Who will be KEiiNO's successor?

The change in host city stands out as this will only be the third time in 6 decades that the final is held outside of Oslo.

"We are excited to take the national final to Trondheim next year. We hope the people of Trondheim are ready to create a massive celebration for everyone, near the middle of our sprawling country," says head of MGP, Stig Karlsen.

But moving the national final is far from the only change next year. Several steps are being taken to create an extra special celebration of the music competition:

• There will be 5 semi-finals before the national final, one for each region in Norway (North, Middle, West, South and East).
• The semi-finals will include 4 local artists from that specific region.
• 5 artists have pre-qualified for the grand final. They are chosen by a jury, led by Stig Karlsen. These artists will each perform their song in one semi-final.
• There will be no European jury votes.

Important dates

• 14 November: ticket sales open.
• December: hosts will be announced.
• 3 January: the 5 pre-qualified artists will be presented at a press conference in Oslo. The regional artists will be revealed over the next 5 weeks, starting with the artists from the South on 6 January.
• 11 January: semi-final for Southern Norway.
• 18 January: semi-final for Eastern Norway.
• 25 January: semi-final for Central Norway.
• 1 February: semi-final for Western Norway.
• 8 February: semi-final for Northern Norway.
• 15 February: grand final in Trondheim.

Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest

In 2019, Norway was represented by KEiiNO, a band that mixes electronic pop with Nordic folk melodies and joik, the traditional form of song of the Sami people. The trio was formed in 2018 by award-winning platinum singer and songwriter Tom Hugo, Sami rapper/joiker Fred Buljo and singer Alexandra Rotan. In Tel Aviv, they performed Spirit In The Sky, where they placed 6th in the Grand Final.

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