8 March 2021

Fyr & Flamme won Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2021 with the retro disco Øve Os På Hinanden to add to the throwback vibe of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. They follow Norway’s Tix with his Fallen Angel as distinctly old-school Eurovision songs that enamoured the audience with their catchy melodies and flamboyant presentations. Extra credit to the duo from Denmark for keeping their song in Danish too. Tix initially presented the Norwegian version Ut Av Mørket before switching to English for the final, and it lost a little of its magic. Øve Os På Hinanden will be the first song entirely in Danish to appear at Eurovision since 1997.

Eight songs appeared for the 2021 edition of DMGP, and it was a strong group of varying styles, including Denmark’s renowned radio-friendly offerings we often hear at Eurovision. It was impressive to see five songs in Danish too. Due to the small group, there were no weak entries, so it was really a matter of which one presented best on the night.

This was also a bit of a marquee event in the COVID-19 sense after last year’s DMGP was the first Eurovision-related event to be impacted by the virus. It proceeded without an audience and I doubt many people thought a year ago the world would still be impacted so heavily. The good news is we are learning to manage the situation, and successful events are being run, with the promise of a great Eurovision too.

Results

01 Chief 1 & Thomas Buttenschøn – Højt Over Skyerne
02 Nanna Olivia – Hvileløse Hjerter
03 The Cosmic Twins – Silver Bullet
04 Claudia Campagnol – Abracadabra
05 Mike Tramp – Everything Is Alright
06 Fyr & Flamme – Øve Os På Hinanden
07 Emma Nicoline – Står Lige Her
08 Jean Michel – Beautiful

In bold are the super finalists. Voting was entirely by the public. After the first round of voting, the super finalists performed again before a second round of voting decided the winner.

Fyr & Flamme won the super final with 37% of the vote, followed by Jean Michel with 34% and Chief 1 & Thomas Buttenschøn on 29%.

Review

01 Chief 1 & Thomas Buttenschøn – Højt Over Skyerne

I found this is a minor surprise in the super final. While it was another with a wonderful infectious retro vibe, it sort of ran out of steam and became a bit repetitive by the end. In fact, it ran for three and a half minutes, so that could explain it. 6/10

02 Nanna Olivia – Hvileløse Hjerter

The surprise for me. A nice, boppy, fun song, and arranged well, especially with the little brass sections. The simple staging, just focusing on Nanna, kept you engaged. It was nice girl, seemingly on a big stage for the first time, doing her thing, in her native language. What’s not to love? 7/10

03 The Cosmic Twins – Silver Bullet

Expected more from this duo, as they stood out when listening to the audio the night before. On stage, it was a bit bland and vocals a bit weak. The saxophonist and the general catchy nature of the song saved it. 6/10

04 Claudia Campagnol – Abracadabra

Another that disappointed a little. I expected to be blown away with some amazing vocals. I wasn’t. Still a lovely song and a pretty voice; it just didn’t reach any great heights. 6/10

05 Mike Tramp – Everything Is Alright

Ignoring that Mike looks just like former professional wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, it was easy to like this country number. It had me swaying away. Looks like that guitar has had plenty of good use over the years. 6/10

06 Fyr & Flamme – Øve Os På Hinanden

Just hearing those first notes, you knew you were in for something different, and hopefully really good. While it didn’t reach the ultimate heights the introduction portended, the infectious rhythm and a bit of crazy dancing made it memorable and impossible not to like. 8/10

07 Emma Nicoline – Står Lige Her

This was my clear favourite when listening to the audio, and Emma didn’t disappoint on stage. There’s a wonderful contemporary electronic vibe to it, and I was totally swept away in the music and Emma’s voice. That it was in Danish added to the effect, allowing me to really feel the song. Sometimes words are a distraction. 9/10

08 Jean Michel – Beautiful

Nice message and voice, and it was pleasant enough. It just didn’t distinguish itself enough for me. 6/10

My Top 3

Emma Nicoline was my number one. In terms of a Eurovision result, Denmark probably made the right choice with Fyr & Flamme. Emma has a bit more esoteric appeal, which often doesn’t translate well to Eurovision stage. In third place I’d have the lovely Nanna Olivia. She was so innocent and sweet there on the stage all alone presenting her song. Good on her. She did well.

Fyr & Flamme explain:

“Øve Os På Hinanden is about trying out and forgiving each other if we make mistakes. The song takes place on a dance floor, where a man and a woman have to work their way forward to see what steps work.

“It is a song made according to certain Scandinavian traditions. I can not imagine how we should translate it at all. So we stick to Danish. In recent years we have also seen that several countries are doing really well in their mother tongue – after Portugal’s victory in 2017 and Ukraine’s victory.”

The pair also thanked the Melodi Grand Prix orchestra claiming it was their backing that really gave their track the extra muscles to win.

Source: eurovision.tv

“Øve Os På Hinanden translates to Practice On Each Other, and the pair comprise singer Jesper Groth and musician Laurits Emanuel. It will be interesting to see how this Danish language entry performs at Eurovision given the style, which is much different to those slower and more evocative songs from Ukraine in 2016 and Portugal in 2017 referenced above.

The “quality over quantity” nature of this event meant the average score was a highly respectable 6.75. The first semi final of Malmo 2013 has the record of a senior Eurovision show with 6.9. Junior Eurovision 2020 scored 7.3 while this year’s UMK in Finland hit a withering 7.6.

What about Ben & Tan?

After last year’s Eurovision was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hoped Ben & Tan, like many other artists similarly affected, would get another chance in their national final the following year. Ben & Tan were quickly told last April that there would not be a special invitation to DMGP 2021, nor were the host broadcaster interested in the song presented to them last November. Ben & Tan were rejected by Melodifestivalen in Sweden too – apparently because international entries weren’t being considered for 2021. It’s a shame because their song, Iron Heart, would have been a worthy addition to this year’s DMGP.