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Norway: Spain Wins First Episode of Adresse Malmø Show!

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The Norwegian state broadcaster NRK airs a special program dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest every year. Each week, approximately eight songs are reviewed by judges who rate the songs from one to twelve points.

Nebulossa from Spain won the first episode of the Norwegian preview show for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

In the celebrity jury for the first Adresse Liverpool show were Ingeborg Heldal, Stian “Staysman” Thorbjørnsen, Jim Ødegård Pedersen, and Marte Stokstad.

Comedian Pernille Sørensen and presenter Peter Bubresko participated in the show for the first episode in the main jury. In the fan jury, Ida Hovland (from Haugesund, Norway), Catharina Amundsen (from Halden, Norway), and Erling Levang (from Nittedal/Haugesund, Norway) gave their ratings.

The results were as follows:

  • Spain – Nebulossa – Zorra – 79 Points (12, 4, 12, 10, 7, 10, 12, 12)
  • Azerbaijan – Fahree ft. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə apar – 69 Points (5, 12, 10, 12, 4, 7, 12, 7)
  • Georgia – Nutsa Buzaladze – Firefighter – 67 Points (12, 12, 12, 12, 3, 8, 2, 6)
  • Netherlands – Joost Klein – Europapa – 65 Points (12, 10, 8, 5, 10, 4, 8, 8)
  • Cyprus – Silia Kapsis – Liar – 63 Points (7, 8, 8, 8, 7, 7, 8, 10)
  • United Kingdom – Olly Alexander – Dizzy – 55 Points (7, 6, 8, 6, 5, 8, 7, 8)
  • Slovenia – Raiven – Veronika – 41 Points (7, 4, 5, 5, 6, 5, 7, 2)

The next program of Adresse Malmø is as follows:

  • Show Two – Friday, April 12th

Einar Tørnquist and Isah participate in the main jury for the second episode. In the fan jury, Hansi Tryggvasson (from Bærum, Iceland), Simen Formo Hay (from Oslo), and Synne Eikenes Sørensen (from Larvik, Norway) will give their ratings. Among the countries to be rated by the juries are Austria, Iceland, and Belgium.

  • Show Three – Friday, April 19th

Thomas Numme and Tara Lina Shahin are part of the main jury for the third episode. The fan jury includes Drian Vad Flaaten (from Tønsberg, Norway), Victoria Haugan Saur (from Sunndal, Norway), and Alex Snyder from Vikersund/USA. Among the countries to be rated are France, Denmark, and Ireland.

  • Show Four – Friday, April 5th

Sandeep Singh and Erik Solbakken, host of Eurovision 2010 and Eurovision Young Dancers 2011, are part of the jury. Eva Nodeland (from Elverum, Norway), Øystein Antonsen (from Arendal, Norway), and Omid Rashidi (from Visby, Norway) are part of the fan jury. Among the countries to be rated are Switzerland, Finland, and Italy.

  • Show Five – Friday, May 3rd

In the final episode of Adresse Malmø, Are Kalvø and Ingebjørg Bratland will participate in the main jury. Marko Stojiljkovic (from Serbia), Jon Arne Ravndal (from Oslo), and Anna Lycke (from Nannestad, Sweden) are part of the fan jury. Among the countries to be rated are Croatia, Greece, and Sweden.

You can watch the show on NRK Player here.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates on Eurovision 2024!

Source: NRK

Norway: NRK Likely to Drop Eurovision Reviews Due to Reviewer Boycott

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NRK’s music critics are unwilling to cover the Eurovision Song Contest as long as Israel participates, leading the channel to likely drop such reviews this year.

“Several of the contractors that NRK normally uses have informed us that they do not wish to take on the assignment of writing reviews for Eurovision,” says editor-in-chief Elisabet Davidsen of NRK to Aftenposten.

The background is the war in Gaza. Israel‘s actions have led to significant opposition to the country’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), and many criticize the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for allowing the country’s participation.

“It would never have been an option to acknowledge Israel‘s participation. That would have been completely unthinkable,” says reviewer Espen Borge.

NRK usually reviews all entries in the competition, with reviews often having a somewhat humorous tone.

Norway is represented this year by Gåte and the song “Ulveham”, and has been drawn to compete in the second half of the Second Semi-Final.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2024 in Malmö!

