "Euphoria", sometimes "Tattoo", and at some points at the same time - which is quite a feat. The visual show, at least is not so similar, but still has its own imperfections. Sissal has a very pleasant and technically proficient voice. I really love listening to the verses as many female singers find control of the lower register very tricky and Sissal tackles this with ease. My main concern is in how this entry has been presented. Not only does this barely use any stage, making the setup feel tiny but the two dancers behind Sissel are barely visible! Either we need to see those people - or have even more of them - on stage or they need to go. I kind of enjoy the minimal movement Sissal has on stage as it feels genuine and naturalistic but I feel more use could be made of the wind machine - maybe she could have a cape, a translucent poncho, or some straggly strips that creates a movement that makes her the centre. Overall, this really isn't anything new. Some people will vote for this because of its proximity to previous winners but many may see this as almost plagiaristic and unoriginal. This is a shame as Sissal is a powerful singer and this song, with this staging, may not be enough.
ARTIST - Sissal
SONG - Halloucination
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - L Deb, M Johansen, C Rohde-Frisk, L Spangsberg, M Wehbe, M Winther-John
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