The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2025. Next we review Norway, who have chosen Kyle Alessandro with “Lighter”.
Are we igniting a flame in support? Read on to find out!
Kyle Alessandro – “Lighter” (Norway Eurovision 2025)
Review: Kyle Alessandro – “Lighter”
Antranig: There’s a lot I like about Kyle Alessandro and “Lighter” — he’s a fantastic vocalist, performer and dancer, and I love the way the song builds through the opening verse. However, I just can’t look past the incredibly cheap pop drop that comes in, which feels like it was made by a twelve year old on a free music editing software. The song does somewhat redeem itself in the final part, with a much more compelling musical break leading into the final chorus. Overall, there are a lot of positives and praiseworthy elements here, but it just falls a little flat as a complete package.
Score: 6
Simon: It was clear from the beginning of MGP in Norway that “Lighter” was the one to send to Eurovision. Kyle is an amazing performer with great stage presence and energy and the song leans heavily into the well-known formula of recent years’ reggaeton-inspired songs. It’s a powerful anthem about overcoming big struggles — in Kyle’s case, his mother’s illness. In a year where a lot of entries rely on shock effect, it’s nice to have a straight on male pop banger in the mix. I’m hoping – and thinking – that Kyle could do well in the final and get Norway near to another top 10 finish.
Score: 9
William: Listen: I’m too old to enjoy this song. It targets a younger, more vibrant demographic that will, no doubt, appreciate the pace, rhythm, build and dance break. It has shades of K-pop in the instrumental section and seems in tune with what’s popular on certain youth-orientated music stations. And while this isn’t on my playlist, I appreciate how Kyle absolutely sells every second — and in stylish armour. His star is definitely on the rise.
Score: 3.5
Tom: First of all, I am delighted that Norway have taken a chance on a young artist like Kyle, he seems very talented. He can sing, dance and perform at the same time – honestly, no mean feat. However, the song feels like it has arrived from the early 2010s. It’s a little dated. We have heard it before and, arguably, better versions of a very similar style of song. “Be my own lighter” as a lyric feels a little forced also. Make no mistake, this song will probably qualify, it’s good, I never skip it when it plays. It just doesn’t set me on fire.
Score: 7
Norway Eurovision 2025 ranking
In the Eurovision 2025 Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only have room for four reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Andreas: 7.5 Bernardo: 7 Burak: 7 Cinan: 8.5 Deban: 5.5 Jonathan: 5.5 Jordi: 7.5 |
Lucy: 4 Pablo: 6.5 Ruxandra: 7 Scarlett: 3.5 Suzanne: 6 Tomas: 7 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a high of 9 and a low of 3.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 6.37/10
What do you think of Norway’s Eurovision 2025 entry? Share your own score and review for Kyle Alessandro’s “Lighter” below!
Wiwi jury’s points for Norway:
2015: Mørland and Debrah Scarlett“A Monster Like Me” 8.77/10
2019: KEiiNO “Spirit in the Sky” 8.46/10
2023: Alessandra “Queen of Kings” 8.06/10
2022: Subwoolfer “Give That Wolf A Banana” 7.84/10
2014: Carl Espen “Silent Storm” 7.72/10
2024: Gåte “Ulveham” 7.60/10
2013: Margaret Berger “I Feed You My Love” 7.21/10
2016: Agnete “Icebreaker” 7.09/10
2012: Tooji “Stay” 6.9/10
2025: Kyle Alessandro “Lighter” 6.37/10
2017: Jowst “Grab the Moment” 5.97/10
2021: TIX “Fallen Angel” 5.89/10
2018: Alexander Rybak “That’s How You Write a Song” 5.44/10
I honestly expected and wanted more from Norway 🙁 I liked their last three entries and generally they show consistency, but this feels a bit lifeless and disjointed for me
Is anyone else getting heebie-jeebies from this article’s main pic?
It could end up as a great jury candidate if the show is as sleek as it consistently has been, but it’s deifnetly a song elevated by the artist.
