For the fourth time in Melodi Grand Prix history, the final will be held outside of Oslo. In 2023 it’s headed to the central Norwegian city of Trondheim.
But which 21 acts are in the race to get there? Norway’s broadcaster NRK has confirmed the 21 participating acts during a press reveal. Ulrikke, JOWST, Elsie Bay — they’re all there along with some other delicious artists.
You can listen to snippets on the @euroviNOR Twitter page.
Snippets of the MGP2023 songs:
— Eurovision Norway (@euroviNOR) January 4, 2023
Melodi Grand Prix 2023: The 21 confirmed artists
Here’s the press release with official bios from broadcaster NRK…
Semi-Final 1
Ulrikke Brandstorp: «Honestly»
Lyrics and music: Jim Bergsted, Helge Moen, Ben Adams, Ulrikke Brandstorp, Joshua Oliver and Christoffer Gunnestad
Ulrikke Brandstorp has had a big heart for Melodi Grand Prix for many years. Many remember her from the 2020 season when she won the competition with the song “Attention”. Eurovision was cancelled that year, but now she is back hungrier and more motivated than ever. In recent years, audiences have seen her as the Troll in Maskorama, in the mud at Kompani Lauritzen, and not least in the lead role as Sophie in the musical Mamma Mia.
Ulrikke is back in MGP with her most personal song so far, “Honestly”. The song is based on her own life. It’s about how you want to be there for someone you love when they go through bad experiences. It is often difficult to know how to stand up for the other as best as possible, without losing each other completely. At the same time, a moment occurs where you realize how much this relationship means to you. No me without you – a message she believes many people will recognize.
Eirik Næss: «Wave»
Lyrics and music: Viktor Ljungqvist, Amalie Olsen and Eirik Næss
Eirik Næss (35) is an artist and songwriter from Larvik. He moved to London straight after high school, lived there for seven years and spent much of that time playing his own music in the city. Eirik has been a session guitarist in Oslo since he moved to the capital, where he has, among other things, been in the Stjernekamp band. He still plays in several bands and does everything from heavy rock to a Christmas tour within a year. Since the start of the corona period, Eirik has spent a lot of time writing music. He has been to Nashville, the Bahamas, Amsterdam, the Seychelles and Seoul to write new songs. Last year he went to the Maldives after being contacted on Instagram. There he met the artist Ljung, and they became friends quickly. Afterwards, they travelled a lot together and wrote several songs. One of these is the song “Wave”, which is about taking a chance and saying yes to the opportunities in life. They have written the song together with Eirik’s friend Amalie Olsen.
Kate Gulbrandsen: «Tårer i paradis»
Lyrics and music: Kjetil Mørland and Kate Gulbrandsen
Kate Gulbrandsen (57) is a well-known name in the music industry. She is from Slemmestad and now lives in Hokksund. Kate has been making music since she was around 7 years old. In the 80s, she took part of several singing competitions. She won a local pop contest in 1985 with the song “Første forsøk”, which allowed her to take part in the Pop Festival in Egypt the same year. She also participated in the World Popular Song Festival in Japan in 1986, and won the Golden Award with the song “Carnival”. The song was written by Rolf Løvland, with whom Kate has collaborated a lot throughout her career.
Kate became a celebrity after the victory in MGP 1987 with her catchy song “Mitt Liv” and her long hair. In 1994, Kate sang the song “Welcome to Lillehammer”, which Rolf Løvland composed in connection with the Olympics in Lillehammer. Four years later, she was the voice behind the Paralympics song “Med gullet for øyet”, written by Jørn Hansen. Afterwards, Kate has been seen on many stages at home and abroad, as well as TV appearances on Beat for Beat, Stjernekamp and Allsang på grensen. Now she is ready to enter the MGP stage again with the song “Tårer i paradis”.
Rasmus Thall: «TRESKO»
Lyrics and music: Rasmus Simon Vedvik Thallaug, Farida Louise Bolseth Benounis and Robin Alexander Vedvik Helmersen
Rasmus Thallaug (30) is a songwriter, producer and artist from Tønsberg. He goes by the stage name Rasmus Thall, and has been making music for 15 years. In MGP last year, he was both producer, co-songwriter and pianist on his girlfriend Farida’s contribution “Dangerous”. Now he is back in the competition with a song he will sing himself. Rasmus is the grandson of the well-known Norwegian artist Anita Thallaug, who participated in the same competition on several occasions in the 60s. This year marks 60 years since she was the Norwegian representative in the ESC with the song “Solhverv”. Now it is the grandson’s turn to stand on the MGP stage, and he will do so with the song “TRESKO”. Rasmus has written it together with Farida and his older brother, Robin. The song is about the brother and his everyday life after an accident he suffered in 2010. He got an ice block on his head and had to learn to walk again. Rasmus has a close relationship with his brothers, and it was precisely Robin who has been a musical inspiration for him.
