Norway: Wiwi Jury wants Ulrikke or Ammunition to win MGP 2017

Ten acts will compete in tonight’s Melodi Grand Prix, the Norwegian national selection for Eurovision 2017, but only one can grab the golden ticket and fly to Kyiv. And, as with our readers, Ulrikke is the Wiwi Jury favourite to represent Norway with her song “Places”. But she isn’t alone at the top as she has to share first place with Ammunition, who got the exact same average for their song “Wrecking Crew”.

To help you make an informed decision on who to pay attention to, the Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – has previewed and reviewed each of this year’s acts. Our jury for this edition consisted of 20 jurors who come from Australia, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Each juror assessed each song independently, and awarded it a score from 0 to 10. Before calculating the Wiwi Jury verdict, we dropped the highest and lowest scores to reduce potential bias and outliers. As there has been a tie, Ulrikke has been declared the winner, as she got a 10/10, whereas Ammunition’s highest mark was a 9.5/10.

Here’s how our top finished!

1. Ulrikke – “Places” (6.97/10)

The positive: “Places” has an extremely catchy hook and is absolutely infectious, with a powerful build-up. I don’t think this will be the most suitable song for Eurovision and it is likely to become too repetitive upon further listens. However, the average Eurovision voter will hear the songs once before voting and nobody makes a better first impression than Ulrikke. (Antranig, 8.5/10)

The negative: This is a super cool dance track, but it’s a lousy song. The lyrics sound like they’ve been hastily thrown together in half an hour, and chorus sounds like they ran out of ideas entirely and just stuck with filler “ooooh” sounds. I’d happily dance to this at Euroclub, but Norway deserves a better quality entry for Kyiv. (Robyn, 5/10)

2. Ammunition – “Wrecking crew” (6.97/10)

The positive: Yes, yes, good God, YES! Welcome back Glam..err…I mean Åge Sten. For 12 long years, I have been waiting for another “In My Dreams” moment, and it has finally arrived. This is pure gold. The whistling part in the beginning immediately pulls you in, and then its just full power from there. Ammunition might not be as theatrical as Wig Wam, but the attitude is still there, y’all. Like, love, adore. Now, my main question is: can Åge rock a spandex onesie, like he did back then? Oh, I bet he can! (Kristin, 9.5/10)

The negative: The song has interesting elements and definitely stands out compared to the other songs in this year’s selection, but doesn’t go anywhere. Their voices become quite annoying. I can’t see this doing well in Kyiv. (Florian, 3/10)

3. Elin & the Woods – “First step in faith (Oadjebasvuhtii)” (6.53/10)

The positive: Incredible. This is the perfect blend of tradition and modern sounds: it’s everything that Jon Henrik would want in Sweden. I fully expect it to crash out in the national final, because…well, it’s probably just not right for Eurovision. I say that in the best possible way, though — this is on a higher plane. Ethereal Sami realness and it slays. (Chris, 8.5/10)

The negative: I never liked joiking and still don’t after this song. The instrumental part is fine, but the song itself isn’t very interesting. I also find the whispering before the chorus very creepy and it’s giving me the bad kind of shivers. The song represents Norway very well and it could be nice to see how this kind of music does in Eurovision, but it wouldn’t get my vote. (Sami, 1/10)

4. In-Fusion – “Nothing ever knocked us over” (6.39/10)

The positive: They aren’t just In Fusion — they are nuclear! “Nothing Ever Knocked Us Over” sets perseverance to a heavy EDM beat, but remains light and airy owing to the ladies’ soaring vocals, which have a delightful country twang. Packed with positivity and feel-good spirit, this brings energy, life and optimism. Caution: If the stage feels empty during their performance (think Cascada at Eurovision 2013), then this will fall flat. But if they figure out a way to fill the stage with more than just their sound, this will slay the pack and challenge for the win. (William, 8.5/10)

The negative: Coco Chanel once said that before you leave your house, you should look in the mirror and take one piece off. Had In Fusion taken that sage advice before leaving the studio, they might have a better song on their hands. Instead “Nothing Ever Knocked Is Over” is an overproduced mess that lunges from one lazy 00s dance cliche to another. My advice is to invest in a crash mat: these ladies are set for a big fall in Oslo. (Angus, 3/10)

5. Jenny Augusta – “I go where you go” (6.06/10)

The positive: I didn’t know dolphins with marshmallow horns were so appealing. In all its weirdness, this song is one of the best in Norway’s MGP. It’s fresh, delightful and quirky, and Jenny’s voice is fab. Staging and choreography may make this trainwreck of a song work. But for now I’m totally digging the studio version. I go where Jenny goes! (Luis, 7.5/10)

The negative: On the surface, this is a pleasant enough folk ballad, although a close listen to the lyrics paints a very strange picture indeed. An ethereal world of “candy floss clouds” and a galloping unicorn descends into one with “mountains of sorrow and pain” where the aforementioned unicorn drowns in a river. This is quirky and, if nothing else, will provide an interesting opportunity for creative staging. I, for one, am looking forward to the dolphin-riding cats making an appearance during the performance. (Forrest, 6/10)

MGP 2017 – Full Wiwi Jury results

1. Ulrikke – “Places” (6.97)
2. Ammunition – “Wrecking Crew” (6.97)
3. Elin & The Woods – “First Step in Faith (Oadjebasvuhtii)” (6.53)
4. In Fusion – “Nothing Ever Knocked Us Over” (6.39)
5. Jenny Augusta – “I Go Where You Go” (6.06)
6. Jowst – “Grab the Moment” (5.97)
7. Ella – “Mamma Boy” (5.92)
8. Rune Rudberg Band – “Run Run Away” (5.64)
9. Amina Sewali – “Mesterverk” (5.25)
10. Kristian Valen – “You & I” (4.19)

Do you agree with the Wiwi Jury Results? Do you think Ulrikke or Ammunition should win this? Who are you rooting for tonight? Tell us in the comment section below! And also, as you prepare for tonight’s marathon, why don’t you share your ideas in spoken word via our app?

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