The controversial statement of the contestants in the Norwegian pre-Eurovision, “Melodi Grand Prix 2025”, who wish to represent Norway in Eurovision 2025. All the details in the article!
The duo Bobbysocks, winners of the 1985 Eurovision with “La det swinge,” shocked the Eurovision community with their participation announcement in the Norwegian natinal selection, “Melodi Grand Prix 2025”. Despite their seasoned status, it seems the duo ventured into politically sensitive territory, which is explicitly prohibited under the new mandatory code of conduct.
In an interview with Wiwiblogs, the singers discussed the deeper meaning of their new song. Hanne Krogh explained, “Joy is a broader concept than happiness. It is deeper, warmer, more essential. People tend to push away serious aspects of life by lacking joy. It’s the exact opposite. Every time there is something joyful or delightful around you, notice it. It gives you the strength to deal with tough days. This is the essence of the song.”
Following these comments, Hanne unexpectedly politicized the interview by reflecting on recent events in Gaza, saying, “When we saw the screen from Gaza yesterday, and the happy people there, I said joy is the word of the moment. It is the right word.” Elisabeth Andreassen quickly steered the conversation back to music: “When I thought about the melody, I wanted it to carry the spirit of Bobbysocks. I wanted the audience to recognize us as we were. And this jubilation and celebration is what this jubilee party is all about.”
This regrettable statement during the interview raises questions about the contestants’ suitability for a competition meant to celebrate art and culture rather than serve as a forum for political debates or critiques of nations and conflicts. The duo is not considered a strong candidate to win the “Melodi Grand Prix 2025”, and it seems this remark may have been aimed at garnering support from a specific audience. Thus, what was supposed to be a focus on music and the celebration of joy turned into a quasi-political debate, harming the spirit of the competition and its goals. Watch the interview:
The duo, which we interviewed just a year ago for the Euromix website, sent messages that appeared inspirational but now carry a scent of hypocrisy. During the interview, they addressed the Israeli audience and sought to convey a message of peace and love, saying: “We send a warm peace request to our fans in Israel and to the Eurovision fans because they are filled with love. Continue to fill your lives with love.” However, this statement seems contradictory to the more recent statements made by the band. Watch the full interview we conducted with the duo:
Norway’s participation in Eurovision 2024 was not without controversy. During the festive opening ceremony of Eurovision 2024, the Norwegian band Gåte found themselves at the center of a media storm after refusing an interview with Euromix. The incident occurred when their manager inquired about the journalists’ affiliations. Upon learning they represented Israeli media, the band opted instead for the Dutch media waiting nearby. This behavior drew sharp criticism on social media for demonstrating intolerance and straying from the competition’s principles, presenting themselves as promoters of negative values and politicization rather than contributing to art and culture. Watch the Norwegian band avoiding Israeli media:
The odd conduct of Norway continued with the politicization of the judges’ scoring. After revealing the full final results of Eurovision 2024, in which the Norwegian judges gave Israel 8 points, it became apparent that the decision was not unanimous. One judge, Daniel Johansen Elmrhari, decided to rank Israel 23rd out of 25 in the final. While one might argue that the decision to place Israel so low was based on professional judgments, the same judge, Daniel Johansen Elmrhari, decided to post a video on Instagram calling “Free Palestine” and stated:
“I was not involved in the distribution of points to Israel. The European Broadcasting Union instructed us not to attribute importance to the gender, religion, nationality, and political opinion of the artist and not to rank the songs for any other reason. However, I could not ignore what is happening in the Palestinian Authority; it breaks my heart, and I could not support Israel’s actions. Israel should not have been allowed to participate this year. I apologize on behalf of the Norwegian judges for awarding points to Israel. All my heart and support are with the Palestinian Authority.”
That year’s head of the Norwegian delegation, Stig Karlsen, responded to Elmrhari’s video, stating that it violated competition rules:
“We want to emphasize that the judges are supposed to evaluate the performance, the song, and the artist, without being influenced by political or non-musical interests in general. Daniel’s statement appears to be a breach of the rules. Information about the case was sent yesterday from NRK to the European Broadcasting Union for investigation.”
Eurovision 2024 ended in a dismal achievement for Norway – last place in the final. Following Eurovision, there was significant criticism of the Norwegian delegation, leading to many structural changes within the Norwegian national broadcaster, including the replacement of the head of the Norwegian delegation, Stig Karlsen, who had enabled the Norwegian boycott of Israel, as well as major changes in the format of this year’s Norwegian “Melodi Grand Prix 2025”.
Norway in Eurovision 2024
Gåte represented Norway at Eurovision 2024 with the song “Ulveham”. The band won the Norwigian national finals “MGP”. Norway advanced to the Eurovision final after placing tenth in the second semi-final with 43 points. In the grand final, Norway finished in 25th and last place with 16 points. This marks the first time since Eurovision 2012 that Norway has finished last, and the twelfth time overall since joining the competition.
Source: wiwibloggs.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Norway’s 63rd participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Norway joined the competition in 1960 and has won it three times. Norway’s most recent victory was in 2009 with the song “Fairytale,” performed by Alexander Rybak.