Alessandra Mele: «Queen of Kings»
Lyrics and music: Henning Olerud, Stanley Ferdinandez, Alessandra Mele and Linda Dale
Alessandra Mele is a Norwegian-Italian artist and songwriter. The 20-year-old has lived most of her life in Italy, but decided to move to Norway two years ago after finishing high school. She wanted to get closer to her Norwegian family and to develop her interest in music. From a very young age, she began to sing, dance and cook with her mother to the sound of Frank Sinatra. She took part in her first singing competition when she was 6 years old and won it all with the ABBA classic “Dancing queen”. She loves being on stage and feels that this is the place where she can be herself. Alessandra has studied piano and has regular singing lessons with a teacher in Italy. She participated in The Voice in Norway in 2022, where she received a lot of praise for her unique voice. She now lives in Lillehammer and studies at the LIMPI music school. The song “Queen of Kings” is about daring to be yourself and coming out stronger after difficult times in life.
Byron Williams Jr & Jowst: «Freaky For The Weekend»
Lyrics and music: Byron Williams Jr and Joachim With Steen
A music match made in Oslo! When the artist Byron Williams grew up in warm Miami, he had no idea that he would end up on the MGP stage in small, cold Norway. MGP was one of the first shows he saw on TV when he moved to the Norwegian town Fredrikstad. He wanted to stand on that stage himself – and now it is about to become a reality. Byron has been a member of the group The Drifters, and is known to many Norwegians through his participation in The Voice in 2021.
Joakim With Steen (Jowst), who won Melodi Grand Prix with “Grab the Moment” in 2017, has since been streamed over 30 million times, been on over 400,000 individual playlists and reached over two million monthly listeners on Spotify. Jowst has shared the stage with artists such as MØ and ItaloBrothers, played on VG-lista and festivals throughout Europe, and participated in Eurovision in Ukraine in front of more than 187 million viewers. Together with Byron, he makes catchy EDM pop, and they are soon ready with a EP that includes the MGP contribution “Freaky For The Weekend”. The song is about getting ready for a party – and the boys have big plans to do that in MGP as well.
Umami Tsunami featuring Kyle Alessandro, Kristian Haugstøyl & Magnus Winjum: «Geronimo»
Lyrics and music: Torgeir Ryssevik, Carl-Henrik Wahl, Bjørn Olav Edvardsen, Sindre Timberlid Jenssen, Lasse Midtsian Nymann and Kristian Lund.
Umami Tsunami is a project that started in the summer of 2022. This is a community of songwriters, artists, producers and people who work with design and visual expression. What happens when European pop music is inspired by Asian pop music? It became the starting point for Umami Tsunami. Three young talents are featuring artists on Umami Tsunami’s MGP song “Geronimo”. Kyle Alessandro (16) from Steinkjer is known from TV programs such as Norske talenter and Allsang på grensen. He has collaborated with renowned artists and producers such as André Jensen from the duo Hagle, Jesper Borgen, Erik Fjeld, Ola Klæbo (OKEY) and Lars Rosness. Kristian Haux (20) from Åmli comes from a musical family and has been singing for as long as he can remember. In 2020, Kristian participated in Idol. Kristian has worked with children and has been a parkour instructor, as well as a substitute teacher and support contact. The leader of the group, Magnus Winjum (17) from Lillestrøm, has taken part of MGPjr and participated in BlimE! and Allsang på grensen. He has held several concerts and been on Christmas tours. In addition, Magnus has had the lead role as Troy in High School Musical, worked as a voice actor in several series, and was an actor in the series Klassen on NRK.
The seven songs in semi final 1 will be released the 9th of January.
Semi-Final 2
Sandra Lyng: «Drøm d bort»
Lyrics and music: Sandra Lyng, Erlend Torheim, Ferdinann West and Kristina Blakli
Sandra Lyng (35) from Mosjøen became a well-known name in Norway after she participated in Idol as a 16-year-old. She has gradually gained a long career in the music industry as an artist and a songwriter. In the time after Idol, she released the single “Sommerflørt”, which was at the top of VG-lista for five weeks. After her debut album, she was on tour and made various TV appearances. She then lived for a period in Brazil and the USA, where she worked as a songwriter and searched for a new expression as an artist.
In addition to creating hits such as “Play My Drum”, which has been streamed close to 30 million times on Spotify, Sandra has appeared regularly on TV screens. She has been a co-judge on Idol junior, was a participant in 71 grader nord, and took part in Stjernekamp in 2020, where she secured a 2nd place. In 2021, she was also seen on Med Monsen på villspor. Sandra was a songwriter in MGP last year on the song “Someone”, performed by NorthKid.
Sandra wants to use her expensively acquired experiences throughout her life to something positive, and has worked hard to turn bad experiences into a strength. In recent years, Sandra has focused on family, on education in mental training and now holds courses in life management. She is participating for the first time in Melodi Grand Prix as an artist with a self-written song. “Drøm d bort” is a song about vulnerability, hope and strength.
Jone: «Ekko Inni Meg»
Lyrics and music: Morten Franck, Christopher Colin Archer, Christine Ekeberg, Audun Agnar Guldbrandsen and Jonas Nes Steinset
Jonas Nes Steinset (26) from Lier, with the stage name JONE, is participating in Melodi Grand Prix for the very first time. With the song “Ekko Inni Meg”, he comes up with a catchy song that makes you want to dance. After changing schools in the 9th grade, he was introduced to music, which led him on to a bachelor’s degree in songwriting and production at Kristiania University College. Here he met Daskeladden, his constant companion, with whom he currently tours and produces all his music. Since 2020, JONE has specialized in sing-along-friendly and catchy party music, with singles such as “Et sted på Montebello”, “Jag gillar dig” and “Livet på bøgda”. In 2021, he was nominated for Spellemann in the party music category, and received a gold trophy for the single “Eventyr”. JONE has been compared to names such as TIX, Cir.Cuz and Halva Priset/Katastrofe. These are also artist he always has been inspired by. With their own concerts, and as warm-ups for Hagle, TIX, Staysman and Ringnes Ronny, they have experienced an ever-increasing popularity. JONE has close to 10 million streams on the streaming services. JONE’s participation in Melodi Grand Prix is a milestone in the young country boy’s career so far.
