"Queen of Kings" | ||||
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Single by Alessandra | ||||
from the EP Best Year of My Life | ||||
Language | English | |||
Released | 9 January 2023 | |||
Length | 2:40 | |||
Label | Starlab Music | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Alessandra singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Queen of Kings" on YouTube | ||||
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry | ||||
Country | ||||
Artist(s) | ||||
Language | English | |||
Composer(s) |
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Lyricist(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | 6th | |||
Semi-final points | 102 | |||
Final result | 5th | |||
Final points | 268 | |||
Entry chronology | ||||
◄"Give That Wolf a Banana" (2022) | ||||
"Ulveham" (2024) ► | ||||
Official performance video | ||||
"Queen of Kings" (First Semi-Final) on YouTube "Queen of Kings" (Grand Final) on YouTube |
"Queen of Kings" is the debut single by Norwegian-Italian singer Alessandra Mele. It was written by Mele alongside three other songwriters,and was released on 9 January 2023 through Starlab Music. The song represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023,where it finished in fifth at the final with 268 points.
The song has been described as a song advocating for female empowerment and perseverance according to Alessandra,and is inspired by Norwegian culture,Alessandra's Italian heritage,and her experiences being bisexual. "Queen of Kings" was well received by critics,drawing consistent praise for its musical composition and Alessandra's vocal abilities. The song drew commercial success,peaking at number one in its native country of Norway,within the top five in four European countries,and within the top ten in a further seven countries.
"Queen of Kings" was written by Henning Olerud,Stanley Ferdinandez,Linda Dale,and Alessandra Mele. [1] According to Alessandra,the song was written at a specialized songwriting camp for the Melodi Grand Prix,the annual competition that the Norwegian Broadcasting Corpoation (NRK) uses to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. [2] The song was inspired by a piano melody played by her producer,imagining "a goddess running in the darkness through the woods,through the trees in a winter storm. She's a strong woman,coming out of a bad period". [3] The song is also inspired by Alessandra's Italian heritage combined with her experiences living in Norway, [4] with Alessandra wanting to combine Norwegian culture and the "power" of Italian mannerisms of speaking to make the song portray a "powerful woman". [5]
The song is described as an ode to female empowerment that is inspired by Alessandra's experiences with being bisexual in Italy. [6] [2] To Alessandra,it also advocated for perseverance through hard times,stating that "the song represents me as an artist but also as a person. I am not perfect and I have been through a lot but I am also proud of the bad things that happened to me because it helped shape who I am." [7] The song also uses the symbolism of a queen to represent that "she will rise up because of all the shit that she has been going through... because you felt it,you’re going to grow out of it." [8] References to Norwegian folklore are also made within the song,with Wiwibloggs writer Oliver Adams stating that the rhythms used within the song "emulate those used in sea shanties and traditional Norwegian folk songs". [9]
Along with the song's release,an accompanying music video directed by Alexander Zarare Frez was released on 24 March 2023. [10] To further promote the song,Alessandra announced her intent to perform at various Eurovision pre-parties before the contest during the months of March and April,including Melfest WKND on 11 March, [11] PreParty ES on 9 April, [12] Eurovision in Concert on 15 April, [13] and the London Eurovision Party on 16 April. [14] Alessandra also various versions and remixes of the song,including an acoustic version of the song on 13 April 2023, [15] an Italian version on 21 April, [16] and a remix featuring Italian DJ Gabry Ponte. [17]
"Queen of Kings" has been largely well received. In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from several critics,the song was rated 8.06 out of 10 points, [18] earning fifth out of 37 songs on the site's annual ranking. [19] Another review conducted by ESC Bubble that contained reviews from a combination of readers and juries rated the song second out of the 15 songs in the Eurovision semi-final "Queen of Kings" was in. [20] A ranking containing reviews from three BuzzFeed editors ranked the song first overall,earning a total of 25 out of a possible 30 points. [21] Vulture's Jon O'Brien ranked the song tenth overall,describing the song as "an unashamedly OTT female-fronted dance-pop anthem" but admitting that "it may get lost alongside the other Scandi big hitters at [Eurovision]." [22] ESC Beat's Doron Lahav ranked the song 14th overall,writing that it was "catchy and contemporary." [23]
BBC News' music correspondent Mark Savage described the song as "an electric jolt of Euro-pop,with a baroque chorus most artists would kill for",praising Alessandra's vocal abilities. [24] i's Anna Bonet ranked it third out of the 26 finalists in Eurovision 2023,writing that "if Game of Thrones were to do a musical,this is what it would look like... she could be a dark horse." [25] The Times' Ed Potten ranked it 13th out of the 26 finalists,rating the song three out of five stars. [26] National Public Radio's Glen Weldon ranked the song third in his top ten for Eurovision 2023,praising the song's imagery and Alessandra's ability to sing whistle notes. [27] The Guardian's Ben Beaumont–Thomas included the song in his "14 songs to listen out for at Eurovision 2023" list,writing that the song was a "folkloric be-robed anthem... The grog-chugging heartiness of a sea shanty done with the drum programming of an Ibizan tech-house producer,Queen of Kings will whip up a storm in the arena." [28]
Norway's national broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corpoation (NRK), organised a 21-entry competition, Melodi Grand Prix 2023, to select its entrant for the 67th iteration of the Eurovision Song Contest. [29] The competition was split into three seven-song semi-finals on the 14th, 21st, and 28 January 2023. The top three in each semi-final qualified for a nine-song grand final on 4 February 2023, with the winner of the grand final being selected through a 50/50 vote of juries and public televoting. [30]
"Queen of Kings" was drawn in the first semi-final, performing in first. [31] The song was able to qualify into the grand final, [32] where it subsequently was drawn to perform as the ninth and last song in the grand final running order. [33] In the grand final, Alessandra was able to win both the juries and televote, earning 104 and 129 points in each respective category for a total of 233 points; 95 more than the runner-up, Ulrikke Brandstorp's "Honestly". [34] Responding to her victory in Aftenposten , she affirmed that the victory was for "the queer environment". [35]
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 took place at the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 9 and 11 May, and the final on 13 May 2023. During the allocation draw on 31 January 2023, Norway was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show. [36] The duo were later drawn to perform first in the semi-final, ahead of Malta's The Busker. [37]
