Reiley wins Denmark's 'Melodi Grand Prix' with 'Breaking My Heart'

A starting field of 8 songs began the night in Arena Næstved, in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark. After all songs had been performed, a jury vote and a public vote determined a Top 3 to go through to a 'super final'. 

These 3 favourites were then performed once more, before solely a public vote decided on a winner. In the end, the Danes went with Breaking My Heart performed by the artist Reiley. In this Top 3, Reiley triumphed with 43% of the vote.

Even being born and raised on the Faroe Islands, a remote nation, is no barrier to being well connected with the rest of the world. Reiley has already managed to earn fans in countries such as South Korea, the United Kingdom, the US and, not least, Denmark. He has used social media in an effective way, and particularly in connection with the release of his debut EP, has gotten closer to the world outside of the Faroe Islands thanks to over 10 million followers on TikTok. It has, among other things, resulted in an artist career in South Korea, where he has performed, promoted and recorded a single with one of the country's biggest bands. Many of his more than 300,000 followers on Instagram come from South Korea, so one can safely deduce that Reiley is a modern artist with his finger on the pulse of international acclaim.

Breaking My Heart will be Denmark's entry to the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool in May. 

Also on the night of the Melodi Grand Prix final, the reigning champs of the Eurovision Song Contest, Kalush Orchestra, dropped by to perform their winning song Stefania.

2023 marks 10 years since Denmark last won the Eurovision Song Contest, with Only Teardrops performed by Emmelie de Forest in 2013.

Denmark will be performing in the Second Semi-Final at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. 

Denmark at the Eurovision Song Contest

Denmark made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 and got off to a strong start, finishing third with its very first attempt. Shortly after this, Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann won the contest with Dansevise in 1963. However it wasn't all plain sailing; following a poor placing in 1966, Denmark withdrew from the contest, not to be seen again until 1978.

In 2000, the competition took place in Stockholm and Denmark scored its second victory at the Eurovision Song Contest with the Olsen Brothers and Fly On The Wings Of Love. Despite being an initial rank outsider in the betting odds, the brothers commanded a convincing lead from the start of the voting and took the contest to Denmark for the first time in nearly 40 years. Rollo and King flew the flag for the home team in Copenhagen in 2001, finishing second, before the tables turned and Denmark scored its worst-ever placing, last, the following year.

In 2013 the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Sweden, and, as happened in 2000, Denmark won the competition. Emmelie de Forest's Only Teardrops won both the jury and televote in Malmö and took the Contest back to Copenhagen once again.

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