Denmark held the final of its traditional DMGP (Dansk Melodi Grand Prix), the national pre-selection that serves to choose its contestant for Eurovision. Where 8 entries attempted to secure the ticket for the upcoming May Eurovision 2024 to be held in the Swedish city of Malmö.
Saba with her song “Sand” was the favorite among the bookmakers, but ultimately she achieved a victory that was really close. The young singer managed to surpass Basim by 7 points in the jury vote; the latter won the Danish televote, but could only close the gap by 4 points against Saba. Resulting in a victory of 37 points to 34. What an exciting win!
Who is SABA?
Saba Lykke Oehlenschlæger was making her first TV appearance in the Danish preselection; she and her twin sister were adopted from Ethiopia to Denmark when they were just eight months old and grew up in the city of Ringkøbing in western Jutland.
Saba is versatile; she has worked as an entrepreneur, model, and currently as a professional photographer. It was last year when her arrival on stage was quite fortuitous; her twin sister landed the lead role in the musical Hair, but as she became pregnant, it was incompatible with the job, forcing her to leave the show, choosing Saba as her replacement.
She has also starred in a documentary in the Dominican Republic, My Crazy Twin, where she openly talks about her adoption process, her twin sister, and her own struggle with mental illness, as she has bipolar disorder, which makes it very difficult to control her mood, especially on stage.
Her first contact with Eurovision happened last year when she watched the festival in a hotel lobby. At that moment, an idea crossed her mind; it was time to make a career change and start a new project as a solo singer.
“Sand” tells a story of romantic breakup, how something that was perfect fades away and crumbles like a sandcastle. It’s about the feeling of losing control over life—a relationship that falls apart or another significant aspect of life that suddenly disappears without any control.
“SAND” the Danish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Saba came with a genuine Eurovision dream team: Melanie Wehbe, who already won Melodifestivalen in Sweden, Jonas Thander, who previously won in the United Kingdom, and Pil Jeppesen. She recorded the song in Sweden with the idea of reaching the final of DMGP, and her goal was to place in the top three… A goal more than achieved.
“Sand” tells us about a sentimental breakup, how something that was perfect fades away and crumbles like a sandcastle. It’s about the feeling of losing control over life, about a relationship crumbling or another important aspect of life suddenly disappearing without any control.
The song features a genuine Eurovision dream team: Melanie Wehbe, who already won Melodifestivalen with “The Mamas” in 2020, Jonas Thander, who has some Eurovision experience, and Pil Jeppesen.
Lyrics of «SAND»
Yesterday is eating up my mind
You and me we couldn’t get it right
We were throwing memories in the air
Bits and pieces lying everywhere
Uh-uh-uh-uuh
Bits and pieces lying everywhere
Uh-uh-uh-uuh
Bits and pieces like we didn’t care
Shouldn’t be so hard
Like breathing under water
Baby, we’ve been in the blue
Didn’t see it coming
Falling into nothing
Ain’t there something we can do
Uh-uh-uh-uuh
I can feel you slipping through my hands
Uh-uh-uh-uuh
Guess we built a castle out of sand
Yesterday I had you by my side
Now we’re just like strangers in the night
Pictures of us lying on the floor
No, I can’t do this fighting anymore
Cause it shouldn’t be so hard
Like breathing under water
Baby, we’ve been in the blue
Didn’t see it coming
Falling into nothing
Ain’t there something we can do
Uh-uh-uh-uuh
I can feel you slipping through my hands
Uh-uh-uh-uuh
Guess we built a castle out of sand
Sand,
Sand
I can feel you slipping through my hands
Sand,
Sand,
Guess we built a castle out of sand
Shouldn’t be so hard
Like breathing underwater
Shouldn’t be so hard
Like breathing underwater
Uh-uh-uh-uuh yeaaa
Sand,
Sand,
I can feel you slipping through my hands
Sand,
Sand
Guess we built a castle out of sand
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
Denmark celebrates its 53rd participation in Eurovision this year, with some years of absence in between and a total of 44 appearances in the final. It made its debut in 1957 with a third place, and the following years were very successful for the country, always among the top 10 and a first victory in 1963 with the duo Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann and the song “Dansevise.”
After a ten-year absence from 1967 to 1977, the country returned, achieving several top 10 placements, two third places, and a new withdrawal in 1994, which happened again in the 1998 edition. They reached a golden streak, as in 2000 the duo formed by the Olsen Brothers won unexpectedly with their legendary “Fly on the Wings of Love,” and the following year, they finished second as hosts.
This streak came to an abrupt end in 2002, finishing last, and they did not participate in 2003. Since then, they have participated continuously with mixed results, with the highlight being the year 2013 when they achieved their third victory with Emmelie de Forest and her “Only Teardrops.”
Denmark has not managed to qualify for the final with any of its entries since 2029. Last year, Reiley represented Denmark with the song “Breaking My Heart,” but failed to qualify for the final, receiving only 6 points in the semifinal.