Norway: The results of Lasts Chance’s 1st Round!!

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Tonight we watched the first round of Melodi Grand Prix 2022 Last Chance which was broadcast at 20:05 CET. 12 artists competed for the four places of the second round of Last Chance, which is set to take place on 12th of February 2022.

The hosts of the show were Kåre Magnus Bergh, Annika Momrak, Mikkel Niva.

The 12 artists that competed for the four places of the next round of 12th of February were:

  1. Eline Noelia – Ecstasy
  2. Mira Craig – We Still Here
  3. TrollfesT – Dance Like a Pink Flamingo
  4. Eline Noelia – Ecstasy
  5. Lily Lowe – Bad Baby 
  6. Daniel Lucas – Kvelertak
  7. Steffen Jakobsen – With me Tonight
  8. Mari Bølla – Your Loss
  9. Sturla – Skår i hjertet
  10. Vilde – Titans
  11. Alexandra Joner – Hasta la vista
  12. Kim Wigaard – La Melodia 
  13. Maria Mohn – Fly

After the presentation of the clips with the live performances of the 12 participants, the four artists that qualified for the second round of the Last Chance were:

  1. Mari Bølla – Your Loss
  2. Maria Mohn – Fly
  3. Kim Wigaard – La Melodia 
  4. TrollfesT – Dance Like a Pink Flamingo

The next show, the 2nd part of the Last Chance, is scheduled to take place on 12th of February 2022, where the four aforementioned candidates will fight for the single ticket that leads to the Grand Final of 19th of February.

You can watch MGP 2022 by clicking here.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun, for all the news regarding the Norway’s participation at Eurovision Song Contest 2022!

Norway: Results of MGP 2022 Fourth Semi-Final!!

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The fourth semi-final of  Melodi Grand Prix 2022 was broadcast tonight at 19:50 CET. Four artists competed for the one ticket that leads directly to the Grand Final of 19th of February 2022. We also had the chance to enjoy the performance of the pre-qualified entry “Give That Wolf a Banana”  by Subwoolfer. 

The hosts of the show were Kåre Magnus Bergh, Annika Momrak, Mikkel Niva.

The four artist competed in the fourth semi-final tonight were:

  1. Maria Mohn – “Fly”
  2. Alexandra Joner – “Hasta la vista”
  3. Kim Wigaard – “La Melodia”
  4. Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”

Those aforementioned candidates have been divided into two duels, the winners of these will compete for the ticket to the final. The duels are:

  1. Maria Mohn – “Fly” VS Alexandra Joner – “Hasta la vista”
  2. Kim Wigaard – “La Melodia” VS Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”

The betting odds before the show looked as follows:

The winner of the first duel (Maria Mohn – “Fly” VS Alexandra Joner – “Hasta la vista”) was:

Maria Mohn – “Fly”

The winner of the second duel (Kim Wigaard – “La Melodia” VS Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”) was:

Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”

Later on the show we had the chance to listen live to the automatic finalist Subwoolfer and their entry “Give That Wolf a Banana”

Maria Mohn and Sofie Fjellvang once again performed their entries in this final duel.

Maria Mohn – “Fly” vs Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”

After this battle the fourth qualifier of MGP 2022 was Sofie Fjellvang with the song “Made of Glass.

 

The next show is going to be the 1st part of the Last Chance round which is scheduled to take place on 7th of February at 19:50 CET! You can watch MGP 2022 by clicking here.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun, for all the news regarding the Norway’s participation at Eurovision Song Contest 2022!

Norway: Fourth semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2022 tonight!

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The process of selecting the Norwegian representative for the 66th Eurovision Song Contest continues tonight. Melodi Grand Prix 2022 will keep us company for another Saturday, with another artist getting a ticket for the grand final of February 19th.

Format

Melodi Grand Prix 2022 consists of six shows: four semifinals, a second chance round and the grand final, from which the representative of the Scandinavian country in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest will emerge. Four artists participate in each semifinal, with the first of them advancing to the final.

Those eliminated from the semifinals (four from each semi) will take part in the second chance round. Through the public vote, the four first out of those excluded will be selected and will compete for the fifth ticket that leads to the grand final of MGP 2022.

After five shows we will reach the night of the grand final, in which a total of ten artists will participate: the four winners of the semifinals, the winner of the second chance round and the five direct finalists.

The finalists

Five artists have qualified directly for the grand final of MGP 2022:

In the first semi-final, the ticket to the grand final was won by Frode with Black Flowers.

In the second semi-final, the ticket to the grand final was won by Farida με το τραγούδι Dangerous.

In the third semi-final, the ticket to the grand final was won by Oda Gondrosen με το τραγούδι Hammer of Thor.