Swing’ it: «Prohibition»
Lyrics and music: Martin Jarl Velsin, Jonah Charles Hitchens, Vebjørn Mamen and Sam Peter Norris
Swing’it started their career as street musicians in Tønsberg in 2014. The dream was to show the world that happy jazz belongs in the music world also in the 2020s. Since then, the band has played hundreds of concerts around Norway, Europe and the USA. They have played on everything from large festival stages to private yachts in Ibiza, parade concerts in New Orleans, secret jazz clubs in London and cruise ships in the Caribbean. In 2018, they created the concept “Prohibition”, a show with 1920s dance, burlesque, cabaret and music where everyone in the audience dresses up in Gatsby style. This culminated in Norway’s biggest New Year’s party with 750 people as they celebrated “The New 20s” at the start of 2020. In 2021, they sold out Samfundet in Trondheim in less than 24 hours. The band has for several years been a fixture at Norway’s biggest jazz festival, the Kongsberg Jazz Festival. Despite their young career, they have managed to become the most played band in the festival’s 58-year history with 74 concerts. They are currently traveling around major cities in Europe, playing to thousands of people in cities such as Berlin, London, Amsterdam and Paris, before returning home to Norway and MGP. The band consists of Martin Jarl Velsin from Trondheim, Leif Peter Vilhelm Grahn from Oslo, Edvard Bondi Knowles from Oslo, Jan Ivar Ekroll from Trondheim, Vebjørn Mamen from Oslo, Håvard Mathisen Tanner from London and Håkon Kvam from Oslo.
Ella: «Waist»
Lyrics and music: Raphaela Antônia Souza Silva, Timothy John Adam Gosden and Tristan Henry
Ella (24), also known as Raphaela Antônia Souza Silva, was born in Belo Horizonte in Brazil. Throughout her life she has been quite influenced by her parents’ eclectic music taste. By the age of 2, she was introduced to Sarah Brightman’s «La Luna» concert and decided right there and then that she wanted to be an opera singer. Ella held on to that dream throughout her life and between ups, downs and a lot of moving, started at one of Belo Horizonte’s most renowned choirs, the Palace of Arts («Palácio das Artes»), as a soprano in 2010 at the age of 12. One year later, Ella moved to Tromsø in Northern Norway with her mother. She completed upper secondary school there, before moving to Oslo in 2017. She sees Tromsø as her hometown.
In 2022, she released her debut single “Criminal”. The track, featuring the French and Brazilian superstars Franglish, Xamã and JS O Mão de Ouro, was the theme song to the Brazilian movie “Me Tira da Mira”, which premiered in Brazil last March. After a successful debut, Ella continued the mission to mix Scandinavian and Latin styles with the single “Oh!”, featuring singer and Tiktok phenomena Yina Rose. Coming back to Norway in May 2022, Ella planned on beginning her live shows, and succeeded. During the last half of 2022 Ella was amongst the headliners of four successful editions of the festival “Paris Latino”, and wrapped up the year with a remix of the Brazilian megahit “Tudo OK”. She invited her friend and former MGP participant Royane as a featuring artist. Now she’s ready for the MGP stage.
Alejandro Fuentes: «Fuego»
Lyrics and music: Alejandro Fuentes, Nermin Harambasic, Chris Young and Mateo Camargo
We first got to know Alejandro Fuentes (35) from Chile and Kristiansand through Idol in 2005. After that competition, he released his debut album “Diamonds or Pearls”, which spent a total of 17 weeks on VG-lista. Alejandro has a successful career as a solo artist and as part of De nye Gitarkamaterene. Together with Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen and Askil Holm, he toured around Norway to packed halls with “Hallelujah – Live”. The success gave them a Spellemann award in 2006 and a new tour in 2009 and 2019.
Alejandro participated in MGP in 2018 with the love song “Tengo Otra”. Like this year’s contribution “Fuego”, it was also in Spanish. In the same year, he decided to try out an artistic career in Spanish in Latin America. He now works with several Latin and Grammy award-winning producers such as Angel Pututi and Beatriz Cezar.
In 2021, he released “Miss Favela” with Tshawe Baqwa and Admiral P. Alejandro, like many other Norwegian artists, is well versed in several entertainment formats on TV. Next to MGP, he will also be seen in 71 grader nord this winter.
Bjørn Olav Edvardsen: «Turn Off My Heart»
Lyrics and music: Bjørn Olav Edvardsen, Christian Ingebrigtsen and Henrik Thala
Bjørn Olav Edvardsen (40) is an artist, actor and songwriter living in Nord-Odal, but raised on Tromøy outside Arendal. He makes his debut in Melodi Grand Prix as an artist, something he has dreamed of all his life. Bjørn Olav had his breakthrough as an artist when he became a finalist in Idol in 2005. Since then, he has been seen on many stages and TV productions, including The Voice. He currently runs his own record company and has worked with several Norwegian artists. Bjørn Olav believes that being able to sing a duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø in 2015 is a highlight in his career.
