TIX will represent Norway at Eurovision 2021 with his song “Fallen Angel”.
TIX — otherwise known as Andreas Haukeland — got the ticket to Rotterdam by winning Norway’s national final Melodi Grand Prix. He was a clear favourite, winning the gold final with a margin of almost 100,000 votes.
But who is the man behind the sunglasses and bandana? We’ve compiled 10 facts you need to know about TIX. Let’s do this!
Norway at Eurovision 2021: Facts about TIX
1. He co-wrote Ava Max’s international hit single “Sweet But Psycho”
As well as being a performer in his own right, TIX is also an established songwriter for other artists. Most famously, he was part of the team behind American singer Ava Max’s hit 2018 single “Sweet But Psycho”. TIX joined Ava Max for an impromptu duet of the song in 2019. TIX also co-wrote Flo Rida’s sporty 2017 single “Game Time”.
2. He’s open about his life with Tourette syndrome
Otherwise known as Andreas Haukeland, TIX has been open about having Tourette syndrome and OCD. His stage name comes from a childhood nickname that referenced the involuntary tic movements he experiences as part of Tourette syndrome. It’s also why he wears his trademark sunglasses — to help disguise the tic movements he sometimes experiences with his eyes. Being open about his Tourette syndrome and OCD has also been helpful for his fans dealing with similar issues. TIX said, “Even if I only get one message from a parent saying their child is doing better because of me, I know I’m doing something right.”
3. He got his start making party music
Anyone who has seen the hit Norwegian teen drama series SKAM will know about Norway’s Russ party culture. TIX got his start in the mid-2010s making music that would be the soundtrack to wild Russ parties. His debut single was the controversial “SJEIKEN 2015”, which sang the dubious praises of drinking heavily and shagging. However, TIX has since reflected a lot on his Russ phase and said he accepts that, in retrospect, he should have “used other words and phrases” in the songs. He also accepts his position as someone with influence, and said “I am now in a position where I can do a lot of good for people through my music and message – that is what I intend to focus on in the future.”
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4. He spent some time in Paradise Hotel
In 2019, TIX was a VIP participant in the Norwegian edition of the popular reality romance show Paradise Hotel. He also penned the theme song for that year’s series. The song, “Kaller på deg”, was a hit in Norway and reached No.1 in the singles chart.
5. He has had four number-one singles in Norway
In 2019, TIX hit No.1 in the Norwegian singles chart with his debut solo single “Jeg vil ikke leve”. He has also had No.1 singles with his Paradise Hotel song “Kaller på deg”, his lockdown jam “Karantene” and “Ut av mørket”, the Norwegian version of his Eurovision 2021 song.
6. He’s open about his mental health issues
TIX openly talks about the mental health issues he has faced in recent years. He has spoken about feeling isolated and anxious while hiding behind the confident rockstar persona of TIX. But he is determined to no longer hide, being more open in both his music and his public life. TIX recently said, “I made it my mission that instead of trying to fit in, I would put mental health on the agenda”. In turn, TIX has been praised by Norwegian mental health experts for speaking out about his issues.
7. One was his lucky number at Melodi Grand Prix
Viewers may have spotted the giant golden dice TIX wore at the grand final of Melodi Grand Prix. All sides of the dice showed a single dot. This was a reference to the reaction towards TIX from Norwegian music reviewers who had rated “Fallen Angel” only one out of six dice. One reviewer even declared he would “eat TIX’s headband” if the song won MGP. TIX turned the low rating into a piece of bling that brought him good luck.
8. He was the most-streamed artist in Norway in 2020
TIX’s music is super popular in Norway. Last year he was the most-streamed artist in Norway, proving more popular than international pop icons such as The Weeknd, Juice WRLD, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Eminem, and fellow Norwegian stars Kygo, Alan Walker and Astrid S. Even Ava Max couldn’t beat the might of TIX!
9. He joined the judges’ panel on Norwegian Idol
Last year, TIX put his expertise as a hitmaker to work and joined the judges’ panel on the Norwegian version of Idol. Sitting alongside Tshawe Baqwa of Madcon and music journalist Silje Larsen Borgan, TIX helped mentor the acts competing in the 11th edition of the popular talent show.
10. He has two songs nominated as Song of the Year in the Norwegian Music Awards
From feeling like a music industry outsider, TIX has now been recognised by his peers by picking up nominations for two songs as Song of the Year in Norway’s Spellemannprisen music awards. His singles “Karantene” and “Kaller på deg” have both been nominated. The winner is decided by public vote, and while TIX says he’s grateful for the double honour, he’s asking his fans to only vote for one of the songs, his feel-good lockdown song “Karantene”. TIX wrote, “‘Quarantine’ has had a real impact on our society. It is a song that has helped people and put into words a common feeling the whole Norwegian people have been with.”
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What do you think of TIX’s career? Are you excited to see “Fallen Angel” at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below.
He is so amazing with so big heart!!
Look I don’t know much about the guy but why is he a misogynist?
I’d love more background on this too. Like has he denounced his earlier songwriting? https://escincontext.com/2021/05/27/how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-tix/
Ok, great artist with a back story and all these things but, let’s be honest, MGP was amazing this year and TIX just… didn’t deserve to be in the final at all, in my opinion
He certainly deserved his win.
wow, me literally just saying ‘no’ really got to you, huh. at least I can disagree with you without calling you useless, ugly, a virus, or a cancer, since I’m not a pathetic excuse for a human like you are.
