Danish final to be held in Aalborg on 7th February

A huge party is planned in Aalborg in February, where broadcaster DR has signed an agreement with the Aalborg Kultur & Kongres Center to host the Danish national final, Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, on the 7th of February next year.

”Gigantium is the perfect venue to host Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. We have had some fantastic finals in Aalborg and I know that they know how to party  and get the maximum out of having the show take place in the city”, says the Director of Entertainment at DR, Jan Lagermand Lundme.

Fifth Danish Final in Aalborg

2015 will be the fifth time this city in Northern Jutland has hosted the Danish national final, and just like in 2012 it will take place in the city’s large concert and sports arena, Gigantium, where there is space for up to 8,500 people in the audience.

The best songs ever

At the same time as the host city is announced, DR is also opening for submissions of songs to Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. This can be done via their official website, where you can also take a look at the rules. The deadline to send in your song is the 8th of September at 12:00 CET.

"I would like to challenge the songwriters to send in their best material. The quality of the songs has been much better the last few years, and I sincerely hope that this continues in 2015 so that we can have the ten strongest songs ever in the history of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix", says Jan Lagermand Lundme from DR. 

Time to reset Dansk Melodi Grand Prix

Just two months after Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, DR’s preparations for next year’s Dansk Melodi Grand Prix are in full swing.  The host city is Aalborg and the date is set for the 7th of February and doors are open for submissions.

”There is no doubt that 2014 was an enormous Eurovision year for all of Denmark. Now we are resetting the clock and are going to produce a Dansk Melodi Grand Prix version 2.0”, says Jan Lagermand Lundme, going on to say:

”We would really like to challenge the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix format and ensure that it is constantly under development, and of course we would very much like to win the trophy again, because at the end of a day it is a competition... and that is what it is all about”.

Quality ahead of quantity

Last year a record was set with 872 songs sent in to Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. This time, the quantity of songs is less important for the Entertainment Director.

”Before, we were very concerned with the number of entries we received, so we received a large number of songs to choose between. This year we are doing things differently. We want to focus more on quality than the quantity this time”, says Jan Lagermand Lundme.

”I would like to challenge all songwriters to send in their absolute best material. They do not necessarily need to send in 20 songs each, but the one they think can win the Eurovision Song Contest”.

Into peoples' hearts

Monday the 8th of September is the deadline for sending in songs, after which a secret jury of professionals from the music and TV industries will choose the ten entries that will compete on stage at Gigantium on the 7th of February.

”We want real songs. They do not necessarily need to be what one would typically call Eurovision songs. The songs that do best at Eurovision are often those that have a story to tell, and that are real. The songs that touch the viewers”, says Jan Lagermand Lundme who mentions a few examples:

”For example, the Dutch entry this year. Here we had two people (Ilse DeLange and Waylon), who had a story to tell and as such went into peoples' hearts. This also applied to the winner, Conchita Wurst, who in addition to an excellent pop number also had a story to tell".

Drawing on experiences from Eurovision

Regarding the actual TV show, DR’s Dansk Melodi Grand Prix team will draw on their good experiences in hosting the Eurovision Song Contest this year in order to develop new ideas.

”At the Eurovision Song Contest we got up close and personal with the artists and their songs, we optimised several of the performances and it was really fun to interview them in the Green Room. This is something we would really like to build on. At the same time we would like to create a huge party so that Danes and viewers from all over Europe can come together and enjoy it”, says Jan Lagermand Lundme.

”This year, we have also seen how social media is playing an increasingly important role, and we really want to give the many people who are online before, during and after the show an extra experience”, he promises.

This year DR successfully hosted the Eurovision Song Contest at the B&W-Hallerne in Copenhagen, where millions of people saw Conchita Wurst from Austria take home the title with her song, Rise Like a Phoenix.

The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in either Vienna, Innsbruck or Graz in May next year.