Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Encyclopedia
Norway and Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) won the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
in Moscow
, Russia
on 16 May. Their song was chosen at a national final, Melodi Grand Prix
, held on 21 February 2009.
After three semi-finals, a Siste Sjansen, second chance qualifier, and the grand final, the winner was singer/songwriter and violin
ist Alexander Rybak
with "Fairytale
", winning in the biggest landslide in Melodi Grand Prix history.
, following their Scandinavia
n neighbours Denmark
and Sweden
, who debuted in 1957
and 1958
respectively. Their first entry, "Voi Voi
" performed by Nora Brockstedt
, won the inaugural Melodi Grand Prix
in 1960, and went on to place 4th at the international contest in London
. Before 1985, their best result came in 1966
, when Åse Kleveland
came third for Norway with "Intet er nytt under solen
" in Luxembourg
.
However by the 1980s Norway had become synonymous with coming last place at the contest, with the country gaining six last-place finishes in the contest, and a total of three entries getting nul points. However, in 1985
, Norway gained their first victory, with Bobbysocks! (consisting of Elisabeth Andreassen
and Hanne Krogh
) winning with "La det swinge
" in Gothenburg
, and bringing the contest to Norway for the first time - in 1986
the contest was held in Norway's second city, Bergen
. 1995
brought Norway its second win at the contest, with Secret Garden
winning in Dublin with Nocturne, and became the first mainly instrumental song to win the contest. As such the 1996 Contest
was held in Oslo
.
However between, and after, these two wins at the contest Norway still managed to keep its last-place reputation intact, gaining another four last-place finishes in the contest, along with outright relegation from competing at the 2002 Contest
. Throughout Norway's 50 year participation at Eurovision the organisation of the national selection process, and the broadcast of the international final and semi-finals has been the job of Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK).
and past MGP host and Eurovision commentator Per Sundnes
. For 2009, at least 50% of the songwriting team must be Norwegian
or live in Norway
which is due to the success of Norway in the 2008 contest
with Norwegian songwriter Mira Craig
. Additionally, NRK has announced that foreign singers will not be allowed to compete.
More than 350 songs were submitted, less than the more than 600 in 2007, but a respectable figure when the new songwriter rules are taken into consideration. The 21 artists selected to compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2009 will be announced over three weeks: the artists of the first semi-final will be announced on the week beginning 22 December, and the artists in the second and third semi-final will be revealed in the weeks commencing 29 December and 5 January respectively. The three semi-finals of the contest were held on 24 January, 31 January and 7 February 2009, along with a second chance round, which was held on 14 February, and the final of the contest, held on 21 February 2009.
, who previously represented Norway in the 1971
, 1985
and 1991
contests (the last two appearances as part of Bobbysocks
and Just 4 Fun
respectively), after she announced in 2007 that she might compete in MGP in 2009. Although NRK has neither confirmed nor denied anything about artists competing, Norwegian broadcaster TV 2
revealed that Tone Damli Aaberge
and Maria Arredondo
would apparently compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2009. Aaberge will compete in MGP 2009, performing in the second semi-final, however Krogh and Arredondo will not be competing.
Although only 18 songs were scheduled to compete in MGP 2009, NRK increased this number to 21 due to the high quality of the entries they received and therefore seven songs will now compete in each semi-final. The first eleven songs that will compete in this year's Melodi Grand Prix were revealed on 10 December 2008, along with their writers. Ten more songs were made public on 17 December.
The Siste Sjansen round, to be held on 14 February, will be made up of eight songs in total. The third and fourth placed songs in each semi-final will qualify for this round. The remaining two slots will be made up by the highest percentage fifth-placed song, with the final slot in the Siste Sjansen round being decided by the readers of VG
from the remaining eight songs yet to qualify. The Siste Sjansen will follow the same format as Melodifestivalen
's Andra Chansen round, the equivalent contest in Sweden
. Eight songs will compete against each other in four pairs. The four winning songs of each pair will battle against each other again, with the two winners qualifying to the final.
, Bodø
, Skien
and Ålesund
(Siste Sjansen), leading up to the final at the Oslo Spektrum
on 21 February 2009.
on 24 January 2009, seven songs in total competed. The names of all the artists for this semi-final were announced on 19 December 2008.
The first song of the night was Surferosa
with "U Look Good". The song is an up-tempo pop-rock song, which Surferosa performed on stage with a female backing singer, all dressed in black suits, with Mariann Thomassen, the female lead vocalist, dressed in a colourful jumpsuit. Pyrotechnics were used at the end of the performance. Second on stage was Chicas del Coro with "Men, Men, Men", a nostalgic swing song. The two women of the group, Hilde Marstrander and Hege Austheim, were dressed in vibrant pink dresses, with a large amount of luggage placed on stage. Four backing dancers/singers, two men and two women, joined the women during the performance, also dressed in shades of pink. KeSera was third on stage, joined by Anita Hegerland
, to perform "Party", a modern hip-hop/rap song with begins as a ballad, sung in Norwegian
. The two men of the group, Raymond David Henriksen
and Nahom Feshatzion, perform the song in black and red suits with jeans, while Hegerland was dressed in a long black and white dress, using a wind machine for her performance. Three female backing dancers also joined the men on stage, dressed in short black dresses.
Espen Hana performed next, singing "Two of a Kind". The song is mid-tempo and less extravagant than the songs before it. Hana performs the song in a black suit, joined by a jazz band and two male backing singers, dressed in black. The fifth song was Charite's "Sweeter Than a Kiss", a modern pop song with some country influences. Charite was dressed in a blue top and black leather trousers, and was joined by a band and a female backing singer. The penultimate song was Thomas Brøndbo's "Det vart en storm". The song, performed entirely in Norwegian, is a mid-tempo pop song, which he performed on stage with five backing singers, two male and three female. The final song was Velvet's "Tricky". The girl group, composed of Charlotte Øverland Våset, Anette Amelia Larsen, Cornelia Børnick and Thea Bay, performed the song, an up-tempo pop song, on stage in sliver/grey dresses, and moved about throughout the song.
