The Wiwi Jury reveals their favourites in Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix 2020

After five weeks of semi-finals, tomorrow night Norway will finally select its act for Eurovision 2020. Ten acts will compete in the grand final of Melodi Grand Prix 2020, but who should get the ticket to Rotterdam? The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has listened to the tracks and ranked their favourites. Read on to see what the jury thought!

Antranig

1. Raylee – “Wild”

When we first heard “Wild” in early January, it was obviously the best song of 2020 so far. What’s surprising is that in mid February with all the national finals and internal selections going on, “Wild” is still the best song of 2020 right now. While I suspect it won’t win Eurovision, songwriter Laurell Barker can expect a similar result to “She Got Me”. There is so much quality in Norway that I wouldn’t be disappointed with another outcome but this should be beyond a no-brainer. Raylee is the ultimate performer.

2. Akuvi – “Som du er”
3. Kristin Husøy – “Pray for Me”
4. Tone Damli – “Hurts Sometimes”
5. Rein Alexander – “One Last Time”

Angus

1. Tone Damli – “Hurts Sometimes”

Tone Damli has the full package. Great vocal. Capable emotional delivery. Star quality stagecraft. And in “Hurts Sometimes” she has a song that stands out in the lineup. She doesn’t need pyrotechnics or a melodramatic key change. All she needs is her own talent, novel staging and an appealing midtempo ditty. Bravo!

2. Ulrikke – “Attention”
3. Kristin Husøy – “Pray For Me”
4. Raylee – “Wild”
5. Sondrey – “Take My Time”

Florian

1. Ulrikke – “Attention”

There’s a unique atmosphere that comes with Ulrikke’s track. Unlike any other song in the national selection, Ulrikke brings that magical spark to the stage. Given her emotional performance when she first premiered the track live, “Attention” could very well continue where KEiiNO left off in Tel Aviv.

2. Akuvi – “Som du er”
3. Kristin Husøy – “Pray for Me”
4. Sondrey – “Take My Time”
5. Raylee – “Wild”

Natalie

1. Liza Vassilieva – “I Am Gay”

I know that as a lesbian, I probably have a personal bias for this song. But omg I love it so much. I was really afraid that it was going to be cheesy, overly camp or flamboyant and make me cringe. But it’s not. It’s just joy, it makes me dance, and it’s such a strong message for me. As much as I love the LGBT community, I find it very hard to get into all the glitter and the camp partying. But this is different, it’s so comfy and genuine but still fun to dance to. It really makes me so happy and proud without being embarrassed. This is a very strong selection for Norway, I can’t think of a sub-par song in the final, and there are others which would probably do better at Rotterdam. But this is easily my personal favourite. Thank you, Liza. So much.

2. Raylee – “Wild”
3. Magnus Bokn – “Over the Sea”
4. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Attention”
5. Tone Damli – “Hurts Sometimes”

Renske

1. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Attention”

With such a strong line-up, it is really difficult to point out the best song. After watching the show for five weeks, Ulrikke Brandstorp’s performance has impressed me the most. The audio version didn’t do much for me, but the live performance was outstanding and classy — and I have rewatched it many times since. It is just the sort of performance that you long to see on a big stage such as Eurovision.

2. Magnus Bokn – “Over the Sea”
3. Kristin Husøy – “Pray for me”
4. Tone Damli – “Hurts Sometimes”
5. Didrik & Emil – “Out of Air”

Robyn

1. Didrik & Emil – “Out of Air”

Look, I don’t even know what this is doing at the top of my list but I can’t justify putting any other song higher. In theory, it shouldn’t work. “Out of Air” is like a more competently realised take on Joe & Jake’s “You’re Not Alone”. And it’s a more successful take on S!sters (they’re real s!blings). It’s also a bit cheesy but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The magic comes from the Solli-Tangen brothers. The sheer voice of their vocals and their personalities override any of the negative points and turn “Out of Air” into a memorable MPG entry.

2. Sondrey – “Take My Time”
3. Raylee – “Wild”
4. Magnus Bokn – “Over the Sea”
5. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Attention”

Luis

1. Raylee – “Wild”

“Wild” is such a tune. The verses drag you in, the pre-chorus surprises you and then — bang! — horns and a super infectious hook. It may be formulaic, but mastering the basics of a genre is often a way to succeed at Eurovision. Raylee is such an appealing performer and she’s proven she can dance and kill it on stage. This is a clear choice, Norway.

2. Ulrikke Brandstorp – “Attention”
3. Kristin Husøy – “Pray For Me”
4. Akuvi – “Som du er”
5. Rein Alexander – “One Last Time”

Read more Norway Eurovision 2020 news here

What do you think? Who are your favourites in Melodi Grand Prix? Tell us your thoughts below!