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Hallucination (Sissal song)

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"Hallucination"
Single by Sissal
Released6 February 2025 (2025-02-06)
GenreDance
Length3:03
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Chris Rohde-Frisk
  • Joy Deb
  • Malthe Johansen
Sissal singles chronology
"Hear Me Now"
(2024) 		"Hallucination"
(2025)
Eurovision Song Contest 2025 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Chris Rohde-Frisk
  • Line Spangsberg
  • Linnea Deb
  • Malthe Johansen
  • Marcus Winther-John
  • Melanie Gabriella Hayrapetian
  • Sissal Jóhanna Norðberg Niclasen
Finals performance
Semi-final result
8th
Semi-final points
61
Final result
23rd
Final points
47
Entry chronology
◄ "Sand" (2024)

"Hallucination" is a song by Faroese singer-songwriter Sissal. Described as an experience of encountering someone with a great connection, it was released on 6 February 2025 through Virgin. It was written by Sissal, alongside Chris Rohde-Frisk, Line Spangsberg, Linnea Deb, Malthe Johansen, Marcus Winther-John [da], and Melanie Gabriella Hayrapetian. The song represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 and entered the music charts in Denmark, Lithuania, Sweden, Greece and Switzerland.

Background and composition

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"Hallucination" was composed and written by Sissal, together with Line Spangsberg, Linnea Deb, Marcus Winther-John [da], Melanie Gabriella Hayrapetian, Chris Rohde-Frisk, and Malthe Johansen, with the latter two and Joy Deb producing the song.[1] As described by Sissal, the song is about "meeting a person where the connection feels so real that it almost seems unreal."[2] Wiwibloggs called the dance song "EDM-inspired".[3]

Promotion

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To promote "Hallucination" before the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Sissal announced her intent to participate in various Eurovision pre-parties. She first participated at the Nordic Eurovision Party 2025 which took place on 22 March 2025 at the Sentrum Scene [no] in Oslo.[4] It was also announced that she will be performing at Eurovision in Concert 2025 held at AFAS Live Arena in Amsterdam on 5 April 2025.[5] Sissal also participated at PrePartyES 2025 on 19 April 2025 held at Sala La Riviera [es] in Madrid.[6]

Critical reception

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Eva Frantz from the Finnish broadcaster Yle gave the song a 6/10, calling Sissal "confident and cool on stage".[7] Angelica Frey from The Guardian dubbed the song as one of the 10 best Eurovision songs of 2025, calling it a "neatly packaged EDM-scandi-pop record", drawing comparisons to collaborations between Sia and David Guetta. She noted that Sissal's "Adele-lite vocals" helped it avoid predictability and characterized it as a nostalgic throwback to 2010s Eurovision entries, citing Carola’s "Invincible" and Loreen’s "Euphoria" as reference points.[8]

Likewise, Jon O’Brien from Vulture ranked the song seventh, observing similarities to Loreen’s "Euphoria" but commented, "it's refreshing to hear a banger this year that plays it entirely straight".[9] Rob Picheta from CNN ranked the entry ninth out of the 26 finalists, calling the song a "fabulous, epic, searing ballad".[10] In a review for The Times, Ed Potton gave the song three out of five stars, describing it as "textbook piece of dance-pop" and "slick, melodic, and well performed".[11]

Eurovision Song Contest

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Main article: Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025

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Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 was the national final format organised by the broadcaster Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) to select the Danish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. For 2025, the contest saw eight entries competing in a televised final held on 1 March 2025.[12] The winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round, open between 24 and 28 February 2025 and again during the live final of 1 March, the top three songs qualified to a superfinal, where a second voting round determined the winner.[13] The results of both rounds were based on the 50/50 combination of votes from the public and a jury panel, consisting of 10 international members and 10 Danish members.[14][15]

Sissal was officially announced to compete in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025 on 6 February 2025.[16] In the final, the song moved on to the superfinal along with two other entries, namely "The Unluckiest Boy Alive" by Adel the Second and "Proud" by Tim Schou. The song eventually won the superfinal, garnering 20 points from the jury and 18 points from the televote, for a combined total of 38 points, ultimately winning the contest and the Danish spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.[17]

At Eurovision

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The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 took place at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 13 and 15 May and the final on 17 May 2025.[18] During the allocation draw held on 28 January 2025, Denmark was drawn to compete in the second semi-final, performing in the second half of the show.[19] Sissal was later drawn to perform 11th, ahead of Georgia's Mariam Shengelia and before Czechia's Adonxs.[20] Denmark qualified for the final for the first time in six years and in the 2020s, breaking a long-held non-qualification streak.[21]

For its Eurovision performance, the staging differed from the production in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025, following criticisms of the original performance, also made by Sissal herself.[22] [23] Erik Struve Hansen, head of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, revealed in an interview that Sissal will be accompanied by four dancers on stage, along with a larger piece of fabric that surrounded Sissal, as well as being able to change colours and move through a wind machine, described to "mimic the feeling of a hallucination".[24] Further, Sissal wore a black and white outfit, which later changed to a blue outfit amidst the performance.[25]