From this semi-final, Velvet and Thomas Brøndbo qualified automatically to the final, while Espen Hana and Surferosa
progress to the Siste Sjansen. KeSera later qualified as well to the Siste Sjansen round, being the most voted fifth-placed song in the three semi-finals.
on 31 January 2009. Seven songs in total competed and the artist for each song was released on 24 December 2008.
The first act on stage was Wenche Myhre
, who had represented Germany
at the Eurovision Song Contest 1968
with "Ein Hoch der Liebe
". For the contest she performed "Alt har en mening nå", a up-tempo pop song. Myhre begins her performance alone, standing on a platform in the middle of the stage. She was later joined by five backing singers/dancers, two male and three female, all dressed in black. Second on stage was the Publiners with their folk-rock "Te stein". The band performs on stage, moving about frequently, while fire was used to create effect. Tine Wulff was next on stage, performing "Ride", a mid-tempo pop song with some country elements. Wulff performs on stage from a microphone stand in a sparkly pink dress, and was joined by a band and violinist.
Alexander Stenerud
was fourth on stage, singing "Find My Girl". The song begins as a ballad before turning into an up-tempo pop song, which Stenerud performs on stage in a black suit, joined by five backing singers in black. Janni Santillan was next to perform, singing "(Like You Did) Yesterday", a mid-tempo pop ballad. Santillan accompanies herself on stage from a black grand piano, and she was also joined on stage by three female backing singers. The penultimate song was Julius Winger's "Like an Angel", a simple pop song. Winger, dressed in a black T-shirt and trousers, was joined on stage by five backing singers, two male and three female. The final performance of the night was Tone Damli Aaberge
with her song "Butterflies", a classic pop song. Aaberge performs on stage in a white dress, and was joined by two cellists and three backing singers, all in white.
Alexander Stenerud
and Tone Damli Aaberge
qualified from this semi-final, while the Publiners and Janni Santillan passed to Siste Sjansen round.
on 7 February 2009, where seven songs in total will compete. The names of the seven artists were released on 29 December 2008.
The first song of the third semi-final was Sichelle
's RnB
ballad "Left/Right". Dressed in a pink and black dress, she was joined on stage by five full-length mirrors, as well as five female backing singers in short pink and grey dresses. Second was the Rebelettes with their soul/rock song "Soul train". The five-piece girl group were all dressed in black dresses, performing on individual platforms on stage. Next was Ovi with "Seven Seconds". Ovi performs the mid-tempo pop ballad from a piano, joined by four backing singers and a guitarist who sat on stools around the piano. The fourth song was five-piece girl band Jane Helen with their rock song "Shuffled". The lead singer was dressed in a burgundy dress, while the rest of the band were dressed in black outfits.
The fifth act on stage was girl duo Foxy, with "Do It Again". The song is an up-tempo pop song, which the girls of Foxy performed in matching black outfits. They were also joined by two female backing dancers, dressed in black dresses. The penultimate act on stage was Sunny with "Carrie", a catchy pop/rock song. Sunny was dressed in a short black dress with cat ears, and was joined on stage by a male band and female backing singer, all dressed in black. The final act on stage was Alexander Rybak
with his folk-inspired pop song "Fairytale". Rybak, who accompanied himself on the violin, was joined on stage by three members of the modern folk-dance company Frikar, as well as two female backing singers in long grey dresses.
From this semi-final Sunny and Jane Helen passed to the Siste Sjansen round, while Alexander Rybak and Ovi qualified to the final. Foxy was later selected by the readers of VG
to qualify to the Siste Sjansen round.
on 14 February 2009. Eight songs competed, the six songs that placed third and fourth in each semi-final, as well as the most voted fifth placed song over the three semi-finals and a wildcard entry selected by readers of VG
. Voting on VG's website began on Saturday 7 February at 21:05 CET, immediately after the third semi-final, and closed on Monday 9 February at 10:00 CET.
Wenche Myhre
was forced to withdraw from the contest as she would not be able to compete on 14 February, due to performing at a concert in Portugal. The two qualifiers were KeSera feat. Anita Hegerland
, who performed "Party" in the first semi-final and received the most votes of the fifth-placed songs in the semi-final, and Foxy, who got the VG wildcard with their song "Do It Again". The draw for the duels was also revealed on 9 February.
In the first round of duels, Espen Hana beat his rival KeSera to qualify to the second round. The second duel of the first round was between Janni Santillan and Surferosa
, with Surferosa progressing to compete against Espen Hana. In the final duels of the first round, the Publiners beat Sunny, qualifying to the second round, and will be joined by Jane Helen, who beat Foxy in their duel.
In the second round of voting, Espen Hana and Surferosa competed for a place in the final, with Jane Helen and the Publiners doing the same. The winners, who progressed to the final, were Espen Hana with "Two of a Kind" and the Publiners with "Te stein".
On 17 February, girlband Velvet was made to change their name to avoid confusion with the Swedish
singer of the same name
, who competed in Melodifestivalen 2009
, the Swedish selection for Eurovision 2009. As such, their name was changed to Velvet Inc.
All the eight finalists participated in the first half of the show. The four songs with the most votes moved on to the "Gold Final" in the second segment. A combination of jury votes and televotes determined the final winner, which was Alexander Rybak
with "Fairytale
". The song received 747,888 votes, over 600,000 votes more than the runner-up Tone Damli Aaberge
, being the clearest win in the history of Melodi Grand Prix.
Four juries from the hosts of the four semi-final cities gave each gold song points - 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 points. This was joined by five televoting regions around Norway, who added to the jury scores with televotes from around Norway.
, at number 1 with "Fairytale". This was the first time in MGP history that the winner reached the top of the charts before winning the contest. After, and even before, his win at Melodi Grand prix Rybak also became one of the hottest favourites to win the contest in Moscow in May.
On 14 March NRK released an official video-clip of "Fairytale", showing Rybak's performance at MGP. Rybak's overwhelming victory at MGP spread "Eurovision fever" throughout Norway over their perceived odds on winning Eurovision in Moscow.
