Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021
Norway will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Norwegian broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), will use the national selection Melodi Grand Prix 2021 to decide their representative.
| Eurovision Song Contest 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Norway | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Melodi Grand Prix 2021 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals: 16 January 2021 23 January 2021 30 January 2021 6 February 2021 13 February 2021 Second Chance: 15 February 2021 Final: 20 February 2021 | |||
| Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Background
Prior to the 2021 contest, Norway had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-nine times since their first entry in 1960.[1] Norway had won the contest on three occasions: in 1985 with the song "La det swinge" performed by Bobbysocks!, in 1995 with the song "Nocturne" performed by Secret Garden and in 2009 with the song "Fairytale" performed by Alexander Rybak. Norway also had the two dubious distinctions of having finished last in the Eurovision final more than any other country and for having the most "nul points" (zero points) in the contest, the latter being a record the nation shared together with Austria. The country had finished last eleven times and had failed to score a point during four contests. Following the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Norway has only failed to qualify on three occasions. In 2019, Norway was represented by KEiiNO with the song "Spirit in the Sky". The country placed 6th in the final with 331 points. In 2020, Ulrikke Brandstorp was set to represent Norway with the song "Attention" before the contest's cancellation.
The Norwegian national broadcaster, Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), broadcasts the event within Norway and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The broadcaster has traditionally organised the national final Melodi Grand Prix, which has selected the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in all but one of their participations.
Before Eurovision
Melodi Grand Prix 2021
Melodi Grand Prix 2021 will be the 59th edition of the Norwegian national final Melodi Grand Prix and it will select Norway's entry for the 2021 contest. The competition will consist of five semi-finals based on Norway's five regions between 16 January and 13 February, a second chance round on 15 February and a final on 20 February 2021.[2]
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. For the 2021 contest, the semi-final allocation draw held for 2020 which was held on 28 January 2020, will be used for 2021 contest. Norway was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 18 May 2021, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[3]
References
- "Norway Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- Gallagher, Robyn (October 12, 2020). "Save the date! Norway's Melodi Grand Prix 2021 final set for February 20". Wiwibloggs.
- Groot, Evert (17 November 2020). "2020 Semi-Final line-up to stay for 2021". eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.