Source: Aftenposten

Norway: “Adresse Malmø” returns, on April 5th!

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Just a few days ago, the Norwegian public broadcaster announced the return of “Adresse Malmø” for yet another year as a pre-show for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest! Today, it was revealed that the program will premiere on Friday, April 5th.

“Adresse” is a show on Norwegian public television that presents and evaluates the songs participating in this year’s competition. The show has been airing since 1973, and since 2004, it has featured a panel that evaluates the songs.

A judging panel consisting of Eurovision fans and notable personalities will evaluate all the songs competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Each week, approximately eight songs are presented, with the judges rating them from 1 to 12.

The schedule for “Adresse Malmø” is as follows:

  • Show One – Friday, April 5th
  • Show Two – Friday, April 12th
  • Show Three – Friday, April 19th
  • Show Four – Friday, April 5th
  • Show Five – Friday, May 3rd

Below are the latest winners of “Adresse”:

  • 2023: France – La Zarra – “Evidement” (16th Place)
  • 2022: France – Alvan & Ahez – “Fulenn” (24th Place)
  • 2021: Italy – Måneskin – “Zitti e buoni” (1st Place)
  • 2019: Cyprus – Tamta – “Replay” (13th Place)
  • 2018: Austria – Cesar Sampson – “Nobody But You” (3rd Place)

This year, Norway is represented by Gåte with the song “Ulveham,” and they have been drawn to compete in the second half of the Second Semi-Final. Below, you can watch our Reaction Video.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2024, in Malmö!

Source: NRK

Norway: NRK announced the broadcast of Adresse Malmø!

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The public broadcaster of Norway, announced that they will broadcast the show Adresse Malmø, a pre-show for Eurovision Song Contest, for yet another year!

Adresse, is a TV show of the Norwegian public broadcaster, where the songs taking part in this year’s contest will be presented and evaluated, and it will be broadcasted this spring. Adresse is a TV show broadcasted from 1973, while from 2004, a panel is present to evaluate the songs.

A jury consisted of Eurovision fans and familiar faces, will evaluate all songs taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Each week, about eight songs are presented, and are evaluated from 1 to 12. Applications to be part of the public jury are open, and you can check the details here.

Below you can see the previous winners of Adresse:

  • 2023: France – La Zarra – “Evidement” (16th Place)
  • 2022: France – Alvan & Ahez – “Fulenn” (24th Place)
  • 2021: Italy – Måneskin – “Zitti e buoni” (1st Place)
  • 2019: Cyprus – Tamta – “Replay” (13th Place)
  • 2018: Austria – Cesar Sampson – “Nobody But You” (3rd Place)

This year, Norway will be represented by Gåte and the song “Ulveham”, while they are taking part in the second half, of the second semi-final:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Norwegian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: birda.nrk.no

Norway: Gåte does not agree with the participation of Israel in Eurovision 2024!

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The group Gåte, despite not making much of a sensation at first, after their appearance in the semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2024, Norway’s national final, is now the big favorite of fans and betting companies to represent the country at Eurovision 2024!

A while ago, the group, in an interview, mentioned that their participation in Eurovision is not certain, in case they win the MGP, since they do not agree with the participation of Israel. Specifically, the band’s singer, Gunnhild Sundli, states:

“The extreme and unbearable situation in Gaza must end as soon as possible. We all agree in the group that Israel’s participation is somewhat problematic with this whole situation. We’ll need some time to discuss it.”

Gåte also specifically mentioned the possibility of their victory in the Norwegian national final:

“If we win on Saturday, it’s something we’ll have to decide. But we’ll need some time to decide what’s best.”

At the same time, the betting’s second favourites, KEiiNO, spoke about Eurovision and Israel:

“We all agree that what is happening in Gaza is terrible. As things stand now, it will be difficult for Israel to participate in the Competition in May.“

Finally, Gunnhild Sundli added:

“We are a band that believes that music is something that unites. War never led to peace. We have to see what other countries have to say. I think there will be a need for dialogue with people higher up. It is not an easy decision. We must believe in peace and dialogue and understanding for each nation. And the most important war, the war against war.”

Despite what is happening in Norway, both the EBU and NRK, the public broadcaster, have long stated that they are not going to boycott Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024.

