On Saturday, Norway will end their journey of looking for an artist and a song for Eurovision 2022.
21 artists were set to participate in the selection this year.
After 4 semi-finals and “second-chance” round, 10 of them made it to the final.
In this post, I will review the 10 finalists.
1. Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor [semi-final 3 winner]
It’s a dramatic and cinematic Scandinavian ballad.
The song starts with a short instrumental part composed of wind instruments.
Oda starts her singing part with a relatively low voice and dark atmosphere.
The melody is based on a deep keyboard playing alongside a bagpipe.
Towards the end of the first verse, the melody is being silent, in order to build some tension.
Then we get a long and impressive outcry from Oda with an accurate voice.
The chorus starts unplugged with no melody at all. We can hear her natural voice.
Thereafter, the dramatic beat joins alongside the bagpipe.
In the second verse, she sings in a slightly higher tone of voice. The melody is based on keyboards, violin and bagpipe. Once again we received the impressive long notes that emphasize the story behind the lyrics. This time, the melody has a faster and more tense vibe, as violin playing becomes quicker. She uses some vibrations in her voice.
On the bridge, it becomes a little bit more rhythmic and she sings it with a higher tone, accompanied by piano and backing vocals.
The atmosphere of the song is dark and mysterious. She serves it vocally. It is a song that will stand out and has the potential to shine with decent staging. Well done!
#2. NorthKid – Someone [automatic qualifier]
It’s a pop ballad.
The melody is based on piano playing. The lead singer has a pleasant voice and he manages to transfer the emotions through his voice. The chorus is performed in a higher tone and the singer still sounds professional. In the second chorus, more elements are added like guitar playing and drums. The melody becomes a little bit more rhythmic in the second part.
The last part has more “rock” vibes with a raspier version of the lead singer’s voice. I find this part refreshing. In the last chorus, we can hear backing vocals as well.
The general style is probably the “rightest” thing we could have got. It is radio-friendly
#3. Anna-Lisa Kumoji – Queen Bees [automatic qualifiers]
It’s a musical – cabaret pop song.
The song starts with recorded backing vocals. The melody is based on string instruments.
Anna-Lisa enters with her thick and mid-low voice. From time to time, we can hear some different ways of her pronouncing some of the words. In other words, she tries to perform it theatrically.
The melody is a little bit childish. Towards the chorus, there are digitally processed recorded backing vocals. In the chorus and in the second part, we can hear the trumpet playing.
The second verse is long and some parts of it sound like singing that limits speaking.
After the second chorus, the melody is slowed down and we can hear more the melody and less. The song ends with a modulation.
Let me be honest, as always: The song is really weak. Anna-Lisa is a taleneted singer (I have followed her releases since “Melodi Grand Prix 2019“), and this song just doesn’t fit her.
It is full of cliches, from the trial to combine cabaret with moderan staging, and ending with the modulation.
#4. Farida Louise – Dangerous [semi-final 2 winner]
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!
#5. Sofie Fellvjang – Made of Glass [semi-final 4 winner]
It’s a love ballad.
The song starts with piano playing. Sofie sings the first verse with simplicity and with a lot of emotions. The first line in the chorus sounds like it is the direct continuation of the first verse.
Afterwards, she gives her all with a magnificent voice. The lines of the chorus are composed of mid-high starting and very powerful singing in their second half. The melody in this part is composed of piano playing and a sampling of a music box. The second verse is a little bit more rhythmic. Her singing is stable and exiting. The second chorus arrives and it includes some backing vocals.
Sofie’s singing keeps on surprising us. The bridge includes some fast drumbeat, we can hear her singing in a mid-high voice. When the music stops, she sings some lines with falsetto singing alongside piano playing that sneaks in. The song ends with another chorus and echo singing.
This is the way to write an A class love/break-up song. It could have been a cliché, but it still feels authentic. And of course we must appreciate her voice. I wasn’t surprised to see Kjetil Mørland as one of the composers. Well done!
#6. Frode – Black Flowers [semi-final 1 winner]
It’s a mid-tempo pop rock song.
The song starts with an instrumental part, composed of drums playing and synthesized guitar playing.
The first verse starts with the semi-Smokey voice of Frode.
The electric guitar and drums pump the melody of the first verse.
For the pre-chorus, the rate is faster. The melody is a little bit basic and it seems like a connection section to the chorus and nothing more. In the chorus, another “channel” is added.
The energy increases as the chorus progresses. We can hear some backing vocals, and his voice reaches impressive heights.
The second verse has a more “rocky” vibe compared to the first one.
The second verse is similar to the first one and mostly based on drums.
The bridge includes a sampling of the chorus’ first line with the other lines.
It is followed by a silent section with keyboards playing when Frode almost whispers the singing parts. He uses a high voice and creates a little bit of drama, until he shouts with a high voice.
Thereafter, we have the pre-chorus and the chorus once again.
The song ends with its name.
The style and arrangement sounds like a pop rock hymn from the middle of the 1990s.