In the last three years, he has explored and developed his writing skills. He was a songwriter in MGP in 2021 on the final entry “I Can’t Escape”. This year he is also one of the songwriters on Umami Tsunami’s song “Geronimo”. His own song is called “Turn Off My Heart”, which he has written together with Christian Ingebrigtsen and Henrik Tala. In the song, he conveys a desire to be able to “turn off” his feelings and heart in order to get a break from thoughts, anxiety and prejudice. Now he stands on the MGP stage stronger and more confident than ever, with a burning desire to share his heart with the rest of Norway and Europe.
Elsie Bay: «Love you in a dream»
Lyrics and music: Elsa Søllesvik, Andreas Stone Johansson and Tom Oehler
Elsa Søllesvik (26) is an artist and songwriter who has been in the industry for many years, despite her young age. The Haugesund girl had her big breakthrough as a 17-year-old with the pop duo Elsa & Emilie, which led her to by:Larm, P3-listing, Lindmo and VG-lista. At the time of writing, the duo has been streamed over 50 million times on Spotify.
In 2014, Elsa was nominated for Spellemann with the album “Endless Optimism”, which was the soundtrack on the TV series Skam. She has also written and sings the intro song for the Korean TV series The Queens House from 2021. In recent years, Elsa has worked actively as a songwriter. During 2022, she visited countries such as Germany, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and South Korea in this process.
Elsa has been heavily involved in MGP the last editions. She wrote the final contribution “Witch Woods” in 2021. Last year, she participated with two songs. She wrote “Hammer of Thor”, as well as “Death of Us”, which she sang herself and finished in the top four with. Now she’s back as a songwriter on Eline Thorp’s song “Not Meant to Be”, in addition to performing the song “Love you in a dream” herself, during her solo project Elsie Bay.
The seven songs in semi final 2 will be released the 16th of January.
Semi-Final 3
Skrellex: «Love again»
Lyrics and music: Kai Thomas Ryen Larsen, Michael James Down, Will Taylor, Primoz Poglajen and Jonas Gladnikoff
Kai Thomas Larsen (36), with the drag artist name Skrellex, is from Moss and lives in Oslo. He is a familiar profile to many Norwegians after several years in the spotlight. He has been a part of the Bårdar academy and has worked as a musical and show artist since 2007. Among other things, Kai Thomas has had the lead role of Romeo in Lykken er – et Grand Prix-eventyr at the Edderkoppen theatre. He came 2nd in the talent show Grease, and won the title “Mr. Gay Norway” in 2008. In 2010 he released the song “Be Proud”, “Mr. Gay Europe”s official song, and toured around Europe afterwards.
It is the drag artist Skrellex who participates in MGP. When she was in All Together Now, 99 out of 100 judges got up from their chairs. We have also seen Skrellex as a mentor in Drag Me Out, as a Drag Queen in the series Drags and as a guest in various programmes. Skrellex works for Wallmans On Tour and has toured with them for the past year. Now Skrellex is ready for the big MGP stage.
Tiril Beisland: «Break It»
Lyrics and music: Emma Steinbakken, Emilie Hollow, Lars Rossnes and Benjamin Pinkus
Tiril is a 21-year-old artist and songwriter from Lillestrøm. Surrounded by a very musical family, her youth was all about dance, theatre and music. From an early age she liked to write and wrote both books and song lyrics alone and with friends. Today, storytelling and communication are the most important things in her music. Tiril gets inspiration from big artists like Adele, Florence + The Machine and Christina Aguilera. She has been an actor in Skedsmo Amatørteater, a dancer in the Norwegian Ballet Institute and as a county representative in UKM. She has had a burning desire to become an artist since she was in elementary school, and the dream became more realistic after her year at the pop music school LIMPI. In the time since, Tiril has made a lot of new music that she is looking forward to share with people. Now she is ready to make her debut as an artist in MGP.
Akuvi: «Triumph»
Lyrics and music: Beatrice Akuvi Hosen Kumordzie, Andreas Stone Johansson, Anderz Wrethov and Konstantinos Vlastaras
Beatrice Akuvi Hosen Kumordzie (27) is a Norwegian-Ghanaian artist, songwriter and entertainer. She participated in Melodi Grand Prix in 2020 with the song “Som du er”. She is also known as the Norwegian voice behind animated characters such as Dolores in the Disney film Encanto, as well as the rapper Karma in the Netflix series Karma’s world. The Asker girl has lived in South Africa for five years in connection with her studies, and it was also there she started exploring her sound and musical landscape. Akuvi’s Ghanaian roots shine through in her songs. At the same time, the lyrics in her songs, which are based on the pages of Akuvi’s own diary, often have a complex depth. She delivers lyrics about buried dreams, lost love, identity and indecision, with a voice that is marked by contradictions such as attitude, vulnerability and humour. Akuvi’s latest single, “What We Are”, was mentioned in NRK P3’s “Best right now” list when it was released in May.
