NORWAY

The Norwegian Final was held on March 11th at the Spektrum in Oslo, hosted by Line Elvsåshagen & Kåre Magnus Bergh. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round the top 4 were chosen by televoting (50%) & 10 international juries (50%). In the second round the winner was chosen solely by televoting. Going to Kyiv will be JOWST ft. Aleksander Walmann with the song “Grab the moment”.

The performance is pretty static although the members on stage are spaced out around the stage behind black  plinths which gives scope of different camera angles and view. The background is mostly pinky/purply blocks of colour although there is also the use of similarly coloured interference on the screen which at first makes you think something is wrong. Aleksander is in a long white shirt and large black hat, whilst the band in is dressed in black with LED covered masks on. It is certainly a very mysterious and stylistically bold set up.

The verses of the song have an almost reggae feel whilst the tune is monotone and repetitive and has an alost country swagger about it. The upside of this is that it shows of Aleksander’s diction and gets you straight into the story of the song. The chorus is also very repetitive having the same 2 lines repeated. After this there is a sizeable instrumental before going back into the chorus. Here, there are mechanised samples of the chorus that are repeated at different speeds and pitches. Now obviously, this cannot be allowed at Eurovision unless replicated live – is this even possible? The most interesting part is the bridge around the 2:10 mark when the backing goes a bit swirly but Aleksander sings on regardless.

This is not a bad song but the issue here is it not instant. On first listen this is pretty forgettable but it is only after 3 or 4 repeats that the structure becomes more predictable and at Eurovision you don't have that luxury. Although this song has been chosen to go to Eurovision, it doesn't scream ESC which possibly makes it more credible but less like what you expect in the show, The visuals of the act are pretty strong, even though Aleksander would do with looking a little smarter, and are memorable enough within the confines of the semi. What’s more, Alexander has such a good voice and barely puts a note wrong during any of the performances he did during the show. On the basis that this is a slow burner, this will either not qualify or just qualify but do better in the final.

ARTIST - JOWST ft. Aleksander Walmann

SONG - Grab the moment

MUSIC - Joakim With Steen, Jonas McDonnell

LYRICS - Joakim With Steen, Jonas McDonnell