Review: “Melodi Grand Prix 2024” – Semi-Final 2 (Norway)

Norway will choose an artist and a song for Eurovision 2024 via “Melodi Grand Prix 2024″.
18 acts will compete in 3 semi-final, 9 of them will qualify for the final (3 per semi-final).
In this post, I will review the 6 songs competing in the second semi-final (on 20th of January 2024)

#1.Anne Fagermo feat. Dag Erik Oksvold – “Judge Tenderly of Me“

• It is a country pop ballad.
• The production is acoustic. The song opens with Dag Erik singing, the melody is based on a simple guitar playing. He sings warmly and effortlessly.
• The chorus involves a different tempo, as guitar stringing is added.
• Anne sings the second verse, and the pitch is a big higher. Her voice wraps the melody gently. She sings it in an alt voice.
• Both of them perform the chorus together, where their vocals combine quite well together.
• The bridge is more country-folky with, they sing together and Anna uses some longer notes.
• Dag Erik opened the last part singing alone. Thereafter, we can hear a short dreamy electric keyboard playing. They sing another chorus with the melody based on those keyboard elements . This gives the song a lullaby flavour.
• It is a kind of radio-friendly song. For some reason it sounds like a duet that we usually get in “Söngvakeppnin” (The Icelandic selection for Eurovision). I fear the song isn’t bold enough ir order to be considered competitive.

#2. Eli Kristin Hanssveen – “Touch of Venus“

• It is a James Bondish alt electro pop song.
• The song starts with a violin playing, a dynamic beat, we can hear vocal effects and even howling of wild animals.
• The first verse features a dramatic electronic beat and string elements, the atmosphere is quite mysterious and dark. The singing is quite jaazy, and we can hear backing vocals in the background. Towards the end, we can hear powerful violin stinging
• The pre-chorus is faster, and the secondary voice plays a greater role.
• The chorus is more orchestral and we can hear chior singing. Eli Kristin sings it in a velvet voice.
• The second verse is short and opens with the same intro of wild aninas howling. The second pre-chorus follows immediately
• The second chorus is a richer production wisely, and we can still hear a choir singing.
• The bridge of the songs commences with opera singing, while we can hear backing vocalsץ
• Overall, the song has a nice complexity. Mysterious vibes bring staging potential. I am not sure if this one will appeal to the voters, but I think it stands for its uniqueness.

#3. Erika Norwich ft. Super Rob – “My A.I“

• It is a Euro dance club song with influence of the late 1990’s music.
• The song starts with a short introduction which is the beginning of the chorus.
• The first verse is based on a constant fast beat, and the singing is mixed with auto-tune effects.
• The second half of the first verse is performed by Rob. His singing is more of talking/reciting with massive effects.
• The pre-chorus is based on the same sentence which is repeated several times, with the help of vocoder and auto-tune.
• The chorus itself is catchy, but not a lot is going on lyrics wisely.
• Right after, the second verse kicks in, with a fast dance beat (based on keyboards).
• The second pre-chorus showcases the fake world that’s created by AI: “My picture’s always perfect and I’m strong like a machine”. This part features some speaking parts.
• The second chorus comes in and it is identical to the first one.
• The bridge starts with Rob speaking in a robotic-metalic voice.
• The song ends with one last chorus.
• The song resembles the music style generated by Danish band Aqua (“Barbie Girl”).
• Judging the song by its stickiness, the grade might be very high. However, I miss the authencity here. It also feels like not much effort was invested in creating the song. Last but not least: The use is in effect just too much: Erika Norwich is a talented singer and vocalist, why should she hide behind this thick layer of effects?
• It will be easy to stage it convincingly, but I am not sure about performing it live at Eurovision with the need to remove some of the effects.

#4. Farida – “Heartache“

• It is a mid-tempo folk-cabaret pop with a dance twist.
• The song starts with a melody composed of acoustic guitar playing. In the first verse, Farida sings in an angelic voice.
• In the pre-chorus she sings with a scent of virtuosity, while a slow “percussion/clap” beat is added to the composition.
• As the chorus goes in another direction, it becomes more uptempo as a nostalgic beat is added. This takes the song in a more dance direction. She sings more powerfully, and the production reminds of eurodance songs from the early 2000’s.
• The second verse follows the flow of the chorus (with a kind of dance-oriented production) but the percussion beats are still in.
• The pre-chorus brings back part of the fragility of the song.
• The second chorus relies on the same chords, but the production is denser
• Thereafter, we get a short instrumental part.
• The song ends with a laid back verse and then we get a last “dance-club” chorus, which is based on 2 different combined beats and some effects.
• I am quite divided about this song. Farida gave us a different side of her, which is appreciated. However, I feel like the chorus reduced the emotions deliveriablity of the song. On the other hand, the song is built in an interesting way and it is catchy.

#5. Gåte – “Ulveham“

• It is a folk rock song.
• The song starts with howling and wind instruments.
• The first verse is based on a gentle beat, keyboards, violion and wind instruments. The lead singer sings in a mid-tone thin voice. There are several different layers in the melody, and we can hear some male backing vocals.
• The chorus is catahy and rocky. There are no clear lyrics to this part. This part is based on howling and vocal improvisations. Some of the sung vocals sound like a “tribal witchcraft” (and this is goof thing!). The chorus features guitar as well.
• The second verse is also based on electric guitar and bass. The singing is powerful, as wind instruments play a great role. The second verse ends with outcry.
• The second chorus follows immediately after, the lead singer impressing with her vocal abilities. Backing vocals include light-growling and whispers.
• This must be one of the most original songs in the line-up. Finally, Norway shows the great way they create ethnic music. In general, the combination of folk and rock is one thay pays off in Eurovision. Well done!

#6. Mileo – “You’re Mine“

• It is a theatratical synth-pop song.
• The song starts immediately with the chorus. The melody of this part is based on keyboards, orchestral sting elements and synth elements. Mielo sings with a mid-high tone of voice.
• The first verse features a faster tempo, based on the synth elements. He sings it more sassy. He sings it with more energy.
• The pre-chorus is faster, still based on synth elements. The structure of this part is that the last wor in each line repeats.
• Thereafter, we get the chorus again, it is more laid-back and classic. Production is on point and the melody is catchy. He also uses some vocal decorations while performing it.
• Interlude is based on pre-recorded vocals.
• The second verse goes even wilder with the lyrics. We can hear more backing vocals.
• The pre-chorus comes after and has the same sturcture.
• The third chorus starts with almost no production, but only the string elements, and then slowly it becomes more and more melodical. Rate it a little bit slower and it feels right. The closure of the chorusincludes longer notes of “You’re Mine.”
• Overall, it is one of the most catchy songs in the line-up. The lyrics might be a little creepy, but it also gives a great staging potential.
• The orchestral melody takes it to the next level, and therefore I appreciate it even more.

Personal Ranking

1. Gåte – “Ulveham“
2. Mileo – “You’re Mine”
3. Eli Kristin Hanssveen – “Touch of Venus“
4. Farida – “Heartache“
5. Anne Fagermo feat. Dag Erik Oksvold – “Judge Tenderly of Me“
6. Erika Norwich ft. Super Rob – “My A.I“

Prediction

I think there are 2 solid qualifiers from the semi-final: Gåte and Erika Norwich ft. Super Rob.
For the 3rd position, it will probably be between Mileo and Farida

Which song is your favorite one?
What’s your prediction for the 3 qualifiers from this semi-final?

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