All entries in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest are known, but the actual contest is still about a month away. As a warm-up, we introduce one of the entries every day in random order. Part thirty-four is dedicated to the entry from Norway.

Basic information

Performer:	Alexander Rybak
Song:	Fairytale
Language:	English
Music:	Alexander Rybak
Lyrics:	Alexander Rybak
Draw:	6th in thesecond semi final

The song

Fairytale is a mid-tempo song mixing traditional folk music with pop music and facing on the violin in the arrangement. The lyrics are about Alexander's first love and his contradictory feelings:

Every day we started fighting
Every night we fell in love
No one else could make me sadder
But no one else could lift me high above

I'm in love with a fairytale
Even though it hurts
'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind
I'm already cursed

The singer

Alexander Rybak was born in Minsk,Belarus, but he grew up in Norway. He started playing the violin and the guitar at the age of fiveand he also bebgan singing and writing his own songs. He hit the stage soon andperformed with famous artists like Morten Harket of a-ha (Eurovision Song Contest 1996 host), Hanne Krogh (Norway 1971, 1985, 1991) and Arve Tellefsen.

Having already taken part in Norwegian Pop Idol in 2005,Alexander took part in the second edition of the talent search Kjempesjansen, a Norwegian TV showthat is looking for young talents in music and dance, in 2006.He could win this show with his own composition Foolin'.He later won the Anders Jahres award and became a conductor for Norway's most famous orchestra of young musicians. In 2007, he starredas fiddler in the Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick musical Fiddler on the roof in Oslo.

In 2009, Alexander took part in MGP 2009, the Norwegian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. He qualified from the semi final and could win the national final by a landslide. At that time, Fairytale was already the number one in the Norwegian charts and it was therefore the first MGP entry ever to top the charts before the final was held. To date, the single has sold to triple platinum.

The national selection

Norway repeated the MGP format of recent years with some changes in the voting. Three semi finals were held with seven contestants each and two out of each heat moved directly forward to the national final. Another two acts qualified through a second chance round so that eventually, eight acts took part in the national final. Alexander Rybak was the clear winner ahead of Tone Damli Aaberge.

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest

Norway was the third Scandinavian country to join the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960 and despite a strong debut with a fourth place, the country turned out to be one of the most unsuccessful ones over the next 25 years. However, a first victory came in 1985 and a second one followed in 1995. In total, Norway finished in the top five eight times, most recently in 2008. However, Norway keeps the record for the most last places as they finished at the bottom of the scoreboard ten times, which means in more than 20% of their participations.

Vi ønsker Norge og Alexander Rybak lykke til og et fint resultat i Moskva!

Videos

Live in the national final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8JRtGMBUz0&ap=%2526fmt%3D18&rel=0

National final performance (preview version):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaC2dNKMdL8&ap=%2526fmt%3D18&rel=0

Alexander Rybak with Foolin':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG5tqog-wSY&ap=%2526fmt%3D18&rel=0

Alexander Rybak in 2005 Idol performing Your song by Elton John:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t-9Wrm_7lI&ap=%2526fmt%3D18&rel=0

Other parts of this series

1. France
2. Portugal
3. Romania
4. Denmark
5. Netherlands
6. Cyprus
7. Latvia
8. Ireland
9. Malta
10. Armenia
11. Germany
12. Serbia
13. Belgium
14. Greece
15. Croatia
16. Poland
17. Czech Republic
18. Iceland
19. Moldova
20. Switzerland
21. Slovenia
22. Andorra
23. Ukraine
24. Spain
25. Sweden
26. Montenegro
27. Finland
28. Lithuania
29. Russia
30. Turkey
31. Azerbaijan
32. Bulgaria
33. Belarus

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the Israeli entry.

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