Norway’s national selection Melodi Grand Prix is back for 2024, and kicks off on January 13th 2024.
After Alessandra delivered a great result in Liverpool, with ‘Queen of Kings’ coming in 5th place – Norway’s best result in Eurovision since 2013 – they’ll be hoping to replicate her success as the contest takes place in their neighbouring country Sweden this May.
Here’s all you need to know about the artists competing in Heat 1!
Mathilde SPZ feat. Chris Archer and Slam Dunk – ‘Woman Show’
Mathilde SPZ’s goal as a musician is to inspire people to be themselves, and merge the Scandinavian sound with Dance/House, which has taken to her across Norway as a performer at festivals and other live events. Chris Archer and Slam Dunk are also musicians, with previous hits to their name and over 50 million streams on Spotify between them.
The three have joined forces in MGP this year for the Eurodance song ‘Woman Show’. They told That Eurovision Site that their song is inspired by that 90s Eurodance genre and ‘Norwegian Party Music’, as well as Mathilde’s own pop music influences. You can see more of their interview by clicking here, and hear their song below.
Fredrik Halland – ‘Stranded’
Fredrik Halland is a 30-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist born and raised in Bergen, but now based in Los Angeles. He won the City of Bergen’s Talent Prize in 2007 and the Notodden Blues Festival Contest at age 16. At the same age, he won a scholarship to attend the Musicians Institue in Hollywood, and started his own production company after graduating, where he went on to play guitar on songs by Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson, as well as touring with Colbie Caillat.
‘Stranded‘ is about being there for someone when they feel lonely and when times are difficult, which begins as a piano ballad before incorporating drums further towards the end to build the song into the final chorus. You can hear his song below!
Myra – ‘Heart On Fire’
Myra is a 29 year-old award-winning singer/songwriter who was also born and raised in Bergen. She started her career back in 2016 as a rapper, before transitioning into R&B later on. She’s won the Edvard prize for her song ‘Hjemløs i egen by’, and was nominated for best newcomer at the P3 Guld Awards.
Her song ‘Heart On Fire’ is an upbeat pop track which she wants to bring hope, joy, love and freedom to the viewer. It’s different to the music she’s previously released, taking her career in a new direction as she enters MGP for the very first time. You can hear her song below!
GOTHMINISTER – ‘We Come Alive’
GOTHMINISTER is the alter-ego of gothic/industrial artist Bjørn Alexander Brem, which began in 1999. Since then, GOTHMINISTER has released 7 albums and found success in Norway and Germany, touring in over 40 countries worldwide and winning awards for their music – most recently ‘Dark Album Of The Year’ for the 2022 album Pandemonium.
‘We Come Alive’ is, according to eurovision.tv, about believing in yourself and standing together against all injustice. You can hear the song below.
Ingrid Jasmin – ‘Eya’
Telemark native Ingrid Jasmin has only been making music professionally for just under 3 years, but has already caught the attention of Billboard for her take on Nordic folk music, which she combines with Latin, Pop and R&B to create a genre unique to her artistic style. She has also lived in Cuba and Spain, and began to study traditional music during this time. She won a Spellemann Award (Norway’s equivalent to the Grammy’s) in 2022 for her debut album ‘Luna‘, which was widely praised by critics.
Her song ‘Eya‘ is unlinke anything else in MGP this year, mixing traditional folk with electronic and latin flares throughout. Could Eurovision 2024 be on the cards for one of Norway’s freshest new talents? You can hear her song below!
Margaret Berger – ‘Oblivion’
Margaret Berger started her career after coming 2nd on Idol all the way back in 2004, and is a Spellemann Award nominated artist. Born in Trondheim and raised in Hitra, she began writing songs at age 12, singing in a gospel choir as a child before becoming the lyricist for band Slim Void. With a career now spanning 20 years, Margaret has seen great success in Norway, and will be known to fans of the Eurovision Song Contest as the winner of MGP 2013 with ‘I Feed You My Love‘ – coming 4th in Eurovision, Norway’s best placement in the 2010s, and best result since their win in 2009 to date..
Now, Margaret is back again, with hopes to return to Malmö 11 years on from her first experience at Eurovision, Her song is called ‘Oblivion‘, and combines the electro-pop sound she’s known for with some strong vocals to create a great come-back track for MGP. You can hear her song below!
Melodi Grand Prix 2024 begins on January 13th 2024 at 19:50 CET // 18:50 GMT Live on NRK – click here to watch live.
Who’s your MGP Heat 1 favourite? Leave a comment below to let us know!
You can keep up to date with Phoenix on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for all the latest Eurovision 2024 news.
Our podcast, Instead We Made A Pod, is available to stream on all platforms.
