Ten songs went to bat tonight in Herning, but, as is the custom, only one could win the ticket to Malmö.  After being winnowed down to a three-song Superfinal, one song stood head-and-shoulders above the rest and join the pantheon of Eurovision 2013 performers.

Vanquishing seven also-rans, the three songs in the Superfinal were Simone’s “Stay Awake“, Emmelie de Forest’s “Only Teardrops”, and Mohammed Ali’s “Unbreakable“.  After a very close final vote, where the jury appeared deadlocked between Emmelie and Mohammed, it was left up to the Danish public to choose a winner.  The audience picked Emmelie’s folk-pop entry, and so it will be “Only Teardrops” that we’ll hear on the other side of the Öresund.

Emmelie, who will be 20 by the time Eurovision rolls around, grew up in both Denmark and Sweden and recently has been studying in the “Complete Vocal Institute” in Copenhagen.  Undoubtedly, this fresh face seems poised to make a mark on the scoreboard in May.