Atle Pettersen: «Masterpiece»
Lyrics and music: Andreas Stone Johansson, Hannah Dorothy Bristow and Atle Pettersen
Atle Pettersen is an artist and presenter with a long and rich career behind him. Many Norwegians know him from the music program Beat for Beat. He has also been a part of television productions like Julemorgen, Sommeråpent, Idrettsgallaen and VG-lista. Atle has done several musicals and revues, including the lead role in Singin’ in the Rain, Jersey Boys and The Beatles. He is current with his own podcast, En pappa i livet, where he talks with guests in the studio about joys and challenges as a father.
Atle has taken part in several music competitions the last decade. He had his big breakthrough in X Factor in 2010, and later took part in Stjernekamp in 2013 and The Hit in 2014. Music has always been a big part of Atle’s life, and he both performs and produces music for himself and others. His annual Christmas concerts have become a regular and cherished Christmas tradition for many people. Atle participated in MGP in 2021 with the song “World On Fire”, and is now ready to sing on the MGP stage again with the song “Masterpiece”.
Eline Thorp: «Not Meant to Be»
Lyrics and music: Jonas Holteberg Jensen, Andreas Stone Johansson, Elsa Søllesvik and Eline Thorp
Eline Thorp (29) comes from Hamarøy in Nordland, but lives in Oslo. She had her first concert at the Bodø festival Kjerringråkk when she was 16 years old. Afterwards she became a well-known name in the music industry. She became “Ukas Urørt” in 2011, and played the same year at festivals such as by:Larm, Hovefestivalen, Slottsfjell- and Buktafestivalen. She later got a band, and her debut single “The Game” was radio-listed in both Norway and Great Britain. The debut album “Mirror’s Edge” received good feedback in Norways most popular newspaper VG when the album came out in 2014. On the following tour she got stage fright, which meant that she withdrew from the stage for a long period. One of the reasons for this was that she became anxious and insecure when she realized that the audience was listening to her music and what she had to say. In the meantime, she has taken a master’s degree in religion and society, worked at various museums, and in February she will start a new job as information officer at the Hamsun Centre. Eline is passionate about museums and cultural communication. She has stayed away from the spotlight for eight years, except of a few smaller events. She has developed as a person and found joy in the pop universe. Now she is ready for a comeback on the music scene – and debuting as an artist in MGP.
Maria Celin: «Freya»
Lyrics and music: Sindre Timberlid Jenssen, Anna Timgren, Gaute Ormåsen, Benjamin Alasu and Erik Fjeld
Maria Celin Strisland is a 25-year-old from Mandal. She has always loved being on stage and has performed in theatre and musicals since she was 9 years old. Some of these include Rock of Ages, Footloose and High School Musical. She took part in The Voice in 2017 and was in the top 15. During that competition, she covered the song “Runnin'” by Beyoncé, a version which has 3.5 million streams on Spotify and 8.4 million views on YouTube at this moment. Following her participation in The Voice, she was contacted by a casting officer in America’s Got Talent, who wondered if Maria wanted to participate in the show. Coincidences meant that it could not be done. Instead, there have been other projects for the Maria. She was contacted by Gaute Ormåsen after The Voice, who was also impressed by her voice. He wondered if Maria was interested in hearing and singing through the song “Freya”. She loved the song and is now looking forward to performing it on the largest stage in Norway.
Stig van Eijk: «Someday»
Lyrics and music: Stig van Eijk and Beate Helen Thunes
It has been 24 years since Stig van Eijk had his big breakthrough as an artist. He won the Norwegian MGP final in 1999, and represented Norway in Eurovision in Jerusalem as a 17-year-old. The single “Living my life without you” and his first album sold to gold. He was also awarded the title “Male Artist of the Year” at the Hit Awards the same year. Stig works now as a lyricist, composer and producer. In 2002, Stig wrote the winning song for Heinz Winckler, “Once in a lifetime”, who eventually won Idol in South Africa. It went double platinum. Stig also wrote a peace song for his motherland Colombia in 2002. Stig’s music has reached a large audience and he has appeared on stages all around the world. Stig has now several record projects for 2023. He is a vocalist in the band Black Ballroom, which has recorded an album in the old David Bowie studio, Sono studios. He is also one of the creators behind the children’s hit “Trollala”. Reggae is one of the genres he is most passionate about, and with the song “Someday”, he hopes that we will all become more aware of what’s happening around us. Both in the world, but also in close relationships.
The seven songs in semi final 3 will be released the 23rd of January.
Below we’re pasting a press release from NRK that details the major changes coming up this year…
Major changes in Melodi Grand Prix 2023
There will be big changes in Melodi Grand Prix this year. Fewer and bigger semi-finals, no pre-qualified artists, no duels and a Grand Finale in the city of Trondheim.
Twenty-one artists will be presented on January 4th, 2023.Melodi Grand Prix will have the same scope as earlier, with the same amount of new Norwegian music, but the number of broadcasts will be reduced to three semi-finals and a Grand Final.
No pre-qualified artists
Everything is at stake for all artists, as none of the artists is guaranteed a place in the final. The changes for 2023 are made on the basis of feedback from TV-viewers.
“There were several good reasons for the solution with pre-qualified acts, but MGP is in constant development. We are now going for a competition model that is easier to understand, and where all the artists compete with the same starting point. More is at stake for everyone from day one”, says head of music Stig Karlsen.
