Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 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 Storeng and past MGP host and Eurovision commentator Per Sundnes.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] The 21 artists selected to compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2009 were announced over three weeks: the artists of the first semi-final were announced on the week beginning 22 December, and the artists in the second and third semi-final were revealed in the weeks commencing 29 December and 5 January respectively.[10] 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.[11][12]

A possible participant to this year's Melodi Grand Prix may be Hanne Krogh, 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.[10] 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.[13] 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.[14][15] The first eleven songs that will compete in this year's Melodi Grand Prix were revealed on 10 December 2008, along with their writers.[16][17] Ten more songs were made public on 17 December.[14][15]

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 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.[18][19]

The four semi-finals of Melodi Grand Prix 2009 began on 24 January 2009 and held in Kongsvinger, Bodø, Skien and Ålesund (Siste Sjansen), leading up to the final at the Oslo Spektrum on 21 February 2009.

In the first semi-final, in the Kongsvinger Hall in 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.[20][21]

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.[22][23][24]

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 silver/grey dresses, and moved about throughout the song.[22][23][24]

From this semi-final, Velvet and Thomas Brøndbo qualified automatically to the final, while Espen Hana and Surferosa progress to the Siste Sjansen.[25][26] KeSera later qualified as well to the Siste Sjansen round, being the most voted fifth-placed song in the three semi-finals.[27][28]

Tone Damli Aaberge

The second semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2009 was held in Bodø on 31 January 2009. Seven songs in total competed and the artist for each song was released on 24 December 2008.[29][30]

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", an 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.[31][32]

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.[31][32]

Alexander Stenerud and Tone Damli Aaberge qualified from this semi-final, while the Publiners and Janni Santillan passed to Siste Sjansen round.[33][34]

The third and final semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2009 was held at the Leisure Park in Skien on 7 February 2009, where seven songs in total will compete. The names of the seven artists were released on 29 December 2008.[35][36]

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.[37][38][39]

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,[40] as well as two female backing singers in long grey dresses.[37][38][39]

From this semi-final Sunny and Jane Helen passed to the Siste Sjansen round, while Alexander Rybak and Ovi qualified to the final.[41][42] Foxy was later selected by the readers of VG to qualify to the Siste Sjansen round.[27][28]

The Siste Sjansen (Last Chance) round was held at the Sunnmørshallen in Ålesund 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.[19]

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.[19] 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.[27][28][43]

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.[44][45][46]

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".[39][44][47]

The running order for the final show was held live by Maria Haukaas Storeng and Per Sundess on NRK's evening show 'I kveld' on 17 February 2009.[48] On the same day, 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.[49][50]

The final was held on 21 February 2009 at the Spektrum in Oslo. The six direct qualifiers and the two Siste Sjansen winners competed in the final, where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top four entries were selected by public televoting to proceed to the second round, the Gold Final: "Te stein" performed by Publiners, "Find My Girl" performed by Alexander Stenerud, "Fairytale" performed by Alexander Rybak and "Butterflies" performed by Tone Damli Aaberge. In the Gold Final, four juries from the hosts of the four semi-final cities awarded 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 points to their top four songs. The results of the public televote were then revealed by Norway's five regions and added to the jury scores. This led to the victory of "Fairytale" performed by Alexander Rybak with 747,888 votes, over 600,000 votes more than runner-up Tone Damli Aaberge, being the clearest win in the history of Melodi Grand Prix.[1][2][3]

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-lista, 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.[1][51][52]

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.[53]

In April Rybak joined four-time Eurovision contestant Elisabeth Andreassen at a contest in the Oslo Concert Hall. Although 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.[54]

Approaching the contest, foreign media began focusing on Rybak and his song. It was reported that "Fairytale" had been played Greek television,[52] and in April a crew from Russian 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.[55] 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.[56][57]

Semi-final 2 12 points  Denmark 10 points  Moldova 8 points  Estonia 7 points  Lithuania 6 points  Azerbaijan 5 points  Albania 4 points  Ireland 3 points  Poland 2 points  Serbia 1 point  Greece

Final 12 points  Iceland 10 points  Azerbaijan 8 points  Denmark 7 points  Turkey 6 points  Germany 5 points  Ukraine 4 points  Sweden 3 points  Moldova 2 points  United Kingdom 1 point  France

Split voting results from Norway (final)
Draw	Country	Jury points	Scoreboard (Points)
01	Lithuania
02	Israel
03	France	1	1
04	Sweden	4	4
05	Croatia
06	Portugal
07	Iceland	12	12
08	Greece
09	Armenia
10	Russia
11	Azerbaijan	10	10
12	Bosnia and Herzegovina
13	Moldova	3	3
14	Malta
15	Estonia
16	Denmark	8	8
17	Germany	6	6
18	Turkey	7	7
19	Albania
20	Norway
21	Ukraine	5	5
22	Romania
23	United Kingdom	2	2
24	Finland
25	Spain

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. During the coverage of the voting, Svabø was heard on live television making phone calls to Rolf Løvland, Elisabeth Andreassen, Hanne Krogh, Trond Giske, Hans Bjerkås and Jens Stoltenberg. Several viewers reported that they had switched to the Swedish coverage on SVT1.[59]

The Norwegian points to other countries were determined entirely by jury since a technical fault caused all the televotes to be lost.[60] Telenor promised to refund the cost of the vote to the Norwegian voters, which totaled 1.36 million Norwegian krone.[61]

If the televoting results were also used, the results would be different:

• Instead of 7 points, Turkey would receive 10.
• Instead of 10 points, Azerbaijan would receive 7.
• Instead of 4 points, Sweden would receive 6.
• Instead of 6 points, Germany would receive 4.
• Instead of 3 points, Moldova would receive 2.
• Instead of 5 points, Ukraine would receive 1.
• Instead of receiving zero points, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina would receive 3 and 5 points respectively, while United Kingdom and France would not receive points from Norway.

Although the overall result would not be changed, Bosnia and Herzegovina would have achieved an 8th position instead of France, Denmark would have achieved 12th position instead of Ukraine, and Sweden would have achieved 20th position instead of Germany.