Norway’s national broadcaster NRK has revealed eight of the nine entries for Melodi Grand Prix 2026. The final song will be chosen via online voting and revealed tomorrow morning.
Norway’s national broadcaster NRK, which oversees the national selection Melodi Grand Prix 2026, has just revealed eight of the nine songs set to compete in Norway’s Eurovision selection, scheduled to take place on February 28th. Voting for the final wildcard spot opened this morning and will close tomorrow at 10:00 CET. The final duel features Raylee with the song “Where Did Your Friend Go?” versus Skrellex with the song “Into the Wild”. The song that receives the most online votes will secure the ninth and final place in Melodi Grand Prix 2026.
How Will the Final Competitor Be Chosen? Everyone — not just Norwegian citizens — can vote for their favorite artists and songs. This year, NRK is introducing an exciting new concept. The eight artists have been divided into duels. Each day, a new duel opens for voting for exactly 24 hours, from 09:00 to 09:00 CET. The four winners from the first round will face each other again in a second round of duels using the same format. The final duel will take place next Monday, January 26th, when the winner will be announced and will receive the final ticket to the “Melodi Grand Prix” grand final.
List of Competing Artists and Songs
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Alexander Rybak – “Rise“
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Emma Gunnarsen – “Northern Lights”
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Hedda Mae – “Snap Back”
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Jonas Lovv – “Yayaya”
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Leonardo Amor – “Prayer”
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Mileo – “Frankenstein”
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Silke – “Forevermore”
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Storm – “Lullaby”
Notable Returning Stars and Rising Talents
Alexander Rybak – The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with his iconic song “Fairytale“, notably set a historical record at the time with 387 points. In 2018, Rybak returned to “Melodi Grand Prix” and won for a second time with the entry “That’s How You Write a Song“. At the main contest in Lisbon, he won the second semi-final but ultimately finished 15th in the Grand Final.- Emma – The younger sister of the famous twin duo Marcus & Martinus, who began their journey in 2012 by winning the Junior Melodi Grand Prix. After securing second place in the Swedish national selection in 2023 with the song “Air“, they were chosen to represent Sweden in Eurovision 2024 with “Unforgettable“, which achieved a top-ten finish in the Grand Final.
- Mileo – A prominent fan favorite during “Melodi Grand Prix 2024” national selection with the song “You’re Mine“, though he did not qualify to the final that year.
- Leonardo Amor – Participated last year in the “San Marino Song Contest” with the song “Calling For You“, where he reached the second chance round but failed to qualify for the final.
- Raylee is considered one of the most popular Norwegian artists among Eurovision fans. She previously reached the final of the Norwegian national selection in 2020 with the song “Wild” and again in 2021 with “Hero”.
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Skrellex competed in the Norwegian national selection in 2023 with the song “Love Again”, finishing in seventh place.
What should you know about “Melodi Grand Prix”?
As mentioned, today eight out of the nine names of the contestants in the competition were announced. On January 26th, the final contestant will be revealed, and the songs will be released for listening.
The final of “Melodi Grand Prix 2026”, will take place on February 28th at Håkons Hall in Lillehammer – the large arena that hosted the Winter Olympics in 1994. The move from Oslo is intended to bring new energy to the competition, create a more enjoyable and impressive experience, and provide both artists and the audience with a grand and welcoming event. According to NRK, Håkons Hall allows for ambitious technical infrastructure and can host thousands of spectators, providing an opportunity to renew and enhance the production of the contest. Toward the end of February, Lillehammer is expected to become a lively hub of events surrounding MGP 2026 and to serve as a focal point of Norway’s music scene.
Mads Tørklep, “Melodi Grand Prix 2026” director, shared his excitement and high expectations ahead of the national final:
“I think this might be the best MGP in history. I am convinced that we can truly win Eurovision with the songs submitted during the submission window”.
In addition, Tørklep revealed that no fewer than 1,500 songs were submitted to MGP 2026—a significant increase from last year. Last year, 1,193 songs were submitted to “Melodi Grand Prix 2025”, meaning 307 more songs were submitted this year than last year!
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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Neta Geffen is a respected journalist at Euromix, Israel’s leading news site for Eurovision coverage. Since 2010, Neta has been closely following the Eurovision Song Contest, bringing with him extensive experience, profound knowledge, and a broad understanding of the history, politics, and cultural influences that shape the event every year.
Neta publishes articles, analyses, and up-to-date reviews on all Eurovision developments, including musical trends, format changes, political influences, and audience reactions across Europe and Israel. Thanks to a deep connection to the contest’s history, Neta provides readers with wide-ranging context—from the impact of political events on results, to in-depth analyses of songs and languages within the competition. Neta specializes particularly in the Eurovision rock genre, Balkan ballads, and native language entries, with a special focus on Italian and Greek songs.
