Now several months on from Eurovision 2024 we’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2024 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that. We thought we’d have a deep dive into these acts and give you our opinion on What Went Wrong. Today we’re going to discuss Denmark’s Saba.
In our fifth part Daniel, Kittens, and Angus discuss Saba.
Who is Saba?
SABA, is the stage name for singer Anna Saba Lykke Oehlenschlæger. As well as a singer, SABA is also an actress and musical theatre performer in Denmark. SABA has lived in Denmark for the majority of her life, however her and her twin sister are both originally from Ethiopia. Music and performing isn’t SABA’s only passion, when she was younger, she also had a keen interest in football and has played association football at youth levels.
In 2023, SABA made her stage debut, in place of her sister Dionne. The debut was in a Danish production of the musical “Hair”. As well as acting, SABA has also had her go at modelling in Denmark. In terms of releasing music SABA is a fairly new artist. “Sand” is SABA’s debut single as singer.
SABA’s Eurovision 2024 entry, “Sand,” was written by Jonas Thander, Pil Kalinka Nygaard Jeppesen. Melodifestivalen singer Melanie Wehbe also had song-writing input. Jonas Thander was also responsible for the production of the song.
What are the issues with the selection?
Daniel – Just burn it to the ground and start again. DMGP is consistently amongst the worst selections of the year, producing maybe three good songs in total post-Covid, and is certainly not reflective of the real and present talent in Denmark. It should be raising alarm bells that one of the country’s most promising young songwriters, Ben of Ben & Tan fame, has started writing songs for the much larger contest over the Øresund.
Kittens – DMGP has not been delivering a truly good selection for a while, and even established artists with good followings have floundered in this selection. I suppose they’re consistent? I’m not quite as scorched earth as Daniel, but whoever has been picking songs needs to take a long hard look at themselves. While individual artists have been good, the selection has been eclipsed in nearly every way by (nearly) every other selection out there. Being middle of the road only takes you so far!
Angus – I am going to be very frank here and maybe be even harsher than Daniel: DMGP is offensively boring. Some national finals are flat-out good, others are camp, some other provide a healthy mix of both. But only DMGP manages to actively bore me. And that is a shame, as Denmark has a great music scene and the Danes know how to make good live TV. Despite this wealth of experience and talent, the songs tend to be forgettable and the artists get wasted on mediocre-at-best material. This makes it impossible for me to get invested in the thing, and as Daniel notes this seems to be true for potential artists and songwriters as well.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Daniel – If the rumours are to be believed, Emma Muscat certainly didn’t think so, and she hardly did brilliantly herself. I do think the song is quite nice, but it is as clear as day a Mello Reject (you can smell the Melanie Wehbe on it a mile off), which I would rather Eurovision steered away from.
Kittens – I’m gonna split this out a bit – the artist I think absolutely is good enough. You can tell she has so much real power behind her voice and is a great talent vocally, and has a great personality. I do think she did need to show more of that personality on stage and really let rip. The song is good, but like…good album quality good. I really wanted it to have more of an anthemic moment, to be even bigger than it was, but it ended up being a little forgettable.
Angus – I really liked “Sand”, but it was nowhere near being a competitive entry this year. Slightly over a decade ago Denmark would’ve been able to celebrate a credible result with this kind of track, but that time has more than passed. That being said, Saba did everything she could do sell this song and she did that excellently. Thanks to strong vocals and a strong camera presence, Saba really wrung every possible point of this song.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Daniel – I think the staging was really good, and gave Saba a decent chance of qualification that sadly didn’t come to fruition, it elevated the song really nicely, but it is a song that needed a lot of elevation, plus a bit of luck for good measure.
Kittens – There’s a good reason for stripped back staging sometimes – this really felt like it wasn’t the one. I’m all up for not overcomplicating things but I feel like this really could have done with a big dramatic moment and the song had the gaps in it to allow it to happen and it just…didn’t. I would have loved to have seen a dancer or two or bigger screen elements. It all felt just too small, too delicate.
Angus – The staging was decidedly okay, I don’t think you could do too much with this song. As Kittens and Daniel have said however, something for viewers to engage with or grab on to was still sorely amiss and could’ve helped this performance be more memorable.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Daniel – Eurovision 2016 would love this. If juries were brought back this would’ve been a dead certain qualifier. That being taken away, nothing within control of the Danish delegation could’ve changed their fate, because there’s really not much more they could’ve done. Staging was good, vocals were good, sometimes the votes just go against you.
Kittens – I have to say no. I just think it was too meek for the contest this year, which was too full of songs that really stood out in their field. I feel like it had a lot of the same problems as Belgium – too low key and poorly staged, despite a clearly very talented artist. The problem is at the selection stage.
Angus – This year there was no chance for “Sand” to qualify, and I think songs like this (if we get them) will struggle going forward for the foreseeable future. Saying that, Denmark were 12th and only needed a handful more points to qualify. A minor tweak here or some good luck there might have been just enough to bring Denmark back into the final for the first time since 2019.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Daniel – Denmark now have the longest running NQ streak and I can’t say I’m surprised based on their recent trajectory. They need something to change from the top down soon otherwise I can see it continuing for a long while yet.
Kittens – FIX THE SELECTION. Please. Get someone in who has a better handle on the contest. Take risks. Do wild stuff. Make the most of your talent. Show us what you can do! You have a great opportunity here, take it. Alternatively, send Fyr og Flamme again. That would also work.
Angus – I want to mostly echo what has been said above. Well, except the Fyr og Flamme comment, I am okay with not hearing them again. A big change in the entire selection process will be needed if Denmark wants to reliably get back into the finals. Otherwise, this streak of anywhere from barely NQing (’21, ’24) to being very far from qualification (’22, ’23) will continue, with perhaps a blip of luck in between. As I have no reason to believe that DR are currently working on any big changes, I fear that Denmark will once again make little to no impact next year.
Denmark’s Eurovision Journey
Denmark first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1957 and notched up their first win in 1963 with Grethe and Jørgan Ingmann’s “Dansevise”. Denmark later earned two third-place finishes in 1988 and 1989 but was then relegated three times in 1994, 1996, and 1998. They finally achieved their second victory in 2000 with the Olsen Brothers’ “Fly on the Wings of Love”, and have missed the Grand Final eight times since the introduction of the semi-finals. A six-year qualification streak from 2008 culminated in its third win in 2013 with Emmelie de Forrest’s “Only Teardrops”.
Most recently, Saba represented Denmark after winning their national selection with her song “Sand”. She placed twelfth in the second semifinal, scoring 36 points.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Denmark could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
Tim J