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Newsletter: Denmark Hit Peak Viking For Lisbon Written by on February 13, 2018

In the latest edition of the ESC Insight newsletter, National Final season reaches fever pitch as John Paul Lucas reports on the latest developments from no fewer than twelve National Selections… 

From the launch of Iceland, Estonia and Ukraine’s National Selections to further Semi Final action from Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Sweden, this past weekend saw a packed viewing schedule for the hardcore Eurovision fan. You can view the full Newsletter for a roundup of all the latest results, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at the three countries that made their selections for Lisbon this week…

Denmark: Rasmussen – Higher Ground

Written by the Swedish team behind 2010 Melodifestivalen fan favourite Kom by Timoteij, Denmark’s Eurovision hopeful this year is a dramatic folk-rock ballad that leans heavily into the Nordic country’s Viking history – a pose that could play well on the nautical-themed Lisbon stage. Singer and potential Game of Thrones extra Rasmussen has impressive pipes, but may need to work on his stage presence to really make this pop in Portugal.

Italy: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – Non mi avete fatto niente

Given that San Remo pre-dates the Eurovision Song Contest and doesn’t place choosing an entry for their sister contest as their highest priority, it’s little wonder that Italian entries seldom sound like ‘typical’ Eurovision songs. So is the case with this slick, sincere AOR ballad from two of the country’s most successful solo artists of recent years. Possibly a little too lyrical and low impact to be truly competitive – but Salvador taught us that anything is possible, and it’s heartening that Italy are continuing to keep the quality control high as the search continues for their first 21st century win.

United Kingdom: SuRie – Storms

The BBC continued to slowly edge in the right direction with the third edition of Eurovision: You Decide last Wednesday. There were no Eurovision winners in the pack, but it was a slick, professional field and the best performance won on the night. Storms currently lacks the impact it probably needs to really make a splash in Lisbon, but SuRie has the professionalism and experience to elevate the material. A well-judged revamp could still rescue this from our right-hand holding pattern.

Stay tuned next week for more national selection antics, including finals from Belarus and Montenegro, plus the first steps on the journey from Armenia, Slovenia and host nation Portugal. Sleep? Who needs it…

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About The Author: John Lucas

A writer and content marketing professional with a passion for getting lost in strange cities and a strange fascination with micro states, John has been with ESC Insight since 2015 and has also had his writing featured in publications including The Guardian, Popjustice and So So Gay. Tweetable @JLucas86.

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