Velkommen tilbake! On January 25, we went on to the 3rd round of Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix contest. This week was the contest for entrants from Mid-Norway.
Each round appears to be relatively formulaic: four contestants, who are divided into two pairs in a draw held by the emcees, who then sing in either round 1 or round 2. Before each performer starts, there’s a couple of minutes of a documentary on the performer about to sing. After the first round of 2 contestants, the Norwegian public gets 3 minutes to vote online for their top choice which is then immediately announced. The same public vote happens after the 2nd round of the other 2 contestants, and then a final vote to choose between the top 2 finalists in the “Gold Duel” round. After the 2nd round and before the “Gold Duel”, a singer who has pre-qualified for Norway’s Final Contest in February comes onstage to perform. And interspersed between the rounds are also some lookback documentaries at the Melodi Grand Prix through the years.
So, on to this contest. After a cute starting cutaway with the emcees, they came on stage with some delightful party hats on (containing a birds nest, castle, and rocking chair, respectively), and the crowd was psyched. The contestants then came out on stage to be introduced:
Alexandru
Sie Gubba (band)
Thomas Løseth
Kristin Husøy
In the drawing to determine order, Alexandru and Sie Gubba were paired together for Round 1 and Thomas and Kristin paired for Round 2.
Round 1: Alexandru started with his pop song “Pink Jacket”, which was – shockingly – a song about a pink jacket that he bought. The lyrics unfortunately didn’t get much better than that – a song about how he spent all his money on a pink jacket, but it doesn’t matter because it makes him feel good and you’re paying attention to him.
If true, you’re not paying attention to him for either the lyrics or his singing which was fairly off-key. The choreography with 2 backup dancers was decent, but the singing, not so much. And yes, there’s a pink jacket.
Sie Gubba, on the other hand, impressed audiences with their country rock song, “Kjære Du” (Dear You). Dresed all in black, and starting with a violin solo, the 5 band members were in tight unison and the front singer Petter Øien has a great voice. Between the keyboards, drums, base, acoustic and electric guitars, this was a well-liked and upbeat Norwegian tune.
The voter’s verdict? Sie Gubba to win the first round.
Round 2: we started with Thomas Løseth, who came out in a black leather coat and a long beard to sing “Vertigo”. Again, not sophisticated lyrics, but if you put them together it was a soft, sad ballad about leaving your lover. (“Gone forever” was the ever-repeated chorus.). While he was billed as the solo singer, the actual singing was shared by Erika Norwich (and seven adorable kids singing chorus).. Thomas had a bit of a falsetto and struggled to stay on key, and so the song felt weak.
Kristin Husøy, on the other hand, has an incredible voice and showed it off during her song “Pray For Me”, a song about a difficult relationship and asking others to pray for her about how she’s treated. She looked good in a dark pin-striped suit which her 5 backup male singers wore as well. While the lyrics were again minimal, her vocal skills shone through in this number.
Round 2 verdict? Kristin won this round.
Before the Gold Duel, Akuvi came on stage to sing her number, “Som Du Er”(As You Are). Akuvi has already qualified for the final round of MGP. She comes from a musical family as her father had been a musician in Ghana. Looking fantastic in a black leather two-piece, she belted out a great hip-hop number with a terrific voice. The choreography was great and her 4 backup dancers were in almost perfect alignment. She’s going to be a strong contender at the MGP final!
After a piece on MGP through time (with some interesting clips from the 1980’s), the “Gold Duel” took place with Sie Gubba and Kristin Husøy repeating their numbers. The voters decided that Kristin’s vocals topped the melody of Sie Gubba’s band, and Kristin emerged as the winner to go on to the finals in February.
Eight of ten total contestants have now been chosen, with just west and north of Norway remaining. Stay tuned for next week’s competition!