Three semi-finals – no duels – no last chance
The semi-finals are cut from five to three and there will be no “last chance” either. To offer more music in each broadcast, seven artists will compete in each semi-final. There will be no duels and the voting process starts after all the artists have performed. The three artists who have received the most votes advance to the final.
Final in Trondheim
This year’s winner of the Melodi Grand Prix will be chosen in Trondheim Spektrum on Saturday, February 4th. The MGP final has only twice previously been held outside Oslo, in Stavanger in 1989 and most recently in Trondheim in 2020.
“After two years of a pandemic, we can finally bring MGP back to a large arena. We have dreamed of a packed venue since we last had a full house, just weeks before the country shut down in March 2020. The commitment we saw from the audience of 8,500 is difficult to describe in words, but the TV images speak for themselves. We are looking forward to creating a Grand Final again from the middle of the country, to the whole of Norway”, says Karlsen.
International jury at the Grand Final
In order to increase the chances of winning in Eurovision, it has been decided to reintroduce an international jury during the final, last seen in MGP in 2019. The juries consist of industry professionals from a selection of countries and will count for 50 % during the final. The audience votes will therefore count for 50 %. Who sits on the jury will be announced after the final.
“MGP is part of an international music competition, and we want to use a similar voting model to that used in the Eurovision Song Contest. This is to increase the chances of winning in ESC. A model with both a professional jury and audience votes also gives us a better basis for creating a more exciting MGP”, says Stig Karlsen.
Launch of artists and the music
All 21 artists will be released during a press conference at Marienlyst on Wednesday, January 4th 2023. Here we also find out which semi-final they will appear in.
In order to gather attention for the songs that will compete over three weeks of semi-finals, the songs will be released weekly. In other words, the first seven songs will be released on Monday 9 January. There will then be song releases in all streaming services on Monday, January 16th for the seven songs competing in semi-final 2, and on Monday, January23rd for the seven songs competing in semi-final 3.
Four broadcasts in total
The three semi-finals are broadcast live from Nydalen in Oslo. The first semi-final takes place on Saturday, January 14th. Semi-final 2 on Saturday, January 21st and semi-final 3 on Saturday, January 28th. The grand final takes place onFebruary 4th in Trondheim.
Hosts
Arian Engebø and Stian “Staysman” Thorbjørnsen will host Melodi Grand Prix 2023. Arian is a radio host on the famous music program StudioP3 and has also been hosting “VG-Lista”, the largest free concert in Scandinavia. Stian is an experienced musician and has also participated in MelodiGrand Prix twice. He is also a well-known TV-host.
If I had my way, these would be the 9 qualifiers from across all three semi finals:
Semi final 1:
Ulrikke
Kate Gulbrandsen
Alessandra Mele
Semi final 2:
Jone
Ella
Elsie Bay
Semi Final 3:
Akuvi
Eline Thorp
Maria Celin
What a weak NF. Ulrikke will not even qualify.
That will depend on the competition. I think there are some good options.
After 1 listen i think
Alessandra/Umami/Eirik are my fav from Heat 1
Elsie/Jone/Ella from Heat 2
Stig/Maria/Akuvi from Heat 3
I think Heat 3 is super weak like everyone can make it to the finale
Heat 1 is difficult one actually
I like Alessandra and Jone (the shade od Lumix and Klara Hammarstrom) we need more songs in Eurovision (heavy club sounds)
I need to listen whole songs to judge who can win! But Its not bad selection at all 🙂
Maria Celin Strisland it’s my winner because on Youtube, the snippet about her it’s fantasticcccc !!! Nordic Vibes and Viking Vibes sooooooo sooooo gooood
After several listenings of the small excerpts, here are (it’s really based on the excerpts of course!!!!, while waiting for the full versions and the lives) here are my predictions :
Semi final 1, 3 qualified :
. Alessandra Mele
. Ulrikke
. Umami Tsunami OR Jowst & Byron
Semi final 2, 3 qualified :
. Elsie Bay
. Jone
. Sandra Lyng
Semi Final 3, 3 qualified (this SF is so insaneeee) :
. Akuvi
. Maria Celin Strisland
. Tiril OR Eline Thorp
I love making this game xd
Elise Bay and a few others were a little unfortunate last year because Subwolfer was always a fan favourite and regardless of what it actually sounded like it was a shoe in for winning. Her song this year isn’t as strong but it still has a realistic chance of winning. I know I’m being overly simplistic but I really felt sorry for all the 2020 contestants from the countries that didn’t send them to the 2021 contest. I can’t get over not seeing Albania’s Arilena Ara as she has incredible talent and would have given an amazing performance. Same with… Read more »
Alessandra and Kate best snippet
From the snippets, Elsie Bay is my favorite so far. It is not because of hype or anything. I like what it sounds like so far. excited for the full songs. Please don’t downvote just because your opinions are different.
Here’s my opinions based on the snippets, which will most surely change once the full songs are out: Ulrikke – Honestly – meh, very basic and typical for eurovision kinda song. Attention was better by some. Just because she is a big name doesn’t mean she should be mindlessly hyped. Elrik naess – Wave – not something i find particularly interesting or that i like, just a forgettable song Kate Gulbrandsen – Tarer i Paradis – no and I doubt the full song will make it sound better Rasmus Thall – Tresko – this caught my attention as I like… Read more »
Norway and Spain have the best national finals for me so far…..
