#based on studio cuts I actually wanted Sandra Lyng to qualify over Elsie Bay but what was with that staging?

[eurovision-del]

Norway are going to be selecting their Eurovision entry on Saturday! Here’s my thoughts on this year’s MGP:

Jone – Ekko Inni Meg

Swing’it – Prohibition

Ulrikke Brandstorp – Honestly

Skrellex – Love Again

Alessandra Mele – Queen of Kings

Elsie Bay – Love You in a Dream

Umami Tsunami – Geronimo

Atle Pettersen – Masterpiece

Eline Thorp – Not Meant to Be

I think this is a great set of finalists! I 100% agreed with the qualifiers from the first two semis, but on the third I only got one of my personal qualifiers. Still, seven out of nine is not bad!

My personal favourite is Ekko Inni Meg. Jone’s performance might not have been vocally perfect, but I do like the tone of his voice, and I really liked his flow in the rap verse. I enjoyed how it was staged too, especially the section where the dancers first appeared with the lights. I did kind of wish the female vocalist was actually there singing live alongside him rather than all pre-recorded considering how often she sang, but the hologram effect was interesting and having her not be there in person works with the lyrics of the song. But really, what sells this song for me is how catchy it is!

I’ve also got a very soft spot for Prohibition, which is also a very catchy number. I appreciate songs like this that just do their own thing, and the group clearly have a lot of fun with it. Swing’it actually had my favourite staging, I loved how they pulled us into their own little world, creating a jazz bar on stage. I wasn’t expecting this to make the final, but I’m very glad it did!

Finally, I want to say that Ulrikke deserves to go to Eurovision someday. She's a such a talented singer, and after missing out in 2020 I’d love to see her get another chance. Her voice is so beautiful and powerful, and she knows how to perform. As for the song, well, on the whole I like it. I still prefer her previous entry but that could just be due to familiarity. Honestly has grown on me since I first heard it, and there's every chance it will continue to do so, however, right now something’s still not quite clicking with me yet. Even without that, I still think it's a decent song, and if Norway do pick Ulrikke, I'll be very happy.

Norway have lots of good songs here. Ulrikke and Alessandra seem to be the favourites, and I can see either easily taking Norway straight through to the final. Unless something unexpected happens on Saturday, I reckon they've got a good chance to do very well in May!