The Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix final saw Tone Damli Aaberge and Alexander Rybak fight it out as to who would win the right to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow. Although Tone proved no match against the landslide vote that brought Alexander victory, both songs went on to be smash hits on the Norwegian charts.
We all remember how Fairytale won the hearts of Europe, and managed to achieve very respectable chart placings across the continent. Tone’s entry however saw merely a domestic release. The success of Butterflies also produced a moderately successful album entitled I Know, released later the same year. The tide may very well be turning for Ms Damli Aaberge, or Ms Damli as she prefers to be known overseas and it appears that she is on the verge of a little breakthrough in the UK, which, in itself is quite a remarkable for a Norwegian artist.
This week, Butterflies was named Record of the Week by Radio 2, reportedly the largest radio channel in terms of listeners. Both Tone and her manager, David Eriksen are thrilled at the news, but also point out that a lot of work has been put into trying to promote the song overseas, but which, up until now, hasn’t paid any dividends. The UK is a notoriously difficult market to crack, so it’s a bonus for the young artist that her song has made it thus far to become song of the week. As far as the record’s success in the UK market, the team remain cautiously optimistic.
The main focus of promotion for Butterflies has been Germany, where the song was used as a theme tune for a TV series, as well as in the Swiss and Austrian markets. Tone will shortly be travelling to the US where her last album, I Know, is due for imminent release. The album is also due for release in the UK, while her latest studio offering Cocool is to be released simultaneously in Norway.
