ESC Wish List: Thomas Holm

As I'm basically killing time between now and when further Eurovision News pops up (which might start rolling as soon as next month, when we might have an official confirmation on next year's location), I figured I'd play a bit of "Fantasy ESC".  As I've been learning more about pop and rock music from abroad, I've encountered quite a few great artists who I'd love to see on the Eurovision stage one day.

(Disclaimer: I'm NOT trying to start any rumors here...I'm just sharing a few great singers with you, my readers!  Let me know what you think, or if you have any suggestions that you'd like to send my way; I'm always on the prowl for great new music to add to my collection.)

We start our tour in Denmark, home of Thomas Holm.  This 31-year-old singer-songwriter recently released his first full-length album, "Middelklassehelt (Middle Class Hero)", and has been performing actively throughout his native country.  His album is a mix of self-deprecating wit, soul-searching introspection, and head-bopping electronic pop, and I've been enjoying it thoroughly!

Here's his first single, "Nitten" (while it literally means "Nineteen", it basically translates to "The Short Straw"), which has become my go-to "bad-day-song", despite the fact that I don't speak any Danish. (Don't worry, English captions are available!)


Now, don't you just feel better about your crappy day after watching Thomas getting pummeled?  I know I do...

His next single, "Selvmord på Dansegulvet (Suicide on the Dancefloor)" is another immensely catchy pop song, and while I can't find a video with the English lyrics embedded like I could with the video for "Nitten", I can say that this song speaks to the awkward partygoer in all of us...the clip is pretty self-explanatory (and a lot of fun!)



Even if he's not depending on electronic beats or high production values, Holm's voice is undeniably beautiful, and it pairs wonderfully with a single guitar, as in the case of this acoustic version of "Byens Bitreste Mand (The City's Bitterest Man)".  It's in a performance like this that shows his versatility, that he's not just a comedian with musical ability, but a well-rounded singer-songwriter who's able to capture heartbreak just as effectively as exasperation or well-intended awkwardness.  I have no idea if he's even considering entering Denmark's preselection, the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, next year.  If he is, however, and he enters an upbeat number like "Selvmord På Dansegulvet", he very well might be able to take it all the way to Germany in 2011.  However, Thomas tends to sing exclusively in Danish, and no entry has been sung in that language since 1997, so the odds might be slightly stacked against him.

But a girl can dream, right?