NRK, the Norwegian national broadcaster has revealed the 11 candidates who will compete in the 2015 Norwegian Eurovision national final- Melodi Grand Prix 2015.

The 2015 Norwegian Eurovision national final- MGP 2015 is scheduled to be held at the Oslo Spektrum on Saturday 14 March. NRK has received around 800 entries bidding to represent Norway at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. A special committee was responsible to shortlist the 800 received entries to 11. Hence a total of 11 acts will battle for the golden ticket to Vienna in the grand final. The semifinals have been eradicated for MGP 2015.

The 11 candidates

• Alexandra Joner – Cinderella
• Contrazt – Heaven
• Erlend Bratland – Thunderstruck
• Ira Konstantinidis – We don’t worry
• Jenny Langlo – Next to you
• Karin Park – Human Beings
• Marie Klåpbakken – Ta meg tilbake
• Mørland & Debrah Scarlett – A monster like me
• Raylee – Louder
• Staysman & Lazz – En godt stekt pizza
• Tor & Bettan – All over the world

 You can listen to the snippets by clicking on the titles above.

Silya Nymoen and Kare Magnus will have the honour of hosting the 2015 Norwegian national final.The Norwegian broadcaster has decided to bring back the orchestra, thus giving the competing acts the option to peform with a live orchestra during the MGP final.

The 2015 MGP NRK orchestra will consist of 54 musicians and will be brought back in the competition after many years. The orchestra played a key role during the very first Norwegian Eurovision victory in 1985 in Goteborg when Bobbysocks won the Eurovision Song Contest with their entry La det swing.

In 2014 Norway selected Carl Espen via a national selection- MGP to fly the Norwegian flag in Copenhagen. He represented Norway at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with his entry Silent storm, achieving an honorable 8th placing in the grand final.

2015 will mark the 60th anniversary, the Diamond Jubilee, of the Eurovision Song Contest. The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest will be held on 19, 21, 23 May at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.

Norway debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960 and has won the competition thrice in 1985 with Bobbysocks, in 1995 with Secret Garden and in 2009 with Alexander Rybak. The country has hosted the event 3 times, twice in Oslo (1996,2010) and once in Bergen (1986).

Stay tuned to ESCToday.com for the latest news on MGP 2015, Norway and the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest!