Norway’s favourite folk: The legend of Gåte

Before getting their ticket to Malmö, Gåte had another contest to conquer. They took their song Ulveham to Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix, and competed against 17 other artists. They left victorious, with top marks from the televote, and a place at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Alexander Rybak once charmed Europe with his song Fairytale, winning Norway’s 3rd (and most recent) Eurovision crown in 2009. Gåte might be hoping to recapture that magic, because their song Ulveham is a folklore-inspired rock hit, full of evil stepmothers, beautiful maidens, and creepy woods.

Once upon a time, in 1999, Norwegian folk-rock band Gåte formed. Before long, they’d gathered a strong following and released 5 albums. Then, after a 12-year break, they brought their music back to the world in 2017. They’ve kept on building their legendary status ever since, and the only way is Eurovision.

Gunnhild Sundli is the voice behind Gåte, with Magnus Børmark on guitar, Jon Even Schärer on drums, Mats Paulsen on bass, and John Stenersen on key harp.

Gunnhild has a fondness for really smelly cheeses. She particularly loves Gamle Ole, which is a Danish cheese matured for a very long time. When it comes to Swedish cheese, she’s a big fan of Prästost, so she’ll probably be keeping a cracker or two at the ready in Malmö.

Gåte have performed hundreds of concerts, but for Gunnhild, one musical moment really stands out. She says singing for Nelson Mandela when he visited Oslo was very special.

When it comes to Eurovision heroes, there are a few strong contenders Gunnhild could pick from Norway. But she says it’s got to be Bettan, otherwise known as Elisabeth Andreassen. Bettan performed alongside Hanne Krogh in the 1985 Contest as Bobbysocks, and won for Norway with their song La Det Swinge. In total, she’s competed in Eurovision 4 times, both for Sweden and Norway. That’s a true Eurovision legend.

Gåte’s playlist of favourite tunes is full of Nordic rock and traditional influences. Some of their favourite songs include Norwegian rock band Seigman’s Ohm and Swedish folk rock band Garmarna’s Vedergällningen. As you’d expect, they listen to music where folk and rock mix, with stirring, eerie melodies.

Gunnhild has a lot of happy childhood memories from Sweden when she went camping in Rättvik. That probably wasn’t the inspiration behind the stories of wolves and going into the woods alone in Ulveham, but it’s perhaps for the best that Gåte stay in a hotel, just in case.

Look out for Gåte on upcoming episodes of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about Gåte from Norway right here.