The violinist who took Eurovision by storm is back? The Norwegian Eurovision winner has sparked a wave of rumors following an Instagram post shared just ahead of the reveal of the participants in the national selection for Eurovision 2026.
Former Eurovision winner Alexander Rybak shared a New Year’s post on his Instagram account, mentioning a date that led European fans to suspect that the artist, who has represented Norway twice and won Eurovision 2009 by a landslide, is planning a return to the competition, set to take place in Vienna, Austria.
In the post, Rybak wrote that he is celebrating the New Year with a new album set to be released, added the words “Get ready for 2026,” and mentioned the date January 19.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
Fans were quick to connect the dots and discovered that the date coincides with the announcement of the contestants for the Norwegian national selection, Melodi Grand Prix 2026, commonly known as MGP 2026 – sparking a storm across social media.
The Broadcaster’s Response
The rumors surrounding Rybak’s potential return reached the competition’s organizers. “We do not comment on rumors about artists before the launch, but it is quite clear that rumors are already circulating,” said Tajrei Strom, the musical director of Melodi Grand Prix. He added: “We have a wonderful mix of artists that we’ve been working with for many months, and we are very proud of it. People are more than welcome to keep speculating and to start getting genuinely excited.”
The Schedule
On January 19, Norwegian broadcaster NRK will reveal the first nine artists competing in the Norwegian national selection.
On January 26, the competing songs will be released.
On February 28, the grand final will take place at Håkons Hall in Lillehammer – the large venue that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics.
The winner of MGP 2026 will represent Norway on the big stage in Vienna. Fans have high expectations for the Norwegian selection, and it now seems that they are preparing one of the most ambitious and high-quality national finals we’ve seen yet.
What should you know about “Melodi Grand Prix”?
“Melodi Grand Prix” is Norway’s long-running national selection for Eurovision, which has taken place every year since 1960. Since the early 2000s, the format has undergone significant changes – with preliminary rounds, semi-finals, public voting, and live broadcasts from advanced studios.
In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on stylistic diversity and representing various regions of Norway, while NRK has still maintained a high level of control over the choice of participants. Although the public has a significant influence on the outcome, there are ongoing discussions about how much the voting reflects the taste of Europe, or just local Norwegian preferences.
Norway at Eurovision 2025
“Lighter” was the song performed by Kyle Alessandro, who represented Norway in the Eurovision 2025 grand final. Norway finished in 18th place overall with 89 points – 67 points from the audience and 22 points from the juries. In the televote, Norway ranked 12th, while in the jury vote, it reached 23rd place.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Norway’s 64th participation in Eurovision. Norway joined the competition in 1960 and has won three times over the years. Their last win was in Eurovision 2009 with the song “Fairytale” performed by Alexander Rybak.
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