Announcement came early this year! Having been the very first country to confirm its presence at the 64th Eurovision Song Contest, Norway is now one of the first countries to reveal the date of their national selection show, Melodi Grand Prix 2019! 

MGP 2019 on 2 March; acts to be revealed on 25 January

Earlier today, the Norwegian national broadcaster Norsk riksringkasting (NRK) confirmed that Norway’s MGP 2019 is going to take place on 2 March at the Oslo Spektrum, which becomes home to the event almost every year and was also the hosting venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. NRK will be disclosing which acts are going to fight for the ticket to Tel Aviv through a press conference on 25 January.

The broadcaster is ready to host yet another great event, which as one of the most popular shows which annually air on Norwegian television. Stig Karlsen, who is the show’s producer and music director, says the following:

We are constantly working to stretch the knit a bit longer every year. More than one million Norwegians have high expectations for the MGP evening, which have to be met.

Stig Karlsen also underlined that music itself is the most essential factor for the show’s success. However, he gave promises for an impressive show in March, which will feature both well-known names of the country’s music scene, as well as newcomers who will try to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest.

MGP 2019 tickets are expected to go on sale later this year, but NRK reports that the announcement of the city and dates should have been made that early, as there are many people who travel a long distance and have to book flights and accomodation for the special night.

Norway at Eurovision

The Scandinavian country initially entered the Eurovision house in 1960 and has seen a total of 57 appearances since. Norway has won the contest three times, the most recent being in 2009 with Alexander Rybak singing his ballad Fairytale. Rybak achieved a triumphant victory in Moscow, as he managed to break and hold the record of the highest winning score with the then applicable voting system, earning a total of 387 points.

Since the introduction of the semi-finals back in 2004, Norway has not progressed to the Grand Final only three times, while they have ended up within the Top 10 seven times, most recently in 2017 with JOWST feat. Alexander Walmann, who finished 10th in Kyiv, with their entry Grab the moment.

This year Alexander Rybak won for a second time Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix and went on to defend his title and fight for a second victory in Lisbon, with his song That’s how you write a song. Despite winning the second semi-final, he didn’t have the same fortune in the final, as he finished only 15th, scoring 144 points.