The fourth semifinal

We will see four artists in tonight’s fourth semifinal:

  1. Maria Mohn – “Fly”
  2. Alexandra Joner – “Hasta la vista”
  3. Kim Wigaard – “La Melodia”
  4. Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”

The four participants have been divided into two duels, from which the two who will duel for a place in the grand final of the Norwegian national team will be determined. The pairs, according to yesterday’s draw, are:

  1. Maria Mohn – “Fly” VS Alexandra Joner – “Hasta la vista”
  2. Kim Wigaard – “La Melodia” VS Sofie Fjellvang – “Made Of Glass”

Guest appearances will be made by direct finalists Subwoolfer who will interpret their entry Give That Wolf a Banana.

Presenters of the evening will be Kåre Magnus Bergh, Annika Momrak and Mikkel Niva.

You can watch the fourth semifinal of MGP 2022 at 19:55 CET through the official website of norwegian public television, by clicking here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2022 final will have an audience!

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Today, the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK confirmed that the final of Melodi Grand Prix 2022 will be held with an audience.

After the Norwegian government eased restrictions on indoor events, NRK announced that the MGP final will be held with an audience of about 500 people at the H3 Arena in Fornebu. Under the new Covid-19 guidelines, distance requirements do not apply indoors, such as in cinemas and concert halls, when the public is seated in determined positions.

Stig Karlsen, lead producer of MGP, said:

The audience is a big and important part of a live TV show and it adds an atmosphere and a feeling that has been missing a lot.

Elsie Bay, who has qualified for the final, also shared her thoughts:

It will be absolutely fantastic and a completely new experience! I’m so happy it’s done now. We will live the MGP a little more as it should be – as a party for everyone.

No audience will be present at any of the performances before the final to protect the artists and production staff. A number of Covid-19 cases have already occurred among MGP staff and artists. Presenters Annika Momrak and Kåre Magnus Bergh had to miss the semifinals because they tested positive for the virus.

Subwoolfer, who were to perform their entry “Give That Wolf A Banana” in the third semifinal, also had to miss the show due to positive tests. However, they will perform in the fourth semifinal this Saturday.

The program for the rest of the Melodi Grand Prix 2022 is as follows:

  • February 5 – Fourth Semifinal
  • February 12 – Second Chance Round
  • February 19 – Grand Final

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

Norway: Results of MGP 2022 Third Semi-Final!!

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The third semi-final of  Melodi Grand Prix 2022 was broadcast tonight at 19:50 CET. Four artists competed thisn time too for the one ticket that leads directly to the Grand Final of 19th of February 2022. We also had the chance to enjoy the performance of the pre-qualified entry  “Someone” by NorthKid. Subwoolfer was originally slated to perform in this semi-final as a pre-qualified entry, before testing positive for COVID-19.

The hosts of the show were Kåre Magnus Bergh, Annika Momrak, Mikkel Niva.

The four artist competed in the third semi-final tonight were:

Those aforementioned candidates have been divided into two duels, the winners of these will compete for the ticket to the final. The duels are:

  1. Mari Bølla – Your Loss  VS Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor
  2. Sturla – Skår i hjerte VS Vilde – Titans

The betting odds before the show looked as follows:

The winner of the first duel (Mari Bølla – Your Loss  VS Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor ) was:

Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor

 

The winner of the second duel (Sturla – Skår i hjerte VS Vilde – Titans) was:

Vilde – Titans

Later on the show we had the chance to listen live to the automatic finalist NorthKid and their entry “Someone”.

Oda Gondrosen and Vilde once again performed their entries in this final duel.

Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor VS Vilde – Titans

After this battle the second qualifier of MGP 2022 was Oda Gondrosen with the song “Hammer of Thor

The next semi-final is going to take place on 5th of February at 19:50 CET! You can watch MGP 2022 by clicking here.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun, for all the news regarding the Norway’s participation at Eurovision Song Contest 2022!

 

Norway: The Spotify streams of the third semifinal

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Tonight is the third semifinal of MGP 2022, Norway’s national final for the selection of the song that will represent the country in Eurovision 2022.

Four songs will compete once again. The competition will have the form of duels, the winners of which will compete against each other for a ticket to the grand final.

The four songs are available on Spotify and are ranked by streams as follows:

  1. Vilde – Titans 113817
  2. Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor  74061
  3. Mari Bølla – Your Loss 72731
  4. Sturla – Skår i hjerte  59104

Among all MGP 2022 songs, Elsie Bay‘s Death Of Us and Subwoolfer‘s Give That Wolf A Banana have a major lead.

