Last night ten Norwegian participants were on stage, but it was the Norwegian-Italian Alessandra who came away with the victory and secured the golden ticket to the international final, the Eurovision Song Contest. Ole Tøpholm is a Danish journalist, radio host and Melodi Grand Prix expert. He has, among other things, been Danmarks Radio’s commentator at the Eurovision Song Contest. – Alessandra is a strong choice from Norway, with a song that will probably make it to the final due to a lot of energy, a good melody and an element of oriental atmosphere, he says. – It is a modern production, adds the Dane. Photo: Celina Øier / Celina Øier – Now Norway is betting He goes on to point out that Norway could have chosen the traditional Norwegian path with Ulrikke Brandstorp, who sings beautifully and delivers the goods. The Dane thinks Ulrikke could also have done well, but: – It would have been “classic Norway”. – Now Norway is investing. How far it can go in the Eurovision final will be exciting to see, says Tøpholm. Had more faith in Jone Svenske Torbjörn Ek, who is a journalist and MGP expert for Aftonbladet, also watched the Norwegian final. Before the final, he was quite disapproving of Ulrikke’s song, which he thought was boring, and described it as a “generic Eurovision song that you’ve heard a hundred times before”. He thought Alessandra was the safest card to send to Eurovision, and it would turn out that the Norwegian people listened to him. – Norway made a “safe” choice, he underlines. I think it would have been braver to voice the biggest hit in Norway, Jones’ “Ekko inni meg”. – I think it could have made a big impression on Eurovision, as songs in the mother tongue have been very successful in recent years. Torbjörn Ek thinks Alessandra can get a lot of public votes. Photo: Tiril Mettesdatter Solvang / news Can reach the top five He doesn’t think Norway has made the wrong choice. According to Ek, Alessandra is guaranteed to make it to the final. – She can even be in the running for a top spot, at least when it comes to the public votes. – Alessandra should also have a great chance of making the top five, says Ek and reminds us that it will improve Subwoolfer’s position from last year, who came in 10th place, says the Swede. Ek believes that the strong chorus and the simple feminist message will attract a wide audience, especially younger and conscious women who will vote for Alessandra. Alessandra’s performance during the final of Melodi Grand Prix. Weaknesses and accusations of plagiarism When it comes to weaknesses, he points to the risk that the song has become a talking point too soon. – In this world, things can sometimes go very quickly, and what gets a lot of attention in February can seem like old news in May, when it’s time for Eurovision, says Ek. Evil tongues would have it that Alessandra’s “Queen of Kings” reminds a little too much of Klara Hammarström and “Run To The Hills”, which came in 6th place in the Swedish Melodifestivalen last year. Dane Ole Tøpholm completely disagrees with that: – Newly written pop music often reminds of something else. It is only in Melodi Grand Prix that there is a debate out of it. – It is the same style, yes, but there is nothing that in any way exceeds the rules for plagiarism. It’s a nice song, concludes Tøpholm.
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This is what our neighboring countries think about Alessandra Mele’s Eurovision contribution – news Culture and entertainment