In April Rybak joined four-time Eurovision contestant Elisabeth Andreassen
at a contest in the Oslo Concert Hall
. Althougn his appearance was agreed upon before MGP, his win at the contest most likely promoted his appearance at Eurovision. Alongside a group performance, Rybak also performed a solo number, "Song from a Secret Garden", a cover of Eurovision winners Secret Garden
.
Approaching the contest, foreign media began focusing on Rybak and his song. It was reported that "Fairytale" had been played Greek
television, and in April a crew from Russia
n TV channel NTV travelled to Oslo to record a documentary on Rybak, which was featured to over 18 million people in Russia. It was also reported that there was a lot of media attention in Russian magazines and newspapers on Rybak. Further media attention on Rybak was made across the ocean, in the United States
. A report on The Oprah Winfrey Show
contained Rybak, along with one half of the German
entry Oscar Loya
, on a report on The World's Got Talent. The report also included Britain's Got Talent
contestant Susan Boyle
, as well as The X Factor
, American Idol
, and both Britain's and America's Got Talent
judge and record producer Simon Cowell
.
finals in Moscow
with the song "Fairytale" after getting through the semi-finals. Rybak won by a significant margin, scoring 387 points, 169 points over second placed Yohanna, representing Iceland
.
Having been voted for by all 42 countries, Norway scored the highest number of points for any entry in any Eurovision Song Contest
to date. They received 12 points from 16 countries: Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.
See also Eurovision Song Contest 2009: Full Point Table.
Since Norway was not one of the "Big Four" and was not the host of the 2009 contest, it was required to compete in the second semi-final on 14 May 2009. Alexander Rybak performed for Norway sixth in the running order, following Poland
and preceding Cyprus
, and secured a spot in the final on 16 May 2009. He performed 20th in the running order, following Albania
and preceding Ukraine
.
The Norwegian commentator for NRK was Synnøve Svabø
. In the aftermath of the show, she was criticized for chattering while the Russian hosts were speaking, and for some vulgar comments. Several viewers reported that they had switched to the Swedish coverage on SVT1
.
The Norwegian points to other countries were determined entirely by jury since a technical fault caused all the televotes to be lost. Bosnia and Herzegovina
would have achieved an 8th position had the public votes counted. Telenor promised to refund the cost of the vote to the Norwegian voters, which totaled 1.36 million Norwegian krone.
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on 16 May. Their song was chosen at a national final, Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1960.The festival has produced three Eurovision winners and...
, held on 21 February 2009.
After three semi-finals, a Siste Sjansen, second chance qualifier, and the grand final, the winner was singer/songwriter and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Alexander Rybak
Alexander Rybak
Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor...
with "Fairytale
Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song)
"Fairytale" is a song written and composed by Norwegian violinist/singer Alexander Rybak, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales...
", winning in the biggest landslide in Melodi Grand Prix history.
Background
Norway first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960Eurovision Song Contest 1960
The Eurovision Song Contest 1960 was the fifth in the series, and was held on 29 March 1960 in London. France's win this year was their second in the contest....
, following their Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n neighbours Denmark
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
Denmark has competed in the Eurovision Song Contest from 1957 to 1966 and from 1978 to the present day and has a good record, finishing in the top three six times and winning twice. From 1967 until 1977, Denmark didn't participate in the contest....
and Sweden
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden has participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 51 times since their debut in 1958. Since 1959, the Swedish representative has been chosen through an annual televised competition, known since 1967 as Melodifestivalen. Three times – 1964, 1970, and 1976 – Sweden didn't participate...
, who debuted in 1957
Eurovision Song Contest 1957
The Eurovision Song Contest 1957 was the 2nd Eurovision Song Contest. Like the first contest, this one was still mainly a radio programme, but there was a noticeable increase in the number of people with televisions....
and 1958
Eurovision Song Contest 1958
The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third Eurovision Song Contest. The convention that the winning country from a year hosted the following year's contest was introduced in this year. France's win was their first. It was the last time to date that the United Kingdom did not enter the contest...
respectively. Their first entry, "Voi Voi
Voi Voi
"Voi Voi" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960, performed in Norwegian by Nora Brockstedt. This was Norway's debut at the Eurovision Song Contest, and consequently the first occasion on which the Norwegian language was used at the Contest.The song is in the chanson style...
" performed by Nora Brockstedt
Nora Brockstedt
Nora Brockstedt is a successful Norwegian singer, born on 20 January 1923. She first entered a professional stage at the age of 20, namely the highly reputed Chat Noir in Oslo. During the next two decades, she managed to become one of Norway's most famous and beloved singers and entertainers...
, won the inaugural Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1960.The festival has produced three Eurovision winners and...
in 1960, and went on to place 4th at the international contest in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Before 1985, their best result came in 1966
Eurovision Song Contest 1966
The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition and was held on 5 March 1966 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The rule stating that a country could only sing in any of its national languages was originally created in this year. This was possibly created due to the 1965 Swedish entry, "Absent...
, when Åse Kleveland
Åse Kleveland
Åse Maria Kleveland is a Swedish-Norwegian singer and politician.A well-known folk singer and traditional guitarist in Norway, she was appointed Minister of Culture in Norway from 1990 to 1996, representing the Labour Party under the Gro Harlem Brundtland administration...
came third for Norway with "Intet er nytt under solen
Intet Er Nytt Under Solen
"Intet er nytt under solen" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, performed in Norwegian by Åse Kleveland....
" in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
However by the 1980s Norway had become synonymous with coming last place at the contest, with the country gaining six last-place finishes in the contest, and a total of three entries getting nul points. However, in 1985
Eurovision Song Contest 1985
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The presenter was Lill Lindfors, and Norwegian duo Bobbysocks! was the winner of this Eurovision with the song "La det swinge"....
, Norway gained their first victory, with Bobbysocks! (consisting of Elisabeth Andreassen
Elisabeth Andreassen
Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen - also known as just "Bettan" - is a Swedish-Norwegian singer who has finished both first and second in the Eurovision Song Contest....
and Hanne Krogh
Hanne Krogh
Hanne Krogh is a Norwegian singer and one half of the duo that won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985....
) winning with "La det swinge
La det swinge
"La det swinge" is a song in Norwegian, sung by the pop duo Bobbysocks!. It was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 - Norway's first victory in the contest.- Background :...
