Norway: Wiwi Jury reviews Kristian Valen with “You And I”

Hei Norge! In the midst of the madness that is the Eurovision national final season, today we look to Norway. On Saturday 3 March they will decide their representative for Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv with their national selection Melodi Grand Prix 2017. So the Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — recently shared a moment in Oslo and reviewed all the competing songs. We begin with Kristian Valen and his song “You and I”. Was this a matter of coming together? Read on to find out…

Kristian Valen – “You And I”

“You And I” reviews

Robyn: I quite like this. I’m really drawn to Kristian’s melancholia and sadness. He’s not the best singer, but he manages to capture the frailty and emotion of the lyrics. Amid the unusual selection of songs in MGP this year, “You and I” really stands out.

Score: 7/10

William: Kristian’s voice draws me in and teases something restrained and magical. But then he just stays in the same place treading the same ground for three minutes. With no progression the song becomes an exercise in frustration. Ultimately this makes me want to do laundry and vacuum — something that makes me feel useful and alive.

Score: 3.5/10

Jovana: If “You & I” was used in a film, I would love it. But I’m not sure if it would work at Eurovision. I’m afraid that it would pass unnoticed in a sea of similar songs. Then again, that’s what I thought about “A Million Voices” and Polina Gagarina completely blew me away in Vienna. The success of this entry will depend a lot on its staging and overall live presentation.

Score: 6/10

Chris: I can’t agree with Kristian about having a bottom as a best friend, but maybe that’s just personal preferences. This is a painful three-minute stretch of song. It feels like the lyrics have been taken from a rambling drunk Facebook post at 3am. Sure, I have a personal connection to that idea, but outside of that… no. A poor entry in what’s a poor MGP.

Score: 3/10

Steinunn: The verses sound like a rejected Robbie Williams song from 2003. The chorus sounds like a washed out version of Jostein Hasselgård’s entry from 2003. This song is dated and just rather dull. Basically nothing more to say about it. The reason this song isn’t getting a lower score is that I used to really like Robbie Williams and loved Jostein’s song back in the day. Blame it on nostalgia!

Score: 4/10

Forrest: The opening bars of “You & I” seem to hint that the song might go somewhere but, alas, we are faced with another rather dreary ballad.  The tempo is painfully slow and the song could use something in the final 90 seconds to try and wake things up. Kristian’s vocals are a highlight here, it’s just a shame that they aren’t showcased by a better track.

Score: 4/10

Cinan: Yep, this song gives me chills! It’s beautiful and the parts with the piano are just so good. But if Norway chooses this there will be too many ballads and I don’t know if it will be very successful in Kyiv. But I wish him luck as he keeps making beautiful music.

Score: 8/10

Jordi: I don’t think this has a good chance of winning. If there’s a piano involved, you’ve got my heart. But even though his voice is beautiful, the song is very slow and flat. The melody works, and sounds quite mystical in parts. However, it lacks a climax and it’s frustrating. If there was more dynamism and power, it could stand out but for now it’s too forgettable.

Score: 5.5/10

Our jury for Melodi Grand Prix 2017 contains 20 jurors, but we only have room for eight reviews. The remaining 12 scores are listed below.

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 8.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 4.19/10

See all our Melodi Grand Prix 2017 rankings here

READ MORE NORWAY EUROVISION NEWS HERE