It sounds like something we’ve heard a lot of times in the past.
It has some good moments, and I really like his voice. The lyrics are a little bit cliché.
To stand out, there should be an interesting staging, which won’t only be playing the guitar with a black leather outfit.
#7. Christian Ingebrigtsen – Wonder of the World [automatic qualifier]
It’s a classical singer-songwriter who love ballad.
The song starts with an instrumental part composed of the piano.
The first verse has a slow rate. Christian has a warm voice and he sings flawlessly. We can hear cello playing as well. The pre-chorus is airier and he reveals more sides of his voice. The chorus is emotional and it is signed by piano, cello, and violin playing. After the first chorus, the song becomes slightly more rhythmic, thanks to a cyclic beat that is added to the melody. The singer decorates his singing with some motives. The chorus arrives again, it is emotional and powerful.
The bridge starts with the piano solely, and then the string instruments join again.
The song ends with another occurrence of the chorus and closure that’s identical to the introduction.
On the one hand, the song has high quality, but on the other hand, it is dated and expectable.
I could have imagined it representing Norway in Eurovision 1999-2003 as well.
#8. Maria Mohn – Fly [second-chance winner]
It’s a Scandinavian power ballad.
The song starts with beautiful operatic singing. Thereafter, we can hear a drum beat and the strong and high tone of voice that Maria suggests. The chorus starts with a higher pitch, the drumbeat is more dramatic and for some moments her voice becomes “thinner”. The first chorus ends out of the blue. The second verse is much richer, with plenty of musical instruments violin, piano, bagpipe, and more. In the second chorus, her singing is more powerful, to begin with. A short instrumental part continues the chorus, and afterward, some backing vocals are added. The next chorus starts raw and emotional. Maria uses a technique that resembles falsetto singing. The peak point reaches when her strong vocal king “overcomes” the strong backing vocals.
It is an emotional power ballad with a beautiful production. Maria delivers it vocally. The message behind the song is very strong as well: It is Maria’s real story – her son has had tough times with a severe illness.
#9. Subwoolfer – Give That Wolf A Banana [automatic qualifiers]
It’s an Indie dance-pop entertaining song.
The song starts with some vocal improvisations that are blended into digital production.
Thereafter, we get an acoustic and simple first verse, which is based on guitar playing.
The section from the introduction repeats once again. The last part in the first verse is performed in a higher tone of voice (and sometimes it sounds a little challenging). Thereafter the upbeat chorus arrives with the funny/pathetic lyrics “And before that wolf eats my grandma/ Give that wolf a banana”. The melody is based on 3 different beats that are combined together, alongside some vocal effects. The chorus is weaker and namely includes the “Yum yum yum” phrase.
The second verse is performed in a higher and thin voice, which its vocal performance I found as not the most accurate we could have received. The second pre-chorus include a more significant presence of the backing vocalists. We get an instrumental part that’s composed of guitar, drum beat, and electro beat. The third pre-chorus is more electronic. The song ends the same way it began.
It is a wonderful Tik-Tok hit and very catchy, but I wouldn’t like to get a song in a comedic flavor to Eurovision Song Contest, It can smash the televoting, but at the same time to be mocked down by the jury. In addition, choosing a lower pitch could lead us to a more impressive results.
#10. Elsie Bay – Death Of Us [automatic qualifier]
It’s a ballad that indicates the end of a relationship. The spokesperson accepts the loss.
The song starts with a piano playing. Elsie opens the singing part with a soft voice. Later on, string elements are added to the melody as well. The pre-chorus is slightly faster and it gives us a chance to hear the singer in a different arrangement. Before the chorus, we have a very short pause.
The violin plays a main role in the chorus, Elsie uses a higher tone of voice in this part.
She sings emotionally and with some falsetto and high notes. The second verse shares the same shape as the first verse. The divine instrumental part leads us to the chorus. Elsie once again strings on our hearts. She outcries while accompanied by the violin and piano. The bridge starts with a fragile singing that precedes a magnificent long-high note. The song ends with another chorus that’s finalized with tender singing.
It is one of the most brilliant songs that I’ve listened to receantly, and in this Eurovision season in particular. Some eyes are wet after listenning to this masterpiece.
My Personal Ranking
- Elsie Bay – Death Of Us
- Sofie Fellvjang – Made of Glass
- Farida Louise – Dangerous
- Oda Gondrosen – Hammer of Thor
- NorthKid – Someone
- Christian Ingebrigtsen – Wonder of the World
- Maria Mohn – Fly
- Subwoolfer – Give That Wolf A Banana
- Frode – Black Flowers
- Anna-Lisa Kumoji – Queen Bees
My Prediction
As I see it, I think that the winner of “Melodi Grand Prix 2022” will be Elsie Bay or Subwoolfer
Norway will perform in the second half of semi-final 1 of Eurovision 2022 which will be held on the 10th of May 2022.
In case the country will qualify for the final, Norway will compete in the grand final on the 14th of May 2022.
You’re welcome to read all about Eurovision 2022 on our homepage
