With five top ten results in the past seven years, Norway‘s recent track record in Eurovision is pretty remarkable. The Eurovision 2020 betting odds predicted another strong placement for the Nordic nation courtesy of Ulrikke (prior the contest’s eventual cancellation due to COVID-19).
Now, with NRK staging its national selection Melodi Grand Prix once again rather than automatically re-selecting Ulrikke for Eurovision 2021, other names are on the table. Rumours are swirling that Raylee is throwing her ponytail into the ring again. And now Norwegian-American electro-pop singer Emily Blue has confirmed that she has made a submission of her own.
Who is Emily Blue?
Emily Blue is an award-winning musician based in Chicago. A descendant of Norwegian immigrants, Blue made a name for herself in the Chicago rock scene as the lead singer of Tara Terra. Since 2016, she has released two full-length albums and several singles, in vastly different styles.
Blue’s style is a mix of indie, pop and metal, so there’s no knowing what her MGP entry will sound like. But what’s great about Blue’s eclecticism is that she truly can appeal to all Eurofans. She also tends to make her songs rather concise — you hardly ever hear a song of hers that’s longer than three minutes. We named her our pick for Norway in this year’s Wednesday Wishlist.
Emily Blue to Melodi Grand Prix 2021?
Last week, Blue expressed interest in singing for the Nordic nation in an interview with Undiscovered Treasures, saying she would “be thrilled to represent Norway”. Beyond the vast musical stage, she said the contest would empower her in other ways too: “Eurovision can be my chance to finally experience my roots”.
Wiwibloggs followed up with her to ask directly if she has submitted to Melodi Grand Prix 2021, and she has. “I’d be thrilled to get to know the culture of my ancestors and represent Norway,” she added.
Why should she represent Norway?
1. She’s someone fans of all genres can get behind
She sings soulful, poignant ballads, does brilliant heavy metal, drops schlager bops, and also makes accessible indie. If there’s one person that can unite fans of all styles, it’s Emily Blue.
2. She’s a true LGBT icon
If there’s something Norway needs, it’s an LGBT anthem from an actual LGBT person. Openly pansexual Emily Blue is not only an active member of the community, but has also donated to pro-LGBT organisations and is the founder of 18+ queer benefit ICONIC.
3. Her live performances are wild
A problem many Eurovision national final entries run into is that they sound good in the studio version but don’t come together live on stage. However, Blue’s live vocals and stage presence never disappoint. So she’s a safe bet.
4. The camera loves her
It’s no secret that at Eurovision the song is paramount — but visuals matter. An artist needs to be able to sell a song to both the ears and the eyes of viewers. Fortunately for us, Blue is an expert at working the camera. Her mystifying Scandinavian beauty is sure to captivate the audience.
5. Her music’s under the radar, but widely acclaimed
Despite being unsigned for the time being, Blue released her most recent studio album *69 to universal acclaim, with a 5-star rating on Discogs and a score of 81 on AOTY. Blue also holds the Chicago Reader’s Best Pop Artist Award by virtue of this album. She would be an impressive addition to Eurovision.
What do you think about Emily Blue? Should she represent Norway in Rotterdam? Let us know in the comments below!
I don’t mind who it is, I feel Norway’s next win is only a short time away. If Sigrid was involved, I’d be very happy indeed though.
What a queen… Damn. Going through her discography atm. I hope for something like “Microscope” on the ESC stage, that would be EPIC
SIGRID for eurovision!
I hope Anna of the North will sometime in the future participate in Melodi Grand Prix.
Thing is no matter how good a song is foreign artists rarely, if ever win, in Nordic countries. Of Norwegian descent doesn’t mean she is Norwegian. She would still be considered American. And they don’t win..
On top of that that genre hasn’t been proven in ESC so who know how well it would do!
Her last name is Otnes. It doesn’t get more Norwegian than that
So long as she comes off as being significantly connected to Norway (speaking Norwegian throughout the competition) it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, if she’s established, the Norwegian portion of her fanbase will give her an inbuilt televote advantage
1/3 of the Mamas is American. I don’t think either Ben or Tan were 100% Danish by birth. I can also think of Chips, Lise Haavik, and Geir Ronning.
Not sure about her, need to listen to her song first….my dream is the return of Margaret Berger
I can’t think of a past Eurovision participant more similar to Emily Blue than Margaret Berger, honestly
Sounds a promising prospect but I don’t know how well you can expect an American artist of X-heritage to do in a NF televote. Not saying it’s impossible but it’s definitely a disadvantage, especially in Norway where they have the regional voting.
I don’t know. Victor Crone pretty handily swept Eesti Laul and he hasn’t got an Estonian bone in his body.
It’s not the matter of nationality connection to the country. What matters in the SONG and its PERFORMANCE. Mixed nationality artists can do just as well with the people (Ben and Tan are half Danish and half German & Guatemalan(?) respectively iirc. And they still won in Denmark…
it could also be that only Ben is of half-foreign nationality but I swear both of them are
I think Ben is half a Dane and half and Malagasy. And I think Tan is Spanish.
OK thank you for correction. Then I thought one of them can be partially Paraguayan too.
must have confused the Guatemalan thing with Soluna Samay though
THIS. THIS is what I’ve been missing from the Nordic countries at Eurovision! There’s such a specific character to the most critically-acclaimed Nordic indie-pop that you don’t usually see at Eurovision but is the first sound my head goes to when I think of stereotypical music from that part of the world. Artists like MO and AURORA and the like. I’d be over the moon to hear an artist like Emily Blue at Eurovision. I think her style is that sweet spot between off-kilter and accessible. We would’ve seen a lot of indie-pop acts this year and 2019 was all… Read more »
I just have to live with the disappointment that it’ll be a cold day in Valletta before my dream Swedish act, First Aid Kit, ever agree to take part in Melfest, let alone win.
Agree so much! Sweden is fine, but Finland, Denmark and Norway really need this kind of artists. Emily seems great, her song “17” is so far my favourite.
It’s the same with me, Joe. When I think about the music from that region, I think about their indie-pop (sometimes indie-electropop) artists. It’s the kind of music I listen to the most these days and I think it could occupy a bigger space in Eurovision. Even more these days, when the frontiers between pop and indie are getting thinner. The only explanation I find for that absence is that the Scandinavian national selections are sort of a “whole family show”, so they usually go for “pure” pop, or cute things.
I have high expectations for her, she is a very high profile artist even for Norway standards. I love her music
I hope she has a good song, because I love her style. Also, I’ll need Norway to pick something able to fill a Morland/Ulrikke shaped hole in my heart. Not a simple task, but I trust them.
Intriguing artist. Not sure how well this genre would do at Eurovision, but could stand out if done well!