Norway 6/12
Jury rankings
Ngl this song slaps
That’s a lie
This is one of those where I think the artist outshines the song. I find the Pre-Chorus and Chorus of this song pretty uninspiring musically, sorry about that. “Dreary D minor”, and it’s a one-minute song expanded into three minutes. I like “Icebreaker” much more than “Lighter” as a song, and “Icebreaker” didn’t even qualify, oh dear.
Nor-Way, no way.
On the positive side, Kyle Alessandro is a great live performer and has a bright future ahead. Maybe Kyle will come back and win Eurovision one year, but it won’t be in 2025.
Icebreaker was my favorite in that year, I’m distraught that some commentators are putting these songs in the same sentence.
34th place: Norway: This is a really generic male pop-bop with nothing new to offer to the table. The drop is also not to my liking at all. The song aims to create an atmosphere of a fighter and independent person which is also by now a mainstream topic at ESC.
NORWAY – For about a decade Norway has been among my favorite ESC countries. This year they didn’t really stand a chance, as MGP was uncharacteristically weak. Not many songs were bad, but they mostly all floated around the middle of the road section. Based on its competitive aspects, Lighter was probably the right choice. The song has a hook, and it’s been performed with the Scandinavian polish. In a year where Sweden took a break from their usual pop songs, Norway took over the mantle. For the most part, I don’t mind it. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s catchy,… Read more »
Bobbysocks was the preferable choice for me. Okay, the song was only okay, but at least it brought with it warm nostalgia and Eurovision history. Lighter really brings nothing at all.
Honestly, they can be thankful they did not with this. They were bound to get a Hera Björk 2024 result, deservedly.
Probably, but Dana International has already been a winner to fail to qualify, so they wouldn’t be the first.
Best one that year. One of ESC’s biggest crimes.
Here here
seeing a lot of comparison in scores between this and denmark. for me, based on national final performance alone – lighter is well clear of hallucination in a final package (of course this is gonna change) but i think lyrically, lighter is strong too. 8.5/10
6.37 is very generous.
Perhaps the artist deserves that, but the song does not.
Wiwi Jury rankings
Lighter > Hallucination
Yeah…but that’s not saying much.
Best summer song of 2025. 🙂
I really enjoy both of these, but why does Denmark have about 1 point more average, when most of both of their critics come from being “safe and basic”. Just curious
Every year wiwi simps over girl bops.
Norway – It’s nearly been a year since my favourite Norwegian entry since 2005 came last in the final. It really saddens me that I feel that sending a special song that barely made it to the grand final meant that every song this year from Norway was mid at best. There’s nothing bad about this song at all, but I’m just not that interested in it. I think it will qualify, though. 5.5/10
A generic pop song. Nothing more to add.
I listened to the studio cut yesterday and I can’t stand how weird the verses sound like. Like he’s slurring words. Maybe it’s trendy..
4/10
I can’t feel but that this song is so good but at the same time, also lacks something more intriguing. It’s got an excellent and modern drop but the verses do leave a lot to be desired. I quite enjoy this however and the lyrics are fantastic for an entry like this. Kyle gets a 7.5/10 from me.
Norway’s NF went completely downhill. I hope this won’t last because not too long ago, in 2021, they had the best NF with several good songs. This year, even WigWam, who I like, had a weak song, which was still the best for me out of a really terrible bunch. Lighter is the epitome of generic, unremarkable and anonymous. I legit can’t think of anything to say about it.
This always seems so popular with everyone that I’m surprised that it’s scored so low. Maybe I’m missing something
I’m surprised it scored so HIGH
What a world
29. Norway – Kyle Alessandro – Lighter 5/10 – this is far too middle of the road to generate any sort of deep connection and I’m almost buried by the weight of the heavy metaphors. There is slick production and a slightly interesting musical drop. There is promise in the entry, but it is delivered with a dated pop style which I didn’t find appealing the first time round.