Sissal performed a repeat of her performance in the grand final on 17 May. The song was performed 22nd, ahead of Portugal's Napa and before Sweden's KAJ.[26]

Credits and personnel

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Musicians

Technical

  • Holger Lagerfeldt – mastering
  • Joy Deb – mixing, production
  • Christopher Rohde-Frisk – production
  • Malthe Johansen – production

Charts

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Chart performance for "Hallucination"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Denmark Airplay (Tracklisten)[27] 8
Greece International (IFPI)[28] 87
Lithuania (AGATA)[29] 54
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 51
UK Indie Breakers (OCC)[32] 10
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[33] 8
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[34] 8

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Hallucination"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various 6 February 2025
Original
[35]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sissal wins 'Melodi Grand Prix' and will sing for Denmark in Basel". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 1 March 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  2. ^ Petersen, Rasmus (1 March 2025). "Denmark: Sissal wins Melodi Grand Prix 2025". EurovisionWorld. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  3. ^ Percy, Lucy (4 March 2025). "Denmark's Sissal will bring dance-banger "Hallucination" to the London Eurovision Party 2025". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  4. ^ Granger, Anthony (17 March 2025). "Denmark: Sissal Joins the Line-Up for the Nordic Eurovision Party 2025". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  5. ^ Andersson, Rafaell (4 March 2025). "Denmark: Sissal Confirmed for London Eurovision Party 2025". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  6. ^ Hernández, José García (10 March 2025). "¡La danesa Sissal nos hará alucinar en la PrePartyES 2025!" [Danish Sissal will blow us away at PrePartyES 2025!]. Eurovision Spain (in European Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  7. ^ Frantz, Eva (5 April 2025). "Ranking: Här är alla 37 bidrag i årets Eurovision Song Contest" [Ranking: Here are all 37 entries in this year's Eurovision Song Contest] (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  8. ^ Frey, Angelica (13 May 2025). "Sauna fiends, space dogs and Jesus Christ Superstar: it's the 10 best Eurovision songs of 2025!". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  9. ^ O'Brien, Jon (13 May 2025). "Every 2025 Eurovision Entry, Ranked". Vulture. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  10. ^ Picheta, Rob (16 May 2025). "The good, the bad and the raunchy: All 26 Eurovision songs, ranked from worst to first". CNN. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  11. ^ Potton, Ed (16 March 2025). "The Eurovision 2025 finalists ranked — from hypnotic to atrocious". The Times. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  12. ^ Clausen, Jacob Bøgen (6 May 2024). "Dansk Melodi Grand Prix og børnenes MGP 2025 holdes i Jyske Bank Boxen" [The Danish Melodi Grand Prix and the children's MGP 2025 will be held in Jyske Bank Boxen]. dr.dk (in Danish). Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Download DR's Melodi Grand Prix-app". dr.dk (in Danish). Danish Broadcasting Corporation. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  14. ^ Christensen, Mette (21 December 2024). "Optakt til DMGP 2025: Afsløringer og spændende nyheder fra Grand Prix-chefen" [Prelude to DMGP 2025: Revelations and exciting news from the Grand Prix boss]. Good Evening Europe (in Danish). Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  15. ^ "DR om 2025: Ikke til at holde ud!". Eurosong DK (in Danish). 13 January 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  16. ^ Ellegaard, Christian (6 February 2025). "Hør sangene nu: Her er deltagerne i Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025" [Hear the songs now: Here are the participants in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025]. dr.dk (in Danish). Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  17. ^ Christensen, Kasper Madsbøll; Ellegaard, Christian (1 March 2025). "Storfavoritten holdt hele vejen: Sissal vinder Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025" [The big favorite held all the way: Sissal wins Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2025]. dr.dk (in Danish). Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Basel will host Eurovision Song Contest 2025". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Eurovision 2025: Semi-Final Draw Results". Eurovision.tv (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  20. ^ "Eurovision semi-finals running order announced". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  21. ^ "Eurovision 2025: The Second Semi-Final Qualifiers". Eurovision.TV. European Broadcasting Union. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  22. ^ Ellegaard, Christian (6 March 2025). "HDR skrotter Grand Prix-vinders sceneshow efter hård kritik: 'Vi er startet fuldstændig forfra'" [DR scraps the Grand Prix winner's stage show after harsh criticism: 'We have started completely again']. dr.dk (in Danish). Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  23. ^ "Reacting to my own performance". Sissal on Tik Tok. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  24. ^ "DR: "Vi har ligget søvnløse!"" [DR: "We've been sleepless!"]. Eurosong DK (in Danish). Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  25. ^ Andersson, Rafaell (7 March 2025). "Denmark: Staging Details Revealed for "Hallucination"". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  26. ^ van Dijk, Sem Anne (16 May 2025). "Eurovision 2025: Grand Final Running Order Revealed". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Sissal – Hallucination" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  28. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 21/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  29. ^ "2025 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 21, 2025". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Sissal – Hallucination". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  32. ^ "Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  35. ^ "Hallucination – Song by Sissal". Apple Music. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
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