For the Eurovision performance of "Queen of Kings", Alessandra was accompanied by four backing dancers who carry glow sticks. Alessandra herself wears an outfit designed by Susanne Hoftun and Katarzyna Blonska, featuring a dark green top, black fishnet pants, and a gold necklace and bracelet. [38] [39] According to Alessandra, the outfit was inspired by a combination of modern fashion styles and the fashion of Elizabeth I, stating that "it’s like a modernised her: royal, but still you have the warrior taste of it." [8] The performance is similar to its Melodi Grand Prix performance; like in MGP, it starts off with a focus shot of Alessandra's face, which is meant to show that "the powerful face of the Queen that is not perfect". [7] [39] The performance features purple and blue lighting, with glow sticks appearing during the song's second chorus. The performance ends with orange lighting as Alessandra walks onto an auxiliary stage. [38] [40]
Alessandra performed a repeat of their performance in the grand final on 13 May. The song was performed 20th in the final, after Ukraine's Tvorchi and before Germany's Lord of the Lost. [41] After the results were announced, she finished in 15th with 268 points, with a split result of 52 points from the juries and 216 points from televoting. [42] Regarding the former, the song received no sets of the maximum 12 points; the highest amount given was two sets of 10 points from Denmark and Israel. In the televote, "Queen of Kings" was able to receive one set of 12 points from Finland. [43] In response to her result,
Digital download/streaming [‡ 1]
Digital download/streaming – Da Tweekaz x Tungevaag remix [‡ 2]
Digital download/streaming – Acoustic version [‡ 3]
Digital download/streaming – Italian version [‡ 4]
Digital download/streaming – Billen Ted remix [‡ 5]
Digital download/streaming – Gabry Ponte remix [‡ 6]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Country | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 7 January 2023 | EP track | Starlab Music | [‡ 1] | |
6 April 2023 | Da Tweekaz x Tungevaag remix | [‡ 2] | |||
13 April 2023 | Acoustic version | [‡ 3] | |||
21 April 2023 | Italian version | [‡ 4] | |||
19 May 2023 | Billen Ted remix | [‡ 5] | |||
1 June 2023 | Gabry Ponte remix | [‡ 6] |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Belgium (BEA) [77] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [78] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [79] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [80] | 2× Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [81] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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.
Kjetil Mørland, better known as simply Mørland, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 along with Debrah Scarlett with his song "A Monster Like Me".
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.
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.
Ulrikke Brandstorp, also known mononymously as Ulrikke, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, musical actress, voice actress and television presenter.
"Attention" is a song by Ulrikke Brandstorp. It would have represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The song was released as a digital download on 31 January 2020. A simple ballad accompanied by a violin, it is about unrequited love.
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.
"Fallen Angel" is a song by Norwegian singer Tix. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam and progressed to the grand final. The song is an English translation of the song "Ut av mørket", which he performed on the first semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2021, and was released on 15 January 2021. The song peaked at number 2 on the VG-lista chart. On 20 February 2021, Tix performed the song under the English title "Fallen Angel" and won the final of Melodi Grand Prix 2021. "Fallen Angel" was released the same day.
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.
Subwoolfer is a British-Norwegian pop trio formed in 2021. The two wolf members perform in black suits with white shirts with distinctive yellow stylized wolf-head masks and yellow gloves and ties and go by the pseudonyms Keith and Jim. The third member, DJ ASTRONAUT joins them on stage in a golden astronaut suit. The wolves' identities were publicly revealed on 4 February 2023 as Ben Adams and Gaute Ormåsen, during the final of Melodi Grand Prix 2023. After winning Melodi Grand Prix 2022, they represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with their debut song "Give That Wolf a Banana". The name of the group is a portmanteau of the words subwoofer and wolf.
"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.
"Silent Storm" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter Carl Espen, released as a single on 18 February 2014. It represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2014, Norway's national selection for the event. It placed sixth in the semi-final with 77 points and finished in eighth place in the grand final with 88 points overall.
Melodi Grand Prix2023 was the 61st edition of Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), the annual Norwegian music competition that serves as the country's preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. It was organised by Norway's public broadcaster NRK, and consisted of three semi-finals and a final, held throughout January and February 2023. The winner of the competition, Alessandra with "Queen of Kings", went on to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom in May 2023.
Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "Queen of Kings" performed by Alessandra. The Norwegian broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix 2023 in order to select the Norwegian entry for the 2023 contest. 21 entries were selected to compete in the national final, which consists of four shows: three semi-finals and a final. Nine entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 4 February 2023, and the winner was determined following the combination of votes from ten international jury groups and a public online vote.
Alessandra Watle Mele, known mononymously as Alessandra, is an Italian-Norwegian singer. She competed in the seventh season of The Voice – Norges beste stemme in 2022, reaching the live shows. She represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with "Queen of Kings", which finished in 5th place at the grand final with 268 points. Her track peaked at number one in Norway and was a top ten hit in eleven countries.
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.
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"Unforgettable" is a song by Norwegian music duo Marcus & Martinus, released as a single on 2 March 2024 through Universal. The song was written by the duo alongside with Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb and Linnea Deb. It represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 after winning Melodifestivalen 2024, and finished in 9th place at the grand final with 174 points.
In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):