The Grand Final of Norway’s national final is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Saturday, February 3, where the country’s representative for Eurovision will be decided.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2024, in Malmö!

Source: NRK

Norway: Artists ask for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision 2024!

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Almost 300 Norwegian artists have signed a petition against Israel’s participation in Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö. “We want NRK to take more responsibility”, says Marthe Valle, one of the singers included in the petition.

Ane Brun, Aurora and the group Karpe are some of those  who have signed. In total there are 293 artists that have signed the petition. Some familiar names that have competed in MGP can be found in the list, like Ulrikke Brandstorp, Maria Haukaas Mittet, Jørn Hoel and Åge Aleksandersen as well.

Aleksandersen took part in MGP 1980, in what is considered the best MGP final in history. He says that it was a matter of course for him to sign this petition:

“It means so much to me. I have made songs that address this issue. And I think what is happening is so ugly, and it hurts me and many others. Therefore, it was right for me to contribute with my voice.”

The petition states that Israel’s violation of intenational law, is now normalized because there are no concequences:

“For now, the EBU says that it will not ban Israel from this year’s final, as it did with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This is selective morality and politics from a union that claims to be apolitical.”

Singers Marthe Valle and Μarte Wulff are the initiators of this petition, and they say they want NRK to take responsibility and put some pressure to the EBU:

“We wish we didn’t have to do this. We wish NRK took responsibility. But then the point of this appeal is to show that there are many voices who now say that Israel cannot be a participant in Eurovision. All the time we are selective about when we should promote morality and politics, and when we choose to overlook it. We cannot pretend that this should be an arena for dialogue and solidarity, when Israel kills several hundred children a day.”

In this list you can see the names of all the artists that have signed the petition.
NRK MGP Demonstration against Israel

NRK MGP Demonstration against Israel

Despite this whole situation in Norway, NRK, the country’s public broadcaster, has announced that they are not going to boycott Israel’s participation in Eurovision this year.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Norwegian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: nrk.no

Norway: Protests outside NRK, for a second week in a row, against Israel!

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Activities against Israel continue today in Oslo, for a second week in a row, when a few moments before the second heat of Melodi Grand Prix began tonight, a couple of hundred protesters showed up outside NRK.

Protesters held white bultar, which is supposed to symbolize Palestinian parents and siblings calling for the killing of Palestinian children. They demand that Israel be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The petition “Exclude Israel from Eurovision“, created by the Norwegian singer and artist Marthe Valle, has almost 18.900 signatures.

The Broadcasting Council on Thursday dealt with Israel‘s participation in Eurovision. The broadcasting chief has advised against a boycott of Israeli participation in the song contest. She said:

“Calling for a boycott of Israel would weaken NRK’s threat as a news agency, but people have every right to protest and be unequal with NRK’s assessment.”

There have been calls to ban Israel from Eurovision 2024, like last Saturday again outside NRK right before the first semi-final of MGP. In Finland, 1300 artists signed a petition asking for Israel to be removed. The British representative Olly Alexander has also shared in public his opinion against Israel. Also just recently Montaigne signed an open letter to the EBU asking the ban of Israel from the contest and Ben Dolic joined her by doing the same.

Source: NRK
Photo: Alf Simensen / NRK

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Norway: Demonstration against Israel outside NRK before the first heat of MGP 2024!

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When it became known on 5 January who would participate in Norwegian MGP, a bunch of protesters showed up outside NRK in Oslo. Fredrik Solvang, the host of MGP 2024 commented on the demonstration, stating that he does not support boycotting Israel in Eurovision 2024. He explained that such a decision would place him in a challenging position as a host, highlighting the inherent difficulty for a television station to adopt a stance amid an ongoing conflict, particularly when providing journalistic coverage.

Activities against Israel continue today in Oslo, Norway, when a few moments before the first heat of Melodi Grand Prix begins tonight, the Action Group for Palestine demonstrates outside the audience entrance at Marienlyst. They wrote in a press release:

“Our demand is that Norway and NRK work for the exclusion of Israel from Eurovision 2024. During the commemoration, we will have a total of 116 dead journalists.”

They further write that they want to remind NRK of its responsibility as a public service broadcaster, to stand in solidarity with freedom of the press and the special source journalists have to protect during war.

