Norway: NRK announces the first nine participants of MGP 2020

by Stratos Agadellis 1,711 views

Hei! Tonight we’ll be traveling up to the north, as Norway is about to kick off their national selection process for Eurovision 2020. Just a few days before the first heat of the renewed Melodi Grand Prix, it’s time we met the first participants of the event!

MGP expands in search of the best one

This year, Norway will be celebrating 60 years since their Eurovision debut back in 1960. On this occasion, their national selection show sees significant changes. Instead of only one show, MGP 2020 will be consisting of five semi-final rounds too, all set to be held at the H3 Arena in Oslo, while the final, which will take place on 15 February, will be moving from Oslo to Trondheim.

The new concept is based on the 5 Norwegian regions: Northern -, Central -, Western -, Southern – and Eastern Norway. Artists and songwriters from each region will be competing at their respective semi-final, battling for the one available spot in the final.

A total of 5 songs will be partaking in each semi-final, but only one of them will be joining the 5 pre-qualified songs in the Grand Final. The 5 finalists have already been selected by a jury and may be found below.

Melodi Grand Prix 2020 kicks off this Saturday 11 January with the participants from Southern Norway and the announced entrants of the show are:

You can listen to all of the songs by clicking on their respective links.

As with today, the participants of the upcoming semi-final rounds will be gradually revealed by broadcaster NRK in the weeks to come.

The finalists

An expert jury picked the following 5 entries (one from each semi-final) to compete directly in the Grand Final on 15 February:

  • AkuviSom du er
  • Ulrikke BrandstorpAttention
  • Tone DamliHurts sometimes
  • Didrik and Emili Solli-TangenOut of air
  • SondreyTake my time

2020 sees the return of a former participant for the Scandinavian country. We talk about none other than Didrik Solli-Tangen, who represented Norway on home ground in 2010. Then, he performed the ballad My heart is yours and came only 20th in the final.

10 years later, Didrik is joined by his brother Emili. Will it be better together for the two siblings?

Melodi Grand Prix 2020 calendar

  • 11 January – Heat 1 – Southern Norway
  • 18 January – Heat 2 – Eastern Norway
  • 25 January – Heat 3 – Central Norway
  • 1 February – Heat 4 – Western Norway
  • 8 February – Heat 5 – Northern Norway
  • 15 February – Grand Final

All six shows will be presented by Kåre Magnus Bergh, Ingrid Gjessing Linhave and Ronny Brede Aase.

Norway at Eurovision 2019

Norway was nothing less than a great surprise at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. Although not one of the big favorites of the competition, the KEiiNO trio and their pop song Spirit in the sky, reached the top in the audience’s favor.

However, they didn’t snatch the trophy, as they did not finish the same high in the ranking of the national juries. A very successful entry from Norway, which finished 6th on the overall scoreboard, with 331 points in total.

How far can Norway reach in Rotterdam?
Are they getting ready for a 4th victory?