The previous two weeks the streams failed to correctly predict the winners of the semifinals. Will that change tonight?

You can watch the third semifinal of MGP 2022 at 20:55 through the official website of NRK, by clicking here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments related to Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

photo: JULIA MARIE NAGLESTAD / NRK

Norway: Third semi-final of MGP 2022 tonight!

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The selection process for the Norwegian participation in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest continues tonight. Melodi Grand Prix 2022 will keep us company for another Saturday, with another artist getting a ticket for the grand final in February 19th.

Format

Melodi Grand Prix 2022 consists of six shows: four semifinals, a second chance round and the grand final, which will determine the representative of the Scandinavian country in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest. Four artists compete in each semifinal, with only one of them advancing to the final.

Those eliminated from the semifinals (four from each) will take part in the second chance round. Four of those, who will be chosen by the televote, will compete for the fifth ticket that leads to the grand final of MGP 2022.

So, after five shows we will reach the night of the grand final, in which a total of ten artists will participate: the four winners of the semifinals, the winner of the second chance round and the five direct finalists.

The finalists

Five artists have qualified directly for the grand final of MGP 2022:

In the first semi-final, the ticket for the grand final was won by Frode with the song Black Flowers.

In the second semi-final, the ticket for the grand final was won by Farida with the song Dangerous.

Third semi-final

The four artist that will be competing in the third semi-final tonight are:

NRK has decided not to proceed – yet – with the announcement of the two duels that will determine the two ticket winners for the grand final of the Melodi Grand Prix 2022.

Direct finalist Northkid will be making a guest appearance, performing their song Someone.

Presenters of the evening will be Kåre Magnus Bergh, Annika Momrak and Mikkel Niva.

You can watch the third semifinal of MGP 2022 at 19:55 CET on the official website of norwegian public television, by clicking here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all news regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

Norway: Interview with Frode Vassel | From The Voice Norway to the finals of Melodi Grand Prix 2022 ! (Video)

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After the announcement of the contestants of the Norwegian National Final, Melodi Grand Prix 2022, Frode Vassel talks exclusively to EurovisionFun reporters, Apostolos Bogiannos and Apostolis Matamis.

Frode is one of the finalists of the Norwegian national selection process for Eurovision 2022 and is bidding on representing his country with the song “Black Flowers”. In 2021, even though he is an experienced  artist already, he took part in the Norwegian version of The Voice, where he managed to get a four chair turn by impressing the judges. Fast-forward to now, he wins his semi-final earning him a ticket to the finals of Melodi Grand Prix 2022.

In the first duel, I was very stressed out, to such an extent, that I forgot a part of the lyrics. Thank God, nobody had realised that. When I reached the gold duel, I was more laid back and it was a wonderful experience. 

Him securing a place at the finals of MGP, contradicted all the betting odds for the night:

I was not the favourite for that semi-final, but “Black Flowers” is one of those songs that sound better, when they’re performed live. I had a good feeling about the results and I kinda new that with a nice live performance, I could convince even those having the most doubts. Due to COVID-19, there was no audience at all at the venue. But I hope that we will have a live audience at the finals, it will make the whole show even better. 

Regarding his final performance, Frode admits that there might be some slight changes and these will mostly affect the camera shots. After that, he discussed the meaning behind his song “Black Flowers”.

The title has a metaphorical meaning and the song is all about the decisions that everyone has to make on a personal level, or maybe on the society or the world, for example the environment. There’s always somebody that makes some decisions and these have an impact on everyone else. Whoever can’t do this, is the one who has to pay the consequences of these decisions. We make decisions that we don’t know if they’re right and this happens quite often, just because this is the most convenient way of doing things. So “Black Flowers” speaks exactly about that, about the maturity of a person and how they eventually use their own powers. 

Frode is very satisfied with his song and as he states, “Black Flowers” had been selected from a bunch of different songs he had prepared, when the idea of competing at Melodi Grand Prix 2022 came up. He might release some of those songs, after the contest.

From his competitors’ songs his favourites are those of Subwoolfer, Elsie Bay and NorthKid.

His favourite Norwegian entry is the one of Alexander Rybak (2009) while his favourite entries from the entire contest are Loreen (Sweden 2012), Go_A (Ukraine 2021) and Sanja Ilić & Balkanika (Serbia 2018).

We couldn’t help but ask his thoughts about Amanda Tenfjord, who is half-Norwegian as well, Frode commented:

I haven’t met her in person but she is well known in Norway. It would be interesting, if I got selected to represent Norway and met her in Turin. Of course 12 points go to Greece, this year.

A while before we said goodbye to Frode, he sang a part of his song acapella.

