Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

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Eurovision Song Contest 2025
Participating broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
CountryFlag of Norway.svg  Norway
National selection
Selection process Melodi Grand Prix 2025
Selection date(s)15 February 2025
Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2024 •2025

Norway will be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, which will be held in Basel, Switzerland. The Norwegian participating broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) will organise the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2025 in order to select its entry for the contest.

Contents

Background

Prior to the 2025 contest, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Norway sixty-three times since its first entry in 1960. [1] It had won the contest on three occasions: in 1985 with the song " La det swinge " performed by Bobbysocks!, in 1995 with the song " Nocturne " performed by Secret Garden, and in 2009 with the song "Fairytale" performed by Alexander Rybak. Norway also had the two dubious distinctions of having finished last in the Eurovision final twelve times, more than any other country, including in 2024 with the song " Ulveham " performed by Gåte , [1] and for having received nul points (zero points) four times, the latter being a record shared with Austria. Following the introduction of semi-finals for 2004, it had finished in the top ten ten times.

As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, NRK organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. NRK confirmed its intention to participate in the 2025 contest on 3 July 2024, [2] announcing on 6 August that its representative would continue to be selected through the national final Melodi Grand Prix , which had selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in all but one of its participations. [3]

Before Eurovision

Melodi Grand Prix 2025

Melodi Grand Prix2025 will be the 63rd edition of Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), the annual music competition organised by NRK to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. It will consist of a final held on 15 February 2025 at the Oslo Spektrum in Oslo (Eurovision 1996 venue) and will be presented by Markus Neby  [ no ], Marte Stokstad  [ no ] and Tete Lidbom  [ no ]. [4] [5] For the first time, commentary will be also be provided during the broadcast by Stokstad, who has served as NRK's commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest since 2021. [6]

In August 2024, Stig Karlsen  [ no ] announced that he would be stepping down from his position as artistic director on 1 October, after seven editions. [7] [8] Tarjei Strøm, who previously participated in Melodi Grand Prix 2013 as part of Datarock, was later revealed as his successor. [9]

Competing entries

NRK opened a submission period between 6 August and 1 September 2024 for interested songwriters to submit their entries. [10] The competition was open to all songwriters, and each songwriter could submit up to three songs. Each song was required to have at least one Norwegian contributor, in order to "prioritise and promote the Norwegian music scene". In addition to the open submission, NRK also looked for possible entries through targeted search and direct dialogue with the Norwegian music industry, and through songwriting camps (the earliest of which was held in June 2024 at multiple locations in Rena). [11] [12] Participants in the camp included Citi Zēni (2022 representatives for Latvia), Emmy  [ no ] (a Melodi Grand Prix 2021 entrant) and Lasse Midtsian Nymann (one of the songwriters of "The Code", the winning Swiss entry in 2024). [13] The final list of selected entries, selected for the last time by Karlsen and defined by October 2024, [14] will be announced on 16 January 2025.

Final

The final will take place on 15 February 2025.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Norway has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 62 times since making its debut in 1960 and has only been absent twice since then. In 1970, the country boycotted the contest over disagreements about the voting structure, and in 2002, they were relegated. The Norwegian participant broadcaster in the contest is Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), which select its entrant with the national competition Melodi Grand Prix.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Alvedansen", written by Kjetil Fluge, Christine Guldbrandsen, and Atle Halstensen, and performed by Guldbrandsen herself. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2006 in order to select its entry for the contest. 18 entries competed in the national final that consisted of three semi-finals, a Last Chance round and a final. Eight entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 4 February 2006 where the winner was determined over two rounds of public televoting. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of public televoting, "Alvedansen" performed by Christine Guldbrandsen was selected as the winner with 77,568 votes.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "My Heart Is Yours" written by Hanne Sørvaag and Fredrik Kempe, and performed by Didrik Solli-Tangen. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), selected its entry through the Melodi Grand Prix 2010. In addition, NRK was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the Telenor Arena in Oslo, after winning the previous edition with the song "Fairytale" performed by Alexander Rybak.

Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "I'm Not Afraid to Move On", written by Arve Furset and VJ Strøm, and performed by Jostein Hasselgård. The Norwegian participating broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2003 in order to select its entry for the contest. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following its relegation in 2002 as one of the bottom six entrants in 2001. Twelve entries competed in a show that took place on 1 March 2003 and the winner was determined over two rounds of public televoting. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of public televoting, "I'm Not Afraid to Move On" performed by Jostein Hasselgård was selected as the winner with 78,460 votes.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Stay" written by Tooji, Peter Boström and Figge Boström. The song was performed by Tooji. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2012 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. 24 entries competed in the national final that consisted of three semi-finals and a final. Ten entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 11 February 2012 where the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, a public televote exclusively selected the top four entries to advance to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of voting, "Stay" performed by Tooji was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from three regional jury groups and a public vote.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Silent Storm" written by Josefin Winther. The song was performed by Carl Espen. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2013 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. 15 entries competed in the national final that consisted of three semi-finals and a final. Nine entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 15 March 2014 where the winner was determined over two rounds of public televoting. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of public televoting, "Silent Storm" performed by Carl Espen was selected as the winner with 53,712 votes.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "A Monster Like Me" written by Kjetil Mørland. The song was performed by Mørland and Debrah Scarlett. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2015 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Eleven entries competed in a show that took place on 14 March 2015 and the winner was determined over two rounds of public televoting. The top four entries in the first round of voting advanced to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of public televoting, "A Monster Like Me" performed by Mørland and Debrah Scarlett was selected as the winner with 88,869 votes.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Grab the Moment" written by Joakim With Steen and Jonas McDonnell. The song was performed by Jowst, which is the artistic name of music producer Joakim With Steen, with unaccredited vocals from Aleksander Walmann. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2017 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ten entries competed in a show that took place on 11 March 2017 and the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, the combination of votes from ten international jury groups and a public televote selected the top four entries to advance to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of voting, a public televote exclusively selected "Grab the Moment" performed by Jowst as the winner with 46,064 votes.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "That's How You Write a Song" written and performed by Alexander Rybak, who had previously represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and won with the song "Fairytale". The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2018 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Ten entries competed in a show that took place on 10 March 2018 and the winner was determined over three rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, the combination of votes from ten international jury groups and a public televote selected the top four entries to advance to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of voting, a public televote exclusively selected the top two entries to advance to the competition's third round—the Gold Duel. In the third round of voting, a public televote again selected "That's How You Write a Song" performed by Alexander Rybak as the winner with 306,393 votes.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Spirit in the Sky", written by Tom Hugo Hermansen, Fred-René Buljo, Alexandra Rotan, Henrik Tala, Alex Olsson and Rüdiger Schramm. The song was performed by the group Keiino. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2019 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Ten entries competed in a show that took place on 2 March 2019 and the winner was determined over three rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, the combination of votes from ten international jury groups and a public vote selected the top four entries to advance to the competition's second round—the Gold Final. In the second round of voting, a public vote exclusively selected the top two entries to advance to the competition's third round—the Gold Duel. In the third round of voting, a public vote again exclusively selected "Spirit in the Sky" performed by Keiino as the winner with 231,937 votes.

