Tonight 8 more acts were fighting for three tickets to the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix final. The line-up included a former Junior Eurovision Song Contest participant, an international top model and also a finalist from last year – and music wise we saw quite some variation in what Norway has to offer.

Last Saturday we saw the first three acts winning their spots in the Norwegian final that will take place in Olso Spektrum on the 12th of February. Tonight three more tickets were to be handed out – and yet another 8 acts were competing for them.

The songs: (You can read more about these participants in our Get To Know article)

Song nr. 1: Cocktail Slippers – Keeps On Dancing

These 5 rock’n’roll girls saw The Lucky Bullets make it to the final last year and thought that Melodi Grand Prix is ready for this kind of music. It probably is, but this song appear less catchy. Their leadsinger is dressed in a short red dress with a gold chain around and small red gloves. The dress has a big feather on the back and she has red net pantyhose on as well. The rest of the group is dressed in either red or white – or a combination of the two colours. They are quite energetic on stage and near the end of the song pyrotechnics are used, but somehow it appear like it will need something extra in order to bring them to the final. 

Song nr. 2: Isabel Ødegård – I’ve Got You

Isabel is a model and she knows how to look good on stage. Dressed in a long white dress, which is strapless with a brown belt around the waist, she does look good in a very simple way. The simpleness also fits on the song, which is a ballad with hints of some country and some pop here and there. With her on stage she has a piano player – and 5 violin players, but as the stage is so large it takes time before you actually notice them. Very simple, but beautiful – just like Isabel, and the song is recieved with a very big applause.  

Song nr. 3: Tommy Fredvang – Make It Better

Third on stage tonight is Tommy Fredvang, a guy who for this occasion is dressed in black trousers and a navy blue military unirform styled jacket. He first starts out singing backstage before the carpet behinds him opens and he turns around and enters the stage singing. Plenty of lights effects are used on the stage mainly kept in dark grey and black for this song. Near the end of the song he picks up the microphone stand and svings around with it just like any other rocksinger would do. A solid performance, which is also well received by the audience. Some might complain saying there is nothing new in that song – and they would be right. But is there anything wrong with a song that sounds like it was written 10 years ago?   

Song nr. 4: Rikke Lie – Another Heartache

Rikke Lie starts out sitting at a piano. She is dressed in a big white dress with a long vent to one side – it however does not really suit her as it is quite big on its lower parts. To accompany her on stage Rikke has 6 violin players, who at the same time are also her dancers – some of them are performing on a small podium and the rest next to that podium. Near the end of the song they all move to the front of the stage – at the same time as Rikke do the same thing – revealing more of her dress.  

Song nr. 5: Malin – Crush

Next song is performed by Malin, who represented Norway at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. She is now a young woman, but the difference to the 10 year girl isn’t actually that stricking. Tonight she is dressed in a light short teenager dress. She starts out sitting down on a podium, but it doesn’t take long before she gets up. She has 5 female dancers behind her – all dressed in black short dresses. When the song stops she has all her dancers around her. This is a 17 year old girl, dressed like a 17 year old girl singing a song like a 17 year old girl – and it is so refreshing to see for us who remembers Karen Viuff‘s performance in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix last week.

Song nr. 6: Plumbo – Ola Nordmann

Plumbo is a band that have existed for 14 years so experience they have plenty of. They are singing about the typical Norwegian guy and they do it quite well. It is a rock song with clear Norwegian traditions, meaning the folk music tradition. They use pyrotechnics half way through the song. For this song they consists of a drummer, a flute player, a guitar player – and the leadsinger, who is also playing a guitar. This should be a sure finalist in Norway. 

Song nr. 7: Minnie-Oh – You And I

Minnie-Oh promised us a stage show that was not boring – and that she brought. What you get are plenty of colours, a discotheque environment and a girl who wears a silver patterned jacket with horns on the shoulders! She has two DJ’s and four male dancers with her although their faces are covered by masks. By their bare tops you can however tell, which sex they are! A highly unusual performance yes, but is the song strong enough to make it to the final?   

Song nr. 8: Rikke Normann – Shapeshifter

From a very disturbing performance to something almost the same – at least when it comes to unusual dancers. Rikke is dressed in a white, sleeveless top and a short black skirt. She has six male dancers, which have to be from the local chess club – or the nerd club! Pyros are used on stage, but it does not need it. These dancers are all it needs to get attraction – they might be nerds, but dance, that they can! Sorry, but with two songs in a row where the dancers took all the attention I am very much distracted – and appreciate that this was the last of the songs for tonight.  

The show:

Tonight’s show, the second Norwegian heat this year, was held in Larvik, a small city in the South West of Norway, one and a half hour from the capital Oslo. The city has a population of approximately 40.000 and this is the first time they are hosting a Melodi Grand Prix show.

Marte Stokstad and Per Sundness guided us through the 8 songs, whose singers were all presented on stage in the beginning. Marte took the stage first introducing the show before Per then joined mentioning the artists. After all of the performances Per Sundness quickly talked to a few of the artists and a video from the arrival of the participants to Larvik was shown.  

The result: 

It was possible to vote for all of the songs right from the start – both via televoting and SMS – and several re-caps were shown. After all the songs had been performed it was time for half an hour break in the programme. 

Only the three acts to the final were announced – and that was done one at a time, then they performed again before the next qualifier was announced. Before the announcement of the second qualifer Alexander Rybak and Didrik Solli-Tangen turned up and said a few words about how tough such a competition was. Alexander won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 with Fairytale, while Didrik then represented his country om homefield the year after, in 2010 with the song My Heart Is Yours.

From this second heat the three qualifiers are:

– Crush by Malin

– Make It Better by Tommy Fredvang

– Ola Nordmann by Plumbo