Sweden’s representatives at Eurovision 2024, Norwegian twins Marcus & Martinus, reveal in an interview that the Norwegian media struggles to support their success: “They said we were betraying our homeland”.
The Norwegian twins Marcus & Martinus have gained significant popularity in Sweden in recent years. In 2023, they participated in the Swedish Eurovision pre-selection (Melodifestivalen), finishing second behind Loreen, who won with “Tattoo.” The following year, in 2024, they returned to Melodifestivalen and won with “Unforgettable,” earning the right to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2024. Their success in Sweden has garnered them a large fan base beyond Norway’s borders. However, their breakthrough in Sweden was not well-received by many Norwegians. Now, in an interview to Aftonbladet, the twins respond to the negative reactions from their home country.
The young twins (22) began their career in Norway at age 10, winning the children’s version of the Norwegian pre-selection (“Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2012”). Three years later, they topped the Norwegian charts. However, they claim that for many Norwegians, they will forever remain child prodigies, and they struggled to break through in their country as adult artists with music intended for a more mature and broader audience.
Marcus said, “The Norwegian attitude is that we should continue to make music for children like ‘Elektrisk.’ Additionally, Norwegian media claimed we were obligated to participate in the Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), Norway’s pre-selection”.
The lack of support from their home audience led them to seek opportunities in Sweden. Only when the duo significantly broke through in Sweden did the brothers feel that Norway might be changing its approach.
“We were called traitors, but we’ve been fighting in recent years to develop our art as adult musicians,” the brothers added.
“Many people in Sweden probably didn’t understand this, but the Norwegian media bullied us. They hardly wrote anything positive about us. For instance, they said our song should have been called ‘Forgettable’ instead of ‘Unforgettable,'” says Marcus. Martinus describes the difficulty of receiving “hate reactions” from their homeland, but the support from Swedes was wonderful.
According to Marcus, Benjamin Ingrosso, who represented Sweden at Eurovision 2018, expressed full support and thanked the brothers for their courage to represent Sweden at Eurovision. “The love the Swedes gave us was simply amazing. Our family was there, and we received wonderful support from friends and many others. Because hate never wins,” Martinus concludes.
Sweden in Eurovision 2024
“Unforgettable” is the name of the song performed by the duo Marcus & Martinus in the grand final of Eurovision 2024. The duo was chosen to represent Sweden at Eurovision after winning the Swedish pre-selection, Melodifestivalen. Sweden finished ninth in the final with 174 points.
Source:Aftonbladet
Eurovision 2025: This will be Sweden’s 63rd participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Sweden joined the competition in 1958 and has won it seven times over the years. Sweden’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2023 with the song “Tattoo,” performed by the singer Loreen.
