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Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2023 First Heat tonight!

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The selection process for the Norwegian participation in the 67th Eurovision Song Contest is finally starting tonigh. Melodi Grand Prix 2023 will take place in Trondheim and will be broadcasted every Saturday for the next four weeks, with the winner artist getting the ticket to Liverpool!

Melodi Grand Prix’s hosts for this year is the TV host Arian Engebø and the singer Stian Thorbjørnsen who has also participated in MGP himself, back in 2015 and 2021.

The first Heat of Melodi Grand Prix 2023 will be broadcasted tonight in 19:50 CET and will last for about one and a half hour. You can watch it through NRK’s official website, by clicking HERE.

The Participants of the first Heat of Melodi Grand Prix 2023:

In the list below, you can see the seven artists and the songs, competing in the first heat of Melodi Grand Prix 2023 (You can listen to each song by clicking on their title):

  1. Alessandra Mele – “Queen of Kings“
  2. Erik Næss – “Wave“
  3. Rasmus Thall – “TRESKO“
  4. Kate Gullbrandsen – “Tårer i paradis“
  5. Umami Tsunami featuring Kyle Alessandro, Kristian Haugstøyl & Magnus Winjum – “Geronimo“
  6. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Honestly“
  7. Byron Williams Jr & Jowst – “Freaky For The Weekend“

Melodi Grand Prix 2023

In total, 21 songs are going to take part in Melodi Grand Prix 2023, after being selected by NRK’s competent jury. Seven song will compete in each of the three heats, with the three best songs advancing for the Final.

In the three heats, the three best songs will qualify for the final solely based on the vote of the Norwegian public.

For the first time since 2019, an international jury that will determine 50% of the result will be featured in the final, while the rest 50% will be determined by the public vote.

One more thing we couldn’t let unmentioned, is that NRK decided to give the contestants the opportunity to use Auto-Tune in their performances, in order to be vocally in the best way possible.

The program of Melodi Grand Prix 2023

  • First Heat: January 14th
  • Second Heat: January 21st
  • Third Heat: January 28th
  • Grand Final: February 4th

Until we learn who is going to represent Norway in Eurovision 2023, lets remember their song for last year’s contest. Previous MGP winners and Norway’s representatives at Eurovision 2022 were Subwoolfer with their song “Give That Wolf a Banana” and finished 10th in the Grand Final, continuing the country’s qualification streak for the fifth year.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2023, in Liverpool!

Norway: NRK adds Auto-Tune in Melodi Grand Prix 2023!

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For the first time in Melodi Grand Prix’s history, NRK gives to its contestants, the chance to compete without the fear of not being perfect vocally, as they are going to allow the use of Auto-Tune, a virtual tool that corrects the wrong tunes and lets the singer be in-tune.

If for example, Stig van Eijk, Kate Gulbrandsen or Atle Pettersen lose their tune, the tool will make the required adjustment to take the note to the necessary tune.

This is what NRK’s ​​Melodi GRand Prix general, Stig Karlsen said:

“MGP follows the development of the concert industry and music shows on TV, by allowing tuning of the lead vocal for MGP 2023”

Auto-Tune is a common production tool, especially in Hip-Hop and R&B music, from Cher’s “Believe” in 1998 to today’s Billie Eillish.

As of now, Auto-Tune is not allowed in the Eurovision Song Contest, but that does not change NRK’s ​​decision to add it to the national final:

“But therefore it is absolutely essential that the artists we select for MGP deliver at a high level, even without tuning. In those cases where we do not know the artist’s performance level live, they are invited to an audition. We set high standards for the vocalists’ performance level, but will help to perfect the quality of the sound production through the use of tuning. This is done to give the audience a similarly solid sound experience as in the rest of the industry”

The director of Melodi Grand Prix in NRK, Stig Karlsen, adds that this is what corresponds to what has happened in other music productions in TV in recent years:

“MGP is one of the last remaining music productions on TV that will now use sound production tools of this type. Using Auto-Tune does not make anyone a skilled vocalist, Karlsen points out. A good vocalist must deliver on communication skills, power, rhythm and timing, empathy, attitude and timbre. A vocalist is also carried by the individual character of the voice. Auto-Tune is just one of several tools for correcting and optimizing the sound experience.”

Stig Karlsen believes that throug the many years of using Auto-Tune, the public has become more discerning with the listening experience and that they automatically get used to the vocals being corrected to their best form:

“MGP therefore sees itself as having to follow developments in order to deliver the product expected by the public in 2023.”

Will the winner of Melodi Grand Prix 2020, Ulrikke be in need of Auto-Tune, in next Saturday’s First semi-final?

https://youtu.be/o9atJbnqhJU

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Norwegian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Source: vg.no

Norway: These are the contestants of Melodi Grand Prix 2023!

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A short while ago, Norway’s public television, NRK, announced the artists who are going to participate in this year’s Melodi Grand Prix in order to compete for the country’s representation at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool!

The 21 artists have been selected since November and have been divided into three semi-finals as follows:

First Semi-Final

  1. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Honestly“
  2. Erik Næss – “Wave“
  3. Kate Gullbrandsen – “Tårer i paradis“
  4. Rasmus Thall – “TRESKO“
  5. Alessandra Mele – “Queen of Kings“
  6. Byron Williams Jr & Jowst – “Freaky For The Weekend“
  7. Umami Tsunami featuring Kyle Alessandro, Kristian Haugstøyl & Magnus Winjum – “Geronimo“

Second Semi-Final

  1. Sandra Lyng – “Drøm d bort“
  2. JONE – “Ekko Inni Meg“
  3. Swing’it – “Prohibition“
  4. Ella – “Waist“
  5. Alejandro Fuentes – “Fuego“
  6. Bjørn Olav Edvardsen – “Turn Off My Heart“
  7. Elsie Bay – “Love You in a Dream“

Third Semi-Final

  1. Skrellex – “Love Again“
  2. Tiril Beisland – “Break It“
  3. Akuvi – “Triumph“
  4. Atle Pettersen – “Masterpiece“
  5. Eline Thorp – “Not Meant to Be“
  6. Maria Celin – “Freya“
  7. Stig van Eijk – “Someday“

Among the artists we see MGP 2020 winner Ulrikke who had confirmed her return to the music competition a long ago, as well as MGP 1987 winner Kate Gullbrandsen, Elsie Bay who was one of the most talked about entries for MGP 2022 and MGP 1999 winner Stig van Eijk.

As a reminder, this year’s Melodi Gran Prix will be quite different from the previous ones, as there will be no duels or second chance rounds. Three artists will qualify from each semi-final in which only the Norwegian TV audience will vote, while the final will for the first time since 2019 feature an international jury that will determine 50% of the result.

The songs will be published each Monday before the semi-final in which they are to compete. Melodi Grand Prix 2023 will take place at the Spectrum in Trondheim with Arian Engebø and Stian Thorbjørnsen as presenters. The schedule is as follows:

  • First Semi-Final: January 14th
  • Second Semi-Final: January 21st
  • Third Semi-Final: January 28th
  • Grand Final: February 4th

Previous MGP winners and Norway’s representatives at Eurovision 2022 were Subwoolfer with their song “Give That Wolf a Banana” and finished 10th in the Grand Final, continuing the country’s qualification streak for the fifth year.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2023, in Liverpool!