So.. the best song from this selection sound like Denmark 2017… kinda boring… but goodluck anyway…
I like the songs from Elsie Bay, Ulrike and Kate Gulbrandsen most.
I only liked Ekko inni meg. I don’t teally care for the rest.
We all already know that Ulrikke will not win. It is impossible for previous winners to win if your name is not Alexander Rybak of course
And rightly so – the Ulrikke snippet doesn’t bode well. Best thing is to overlook all the Ulrikke hype!
her snippet sounds quite generic so it’s only about the name. hope there will be some newcomer with great song that will win.
I didn’t mean I disliked the song. I mean when an artist who either didn’t get a chance or loses even though they have a really good song always tries to come back with a song that they think is better but it’s just a big disappointment even though they have great potential. Dotter’s song in Melfest 2021 was a big disappointment
I agree, ”Honestly” sounds like an X Factor winners song. I wish she went a little less mainstream this time.
I find Ella’s song the most pleasurable right now, but the Elsie Bay snippet has me intrigued to hear the whole thing.
I admit I expressed skepticism before the artist announcement because I didn’t want to raise my expectations only to be disappointed. Well, now we know who is competing and we’ve got appetizer snippets which I wasn’t expecting. Having the chance to listen to a compilation, I have to say unlike some other national final snippets (ahem Malta), the MGP snippets actually want me to listen to all the songs in full. From what I got, this does feel like a strong selection, dare I say I like it better than last year. MGP is usually one of my favorite selections… Read more »
Sandra Lyng sounds so Nordic! It really stands out to me among all the snippets.
She´s my favourite too…..
She sounds amazing, hope she wins.
Jowst and Byron’s song isn’t a million miles away from Senhit’s 2020 attempt, is it?
I think it’s far below Grab the Moment.
Along with Diodato, Ulrikke was my biggest loss from Eurovision being cancelled in 2020. I hope she has a song as strong or even better than “Attention”. Excited to see Elsie and JOWST back too, since I was a fan of their previous efforts.
And there’s even a fellow countrywoman participating! Adding the fact MGP finally got rid of the duels and pre-qualifiers, consider me hyped. My favorites haven’t won in the last couple of years, but Norway always come up with an entertaining national final.
Ulrikke should only win if she has the best song, I hope voters remember this. Otherwise you’re just taking a win away from the rightful winner, which is even worse than what happened to Ulrikke in 2020. She doesn’t “deserve” a victory this year for any reason other than the song.
I don’t. Another broken heart song? I am really not interested.
If Sanna Nielsen had done this ten years ago, I would have loved it.
Elsie Bay’s song gives to me some Eurovision winner vibes, but you’re all not ready for this conversation
Just listened to all the snippets and WOW, a lot of promising songs. Too early to have a clear winner for me but so many promising options. Alessandra, Ulrikke, Maria Celing, Jone, Umami, Ella, Sandra, Atle and the list goes on… so many bops!
where r you guys finding the snippets?
Same here, i found a compilation on youtube, but it wasn’t enough for a good impression.
check @euroviNOR (eurovision norway) channel at twitter. 🙂
Drøm d bort – Sandra Lyng is my choice this year. 🙂
Unpopular opinion: KEiiNO was one of the worst Norvegian entries. The amount of cringe in that performance, yikes.
I haven’t heard the snippets but there are several names that I’m happy too see again. I must say especially Kate Gulbrandsen; I’m actually old enough to remember her performance at the ESC in Brussels. I can totally understand people who nowadays prefer MGP over Melfest.
My votes are cast for each qualifying round (one is only able to vote for one song this year):
Round 1: Kate Gulbrandsen: “Tårer i paradis” (Kjetil Mørland vintage)
Round 2: Swing”t: “Prohibition”
Round 3: Stig van Eijk: “Someday”
I didn’t hear all the snippets, but what I heard sounded very promising.
Off topic: Czech delegation woke up from their social media slumber and announced live nf on 30 January. Live as in on tv! If that’s the reason they want to pick only 3 songs for it (and thus save money) I’m ok with it.
Based on the snippets my top 5 after first hearing are:
1. Brake It – Tiril Beisland
2. Not Meant To Be – Eline Thorpe
3. Love You In a Dream – Elsie Bay
4. Waist – Ella
5. Drøm d bort – Sandra Lyng
I personnally wait for their release to listen to the songs but it sounds very promising… The real question is: WHERE THE HELL is Kåre Magnus Bergh?! I’ll miss him so much!
