Danish broadcaster DR publicly defended Saba’s victory in the Dansk Melody Grand Prix, even though she did not win the public vote.
Saba’s song “Sand” accounted for 50% of the overall vote and was chosen by the judges at the top, but the public vote favored Basim and his song “Johnny”. However, when the scores were added up, “Sand” was the winner of the super final, even though the public vote placed him third out of three songs.
Full results of the Super Finals are below.
- SABA – “Sand” 37 points (15 viewer points, 22 judge points)
- Basim – “Johnny” 34 points (19 viewer points, 15 judge points)
- Janus Wiberg – “I Need Your Love” 29 points (Viewer points: 16 points, Judge points: 13 points)
As a result, some Danish fans complained on social media that the show’s results did not take their opinions into account. One comment on his Facebook page on DR’s flagship channel DR1 said the public vote “clearly means nothing.”
However, DR general manager Eric Struve Hansen defended the outcome of the contest. Speaking on the DR news website, he said he did not believe there was a problem with the voting system used by Dansk Melody Grand Prix.
When asked about the outcome, he simply said, “That’s the rules.”
He continued:
This system mirrors how the Eurovision final will also be played. After all, there was both a jury vote and a viewer vote, and we chose that solution again this year. Actually, I think this is a very good model.
The Eurovision Grand Final uses a 50/50 split between judges and TV voting, but as of 2023, judges will be abolished for the semi-finals. In other words, the songs that will participate in the finals will be decided entirely by public vote. . Denmark has not reached the finals since 2019.
A similar result was achieved at the 2023 Dansk Melody Grand Prix. In the super final, Niklas Sonne won the popular vote, but thanks to the support of the jury, Riley was able to win the contest with his song “Breaking My Heart”.
Struve Hansen said that while he understands viewers’ frustrations, the current system remains the best solution.
Nothing goes to waste. Because, like I said, it’s a 50-50 decision. The viewer’s share is 50 percent and the jury’s share is 50 percent. But it’s obvious that you’re disappointed when your favorite doesn’t win. I am aware of that.
The debate over the voting system at DMGP has led to a broader debate about voting at Eurovision. At Eurovision 2023, where Laureen won with “Tattoo”, viewers were very supportive of Kaaliya and his song “Cha Cha Cha”. However, when the scores were added up, Sweden emerged victorious.
The results of the contest sparked widespread discussion. Some, including Norway’s head of delegation, Stig Carlsen, have been outspoken in their view that the current system gives juries too much power.
Meanwhile, Finnish rapper and UMK finalist Mikael Gabriel said on the Eurovois podcast that “the judges snatched the victory away” from Kaaliya.
Amid Carlsen’s comments, the voting method for the Norwegian national final Melody Grand Prix was changed, with 40% of the votes going to the jury and 60% going to the public. The change in the voting system directly changed the result, with Gåte and her song “Ulveham” defeating KEiiNO, who should have won under the 50/50 voting system.
There have been rumors that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, is in talks to change the voting system for the next contest. However, there is no further news on this and it is expected that the voting system will remain unchanged in 2024.
Denmark is sticking to a 50-50 split, with Saba set to represent the country at Eurovision 2024 just over the Swedish border. He will appear in the first half of the second semifinal match on May 9th.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons / Prada421 | Source: DR
Denmark first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957, along with Austria and the United Kingdom. So far Denmark has won this contest three times, the first time being in 1963 when she performed “Dansevis” with Grete and Jorgen Ingman. Denmark also won this contest in 2000, represented by the Olsen brothers. Their most recent win was in 2013 when Emery De Forest performed “Only Teardrops.” Denmark has not reached the final of the Eurovision Song Contest since 2019.
