Attempting to atone for a mistake? An exclusive reaction to the controversial statement by contestants in the Norwegian pre-Eurovision contest, “Melodi Grand Prix 2025,” aspiring to represent Norway in Eurovision 2025. Details in the article!
The duo Bobbysocks, Eurovision 1985 winners, find themselves in the international spotlight after it was revealed that they would compete in the Norwegian pre-Eurovision contest, “Melodi Grand Prix 2025.” The duo, who won many hearts with the hit “La det swinge,” seek to recreate their success from four decades ago. However, the attention seems to extend beyond the music. During an interview with Wiwiblogs, questions arose regarding a controversial statement by Hanne Krogh, who chose to speak about the meaning of joy in a debatable manner, despite the new mandatory code of conduct that prohibit political statements by participants.
In the course of the interview, while explaining about their new song that will accompany their performance in the “Melodi Grand Prix 2025,” Krogh spoke about the meaning of joy: “When we saw the screen from Gaza yesterday (after the signing of the hostage return agreement between Israel and Hamas), and the happy people there, I said that joy, that’s the word of the moment. That’s the right word.” This statement prompted a quick response from Elisabeth Andreassen, who tried to steer the conversation back to the musical aspect: “When I thought about the melody, I wanted it to have the spirit of Bobbysocks. And I wanted the audience to recognize us as we were. The joy and the celebration and this jubilee party.”
Following the debate that arose around the interview, we sought the duo’s response. In an official statement sent to EuroMix, the singers clarified their stance:
“What happened on October 7th made us all cry. What happened afterwards in Gaza — to other innocent people — also made us cry. I feel joyful because this gives hope for you all — in both Israel and Palestine. That someday all the people will be safe — and get their hopes back. Hatred can never bring peace.”
Meanwhile, amidst the heated discussion on social media about the interview, the interview video was removed from the official Wiwiblogs YouTube page. Whether this was a step initiated by the duo or a decision by the editors remains unclear. It might have been intended to avoid deepening the controversy. However, the question remains open: Can singers express their opinions on charged topics without sparking public outrage?
It appears that Bobbysocks are more cautious than ever, especially in light of the new competition rules. It seems that the duo, always known for their sincere approach, decided to align with the new regulations and will maintain a focus on the musical message alone, for now.
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.
