OMG, we’re loving the fact that NRK has brought the regional MGP semi-finals back and this weekend we get to see the top of the crop of what the Eastern part of the country has to offer. And if you think the most densely populated part of Norway offers fierce competition, think again! Perhaps NRK forgot to tell the real artists currently residing in and around Oslo about the submission deadline, but nevermind. Lucky for us we’re having a white January and are all set with a generous glass of chardonnay in front of the telly around eight to watch the usual shenanigans. Oh joy!
We are trying to agree on a favorite, but tonight’s line-up is wide open we reckon, with no obvious front-runners. It all depends on the performance and we desperately hope JÆGER shows up wrapped in tinfoil and a starship on stage. Usually we like to think of us Norwegians as being down to earth and levelheaded, but this gal’s got pink hair, has lived in the States and sings about space travel. Goes without saying we must be VERY careful about letting those Americans into this competition, things can turn ugly before we know it. She has a nice and interesting voice though; next time we hope she shows up with a better song.
The male/female duet has proven to be a killer combination numerous times in Eurovision, think “A Monster Like Me”, “Dansevise”, “Duett” and many, many more. It gives us goosebumps just thinking about all those grand moments of perfect harmony. We bet the vocal teachers Kim Wigaard and Maria Mohn think the same and picture themselves storming to victory with their saccharine ballad Fool for Love. We predict the same level of success as for Marta Jandová & Václav Noid Bárta who sang for the Czech Republic in 2015. They never made it out of the semi-final either.
Rein Alexander took part in the popular tv-show Stjernekamp a few years ago, where more or less well-established artists compete against each other in a number of different music genres. Watching him tackle Mr. Boombastic on reggae night must be one of last decade’s best TV-moments. This year Rein Alexander rather surprisingly shows up on MGP with a veritable EDM stomper, and somehow it feels just right. This may end up as a dark horse.
Tore Petterson completes East’s line-up and he is indeed a man of many talents. Unfortunately singing not being one of them. Don’t quit your day job, honey!
One of the direct qualifiers is also being presented today, but we’ll get back to what we think of our old pals Didrik & Emil before the Grand Final.
Enjoy the show tonight, peeps!