Wiwi Jury: Norway’s Mørland & Debrah Scarlett with “A Monster Like Me”

This morning the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — landed in Oslo where we got down on some langoustine dripping in butter and some salmon cured in a mixture of salt and sugar spiced with black pepper, dill and brandy. After we licked our fingers we sat down to review Mørland and Debrah Scarlett and their Eurovision 2015 song “A Monster Like Me”. Did we think it was a total monstrosity? Read on to find out…

Norway’s Eurovision 2015 song

Reviews: Mørland & Debrah Scarlett with “A Monster Like Me”

Angus: You want the T? This. Is. Amazing. The spooky dry-ice smoke hanging around the stage, the hypnotic and dark chemistry between Mørland and Debrah and those sick vocals slay. “A Monster Like Me” is devastation on stage and the power conveyed in the emotion of the vocal and song is unlike anything else on offer this year. Also Debrah, yo hair game is ON POINT, GIRL!

Score: 9.5/10

Robyn: I’ve been feeling very indifferent about this song, but I listened to it one more time and now I get it. I love the dark, gothic feeling, the idea that this man haunted by his past is being enabled by his femme fatale lover. And who doesn’t love a surprise lyrical twist ending? Mørland and Debrah’s voices work so well together but they also have their own character. A song this dramatic needs to have very precise staging, though, and care will need to be taken not to lose focus during the instrumental section.

Score: 7/10

Padraig: Honey, I’m telling the truth, Estonia have sent the best break-up duet this year. But that’s not to take away from Norway’s effort. It’s dark, brooding, dramatic, poignant, emotional – the works. But there can only be so many pregnant pauses before a song loses momentum. And I never believe that Debrah and Morland are truly monsters. Sidenote: that giant hair knot Debrah sported during MGP needs to go!

Score: 8/10

Deban: This raises the bar by which all other entries are measured. “A Monster Like Me” is beguiling. It’s enigmatic. It’s rich. It’s beautiful. It’s touching. It lends its voice to a myriad of visual ideas, and staging possibilities. A masterpiece by all accounts. Even Lys Assia agrees – this is perfection.

Score: 10/10

William: Mørland may have done something terrible in his youth, but after this masterpiece I’m sure all of Europe will forgive him. His voice oozes soul and fragility. Debrah’s drips with sex and attitude. Together they burn hot like the pain his character still feels all these years later. In a competition of screaming divas and over-the-top theatrics, “A Monster Like Me” draws power from its simplicity. Melodious and moving, it still gives me chills at 2:30 — and I’ve had it on loop.

Score: 9.5/10

Sami: This is my favourite song from this year’s contest. “A Monster Like Me” is so touching, even if the story doesn’t feel complete. The way they sing is just so emotional and the first time I heard the song it really made me cry. It also grows on me every time I hear it, but the studio version is much stronger than the live performance. That might be a problem for this song to do well in the contest, but I really hope Norway scores another top-five placing this year.

Score: 10/10

Ramadan: One of the best duets in this year’s competition. Dramatic, emotional and dark — this works very well. If they get the staging right, we might be off to Oslo next year.

Score: 8/10

Chris: Of all the duets this year, this is clearly the best. Much like the Common Linnets last year, Mørland and Debrah seem to be picking up momentum at just the right time too, capped off by an incredible live performance at the London Eurovision Party. The song is beautifully structured and the instrumental bridge before the final chorus is one of the highlights of the entire contest. The two have wonderful chemistry on stage and provided Debrah’s vocals hold up, I can see Norway returning to the top once again.

Score: 9.5/10

Liam: This song talks of a monster, but it is certainly the hero of this competition. “A Monster Like Me” is simply beautiful. Carl Espen paved the way for better ballads from the Norwegians — and Mørland and Debrah ran with it.

Score: 10/10

Mike: “A Monster Like Me” is the best song in this year’s competition. Two great singers who know how to tell a story by singing and looking to each other. I have heard that Morland wrote this song a long time ago, which is a bit sad as Norway could have easily won a weak Eurovision year like 2013 with this song. They have to pull ahead of fan favourites like Estonia and Sweden, but there is still a possibility we will be in Oslo next year. At least they will get my douze points.

Score: 10/10

Bogdan: I love this song so much! Everything — from the lyrics to the way the voices blend and compliment each other — flows perfectly. It’s the most twisted but also the most authentic love song of the year. We all have demons in our closet and it takes a different kind of love to tell someone you have feelings for that they should look for “their prince” elsewhere, because you are a monster. A quite literal dark horse.

Score: 10/10

Mørland & Debrah Scarlett – interview at Eurovison in Concert

Our jury consists of 29 people, but we only have room for 11 written reviews. Here are the remaining 18 scores. 

Anthony: 8.5/10

Denise: 9/10

Francheska: 5/10

Josh: 9/10

Judit: 6/10

Kristin: 8.5/10

Luis: 9/10

Marek: 8/10

Mario: 8.5/10

Max: 8.5/10

Mikhail: 7/10

Patrick: 10/10

Renske: 10/10

Rezo: 7.5/10

Sinan: 10/10

Sopon: 4.5/10

William C: 2/10

Zach: 5.5/10

To reduce potential bias, we drop the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. We removed a low of 2 and a high of 10.

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 8.37/10

SEE OUR CURRENT EUROVISION 2015 REVIEWS AND RANKINGS