Norway 2025: Your guide to 'Melodi Grand Prix'

How To Watch

You'll be able to watch Norway choose its song for Basel 2025 on Saturday 15 February. 'Melodi Grand Prix' starts at 19:50 CET and viewers can tune in via broadcaster NRK's online player. 

About Melodi Grand Prix

9 songs will compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2025, with the winner becoming Norway's next Eurovision entry.

This year, Melodi Grand Prix returns to the Oslo Spektrum. The capital city's arena has hosted MGP several times in the past, and was also the venue used to host the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1996, one year after Secret Garden took the Contest back to Norway following their Dublin 1995 win with Nocturne.

We'll have three presenters taking us through the evening of Eurovision-themed entertainment.

Marte Stokstad returns as a host after fronting the national final in 2012, while Markus Neby will present following a support stint during the live shows of Melodi Grand Prix 2024. Presenter Tete Lidbom completes the trio, joining the ranks of the Norwegian pre-selection for the first time.

Broadcaster NRK has invited along an extra-special interval act for Melodi Grand Prix. Norwegian twins Marcus & Martinus - who represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in May after winning Melodifestivalen 2024 - will return home to perform for the Norwegian audience on Saturday night.

The duo will be doing their thing while the all-important scores are being counted and calculated. Voting on the night will be done via a public vote, which will account for 60% of the final score, and also an international jury vote, which will make up the remaining 40%.

The winning song will go on to represent Norway at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.

The Participants

Here, you can listen to the 9 songs that are in contention to win that ticket to Basel, and also read more about the 9 acts that you'll be seeing perform them on Saturday night:

Tone Damli – Last Song

Tone Damli first became known as a teenager through her success in Idol 2005. Now, 20 years later, the beloved artist is once again on stage at the Oslo Spektrum. This will be the third time Tone has made her mark on Melodi Grand Prix. In 2009, she finished in 2nd place with Butterflies, a song that still holds a special place in many music fans' hearts.

Tone has had a long and varied career as an artist, both on stage and through a number of TV appearances. She has participated in popular programmes such as Hver Gang Vi Møtes, Stjernekamp and Kompani Lauritzen. Recently, we saw her make it all the way to the finals of Maskorama as Gladfisken.

When Tone now returns to the Melodi Grand Prix stage with Last Song, she shows a new side of herself as an artist, with a song full of positive energy.

Sondrey – Vagabond

Sondrey is an up-and-coming Norwegian artist who has made a name for himself with his unique blend of R&B, Afrobeats and catchy melodies. With a passion for creating music that unites emotions and rhythms, Sondrey delivers a sound that is both touching and moving.

Raised in Øyer in the Gudbrandsdalen valley, and with roots that reflect a global musical heritage, Sondrey has developed a sound that combines Scandinavian elegance with warm African rhythms. Many will recognise him from last year’s Farmen Kjendis 2024, where he won under his full name, Sondre Mulongo Nystrøm.

Sondrey has also participated in MGP 2020, Stjernekamp and the production Bonnie & Clyde which was on tour with the National Theatre. Now Sondrey is ready to show off what he has been working on in the studio.

Nora Jabri – Sulale

Nora Jabri (28) from Gjøvik, first known by her full name Nora Foss A-Jabri, can look back over a rich career, despite her young age.

In 2008, she had her breakthrough at the age of 12 with a third-place place in Norske Talenter. The following year, she was invited to the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the 'world's most talented kids'. In 2012, she finished in second place at Melodi Grand Prix with the song Somewhere Beautiful. And in 2014, Nora Jabri went all the way to victory in Stjernekamp.

Nora has lived in the USA for several years, where she completed a bachelor's degree in music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Now she is back home and ready for new challenges. Nora Jabri's family background consists of a good mix of Norwegian and Arabic, which is also reflected in her music. The song Sulale is inspired by her Arab father, and the lyrics are a dialogue between father and daughter. Sulale means 'bloodline' and is a declaration of love for the Arab culture she grew up with.

Wig Wam – Human Fire

Wig Wam was introduced to the MGP audience for the first time in 2004 with Crazy Things, which finished in 3rd place. The following year they went all the way to victory with In My Dreams. It became a monster hit, and the band achieved a solid 9th place at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv 2005.

All of Norway's glam rockers are thus celebrating the 20th anniversary of their big breakthrough.

Wig Wam have also had great success outside of Norway and have toured with both Alice Cooper and Gothard. They managed to release five studio albums and a live album from Tokyo, before the group disbanded in 2013.

In 2021, Wig Wam made a comeback with the album Never Say Die. And the following year they had their very first hit in the US with the song Do Ya Wanna Taste It. It also became the theme song for the HBO series Peacemaker, and has more than 40 million streams on Spotify.

