Sand (Saba song)

"Sand"
The cover artwork for "Sand". The cover features Saba in a black and white filter. Above her, the words "Sand" are printed in black.
Single by Saba
Released25 January 2024 (2024-01-25)
Genre
Length3:01
LabelWarner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jonas Thander
Music video
"Sand" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Jonas Thander
  • Melanie Wehbe
  • Pil Kalinka Nygaard Jeppesen
Finals performance
Semi-final result
12th
Semi-final points
36
Entry chronology
◄ "Breaking My Heart" (2023)
Official performance video
"Sand" (Second Semi-Final) on YouTube

"Sand" is a song by Danish singer and actress Saba, released on 25 January 2024 by Warner Music Denmark. Self-described as a song about the feeling of losing control, it was written by Jonas Thander, Melanie Wehbe, and Pil Kalinka Nygaard Jeppesen. The song represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Background and composition

[edit]

"Sand" was written and composed by Jonas Thander, Melanie Wehbe, and Pil Kalinka Nygaard Jeppesen.[5] In interviews, Saba stated the song is a way of means of expressing the feeling of losing control, using the metaphor of sand slipping and falling through one's hands as a metaphor for the song.[6]

According to Saba, she entered Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 with the song after seeing Swedish artist Loreen win the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[7] She was officially announced as a participant in the contest on 25 January 2024.[8]

Promotion

[edit]

After her victory in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024, Saba performed "Sand" on various occasions in the months leading up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. She announced her intents to first perform the song live at Melfest WKND 2024 on 7 March after the completion of Melodifestivalen 2024.[9] She also announced her participation in various Eurovision pre-parties throughout the months of March and April, including Pre-Party ES 2024 on 30 March,[10] the Barcelona Eurovision Party 2024 on 6 April,[11] the London Eurovision Party 2024 on 7 April,[12] and Eurovision in Concert 2024 on 13 April.[13]

Eurovision Song Contest

[edit]

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024

[edit]

Denmark's broadcaster DR organized an eight-entry competition, Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024, to select its entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The contest consisted of a singular grand final with the winner being selected over two round of voting; in the first round, three entries out of the eight would advance to a superfinal. In the superfinal, the winner was chosen by a 50/50 combination of televote and juries.[14][15]

Saba was officially announced as a participant on 25 January 2024.[8] The song was drawn to perform first in the contest,[16] and qualified for the superfinal. When the results were announced for the superfinal, the song was announced to have won the competition, earning a combined total of 37 points, three more than Basim's "Johnny", the runner-up. As a result, the song won rights to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[17]

At Eurovision

[edit]

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Denmark was drawn to compete in the second semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[18] Saba was later drawn to perform seventh in the semi-final, after Austria's Kaleen and before Armenia's Ladaniva.[19]

The Eurovision performance featured Saba in a white pantsuit, with the outfit containing actual sand within its pocket. The performance was remarked as a similar, larger scale performance than the version she performed at Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024.[20]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Sand"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten)[21] 36
Lithuania (AGATA)[22] 77

Release history

[edit]
Release history and formats for "Sand"
Country Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 25 January 2024 Digital download Warner Music Denmark [23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Saba from Denmark will bring "Sand" to the London Eurovision Party". wiwibloggs.com. 23 February 2024. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ "SABA - SAND". allmusic.com. 5 March 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Saba from Denmark will bring "Sand" to the London Eurovision Party". wiwibloggs.com. 23 February 2024. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ "SABA - SAND". allmusic.com. 24 April 2024. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  5. ^ Petersen, Rasmus (17 February 2024). "Denmark: Melodi Grand Prix 2024 – It's Saba with "Sand"". Eurovision World. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Interview with Saba (DMGP 2024) Sand – Denmark Eurovision 2024". 26 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ Falk, Simon (19 February 2024). "🇩🇰 Saba - "Sand" | Denmark Eurovision 2024 | DMGP 2024 Winner Interview". 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b Ellegaard, Christian (25 January 2024). "En tidligere vinder og en popstjerne: Her er deltagerne i Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024" [A former winner and a pop star: Here are the participants in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024]. DR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  9. ^ J, Tim (25 February 2024). "🇩🇰 SABA to perform at Melfest WKND 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. ^ Garnett, Georgia (1 March 2024). "🇩🇰 SABA to perform at Pre-Party ES 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  11. ^ Thomas, Daniel (27 February 2024). "🇩🇰 SABA to perform at Barcelona Eurovision Party 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  12. ^ Percy, Lucy (23 February 2024). "Saba from Denmark will bring "Sand" to the London Eurovision Party". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  13. ^ C, Michelle (17 February 2024). "🇩🇰 SABA to represent Denmark at Eurovision 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  14. ^ "DR vil knække koden til Eurovision Song Contest: Nu skal vi i finalen" [DR wants to crack the code for the Eurovision Song Contest: Now we're going to the final]. B.T. (in Danish). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  15. ^ Farren, Neil (28 September 2023). "Denmark: Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 on February 17". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. ^ Granger, Anthony (5 February 2024). "🇩🇰 Denmark: Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 Running Order". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  17. ^ Falk, Simon (17 February 2024). "Saba wins Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 with "Sand"". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  19. ^ Adams, William Lee (26 March 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Semi-Final Running Order Revealed". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  20. ^ T, Euan (29 April 2024). "That Eurovision Review: Sand and smoke for SABA in her first rehearsal". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Hitlisten Track Top-40: Uge 08-2024" [Hitlisten Track Top-40: Week 08-2024] (in Danish). Hitlisten. 28 February 2024. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  22. ^ "2024 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Sand - Single by Saba". Apple Music (US). 25 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.