As of January 10, the government of Gaza reports that 116 journalists have been killed since October 7. There will also be 116 protesters outside NRK tonight. Protesters have laid on the ground, wearing blue vests to symbolize journalists who have been killed in the war. Janne Heltberg, who has turned up at the audience entrance says:

“We hope that NRK and Melodi Grand Prix get the courage to state from MGP that Israel does not have enough in Eurovision to do in 2024.”

Several other petitions have also been launched, which are being judged in Finland and Iceland.

Source: NRK

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Sweden: No Auto-Tune in Melodifestivalen, says producer Karin Gunnarsson!

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The organizers of the Norwegian equivalent to Melodifestivalen, Melodi Grand Prix, have decided to allow Auto-Tune to enhance the singing voices in this year’s competition.

Now SVT is responding to the neighboring country’s decision. Karin Gunnarsson, competition producer of Melodifestivalen spoke to Sveriges Radio Kulturnytt and said that SVT follows the guidelines of Eurovision Song Contest and hence it would be challenging to use Auto-Tune in the Swedish national selection process:

“This means that there would be a version of a song that must be revamped to suit Eurovision. And that’s just a good thing.”

Auto-Tune can be explained as an effect used to correct and manipulate the pitch of a voice. Among, other things, to avoid false notes. It is widely used in both live productions and recordings. And sometimes it is used, says Karin Gunnarsson, as a personal artistic choice:

“Some use it as an artistic and unique selling proposition to make their music or song stand out. But it will be hard to get that expression into Melodifestivalen as it is now. Those artists are not relevant, so to speak. Furthermore, there is no need or pressure from the industry artists that they want Auto-Tune.”

And Mårten Tomassen, who is chairman of the Norwegian Eurovision fan club, spoke to Sveriges Radio and expressed his belief that allowing Auto-Tune would be a step in the wrong direction.

“I don’t like it, one of the dubious aspects of Melodifestivalen is that the artist sings with the voice they are known with. Sometimes it’s an amazing vocal experience, other times not so good.” 

Do you think that Auto-Tune should be introduced at Melodifestivalen or any other Eurovision national selection processes? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: Sveriges Radio / Kulturnytt / Helena Stinkvist Sörlin & Gustav Ingerhage

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Norway: Spotify Charts for Melodi Grand Prix 2024 songs!

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The artists, that are going to take part in Melodi Grand Prix 2024, the national final of Norway, were announced just yesterday, alongside the release of their songs. One of them is going to be the successor of Alessandra and represent Norway in Eurovision 2024.

The first day of their release, nine songs managed to enter the country’s Spotify Charts and here is the list:

As a reminder, this year’s Melodi Gran Prix will remain in the same format as last year, 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 once again feature an international jury that will determine 40% of the result.

Melodi Grand Prix 2024 will take place at the Spectrum in Trondheim with Marion Ravn and Fredrik Solvang as hosts. The schedule is as follows:

First Semi-Final: January 13
  1. Margaret Berger – “Oblivion”
  2. Myra – “Heart on fire”
  3. Ingrid Jasmin – “Eya”
  4. GOTHMINISTER –  “We Come Alive”
  5. Fredrik Halland – “Stranded”
  6. Mathilde SPZ ft. Chris Archer & Slam Dunk – “Woman Show”
Second Semi-Final: January 20
  1. Gåte – “Ulveham”
  2. Super Rob, Erika Norwich – “My AI”
  3. Mileo – “You’re Mine”
  4. ELI KRISTIN – “Touch of Venus”
  5. Dag Erik Oksvold og Anne Fagermo – “Judge Tenderly of Me”
  6. Farida – “Heartache”
Third Semi-Final: January 27
  1. KEiiNO – “Damdiggida”
  2. MIIA – “Green Lights”
  3. Annprincess – “Save Me”
  4. Thomas Jenssen – “Take Me To Heaven”
  5. MISTRA – “Waltz of Death”
  6. Vidar Villa – “MER”
Grand Final: February 3rd

The previous MGP winner and Norway’s representative at Eurovision 2023 was Alessandra with her song “Queen of Kings” and finished 5th in the Grand Final, continuing the country’s qualification streak for the sixth year.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Norwegian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: Eurovision Charts