" in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, and bringing the contest to Norway for the first time - in 1986
Eurovision Song Contest 1986
The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in the Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest...
the contest was held in Norway's second city, Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
. 1995
Eurovision Song Contest 1995
The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 1995 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenter was Mary Kennedy. This contest broke the chain of victories that Ireland enjoyed in 1992, 1993, and 1994...
brought Norway its second win at the contest, with Secret Garden
Secret Garden (duo)
Secret Garden is an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also sometimes erroneously known as Neo-classical music.Secret Garden features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland...
winning in Dublin with Nocturne, and became the first mainly instrumental song to win the contest. As such the 1996 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...
was held in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
However between, and after, these two wins at the contest Norway still managed to keep its last-place reputation intact, gaining another four last-place finishes in the contest, along with outright relegation from competing at the 2002 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
. Throughout Norway's 50 year participation at Eurovision the organisation of the national selection process, and the broadcast of the international final and semi-finals has been the job of Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK).
Melodi Grand Prix 2009
Melodi Grand Prix 2009, the Norwegian national final, selected the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The entire contest was to be hosted by last year's Norwegian entry Maria Haukaas StorengMaria Haukaas Storeng
The following article is a discography of albums and singles released by Norwegian artist Maria Mittet.-Albums:2011: , med Oslo Gospel Choir-Singles:-Featured-on albums:*1991 "Annie" - den norske suksessversjonen...
and past MGP host and Eurovision commentator Per Sundnes
Per Sundnes
Per André Sundnes is a Norwegian journalist and talk show host. He is often described as a trend and pop culture expert with a particular interest for music and fashion.-Eurovision commentator:...
. For 2009, at least 50% of the songwriting team must be Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
or live in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
which is due to the success of Norway in the 2008 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
with Norwegian songwriter Mira Craig
Mira Craig
Mira Scherdin Craig is a Norwegian-American R&B artist. Her father is an African American from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America.Craig is a DIY musician who writes and produces all her songs and music videos....
. Additionally, NRK has announced that foreign singers will not be allowed to compete.
More than 350 songs were submitted, less than the more than 600 in 2007, but a respectable figure when the new songwriter rules are taken into consideration. The 21 artists selected to compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2009 will be announced over three weeks: the artists of the first semi-final will be announced on the week beginning 22 December, and the artists in the second and third semi-final will be revealed in the weeks commencing 29 December and 5 January respectively. The three semi-finals of the contest were held on 24 January, 31 January and 7 February 2009, along with a second chance round, which was held on 14 February, and the final of the contest, held on 21 February 2009.
Schedule
| Date | Location | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 January | Kongsvinger Kongsvinger is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger.... |
Kongsvinger Hall | Semifinal 1 |
| 31 January | Bodø Bodø is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005... |
Bodø Spektrum | Semifinal 2 |
| 7 February | Skien Skien ' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county.... |
Skien Fritidspark | Semifinal 3 |
| 14 February | Ålesund Ålesund is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture.... |
Sunnmørshallen | Second Chance |
| 21 February | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
Oslo Spektrum Oslo Spektrum Oslo Spektrum is an indoor multi-purpose arena in east central Oslo, Norway. It opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse , who also own and operate the Norges Varemesse conference center in Lillestrøm which is Norway's largest conference center... |
Final |
Participation
A possible participant to this year's Melodi Grand Prix may be Hanne KroghHanne Krogh
Hanne Krogh is a Norwegian singer and one half of the duo that won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985....
, who previously represented Norway in the 1971
Eurovision Song Contest 1971
The Eurovision Song Contest 1971 was the sixteenth Eurovision Song Contest and the first held in Dublin, Ireland. The new voting system that was introduced in this Eurovision did have one big problem: some juries gave fewer points out than others...
, 1985
Eurovision Song Contest 1985
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1985 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The presenter was Lill Lindfors, and Norwegian duo Bobbysocks! was the winner of this Eurovision with the song "La det swinge"....
and 1991
Eurovision Song Contest 1991
The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1991 in Rome. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome, which was perceived to be more secure....
contests (the last two appearances as part of Bobbysocks
Bobbysocks
For the 1950s teen rage see Bobby soxerBobbysocks! were a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge" ....
and Just 4 Fun
Just 4 Fun
Just 4 Fun was a Norwegian band from the early nineties.The members were Marianne Antonsen, Jan Groth, Eiríkur Hauksson and Hanne Krogh. Krogh represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 and reached the 17th position, 14 years later she won in the band Bobbysocks...
respectively), after she announced in 2007 that she might compete in MGP in 2009. Although NRK has neither confirmed nor denied anything about artists competing, Norwegian broadcaster TV 2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
revealed that Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series....
and Maria Arredondo
Maria Arredondo
Maria Arredondo is a Norwegian pop singer. The name Arredondo comes from her Chilean stepfather.-Career:Maria started her singing career early. By the age of 10, she had already participated in some local concerts in her home town Vennesla. After that, Maria spent some time developing her own style...
would apparently compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2009. Aaberge will compete in MGP 2009, performing in the second semi-final, however Krogh and Arredondo will not be competing.
Although only 18 songs were scheduled to compete in MGP 2009, NRK increased this number to 21 due to the high quality of the entries they received and therefore seven songs will now compete in each semi-final. The first eleven songs that will compete in this year's Melodi Grand Prix were revealed on 10 December 2008, along with their writers. Ten more songs were made public on 17 December.
Format
In each of the three semi-finals, seven songs will compete. The top two songs through televoting will qualify directly to the final on 21 February.The Siste Sjansen round, to be held on 14 February, will be made up of eight songs in total. The third and fourth placed songs in each semi-final will qualify for this round. The remaining two slots will be made up by the highest percentage fifth-placed song, with the final slot in the Siste Sjansen round being decided by the readers of VG
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
from the remaining eight songs yet to qualify. The Siste Sjansen will follow the same format as Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...
's Andra Chansen round, the equivalent contest in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Eight songs will compete against each other in four pairs. The four winning songs of each pair will battle against each other again, with the two winners qualifying to the final.
Semi-finals
The four semi-finals of Melodi Grand Prix 2009 began on 24 January 2009 and held in KongsvingerKongsvinger
is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger....
, Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
, Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
and Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
(Siste Sjansen), leading up to the final at the Oslo Spektrum
Oslo Spektrum
Oslo Spektrum is an indoor multi-purpose arena in east central Oslo, Norway. It opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse , who also own and operate the Norges Varemesse conference center in Lillestrøm which is Norway's largest conference center...
on 21 February 2009.
Semi-final 1
In the first semi-final, in the Kongsvinger Hall in KongsvingerKongsvinger
is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger....
on 24 January 2009, seven songs in total competed. The names of all the artists for this semi-final were announced on 19 December 2008.
The first song of the night was Surferosa
Surferosa
Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead...
with "U Look Good". The song is an up-tempo pop-rock song, which Surferosa performed on stage with a female backing singer, all dressed in black suits, with Mariann Thomassen, the female lead vocalist, dressed in a colourful jumpsuit. Pyrotechnics were used at the end of the performance. Second on stage was Chicas del Coro with "Men, Men, Men", a nostalgic swing song. The two women of the group, Hilde Marstrander and Hege Austheim, were dressed in vibrant pink dresses, with a large amount of luggage placed on stage. Four backing dancers/singers, two men and two women, joined the women during the performance, also dressed in shades of pink. KeSera was third on stage, joined by Anita Hegerland
Anita Hegerland
Anita Hegerland , is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.- Biography :...
, to perform "Party", a modern hip-hop/rap song with begins as a ballad, sung in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
. The two men of the group, Raymond David Henriksen
Raymond David Henriksen
Raymond David Henriksen is a Norwegian actor, singer and former member of the boyband L8R. He grew up and still lives in Ellingsrudåsen, Oslo. He's now a member of the rap-duo "KeSera". They had a success with the song "Si Yeah"....
and Nahom Feshatzion, perform the song in black and red suits with jeans, while Hegerland was dressed in a long black and white dress, using a wind machine for her performance. Three female backing dancers also joined the men on stage, dressed in short black dresses.
Espen Hana performed next, singing "Two of a Kind". The song is mid-tempo and less extravagant than the songs before it. Hana performs the song in a black suit, joined by a jazz band and two male backing singers, dressed in black. The fifth song was Charite's "Sweeter Than a Kiss", a modern pop song with some country influences. Charite was dressed in a blue top and black leather trousers, and was joined by a band and a female backing singer. The penultimate song was Thomas Brøndbo's "Det vart en storm". The song, performed entirely in Norwegian, is a mid-tempo pop song, which he performed on stage with five backing singers, two male and three female. The final song was Velvet's "Tricky". The girl group, composed of Charlotte Øverland Våset, Anette Amelia Larsen, Cornelia Børnick and Thea Bay, performed the song, an up-tempo pop song, on stage in sliver/grey dresses, and moved about throughout the song.
From this semi-final, Velvet and Thomas Brøndbo qualified automatically to the final, while Espen Hana and Surferosa
Surferosa
Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead...
progress to the Siste Sjansen. KeSera later qualified as well to the Siste Sjansen round, being the most voted fifth-placed song in the three semi-finals.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surferosa Surferosa Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead... |
"U Look Good" | Surferosa Surferosa Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead... (m), Lars-Erik Westby (m), Mariann Thomassen (l) |
Siste Sjansen |
| 2 | Chicas del Coro | "Men, Men, Men!" | Hilde Marstrander (m & l) | Out |
| 3 | KeSera feat. Anita Hegerland Anita Hegerland Anita Hegerland , is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.- Biography :... |
"Party" | Robin Nordahl (m), Thomas Ewel (m), KeSera (l) | Wildcard |
| 4 | Espen Hana | "Two of a Kind" | Trond Andreassen (m & l), Christian Bloom (l) | Siste Sjansen |
| 5 | Charite | "Sweeter Than a Kiss" | Christian Ingebrigtsen Christian Ingebrigtsen Christian Ingebrigtsen is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and musician. He is a member of the British-Norwegian pop group A1.-Biography:... (m & l), Laila Samuelsen (m & l) |
Out |
| 6 | Thomas Brøndbo | "Det vart en storm" | Svein Gundersen (m), Rolf Mokkelbost (l) | Final |
| 7 | Velvet | "Tricky" | Hanne Sørvaag Hanne Sørvaag Hanne Margrethe Fredriksen Sørvaag is a Norwegian singer/songwriter born in Stavanger, Norway, December 27, 1979. She is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden.... (m & l), Niklas Bergwall (m & l), Niclas Kings (m & l) |
Final |
Semi-final 2
The second semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2009 was held in BodøBodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
on 31 January 2009. Seven songs in total competed and the artist for each song was released on 24 December 2008.
The first act on stage was Wenche Myhre
Wenche Myhre
Wenche Synnøve Myhre , in some countries known as Wencke Myhre, is a Norwegian singer and actress who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, German as well as the Swedish markets and languages.She got her first recording contract with composer and producer Arne...
, who had represented Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at the Eurovision Song Contest 1968
Eurovision Song Contest 1968
The Eurovision Song Contest 1968 was the 13th Eurovision Song Contest. The contest was won by the Spanish song "La, la, la", performed by Massiel....
with "Ein Hoch der Liebe
Ein Hoch Der Liebe
"Ein Hoch der Liebe" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968, performed in German by Norwegian singer Wencke Myhre...
". For the contest she performed "Alt har en mening nå", a up-tempo pop song. Myhre begins her performance alone, standing on a platform in the middle of the stage. She was later joined by five backing singers/dancers, two male and three female, all dressed in black. Second on stage was the Publiners with their folk-rock "Te stein". The band performs on stage, moving about frequently, while fire was used to create effect. Tine Wulff was next on stage, performing "Ride", a mid-tempo pop song with some country elements. Wulff performs on stage from a microphone stand in a sparkly pink dress, and was joined by a band and violinist.
Alexander Stenerud
Alexander Stenerud
Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3...
was fourth on stage, singing "Find My Girl". The song begins as a ballad before turning into an up-tempo pop song, which Stenerud performs on stage in a black suit, joined by five backing singers in black. Janni Santillan was next to perform, singing "(Like You Did) Yesterday", a mid-tempo pop ballad. Santillan accompanies herself on stage from a black grand piano, and she was also joined on stage by three female backing singers. The penultimate song was Julius Winger's "Like an Angel", a simple pop song. Winger, dressed in a black T-shirt and trousers, was joined on stage by five backing singers, two male and three female. The final performance of the night was Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series....
with her song "Butterflies", a classic pop song. Aaberge performs on stage in a white dress, and was joined by two cellists and three backing singers, all in white.
Alexander Stenerud
Alexander Stenerud
Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3...
and Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series....
qualified from this semi-final, while the Publiners and Janni Santillan passed to Siste Sjansen round.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Results | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wenche Myhre Wenche Myhre Wenche Synnøve Myhre , in some countries known as Wencke Myhre, is a Norwegian singer and actress who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, German as well as the Swedish markets and languages.She got her first recording contract with composer and producer Arne... |
"Alt har en mening nå" | Thomas Thörnholm (m), Michael Clauss (m), Danne Attlerud (m), Jan Vincent Johannessen (l) | Out | 3rd [A] |
| 2 | Publiners | "Te stein" | Bertil Bertelsen (m), Olav Nygaard (l), Morten Horn (l), Ronny Bertelsen (l) | Siste Sjansen | 4th |
| 3 | Tine Wulff | "Ride" | Marte Wulff Marte Wulff Marte Wulff is a Norwegian singer-songwriter.-Biography:The last few years, Norway has seen the coming of many young and talented performers within the genres singer/songwriter and pop, but few have had the impact and originality of the debutant Marte Wulff from Kristiansand, Norway.The follow-up... (m & l) |
Out | 6th |
| 4 | Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3... |
"Find My Girl" | Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3... (m & l) |
Final | 2nd |
| 5 | Janni Santillan | "(Like You Did) Yesterday" | Janni Santillan (m & l) | Siste Sjansen | 5th |
| 6 | Julius Winger | "Like an Angel" | Julius Winger (m & l), Ole Jørgen Olsen (m & l) | Out | 7th |
| 7 | Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series.... |
"Butterflies" | David Eriksen (m), Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series.... (l), Mats Lie Skåre (l) |
Final | 1st |
Semi-final 3
The third and final semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2009 was held at the Leisure Park in SkienSkien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
on 7 February 2009, where seven songs in total will compete. The names of the seven artists were released on 29 December 2008.
The first song of the third semi-final was Sichelle
Sichelle
Sichelle Mcmeo Aksum , better known by her stage name Sichelle, is a Norwegian-Grenadian singer. She has released four singles: Fuck deg, Min, Freaky, and Kun for meg. Her debut album was produced by David Eriksen, and was released in 2008.- Background :Sichelle has a Grenadian father and a...
's RnB
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
ballad "Left/Right". Dressed in a pink and black dress, she was joined on stage by five full-length mirrors, as well as five female backing singers in short pink and grey dresses. Second was the Rebelettes with their soul/rock song "Soul train". The five-piece girl group were all dressed in black dresses, performing on individual platforms on stage. Next was Ovi with "Seven Seconds". Ovi performs the mid-tempo pop ballad from a piano, joined by four backing singers and a guitarist who sat on stools around the piano. The fourth song was five-piece girl band Jane Helen with their rock song "Shuffled". The lead singer was dressed in a burgundy dress, while the rest of the band were dressed in black outfits.
The fifth act on stage was girl duo Foxy, with "Do It Again". The song is an up-tempo pop song, which the girls of Foxy performed in matching black outfits. They were also joined by two female backing dancers, dressed in black dresses. The penultimate act on stage was Sunny with "Carrie", a catchy pop/rock song. Sunny was dressed in a short black dress with cat ears, and was joined on stage by a male band and female backing singer, all dressed in black. The final act on stage was Alexander Rybak
Alexander Rybak
Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor...
with his folk-inspired pop song "Fairytale". Rybak, who accompanied himself on the violin, was joined on stage by three members of the modern folk-dance company Frikar, as well as two female backing singers in long grey dresses.
From this semi-final Sunny and Jane Helen passed to the Siste Sjansen round, while Alexander Rybak and Ovi qualified to the final. Foxy was later selected by the readers of VG
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
to qualify to the Siste Sjansen round.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sichelle Sichelle Sichelle Mcmeo Aksum , better known by her stage name Sichelle, is a Norwegian-Grenadian singer. She has released four singles: Fuck deg, Min, Freaky, and Kun for meg. Her debut album was produced by David Eriksen, and was released in 2008.- Background :Sichelle has a Grenadian father and a... |
"Left/Right" | Mats Lie Skåre (m & l) | Out |
| 2 | Rebelettes | "Soul Train" | Rebelettes (m & l) | Out |
| 3 | Ovi Ovidiu Cernăuţeanu Ovidiu Cernăuţeanu is a Romanian-Norwegian singer, also known as Ovi Martin, Ovidiu Jacobsen, or just Ovi.-Eurovision Song Contest 2010:... |
"Seven Seconds" | Simone Larsen (m & l), Simen M. Eriksrud (m) | Final |
| 4 | Jane Helen | "Shuffled" | Jane Helen (m & l), Christine Litle (m & l) | Siste Sjansen |
| 5 | Foxy | "Do It Again" | Hanne Sørvaag Hanne Sørvaag Hanne Margrethe Fredriksen Sørvaag is a Norwegian singer/songwriter born in Stavanger, Norway, December 27, 1979. She is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden.... (m & l), Harry Sommerdahl (m & l) |
Wildcard |
| 6 | Sunny | "Carrie" | Solgunn Ivana (m & l), Hans Petter Aaserud (m & l) | Siste Sjansen |
| 7 | Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor... |
"Fairytale Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song) "Fairytale" is a song written and composed by Norwegian violinist/singer Alexander Rybak, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales... " |
Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor... (m & l) |
Final |
Siste Sjansen round
The Siste Sjansen (Last Chance) round was held at the Sunnmørshallen in ÅlesundÅlesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
on 14 February 2009. Eight songs competed, the six songs that placed third and fourth in each semi-final, as well as the most voted fifth placed song over the three semi-finals and a wildcard entry selected by readers of VG
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
. Voting on VG's website began on Saturday 7 February at 21:05 CET, immediately after the third semi-final, and closed on Monday 9 February at 10:00 CET.
Wenche Myhre
Wenche Myhre
Wenche Synnøve Myhre , in some countries known as Wencke Myhre, is a Norwegian singer and actress who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, German as well as the Swedish markets and languages.She got her first recording contract with composer and producer Arne...
was forced to withdraw from the contest as she would not be able to compete on 14 February, due to performing at a concert in Portugal. The two qualifiers were KeSera feat. Anita Hegerland
Anita Hegerland
Anita Hegerland , is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.- Biography :...
, who performed "Party" in the first semi-final and received the most votes of the fifth-placed songs in the semi-final, and Foxy, who got the VG wildcard with their song "Do It Again". The draw for the duels was also revealed on 9 February.
In the first round of duels, Espen Hana beat his rival KeSera to qualify to the second round. The second duel of the first round was between Janni Santillan and Surferosa
Surferosa
Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead...
, with Surferosa progressing to compete against Espen Hana. In the final duels of the first round, the Publiners beat Sunny, qualifying to the second round, and will be joined by Jane Helen, who beat Foxy in their duel.
In the second round of voting, Espen Hana and Surferosa competed for a place in the final, with Jane Helen and the Publiners doing the same. The winners, who progressed to the final, were Espen Hana with "Two of a Kind" and the Publiners with "Te stein".
| KeSera feat. Anita Hegerland Anita Hegerland Anita Hegerland , is a Norwegian singer famous for her childhood career in the Scandinavian and German markets and subsequent vocal contributions to amongst others Mike Oldfield's work.- Biography :... - "Party" |
Out | |||||||||
| Espen Hana - "Two of a Kind" | Winner | |||||||||
| Espen Hana - "Two of a Kind" | Winner | |||||||||
| Surferosa Surferosa Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead... - "U Look Good" |
Out | |||||||||
| Janni Santillan - "(Like You Did) Yesterday" | Out | |||||||||
| Surferosa Surferosa Surferosa is a rock band from Norway, known for its distinct costumes and trashy electrified pop music. The band's musical style is primarily rock with punk/New Wave and dance music influences. Most songs make integrated use of synthesizers, and Mariann provides a spunky vocal lead... - "U Look Good" |
Winner | |||||||||
| Espen Hana - "Two of a Kind" | ||||||||||
| Publiners - "Te stein" | ||||||||||
| Sunny - "Carrie" | Out | |||||||||
| Publiners - "Te stein" | Winner | |||||||||
| Publiners - "Te stein" | Winner | |||||||||
| Jane Helen - "Shuffled" | Out | |||||||||
| Foxy - "Do It Again" | Out | |||||||||
| Jane Helen - "Shuffled" | Winner | |||||||||
Final
The final of Melodi Grand Prix was held on 21 February, and featured eight songs, the six direct qualifiers from the semi-finals, as well as the two winners of the Siste Sjansen round. The running order for the show was held live by Maria Haukaas Storeng and Per Sundess on NRK's evening show 'I kveld' on 17 February.On 17 February, girlband Velvet was made to change their name to avoid confusion with the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
singer of the same name
Velvet (singer)
Jenny Marielle Pettersson , professionally known as Velvet is a Swedish dance-pop singer. She has released two albums since her 2005 debut in the music industry and her first eight singles have all achieved a top twenty peak on the Swedish Singles Chart.-Early life:Velvet moved from Helsingborg to...
, who competed in Melodifestivalen 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009
Melodifestivalen 2009 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2009. It was the selection for the 49th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 48th edition of Melodifestivalen...
, the Swedish selection for Eurovision 2009. As such, their name was changed to Velvet Inc.
All the eight finalists participated in the first half of the show. The four songs with the most votes moved on to the "Gold Final" in the second segment. A combination of jury votes and televotes determined the final winner, which was Alexander Rybak
Alexander Rybak
Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor...
with "Fairytale
Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song)
"Fairytale" is a song written and composed by Norwegian violinist/singer Alexander Rybak, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales...
". The song received 747,888 votes, over 600,000 votes more than the runner-up Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge
Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series....
, being the clearest win in the history of Melodi Grand Prix.
Four juries from the hosts of the four semi-final cities gave each gold song points - 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 points. This was joined by five televoting regions around Norway, who added to the jury scores with televotes from around Norway.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espen Hana | "Two of a Kind" | Trond Andreassen (m & l), Christian Bloom (l) | Out |
| 2 | Ovi Ovidiu Cernăuţeanu Ovidiu Cernăuţeanu is a Romanian-Norwegian singer, also known as Ovi Martin, Ovidiu Jacobsen, or just Ovi.-Eurovision Song Contest 2010:... |
"Seven Seconds" | Simone Larsen (m & l), Simen M. Eriksrud (m) | Out |
| 3 | Publiners | "Te stein" | Bertil Bertelsen (m), Olav Nygaard (l), Morten Horn (l), Ronny Bertelsen (l) | Gold Final |
| 4 | Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3... |
"Find My Girl" | Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3... (m & l) |
Gold Final |
| 5 | Velvet Inc. | "Tricky" | Hanne Sørvaag Hanne Sørvaag Hanne Margrethe Fredriksen Sørvaag is a Norwegian singer/songwriter born in Stavanger, Norway, December 27, 1979. She is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden.... (m & l), Niklas Bergwall (m & l), Niclas Kings (m & l) |
Out |
| 6 | Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor... |
"Fairytale Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song) "Fairytale" is a song written and composed by Norwegian violinist/singer Alexander Rybak, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales... " |
Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor... (m & l) |
Gold Final |
| 7 | Thomas Brøndbo | "Det vart en storm" | Svein Gundersen (m), Rolf Mokkelbost (l) | Out |
| 8 | Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series.... |
"Butterflies" | David Eriksen (m), Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series.... (l), Mats Li Skåre (l) |
Gold Final |
| Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Jury | Televote | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publiners | "Te stein" | Bertil Bertelsen (m), Olav Nygaard (l), Morten Horn (l), Ronny Bertelsen (l) | 12,000 | 50,683 | 62,683 | 4 |
| Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3... |
"Find My Girl" | Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud Alexander Stenerud is a Norwegian singer/songwriter.Stenerud is known as a member of the pop due Zuma, formed in 1995 with Henrik Njaa after winning a demo competition on Norwegian radio station NRK P3... (m & l) |
14,000 | 59,080 | 73,080 | 3 |
| Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor... |
"Fairytale Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song) "Fairytale" is a song written and composed by Norwegian violinist/singer Alexander Rybak, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales... " |
Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor... (m & l) |
32,000 | 715,888 | 747,888 | 1 |
| Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series.... |
"Butterflies" | David Eriksen (m), Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge Tone Damli Aaberge is a Norwegian singer. She became famous for participating as a young contestant in the Norwegian version of the Idol series.... (l), Mats Li Skåre (l) |
22,000 | 99,850 | 121,856 | 2 |
Voting
| Song | Juries | Televoting Regions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kongsvinger Kongsvinger is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger.... |
Bodø Bodø is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005... |
Grenland Grenland Grenland is a traditional district in the county of Telemark, in the south of Norway. It is composed of the municipalities Skien, Porsgrunn, Bamble, Nome, and Siljan. Sometimes the municipalities Kragerø, and Drangedal are considered being part of the area... |
Ålesund Ålesund is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture.... |
Total | Northern Norway |
Western Norway |
Central Norway |
Southern Norway |
Eastern Norway |
Total | |
| "Te stein" | 2,000 | 6,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 12,000 | 6,630 | 3,702 | 8,945 | 7,937 | 23,469 | 50,683 |
| "Find My Girl" | 4,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 | 14,000 | 3,790 | 5,432 | 8,135 | 10,993 | 30,730 | 59,080 |
| "Fairytale" | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 32,000 | 42,211 | 60,679 | 101,381 | 132,683 | 378,934 | 715,888 |
| "Butterflies" | 6,000 | 4,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 22,000 | 5,631 | 9,698 | 16,040 | 18,829 | 49,658 | 99,850 |
Before Eurovision
Rybak made several appearances at events after his win at Melodi Grand Prix. Before winning the contest Rybak charted in the Norwegian singles chart, VG-listaVG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
, at number 1 with "Fairytale". This was the first time in MGP history that the winner reached the top of the charts before winning the contest. After, and even before, his win at Melodi Grand prix Rybak also became one of the hottest favourites to win the contest in Moscow in May.
On 14 March NRK released an official video-clip of "Fairytale", showing Rybak's performance at MGP. Rybak's overwhelming victory at MGP spread "Eurovision fever" throughout Norway over their perceived odds on winning Eurovision in Moscow.
In April Rybak joined four-time Eurovision contestant Elisabeth Andreassen
Elisabeth Andreassen
Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen - also known as just "Bettan" - is a Swedish-Norwegian singer who has finished both first and second in the Eurovision Song Contest....
at a contest in the Oslo Concert Hall
Oslo Concert Hall
Oslo Concert Hall is a concert hall located in Vika, a part of Oslo city centre in Norway. It is the base of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra , but it also aims to be one of the premier music venues for the general musical and cultural life of Norway, offering a broad variety of musical styles from...
. Althougn his appearance was agreed upon before MGP, his win at the contest most likely promoted his appearance at Eurovision. Alongside a group performance, Rybak also performed a solo number, "Song from a Secret Garden", a cover of Eurovision winners Secret Garden
Secret Garden (duo)
Secret Garden is an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also sometimes erroneously known as Neo-classical music.Secret Garden features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland...
.
Approaching the contest, foreign media began focusing on Rybak and his song. It was reported that "Fairytale" had been played Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
television, and in April a crew from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n TV channel NTV travelled to Oslo to record a documentary on Rybak, which was featured to over 18 million people in Russia. It was also reported that there was a lot of media attention in Russian magazines and newspapers on Rybak. Further media attention on Rybak was made across the ocean, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A report on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
contained Rybak, along with one half of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
entry Oscar Loya
Oscar Loya
Joseph Oscar Loya is an American singer and Broadway musical theatre performer.- Life :Loya was born in 1979 in Indio, California and grew up as the youngest of five children in California...
, on a report on The World's Got Talent. The report also included Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
contestant Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
, as well as The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, and both Britain's and America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
judge and record producer Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
.
At Eurovision
Alexander Rybak represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
finals in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with the song "Fairytale" after getting through the semi-finals. Rybak won by a significant margin, scoring 387 points, 169 points over second placed Yohanna, representing Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
Having been voted for by all 42 countries, Norway scored the highest number of points for any entry in any Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
to date. They received 12 points from 16 countries: Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine.
See also Eurovision Song Contest 2009: Full Point Table.
Since Norway was not one of the "Big Four" and was not the host of the 2009 contest, it was required to compete in the second semi-final on 14 May 2009. Alexander Rybak performed for Norway sixth in the running order, following Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and preceding Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, and secured a spot in the final on 16 May 2009. He performed 20th in the running order, following Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and preceding Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
The Norwegian commentator for NRK was Synnøve Svabø
Synnøve Svabø
Synnøve Svabø is a Norwegian talk show host. Svabø is best known for her 1997 boob stunt on Thorbjørn Jagland who was then the Prime Minister of Norway...
. In the aftermath of the show, she was criticized for chattering while the Russian hosts were speaking, and for some vulgar comments. Several viewers reported that they had switched to the Swedish coverage on SVT1
SVT1
SVT1 is the primary television station of the Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television in Sweden.-History:The channel began broadcasting in 1956 and was known as Radiotjänst TV, A year later, it was renamed Sveriges Radio TV. In 1969, the second television station TV2 was launched and...
.
The Norwegian points to other countries were determined entirely by jury since a technical fault caused all the televotes to be lost. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
would have achieved an 8th position had the public votes counted. Telenor promised to refund the cost of the vote to the Norwegian voters, which totaled 1.36 million Norwegian krone.