Norway in our hearts

Ok, here it goes. The dreaded review of our own entry. We dread it because it’s impossible not to come off as biased, and it would be a lie to claim that we are in the position to be objective. But screw objective, we always say whatever we want, and we’ll be raving patriots whenever we feel like it. We wouldn’t have second thoughts about bashing our own entry around either. Just imagine what we would have put in this review if Plumbo won.

And luckily there was this unknown bloke by the name of Tooji who put an end to this Plumbo nonsense, one clear and chilly night back in February. It sure was amazing to be present when it happened, and it kinda felt like a new star was born. The air was electric when Tooji appeared on stage and the roar from the crowd by the time he finished nearly blew the rooftop off Oslo Spektrum. Because Tooji wasn’t the biggest favorite to win the ticket to Baku before the MGP-final, and most people were taken by surprise by how instantly catchy this song is. There’s a big chance the same will happen in Baku, and if so we can expect to find Norway once again on the left hand side of the scoreboard come Saturday night.

It seems like Tooji is both the big asset and potentially the biggest drawback in this equation. We must admit we’re a bit worried about how he will pull of the singing. In the blur of our enthusiasm back in February we didn’t quite notice his vocals being rather weak at times. It’s hard to sing while keeping up with a busy dance routine. Hopefully he’s had time to practice while juggling his day job at the child welfare services and other tasks a MGP-winner must attend to. And we’re holding our breath in suspense before the first rehearsal to get a view of how it will play out after the sing back has been scrapped.

We’re hoping any shortcomings will be totally out ruled by how magnificent Tooji is in every other aspect. He’s so good looking it’s almost ridiculous, and what he lacks in lung thrust he makes up for in abundance with those thrusting thighs. He has shitloads of charm and charisma and he commands the stage with the confidence of a much more experienced artist. And the song is indeed a clever little number. We’re not too crazy about the Scooter intro, but from there it’s a palatable mix of groovy beats and ethnic riffs that’s tailor made to fill any dance floor from Baku to Reykjavik. We’re not saying it’s groundbreaking in any level, but it works big time.

Tooji has a good head on his shoulders as well. Not that it would count that much when the points are getting distributed, but it means a great deal to us. We’re proud to have him represent our country. We like the fact that he’s a warm, whimsical and caring bloke who has promised not to keep his mouth shut and to speak his mind about human rights and political issues whenever he feels like it.

Last year taught us to expect the unexpected in Eurovision. But all we know is that Tooji has a place in our hearts, and he will stay there regardless of the outcome next Thursday.

4 comments

  1. Aah, Plumbo. I was so certain they had MGP in the bag that when I discovered our beloved Tooji had won, I nearly had a heart attack. Best almost-HA I’ve ever had, mind you.
    I wouldn’t worry too much about the whole vocal thing. I think Tooji’s a better live vocalist than Eric Saade, and his lack of talent was well disguised last year.
    You guys are responsible (well, not you guys personally…although I’d like to think you televoted for Tooji) for my #1 entry this year, and I really hope it qualifies. It deserves a top 10 placing IMO. And you deserve the right to praise the pants off it.

    1. Thank you Jaz for a lovely comment! We are indeed responsible for Tooji shakin’ his booty in Baku right now, we voted like maniacs. And to be honest we rarely vote, we’re usually too busy cheering, cracking jokes and topping off our drinks. But this time around it suddenly felt like our votes were more important than ever.

      And yeah, today’s rehearsal wasn’t too shabby was it? We’re starting to believe this might end pretty well. Hurrah!

      1. I haven’t seen the rehearsal (I never watch them) but I have heard really positive things!! There were positive things said about Blue’s rehearsals last year, though, and look how that turned out when it came to the crunch…eek. But I don’t think Tooji will follow in those footsteps.

      2. Omg, how do you manage to constrain yourself? And whoever said positive things about Blue’s rehearsals last year must have been both blind and deaf or raving lunatics!:-)

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