Norway originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2020 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The competition was won by Ulrikke with the song "Attention". However, the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melodi Grand Prix 2020</span> 58th edition of Melodi Grand Prix

Melodi Grand Prix 2020 was the 58th edition of the Norwegian music competition Melodi Grand Prix (MGP) and served as the country's preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The competition was organized by NRK between 11 January 2020 and 15 February 2020, and a total of 25 songs participated – the highest number in the history of the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulrikke Brandstorp</span> Musical artist

Ulrikke Brandstorp, also known mononymously as Ulrikke, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, musical actress, voice actress and television presenter.

<i>Melodi Grand Prix 2021</i> 59th edition of Melodi Grand Prix

Melodi Grand Prix 2021 was the 59th edition of the Norwegian music competition Melodi Grand Prix (MGP). The contest served as the country's preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The competition was organized by NRK and was held between 16 January 2021 and 20 February 2021. A total of 26 songs participated – the highest number in the history of the competition.

<i>Melodi Grand Prix 2022</i> 60th edition of Melodi Grand Prix

Melodi Grand Prix2022 was the 60th edition of the Norwegian music competition Melodi Grand Prix (MGP). The contest is held annually and serves as the country's preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. MGP was organized by Norway's public broadcaster NRK and was held in January and February 2022. The winner of the competition, Subwoolfer with "Give That Wolf a Banana", went on to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy in May 2022.

Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy with "Give That Wolf a Banana" performed by Subwoolfer. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix2022 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2022 contest. 21 entries were selected to compete in the national final, which consists of seven shows: four semi-finals, two last chance round shows and a final. Ten entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final that took place on 19 February 2022 and the winner was determined over two rounds of voting.

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"Give That Wolf a Banana" is a song by British-Norwegian pop duo Subwoolfer, released as a single on 10 January 2022. It represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2022, Norway's national final. The single reached number four in Norway.

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Norway was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Ulveham" performed by Gåte. The Norwegian participating broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2024 between January and February 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.

<i>Melodi Grand Prix 2024</i> 62nd edition of Melodi Grand Prix

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References

  1. 1 2 "Norway". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. ↑ Farren, Neil (2 July 2024). "🇳🇴 Norway: Eurovision 2025 Participation Confirmed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  3. ↑ Granger, Anthony (6 August 2024). "🇳🇴 Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2025 Song Submissions Open". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  4. ↑ Pettersen, Mandy (20 November 2024). "Melodi Grand Prix 2025: Tilbake til Oslo Spektrum". ESC Norge (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Øverdal, Astri Chatura (20 November 2024). "Blir MGP-programleder: – Trodde det var tull" [Becomes MGP presenter: – Thought it was nonsense] (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  6. ↑ Sand, Camilla (20 November 2024). "Slik blir Melodi Grand Prix 2025" [This is how Melodi Grand Prix 2025 will be] (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  7. ↑ Vedeler, Linda Marie (19 August 2024). "Ferdig i Melodi Grand Prix". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  8. ↑ Granger, Anthony (30 October 2024). "🇳🇴 Norway: New Head of Delegation & Music Director for Melodi Grand Prix Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  9. ↑ Vedeler, Linda Marie (29 October 2024). "Tarjei Strøm blir ny musikksjef for MGP" [Tarjei Strøm will be the new music director for MGP] (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  10. ↑ Hyttebakk, Jon Marius (6 August 2024). "NRK klar for et nytt år med MGP og Eurovision" [NRK ready for a new year with MGP and Eurovision] (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Sanabria-Rangel, Alvaro (30 January 2024). "Norway starts MGP 2025 preparations with first songwriting camp!". Eurovisionfun. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "Rena Song Fest". The Woods Norway. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  13. ↑ Tudor, Ruxandra (2 July 2024). "Rena Song Fest 2024: Over 150 songwriters and artists from 32 countries craft new hits for Eurovision at songwriting camp". Wiwibloggs . Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  14. ↑ Granger, Anthony (6 August 2024). "🇳🇴 Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2025 Song Submissions Open". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
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