Denmark

 **//"I certainly can't say "I'm going to win"...but I want people [of Europe] to remember me as the guy who was a musician who gave it all he had, because [in the end] that's all I can do." -Neils Brinck//**

**Denmark**
==

Denmark will be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest of 2009 by the artist Brinck, who will be performing the song "Believe Again". Neils Brinck was born in the city of Arhus. He began his career as a songwriter and a producer until he released his debut album //Brinck//. After his move to Copenhagen four years ago, Brinck was able to explore musical careers and dedicate much of his time to a music conservatory where he eventually concentrated his main focus into becoming a vocal performer. He first gained recognition as a unique song artist when his song "In the End I Started" was featured as the theme song of the Danish television series "Anna Pihl". "In the End I started" is now represented among three of his top 20 hit songs, along with the song "Believe Again" which is also included in his first album. The album appeals to much of the public with modernized pop songs that are easy to relate to. Brinck is known for his distinct compositional and vocal style which helps to emphasize the deep emotion that is already present within the lyrics of his songs. "Believe Again" has reached the top 20 charts in Denmark and ranked #1 on Danish itunes which reflects the popular demand of Brinck's style of music. In order to be selected as the entrant for the song contest Brinck was required to compete among ten other acts, out of which four would advance to a second round. After the voting was undergone in the second round, the number of competitors was reduced from four to two. Brinck's highest competitor was Hera Bjork, however in the concluding round Brinck was the chosen artist to continue on in the super final.
 * Artist Biography**

Song Information
For the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, Denmark's Neils Brinck will be performing the song "Believe Again." Believe Again was written and composed by Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson and Ronan Keating. Jenson and Larsson are both natives of Denmark, whereas Keating hails from Ireland. The lyrics can be found on the website: http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/song-lyrics/believe-again-lyrics-niels-brinck. It is an upbeat pop song about an individual who wishes to return to the simpler days when he believed in love. Niels Brinck performs vocals and guitar. He is accompanied by a band playing various instruments including a drum kit, an electric bass, and an electric guitar. The overall sound is very bouncy and pop-style modern. At some moments throughout the song, Brinck gets a country twang to his voice. Brinck's vocals, while fragile and passionate, contain aspects that are reminiscent of late 1990's boy band singers. However when compared to past boy band singers, Brinck produces a more mature vocal style that is deeper and richer in tone. The lyrics are all in English which helps it to obtain more recognition in the Eurovision contest, as well as assisting in its accessibility to many members of Europe, as English is a common language. "Believe Again" sounds as if it could fit in on many radio stations throughout America as well. The catchy and repetitive nature of "Believe Again" contributed to the song's success which included reaching number five on the Top 100 airplay chart. In addition, the debut album that contains "Believe Again" has spent months on Denmark's Top 20 chart.

media type="youtube" key="NN9iln4mqzo" height="294" width="464" Country History
Denmark first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957, the second year of the contest. It was the first Nordic country to compete, with the entry "Skibet skal sejle i nat" (The ship is leaving tonight). The male and female singer finished with a record setting eleven second kiss (due to a stagehand forgetting to motion for a stop), causing a large outcry among some other participating nations. The duo placed third place in the contest. Denmark had its first win in 1963. The duo Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann won with the song “Dansevise” (Dance Ballad), a song celebrating the joy of dancing. After placing 14th in 1966, Denmark withdrew from the contest. They claimed the contest was not a worthy form of entertainment. However, Denmark returned in 1978 with Boom Boom by Mabel. The country had a good run in the late 80's, and placed third in both 1988 and 1989. In 2000 The Olsen Brothers got Denmark another first place prize with “Fly on the Wings of Love”. The next year Rollo and King received second. However, 2002 brought Denmark in at 24th, their lowest score ever. Since 2002 Denmark has been having difficulties; their highest place was 9th in 2005, and they missed 2004 and 2007. Their 2009 entrant is Niels Brinck with his song ‘Believe Again’.

Narrative of the Entry
This year in the small town of Herning the country of Denmark held auditions for the right to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest. This year Denmark changed the way in which they auditioned the bands. Ten bands had started the competition and in the end the band of Niels Binck persevered and won the right to represent Denmark with the song “Believe Again”. An interesting story about the Danish is that Danish citizens Sussane Georgi and Yohanna are in the Eurovision competition but performing for the countries of Andorra and Iceland. Some controversy around this year’s Eurovision was that the album of the winner was released a day early then they intended they tried to correct this error but 17 were downloaded legally and 1 of the people posted the songs on a file sharing network as well as on YouTube which is an illegal publication. With these facts aside Denmark is considered a top 5 finisher for this year's Eurovision, according to some polls. Brinck performed in the second semi-final on May 14, placing 9th in running. This qualified Denmark for the Final round which takes place May 16th. For this year the Eurovision has changed the way in which the winner will be decided. For the recent years the winner has been decided only through televoting, (much the same way that American Idol works in the US) however this year the televote will only account for 50% of the total sore an artist will receive. along with the televote there will be 5 music expert will be accounting for 50%. this system is well known to Brinck becuase it is the same system that they went through in their own country qualifier, the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

//The stage design for the Moscow Eurovision Song Contest of 2009//

// "**It's a really grand stage. It's going to be really exciting to feel the atmosphere when it's all filled up...It's so exciting to be a participant of such a big event"** // Links [|Eurovision: Denmark] [|Eurovision: Brinck] [|Eurovision: Interview after his first rehearsal] [|Eurovision: About the Stage]