Preview: Norway in Eurovision 2015

In this new rubric at ESC Daily, we will take a look at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. What can we expect from each participating country? In today’s preview we will feature the plans in Norway.

What do we know so far:

The submission deadline for Melodi Grand Prix 2015 came and went, and mid-September Norwegian broadcaster NRK announced that over 800 songs were submitted, an increase of over 30% compared to last year. The date of the liveshows has yet to be announced, as well as the venue(s).

Possible names:

Very little is known of possible (familiar) names from the Norwegian music industry participating in this year’s MGP. However, NRK did announce that there was a great diversity in geography with regards to the song submissions, and that the 800 submitted included songs from British and Swedish authors. Therefore, we might expect a very international sound at MGP this year.

Chances at Eurovision:

Norway has had a stormy record at Eurovision, not only accounting for 11th last place finishes, but also 4 ‘nul points’ throughout the history of the contest. Over the more recent years, they have been shifting back and forth between the top 10 and a place in the lower halves of the semi-finals. However, the results Margaret Berger and Carl Espen brought home in 2013 and 2014 (4th and 8th places) should leave Norwegians hopeful for their future, and confident that their many last places definitely belong to the history books.