@Ashton this is bullying against you. Ironically Tix is against bullying, but this bully supports Tix.
Yes, he’s very a nice guy for sure, i like him but i am a little bit tired of the promo he’s getting from the Eurovision social media. For example, a special video discussing the health issue he has, another video of him playing piano and having a caption saying how cute/sweet he is etc etc. Cmon guys, it’s getting a bit desperate.
None of it will help him with placement. 99% of viewers don’t pay attention to any of that background stuff and casually watch the contest. We can already predict this to be a jury dud as well.
I must say I really fell in love with TIX. His weird staging surprised me but at the same time it was intriguing and for some reason I kept coming back to his song since I first heard it. And I love it! I also discovered his other songs and I really like them. I will definitely follow his career after Eurovision. And he seems like a great person, too.
After I watched Eurovision, I couldn’t stop listening to “Fallen angel”. Some of my colleagues told me that TIX has some tic problems, and to be by honest, I didn’t notice that before they told me! I support TIX very much, and I support anyone else that got bullied for being different!
he wrote a song for Flo Rida, now we have both TIX and Flo Rida in ESC this year.
Thank you to Robyn Gallagher for writing this list up. TIX has a particularly interesting background for a Eurovision artist. I didn’t know he had FOUR Number One singles in Norway (OMG) and is their most-streamed artist! That’s really top credentials there. It’s funny that his song was panned by the critics and yet seems to be popular once released – that reminds me of some of the biggest pop icons in history.
He’s probably a nice guy and he certainly comes from a stunning country, but song and staging are a BIG no from me.
Crazy how people downvote your honest opinion
This will do better than you all think! There is an audience for these kind of inspiring songs with message and good music. And he is a very charismatic performer!
lmao no
So much love for this guy. He looks so cool and fun, I’d gladly hang out with him. Such an inspirational person too, and I love his song. Good luck!
The second and sixth facts are the same thing.
Mental health means more than just anxiety and depression…
What makes you say that? The second point is about specific health concerns he has such as Tourette’s and OCD and the sixth point is about more generalized anxiety. The two may interconnect with one another but I don’t see them as the same thing?
It’s more the headline of the sixth fact that bothered me – like having fact two be about a broken leg or diabetes, and then having the sixth fact about physical health. That’s all.
I understand, although I do think they are not the same. You could be born with a physical disability and talk about it in section 2, and then still be worried about general physical health in section 6.
Yes, with “other” being the crucial word left out in the sixth fact…that was really my only complaint. OCD especially could have gone under six, or even have everything together. It’s all health.
As someone who has Autism, which like Tourette’s is a developmental disorder rather than a nervous disorder which Autism feeds into as well. I myself, fall into quite serious fits of anxiety quite quickly and it doesn’t take a lot for me to succumb to anxiety symptoms so I feel TIX’s pain with that. Secondly his namesake “ticks” are something that also falls in the remit of Autism disorders but not as severely; not enough to be completely diagnosable as like what has happened with TIX but not mild enough to be passed over in public either, I have to… Read more »
Awful song
I would like to have listened into the meeting where they decided on staging. “Hey guys I have a brilliant idea – how about another take on angel and devil! Nobody has seen that before!”
Could TIX be the most intriguing character in this year’s contest? He certainly has a compelling back story and a very relatable message. His musical experience is also very strong. There is a lot to like and I for
one very much like him.
He is a credible contestant who is known and has a track record in his home country. Come the night 99% of UK viewers will never have heard of “James Newman”.
He ate it on live stream debate with TIX present 🙂
Dark Horse.. Will do a LOT better than most of “Eurofans” think..
If it qualifies for the final it has exceeded expectations.
Fact #11 – Keino would have placed wayyyy higher in Eurovision.
People who voted for tix at MGP didn’t care about Eurovision placement. They just wanted him to win MGP. Losing fair and square and Eurovision placement are two different things. Keiino was a legit top 5 in the esc final versus borderline qualifier which is what this is.
You mean that ‘let us fabricate a eurosong where we put all the popular ingredients from the last eurosong in so we can be winners again’ song? Well its was all a bit fake wasn’t it. And..Tix won the contest, so maybe, just maybe you should move on?
It’s pretty rich to call Keiino’s song a fabrication when Tix set a record for the most cliches in one song and performance
No its pretty rich to still cry over Keiino and pretend that was so awesome and original. It was not. Tix is at least a genuine artist who opened his heart and wrote a song that is genuine .
Move on. TIX will be in Rotterdam, not Keiino.
And it backfired spectacularly. Who knows maybe they will take their tired wagon to Israel or San Marino next year. I just wish they had looked a little less smug on the night of the final.
Yes Keiino failed in Norway. But Norwegians will pay the price at Eurovision. This happens all the time for acts who are locally famous but internationally irrelevant. The 200 million people who watch Eurovision won’t know or care about Tix’s backstory. All they will see is a cliche song and performance. This is a borderline qualifier. Keiino was a sure thing.
The same applies to Sweden then surely? Oh sorry, objectivity does not seem to apply to them.