The song they will be competing with now, Human Fire, was written and produced by the band themselves. The song is a tribute to everyone who dares to stand up for who they really are.

LLL – Parasite

Girl power is back! In a world full of boybands, LLL is ready for the girls to reclaim the pop throne with their powerful and catchy new sound. Their MGP entry Parasite is a pop anthem about 'the devil on your back', and the struggle of being your own worst enemy while chasing your dreams.

Sofia-Augusta Thoresen, Rebecca Pleym and Elisabet Drøsdal grew up with strong pop icons like the Spice Girls, Destiny's Child and Britney Spears. These were the driving force behind their dreams of making music and made them believe in the magic of pop. They want to bring that same power back to the world and be a relatable voice for a new generation.

Over the past year, LLL have been working hard to create their debut album together with a team of established songwriters, producers and creative souls. Now they are ready to take the MGP stage by storm and start their journey towards becoming superstars and Europe's next iconic girl group. Sofia was born and raised in Oslo. Rebecca was born in Kirkenes, but grew up in Kristiansand. Elli was born and raised in Grimstad.

Kyle Alessandro – Lighter

18-year-old Kyle Alessandro is back in Melodi Grand Prix, this time as a solo artist. In 2023, he participated with the song Geronimo together with the group Umami Tsunami.

The young artist and music producer from Steinkjer in Trøndelag has been involved in music since he was little. As young as 10 years old, he impressed viewers in the TV 2 programme Norske Talenter. Kyle Alessandro draws inspiration from a wide range of musical genres and cultures - from South America and Japan to Norwegian folk music, as well as instruments such as the langeleik and fiddle.

Kyle Alessandro has written and produced Lighter largely on his own, with help from artist, songwriter and producer Adam Woods. The song is inspired by Kyle Alessandro's mother, who has recently fought her way through cancer treatment and is now healthy. With the lyrics "I'll be my own lighter", Kyle expresses a mantra for finding hope and light, even in tough times in life.

Nataleen – The Game

Nataleen (Madeleine Nataleen Tverberg) from Sandefjord has had a passion for show and dance since early childhood. Music has played a big role in her life since she was 7 years old, with singing lessons, school performances and later studies in performing popular music at Westerdals in Oslo.

In 2022, she participated in The Voice and impressed judges and viewers with her strong voice, which took her all the way to the semi-finals. The experience gave her a taste for an artist career, and since then she has dedicated her time to writing songs and establishing musical collaborations.

She wrote the song The Game together with, among others, the Starlab duo Stanley Ferdinandez and Henning Olerud, known for Alessandras immensely popular song at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Queen of Kings.

Ladybug – Hot as Hell in Paradise

Ladybug (Iris Severine Mikalsen) is a singer and songwriter from the Helgeland coast, more specifically the beautiful island of Lovund.

She is not one of those who can say that "she sang before she could walk", but rather had to explore, fail and change course several times before she realised that music is her great passion.

In recent years, Ladybug has worked intensively as an artist, singer and songwriter, and has garnered recognition for her unique ability to write and convey lyrics. She draws inspiration from people's thoughts and feelings and likes to delve into the unspoken.

Ladybug has previously worked behind the bar at Oslo Spektrum, but now she is looking forward to taking to the stage with the song Hot as Hell in Paradise. The song explores themes such as forbidden love and irresistible desire. It's about putting aside other people's prejudices to follow your own instincts and see with your own eyes who the person in front of you really is.

Bobbysocks – Joyful

This year marks 40 years since Bobbysocks took home Norway's very first Eurovision Song Contest win with La Det Swinge. Both Hanne Krogh and Elisabeth Andreassen have participated in MGP several times as solo artists since, but a new participation for Bobbysocks was never in their minds...

The plan was to start this year's 40th anniversary celebration on the victory's birthday itself, on May 4, with an anniversary concert in Chateau Neuf, and then a Swinging Tour around the country in October. But that was before the song Joyful appeared.

Elisabeth woke up one night with a melody line pounding around in her head. It was the beginning of the song she composed, and for which Hanne then wrote the lyrics. In a time when the world is trembling, Joyful encourages us to embrace joy; to gain strength and power to face any seriousness when it comes.

The new song gave them the desire to start the entire anniversary celebration together with their friends in the MGP universe; in gratitude to the competition that has given them so much joy and fun.

The winner of Melodi Grand Prix 2024 was the song Ulveham, performed by Gåte.

At the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Ulveham qualified to the Grand Final. It meant that the Nordic nation has now participated in the Grand Final 17 times in the 20 Contests that have taken place since the Semi-Finals were introduced in 2004. 

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