It’s been a busy, but very rewarding time for Danish/English singer-songwriter Daniel Firth. The 23-year-old got to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal this year with singer Rasmussen, representing Denmark with the peaceful viking song ‘Higher Ground’. Now Daniel gets to spend some time in the studio to record his own songs and he looks forward to performing on stage again with his fellow ‘vikings’.

Eurovision itself was a bit of a rollercoaster for Daniel, but a truly enjoyable one as well. Denmark became fifth in the televote results and 9^th overall. “We were really happy with that,” Daniel recalls. “Because before the results came in, we agreed that a place in the top ten would be great. The juries haven’t exactly been that kind to our song, but the people all over Europe and Australia, who got to vote as well, helped us rank much higher. We all thought those votes were the most important anyway, so we’re very grateful for that.”

No rivalry
A contest usually has a fair amount of competition, but Eurovision is a bit different. “I was surprised at how incredibly friendly everyone was,” Daniel says. “Behind the scenes we got on really well with the other musicians. It’s such a unique opportunity and I think we all came with the intention of making it a huge musical celebration. We were in Portugal for two weeks and it was for the most part filled with rehearsals and press activities, but we also got to spend a bit of time in the city. I’d love to go back one day and see more of it, though!”

Unexpected audition
“It’s kind of weird. Until a few months ago, I had no idea I would be part of the Danish Eurovision entry. I was watching the national finals (Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018) and recognised one of the background dancers. Afterwards I sent him a message to congratulate him. Two weeks later I received a message on Facebook from one of the producers, Mads Enggaard, asking me if I’d be interested in doing background vocals on Eurovision. I quickly agreed and sent a video of me singing ‘Higher Ground’, because I didn’t know how many others were contacted for the part. When I met Rasmussen and the other singers, we thought we still had to do an extra audition, but the decision was already made: the five of us (Gustav Emil Bresler, Jesper Paasch, Mads Engelhardt, Anders Ørsager and myself) were chosen for the background vocals. I immediately thought they were great guys and we bonded quite easily from the start.”

Telling my own story
“I have a few more performances with the other guys planned in Denmark, but most of us are also working on our own material, so it’s a bit difficult to get together often. We do hope to perform again at the Royal Danish Theatre’s Røde Orm, a play about vikings, where we recently were invited to do a surprise performance. Which was fantastic! This summer I hope to release my own music on an acoustic album. I like pop music with a bit of funk and folk thrown in, and I’m also inspired by artists such as Bruno Mars, who can really make people dance. That’s what I’m aiming for, combined with lyrics that make you think. I want to tell my own story through my songs.”

If you want to stay informed about Daniel Firth’s new songs and performances, you can follow him on Instagram and Facebook.