I want to thank Wiwibloggs for providing such detailed bios of the participants. Sadly, the NRK page has geoblocked its full snippets, but some of them are on You Tube, so I’ve listened a few. Ulrikke indeed has a nice song. Elsie’s indeed sounds dreamy and atmospheric. It’s also nice to see Stig here again. It always warms by heart when winners from 20 or more years ago come back. Overall, even with the material given, it’s obvious that we are in for another great edition of MGP! The only thing I’m surprised about is the lack of gimmicks and… Read more »
TIX was also quite gimmicky, so I’m quite happy that Norway is going in a different direction
Tix was gimmicky in styling, but not song-wise. Can we be sure that nobody will have an extravaggant fashion choice for their performance? The promo photos don’t suggest it, but still…
It’s Norway, so I’m pretty sure we can expect some ehm…. interesting fashion choices
Guys please not already these useless rankings…
I like you guys nothing against you it’s just to see some eurofans rankings already now makes me already sick…
It must be too early for my little brain 😉
Ok I’ve done my homework, I’ve listened all the snippets, it’s pretty promising imo. The snippets that seem promising and interesting to my ears are from ULRIKKE, ALESSANDRA, JOWST, JONE, ELLA, ELSIE, AKUVI, ATLE, MARIA. Some thoughts, everybody is ecstatic about the come back of Ulrikke and Elsie but I’m more excited about Akuvi’s come back. From all these snippets my pick would be Alessandra without hesitation. Why Norway and Sweden feel the need each years to incorporate a cliché song in spanish in their line up… I know many people want Ulrikke or Elsie to win because of 2020… Read more »
1 Marco Mengoni
Based on?
Marco Mengoni.
Ok Jonas has aleady found his crush for 2023, and if his song is not that good ?
Not possible.
Never say never…
There are several bops, but Freya sounds the best. Ulrikke’s song is disappointment. Elsie’s song is on point.
This is very disappointing line up with third caregory singers in it. I really dont know what fandom sees in Ulrikke or Elsie – there are milions of singers like them. Its generic amateurish pop. I hope there will be some surprises from newcomers. But its a No for Norway this year.
How about you sing for Norway instead?
Well i can sing but i dont have the right song. Thats the problem.
A Rybak can help you, he knows how to write a song
Dude, you can dislike the songs but you don’t have to be disrespectful. Personally, I haven’t heard the snippets yet but I think everything’s better than what you paint it out to be.
Klara hammaström called, she loves queen of kings, the copy of her last year’s mello entry!
Similar in style, but not the exact copy. Actually, it reminds me more of Tower of Babylon from Dora 2019.
queen of kings actually sounds like the traditional Italian song tarantella.
When you have a song you believe in, you dont lie on twitter that you are not coming back only to show up the next day. You dont get attention or sympathy by lying for publicity. Bye and do better!
She did’t lie. Read her words carefully. She said she might return, but it’s too soon to say when that would be. Meaning this leaker has no right to make an announcement about what she will do.
Silence would have been a better option.
For the leaker, yeah.
For Elsie. The leaker did not reveal any top secret information that endanger the safety of anyone.
No, just completely disrespected the people who actually work on these things.
Whats the big deal? If m competing in eurovision for the Netherlands I’d deny it and keep it a secret until the broadcaster gives the green light.
“Geronimo” by Umami Taunami is my favourite by far. It reminds me of a k-pop song
So I listened to the snippets… and I can’t really say that something stood out to me.
Same.
you guys reaching, they got a quality line-up yet again.
I adore KEiiNO but I did not mind not seeing them in this line up. they physically cannot do better than they did in 2019. The juries hate them and the likelihood of them winning the public again is tiny.
There is no real reason why they should return. I’d be hyped if they do, but they really have no reason to.
OK I listened to all of the snippets and I gotta say I am not feeling anyone too strongly here sadly.
I kinda liked Prohibition but not too strongly. Did not really vibe with anything else here.
Umami Tsunami are my favourite, although they probably won’t win. Elsie Bay sounds promising. Overall, a decent batch.
Looks like a strong line-up for Norway once again. I really enjoyed Death of Us and Subwoolfer’s entry was a guilty pleasure of mine. Ulrikke’s return is also great to see and I’m also happy to see JOWST again. Hope the songs themselves will not disappoint
Anyone but JOWST, please. His music is unbelievably outdated, it’s like he’s stuck in 2015. Norwegians eat that kind of music up though, I have no idea why.
Excited for Ulrikke and Elsie Bay. Not familiar with the other artists but they sound very interesting, especially the drag queen and Brazilian girl. I hope she brings a bossa-nova or funk-inspired song to the contest, I’d love to see more Brazilian music represented at ESC.
Because 2015 was a REALLY strong year.
I am so happy with this line up. It is going to be a great selection with lots of entertainment. Lots of bops and emotional songs. I do miss a proper rock entry though still, but Norway hasnt had that good rock entries in the MGP lately so i guess its not a big loss… So happy to see the Eurovision ICON Kate Gulbrandsen back!!!! And her song is penned by Mørland so it is definitely a great song. Love her voice as well. Not sure if it will be enough to get her to the final still though… Of… Read more »
I’m SOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY to see A LOT of familiar faces, and I am ESPECIALLY happy because Ulrikke is taking part in Melodi Grand Prix again!! <3
Norway has consistently been towards the top of my rankings over the past few years and I have a feeling they will be up there again. It sounds like Ulrikke has gone for an emotional ballad which will hopefully be right up my street, just like Attention.
Jowst’s dance track sounds promising and the Fuego track is definitely something I will be interested in. There are also a few intriguing acts that I want to hear more from, particularly Ella’s Waist, that one sounded like it might have a bit of attitude and I am all for that.
I am so pleased KEiiNO is not in it this year… I love them so much, but i also want Ulrikke to get a second chance so now I dont have to be torn between the two at least. LOL!
Yeah – he should go with a title – a Yeah a Yeah Yeah