Don’t miss out on our exclusive interview with Frode! You can watch it on the video below:

You can listen to “Black Flowers“, Frode’s song for Melodi Grand Prix 2022 at the video below!

Norway: Subwoolfer won’t perform during Semi-Final 3 of MGP 2022!

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Subwoolfer will not appear in the Third Semifinal of the Melodi Grand Prix 2022 this Saturday due to a positive test on Covid-19. The Subwoolfer is now the betting favorite to win the Melodi Grand Prix 2022 and is competing with the song “Give That Wolf A Banana”.

Subwoolfer confirmed the diagnosis of Covid-19 via NRK statements:

“On our journey of discovery around the earth, we met a creature called omicron!”

Subwoolfer, who are already qualified for the final, will perform during one of the remaining semi-finals. NorthKid, who were due to perform in Semi-Final 4, will perform this week instead. Band member Bilal Saab commented:

“It came on very abruptly. There is quite a lot to be done in relation to the stage show, mostly rehearsing of the song which we now have one week less to work on but as they say: ‘The show must go on’ “.

This is not the first instance of Covid-19 within Melodi Grand Prix this year. Frode Vassel, who advanced to the final from the first semifinal of the Melodi Grand Prix, tested positive for Covid-19, a few days after the end of the semifinal.

Stig Karlsen, head producer of MGP, made the following statement:

“We are working hard to keep this year’s production afloat, but the audience should know that nothing stops Melodi Grand Prix, not even a pandemic.”

The schedule for the remainder of Melodi Grand Prix 2022 is as follows:

  • January 29 – Semi-Final Three
  • February 5 – Semi-Final Four
  • February 12 – Second Chance Round
  • February 19 – Grand Final

source: NRK

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news related to Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2022!

Eurovision 2022: Here are the results of the allocation draw!

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The Semi-Final Allocation Draw for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 took place in Palazzo Madama in Turin. Find out below in which of the 2 Semi-Finals your country will perform and vote in. The annual event was hosted by Carolina di Domenico and Mario Acampa.

The Semi-Final Allocation Draw and Host City Insignia Exchange are key milestones on the path to the Eurovision Song Contest each year.

During the ceremony, Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, passed on the Host City Insignia to Stefano Lo Russo, Mayor of Turin. The insignia key chain, weighing over 30 kilograms with the new addition of Rotterdam’s insignia, was handed over to Turin. The Italian city is now officially the Host City of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.

Draw Procedure

The 36 countries competing in the semifinals were divided into six pots, based on the points they have exchanged in recent years. This is done in order to avoid, as much as possible, the alliances and bloc voting that appear every year in the voting.

Allocation Pots

Big 5

With the host Italy, directly in the final, along with the rest of the Big 5 (UK, France, Germany, Spain), the first part of the draw determined the semifinal that the direct finalists will vote.

Will vote in the 1st Semi-Final:

  • France
  • Italy

Will vote in the 2nd Semi-Final:

  • Spain
  • Germany
  • United Kingdom

Their performance in the dress rehearsal will be shown in the semifinals where the six aforementioned countries were drawn to broadcast and vote. This was done at Eurovision 2016 for the first time, for reasons of equal visibility of the countries that are directly in the final and the countries that compete in the semifinals. Essentially, viewers watch each entry twice during the shows.

Allocation Draw

The draw of the countries for the two semifinals had two parts. In the first part, the 36 countries that participate in the semifinals, were drawn in which of the two will compete. 18 countries will compete in both the first and the second semifinal.

In the second part each country found out if it will appear in the first or in the second half of the semifinal that will compete. The exact order of appearance will be determined by the EBU and the producers of the show at a later time.

First Semi-Final (10 May):

1st Half

  • Albania
  • Switzerland
  • Latvia
  • Slovenia
  • Moldova
  • Bulgaria
  • Ukraine
  • Lithuania
  • Netherlands

2nd Half

  • Norway
  • Russia
  • Portugal
  • Denmark
  • Armenia
  • Austria
  • Croatia
  • Iceland
  • Greece

Second Semi-Final (12 May):

1st Half

  • Australia
  • Georgia
  • Cyprus
  • Serbia
  • Finland
  • Azerbaijan
  • San Marino
  • Israel
  • Malta

2nd Half

  • Montenegro
  • Romania
  • Czech Republic
  • Poland
  • Belgium
  • North Macedonia
  • Sweden
  • Estonia
  • Ireland

Turin will host the 66th Eurovision Song Contest from May 10th to 14th at the Pala Alpitour. The motto of this year’s event, as chosen by the organizers, is “The Sound of Beauty”.

You can see the draw again through the following link: