Norwegian dance-pop trio KEiiNO caught up with Dutch Eurovision winner Duncan Laurence at the VG-lista concert while the group has also released their new single Praying. Moreover, KEiiNO is all set to embark on a tour in Australia and they will also work on their forthcoming album!

As the summer solstice occurred in the Northern hemisphere, Eurovision 2019 victor Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands met Eurovision televote darlings KEiiNO on their home soil in Norway. But there’s no bad blood between the artists, as they all musically slayed on the stage of the VG-lista concert in Oslo, the feast of  Norwegian newspaper VG‘s record chart which celebrates the top performers of the country and beyond. In an interview with VG, KEiiNO’s frontman Tom Hugo says:

To perform on the VG-lista we feel is a milestone for all Norwegian artists, because then you have some sort of ‘clearance’ in Norway. It’s a proof that the people like the music we make, and we’re looking forward to get an audience of 70,000 people ‘joiking’ and dancing.

A Eurovision reunion!

KEiiNO and Duncan Laurence were excited and happy to see each other again following the dazzling Eurovision 2019 Grand Final in Tel Aviv last month, where the Norwegian group turned out to be the televoter’s favourites while televote runner-up Duncan Laurence was ultimately crowned as the overall winner of the contest.

KEiiNO shared on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzAswfXHzyb/

Duncan Laurence replied in one of his Twitter posts:

I am gonna see my @keiinoband buddies❤️

— dunclaurence (@dunclaurence) June 20, 2019

Who knows, maybe a musical collaboration will happen one day? Both KEiiNO and Duncan Laurence gave masterful performances on the VG-lista concert stage in front of a huge crowd of excited fans:

Praying

There’s lots of news about the Norwegian trio. KEiiNO is among this year’s Eurovision artists who are enjoying a surge of success. The supergroup has released its latest single Praying, the follow-up to their Eurovision hit Spirit in the sky.

Talking to VG (Verdens Gang, “The Course of the World”), KEiiNO’s vocalist Tom Hugo stated about Praying, which was created in the region Finnmark, home of KEiiNO-member Fred Buljo:

The goal was to write a light summer song, which was not so easy in Alta in February. So the theme of ‘Praying’ became the fear of dying. But the melody is now quite cheerful, so it will be exciting to see how the song is received.

Just like Spirit in the sky, Praying combines traditional Sámi-influences or joik with electro dance-pop tunes. The group will use more Sámi language in their upcoming songs, as they have recently been appointed as ambassadors of the UN Year of Indigenous Languages by the Sami Parliament:

For us it is a great honour. From the start we wanted to use Sámi language and Sámi elements in our songs, and we hope to be able to contribute to several other indigenous artists using their own language in a modern music expression.

Enjoy the official lyric video of Praying:

Oslo Pride 2019

KEiiNO also attended and performed at the grand Oslo Pride 2019 festival. A celebration of equality and freedom, the core message of the Oslo Pride is very important to KEiiNO. Tom Hugo says:

It is very important, both to celebrate how far we have come to work for equality and tolerance, but also to remind us that we have not reached the goal yet. We do not have much left for those who judge others and believe their way of life is the only right one, which we also take up in our new single.

KEiiNO at Oslo Pride 2019:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzBCUEDnt62/

Off to Australia for album and tour!

KEiiNO will perform throughout their home country, Scandinavia and the rest of Europe in the coming months. To boot, with the support of Music Norway, KEiiNO will venture on a tour “down under”, heading to Australia in late October 2019! They will not only be touring there, but also work on their upcoming album.

For more information and tour dates, please visit KEiiNO’s official website.

(Source: vg.no)

KEiiNO at Eurovision 2019

KEiiNO (name taken from the town Kautokeino in Finnmark, “keino” or “geaidnu” meaning “the road” in Sámi) is a supergroup from Norway consisting of singers Tom Hugo, Alexandra Rotan and rapper Fred Buljo who is of Sámi heritage.

The three performers, each accomplished artists in their own right, decided to collaborate for Norway’s Eurovision 2019 selection Melodi Grand Prix 2019, which they eventually won with their anthemic dance-pop song Spirit in the sky, which speaks about the search for personal freedom symbolized by the northern lights.

Representing Norway ay the 64th Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, KEiiNO performed in the second semi-final, placing 7th and going through to the Grand Final.

In a tight vote in the Grand Final, KEiiNO won the televote with 291 points, just 30 points ahead of televote runner-up Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands, who received 261 points. Ultimately, with the combined jury votes Duncan Laurence was crowned as the victor of the ESC 2019 with his song Arcade, while KEiiNO reached a very respectable 6th place – also a marvelous achievement.

Enjoy Spirit in the sky during the Grand Final of Eurovision 2019: