Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2021 to determine next year’s Eurovision act and entry
The Norwegian national broadcaster, NRK, has confirmed that Norway will be using the MGP format in order to determine the country’s Eurovision 2021 representative. Therefore Ulrikke Brandstorp will not be selected internally to return in the next competition.
Norway is joining the llist of nations that will be holding a new national final in order to determine their Eurovision 2021 entry. NRK confirmed that it will stick wth its traditional national selection format , MGP 2021.
Head of NRK’s Entertainment Ms. Christina Rezk Resar says:
We are confident that it is the right decision to stick with the Norwegian MGP model, both for the audience and to maintain the sixty-year long tradition.
And goes further on saying about next year’s edition:
MGP has always been important to showcase Norwegian music. And based on the situation the music industry is in right now during the pandemic, it is more important than ever to fulfill this role and showcase the diverse field of Norwegian artists and new music.
Thus, after these latest decisions Ulrikke Brandstorp will not be returning to Eurovision 2021 through an internal selection but NRK offered to her a place at next year’s national final.
Resar stated on Ulrikke’s participation:
The cancellation of this year’s competition is obviously sad for Ulrikke, who has worked very hard leading up to this year’s MGP and Eurovision. But everyone agrees that the situation the world is in does not allow for major music competitions or events. We offered Ulrikke to be a finalist in next year’s MGP, but I understand that this can’t replace the honour of performing on the Eurovision stage this year. Ulrikke is an amazing artist who I am sure we will hear more from in the years to come.
Ulrikke won this year’s national final of MGP 2020 and was the act to represent Norway at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam with her entry “Attention” but due to the cancellation of ESC 2020 won’t have the chance to perform on Rotterdam Ahoy’s stage:
The Eurovision story so far
Norway has been competing in the Eurovision Song contest since 1960 and has won the competition three times, in 1985, 1995 and 2009. However the country has marked some record scorings , as it has finished in the last place most times than any other country, finishing in the bottom spot of the scoreboard 11 times. A total of four times it has received zero points, while in 2009 victory it received the remarkable number 16 sets of 12 points and was voted by every single country, reaching the impressive winning score of 387 points! Norway hasn’t qualified two times in the final the last decade, in 2011 with Stella Mwangi and in 2016 with Agnete
In 2018 was represented for the second time by Alexander Rybak and his song That’s How You Write A Song, which finished in the 15th place of the grand final. This year the three member group KEiiNo with their entry “Spirit in the Sky” defended the Norwegian colors in Tel Aviv achieving a remarkable 1st place in the televoting while they finished 6th on the overall scoreboard. Lets remember KEiiNO’s energetic performance on the Expo Tel Aviv stage:
News Source: NRK
Cover photo: Eurovision.tv
