Review: “Melodi Grand Prix 2022” – Semi-Final 2 (Norway)

This Saturday, Norwegian broadcaster NRK will hold the second semi-final in “Melodi Grand Prix 2022″.
4 artists will compete for a certain spot in the grand final. The 3 elimianted acts will have the oppurtinity to fight for an additional spot (with all other eliminated acts).

So let’s dive into the 4 competing songs of this week!

#1.Daniel Lukas – “Kvelertak” (Suffocating)

It’s an electro house pop song in the Norwegian language.
The song starts with a short instrumental part composed of electro house beat. It is a soft beat, that for some reason reminds me of music that you can hear in clothing stores.
Daniel enters the song, with a soft and confident voice. The beat from the introduction keeps on going. In the pre-chorus, he lengthens some of the pronunciation and uses R&B- soul motives in his singing. The beat comes with another layer, and Daniel gives us another color of his voice.
The chorus is rhythmic, the beat becomes danceable. The chorus is catchy.
The second verse arrives and it is quite similar to the first one. Pre-chorus leads us to a mid-tempo chorus. His voice combones well in the production. After this chorus, we can hear some digitally processed backing vocals.
The song is well produced, and I liked the choice to sing in Norwegian.
I think that with a little bit more bravery in the last part of the song, it would be even more effective.
Will it stand out on the stage? We’ll still have to see about it.

#2. Farida – “Dangerous”

It’s a ballad.
The song starts with an instrumental part composed of piano playing, that afterwards is joined by violin playing. Farida opened the singing part with emotional singing, while a deep sting playing can be heard. However, she still doesn’t give her full power in it. In the pre-chorus she sings in a higher tone. The chorus is a little bit more dramatic. She opens the chorus with a high and thin voice, almost a “falsetto”. Farida performed it with emotional intelligence. Her soft voice wraps the piano playing perfectly, while the low notes of the string instruments support her voice.
The second verse relies on a slightly different production, we can hear a new wind instrument added to the composition. Towards the end of the second verse, she outcries with an impressive long note. The pre-chorus is short and connects to the chorus. This time, the chorus production is a little bit more complicated, making the whole progress of the song even better.
The chorus ends with a tender vibe. The bridge is based on piano playing and leads us to a bombastic chorus. The last chorus is a fest of orchestra and this is where her voice reaches its peak. The song impressed me. I feel like most people don’t see the potential of this dark horse.
She seems to have strong vocal abilities, alongside forcible production.
This is how to produce a strong power-ballad, well done!

#3. Lilly Löwe – “Bad Baby”

It’s a glam rock hymn, with wide influences from the 1980’s and 1990’s music.
The song starts with a massive guitar playing. The first part is the chorus of the song – which includes one sentence only. We can hear some backing vocals in the background.
The first verse in intense, again with a combination of different guitars. It is very short, and we get the chorus again. The second verse, is more airier. However, it sounds like not much efforts were invested in it. Thereafter, there is an excellent guitar solo which leads us to the bridge.
In the bridge, Lilly is braver, she shoes other sides of her voice and uses some long notes. The bridge also “demonstrates” some changes in the melody which is always a blessed way to spice songs. Then, no surprises are in the planning, as we get once again the powerful chorus.
It high quality old rock song, I can imagine in performed in a stadium.
I’m not sure will people find it attractive. For my side, I like listening the song and think it was a wise decision to let a woman perform it. However, I can’t ignore the fact that the chorus is much more stronger than the verses.

#4. Steffen Jakobsen – “With Me Tonight”

It’s a country pop song, with some “wild west” elements.
The song begins with some whistles and guitar stringing. Steffen enters the song with his deep and low voice. The first verse’s melody is basic and includes some humming as well.
The chorus is a little bit faster. we can hear another color of his voice (less low, let’s say).
After the chorus, we get another verse, that starts with guitar only, and afterwards is joined by bass.
Towards the end, there’s a modulation, where ew can just hear him struggling to sing in higher tone.
The lyrics are cliché, and it bothers me. It probably the most American song in the Norwegian selection this year.
It is a classic singer- songwriter’s entry, but in this case it lacks of character.
I’ve waited for something interesting to happen, and it hasn’t.

My Personal Ranking

First of all, I must say that this semi-final is much stronger than the first one.
I can easily pick 2-3 songs to qualify from this semi-final, which leads me to think that maybe the second chance winner will come from this semi-final.

Farida – “Dangerous”
Lilly Löwe – “Bad Baby”
Daniel Lukas – “Kvelertak”
Steffen Jakobsen – “With Me Tonight”

Prediction

I want to believe that the Norwegian public will identify the huge potential that “Dangerous” has. They are known for detecting beautiful ballads with strong production (watch “”MGP” winners in 2014, 2015, 2020).

You can read all about “Melodi Grand Prix 2022” here