NORWAY 2025

The Norwegian entry was chosen on February 15th  via "Melodi Grand Prix 2025". A winner was chosen by a 60/40 mix of televoting and international jury. Going to Basel is Kyle Alessandro with the song "Lighter".

Kyle Alessandro Helgesen Villalobos is from Steinkje and has a Norwegian mother and Spanish father. When he was 10, Kyle was part of the show "Norske Talenter" where he sang Beyoncé 's "Halo". This publicity gave him the chance to tour around Norway and gain experience in front of big crowds and learn from other artists. He has performed at the Fredrikstad Cup (a famous handball tournament) and on the famous TV programme "Allsang på Grensen". His early musical influences and inspirations were his Nordic and Hispanic background, and many of his early tracks were in Spanish or Norwegian.

The song starts quickly into the first verse which is followed by a pre-chorus and chorus. This is repeated again and at this point, around two minutes in, there is a brief dance break. The following bridge is slower with barely any backing music but this is used as a springboard as it then ramps up to a crescendo with a final chorus. The backdrop shows a rumbling volcanic scene which slowly becomes more moody and volatile. During the final minute fire shoots up around the stage and the stage is edged with fire. Kyle is joined by 4 male dancers, They are all dressed in black (almost like body guards) with padded waistcoats, bandanas and gauntlets. Kyle is dressed similarly with a modern take on armoury with breast plates, shoulder pads, chain mail and big boots. The almost non-stop choreography is precise and sharp. The five of them have to be in unison as their outfits create a silhouette against the auburn background and any mistakes would be easily highlighted.

On first listen, I found it quite hard to work out what was going on. Trying to figure out how the song fits with the staging and the outfits was a bit of a puzzle - one I still haven't worked out. The song lyrics put me in mind of last year's Luxembourg entry but comparing this to that is not exactly the greatest of comparisons. I hoped the song might contain brassy sounds or feel a little more tribal or medieval - based on what I expected from the visual -  but it doesn't materialise. Kyle's vocal is a little unclear; lyrics can be very fast and I could barely hear or catch up with what he was saying. Personally I felt that the last minute really showed off Kyle's technique and the lack of bombast in the backing track gave you a chance to hear his tone properly. I also think the staging is great and the togetherness between the dancers is very sharp and should be commended. It is just a shame that this staging has been used for this song. The lack of cohesion between what you hear and see makes concentrating on what he is saying - and the feeling he conveys - quite difficult. I don't particularly think this is a bad song and neither do I think that Kyle is a bad singer. Ultimately, there is a mismatch on stage which has created a disconnect, and this show - as is - doesn't inspire enough confidence to make me think this will do well.

ARTIST - Kyle Alessandro

SONG - Lighter

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Kyle Alessandro, Adam Woods