Norway: Aussievision's Melodi Grand Prix 2024 rankings

The Melodi Grand Prix 2024 participants. Image Source: Julia Marie Naglestad / NRK

This weekend sees the first semi final of Norway's Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), where the nation will decide its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

In a change from previous years, host broadcaster NRK has released all 18 participating songs ahead of the competition rather than during the week in which they will be performed.

The show will be hosted by Marion Ravn and Fredrik Solvang and run for four weeks. Three semi finals featuring six songs each will take place at NRK's ​​studios at Marienlyst. The top three songs from each will progress through to the Grand Final to be held on Saturday 3 February  in Trondheim Spektrum.

Aussievision team rankings

Ahead of the event, 16 members of the Aussievision team ranked the 18 entries to decide our winner and here are our Top 10!

10. Super Rob & Erika Norwich - 'My AI' (40 points)

High: 8 points from Steven

Low: 0 points from Kyriakos, Jasyn, Mike, Hayley, Kiel, Craig and Fleur

9. GOTHMINISTER - 'We Come Alive' (47 points)

High: 10 points from Steven, 8 points from Fleur

Low: 0 points from John Christian, Emma, Josh, Mike, Hayley, Kiel and Cooper

"I’m a sucker for monster electro-rock; the freakier and creepier the better, I say! Crank up the kitsch factor to 11 in the live (whilst delivering good vocals), and I could well be totally won over." ~ Steven

8. Vidar Villa - 'Mer' (49 points)

High: 8 points from Sam

Low: 0 points from Steven, Kiel, Hugo and Cooper

7. Farida - 'Heartache' (60 points)

High: 12 points from Sam, 10 points from Dale, 8 points from John Christian and Mike

Low: 0 points from Kyriakos, Jasyn, Emma, Steve, Mark and Fleur

"I love the tropical feel of this song, would be a nice change up for Norway!" ~ Sam

"Oh this is so goood! It sounds like Farida doing Lady Gaga doing ABBA early 2010s with an underlying clapping rhythm to drive the song along. Great pop with a dark edge. Love it." ~ Dale

6. Ingrid Jasmin - 'Eya' (62 points)

High: 10 points from Hayley and Fleur, 8 points from Kyriakos & Emma

Low: 0 points from John Christian, Dale, Kiel, Hugo, Mark and Cooper

"I think what I like most about this song is that it is not in English - it has an air of mystery about it - what is she singing about? It's quite dreamy and lovely, (maybe also a bit dated) but this would be a change in direction for Norway!" ~ Hayley

"I really like the ethnic beats of this song. It's probably one of the lesser favourites to win but it sounds very different to the rest of the pop songs in this line up. So to me this stands out. It was the song that I remembered most from my first listen." ~ Fleur

5. Gåte - 'Ulveham' (65 points)

High: 12 points from Steven and Fleur, 8 points from Mark and Craig

Low: 0 points from Kyriakos, Emma, Dale, Mike, Cooper and Sam

"Wow! This entry is like nothing I’ve heard before, but its blend of genres and unique sound really work for me. It certainly stands out from the crowd, and I love that it’s not in English." ~ Steven

"I just love this. The vocals, the melody, the drama. It's all there in one neat little package. I'm all for something different at Eurovision. Nothing sounds remotely like this. Please send it." ~ Fleur

4. Margaret Berger - 'Oblivion' (86 points)

Highs: 12 points from Josh, Mike and Hayley, 10 points from John Christian and Cooper

Low: 0 points from Jasyn, Steven and Mark

"Of course, she is well-known across the fandom, but you'll never know what kind of magic she will pull off. Maybe her song is on par with her 2013 entry, so I wouldn't be so mad if she will represent Norway again." ~ John Christian

"Brooding, chill and a slow burn! With great staging Margaret could again place highly at Eurovision like she did back in the day with her fan fave 'I Feed You My Love'. This doesn’t reach the heights of her original entry but it’s up there. For a Eurovision returnee comparison, her second attempt here is better than Alexander Rybak’s one or Loreen’s 'Statements'. This may need a slight revamp for a higher climax point towards the end but other than that it’s a great contender!" ~ Josh

"This grabbed my attention immediately and never let go. The deep-synth production on this track really works. It sounds modern, yet timeless. However, I wish there was more of a pay off with the chorus, but overall this all works. Plenty of opportunities to elevate with staging and vocal moments." ~ Mike

"Look a total disclaimer here - Margaret Berger's 2013 Eurovision masterpiece is consistently in my ESC250 top five, so yes I am a little biased. What I love about this song is the backing track - it just gets me and makes me feel something. Let's not forget - she is a very compelling performer! Also... this song really reminds me of Röyksopp's song 'Monument' - also from Norway." ~ Hayley

"I originally didn’t have this in my top ten from first listen but after a few more plays it’s shot right up. Whilst I’m worried about the immediacy of this song at Eurovision, I can’t deny it isn’t such a great dark-pop track that the nordics know how to do." ~ Cooper

3. Mileo - 'You're Mine' (99 points)

Highs: 12 points from Emma, 10 points from Josh, Hugo and Sam

Low: 0 points from John Christian, Hayley and Kiel

"The musical structure of 'You're Mine' is the most interesting of the Norwegian line up this year. It begins with a brooding strings backed chorus which turns in to upbeat pop verses with dramatic spoken word interspersed throughout. I was hooked from beginning to end and I can't wait to see what he brings to the live performance...plus he's half Australian!" ~ Emma

"I don’t know why this sounds faintly like a classical song in some points but it does. This is a relentless catchy bop that keeps the listeners attention. With a striking live performance, this could be an unexpected winner in MGP. This could be the next newbie underdog winner like we had last year vs a huge fan fave veteran performer." ~ Josh

"I hear so much Melfest in this and I love it. It’s polished pop but funky as well. I hope Mileo can bring a good stage show to this and give it the energy it needs. Melodic as anything, I love the pre-chorus and build!" ~ Hugo

"For some reason the melody and get-up of Mileo reminds me of Poland’s Jann and his national final song ‘Gladiator’ from last year. However, I always like a good dark, slightly edgy pop-song. This could do well for Norway." ~ Sam

2. KEiiNO - 'Damdiggida' (101 points)

Highs: 12 points from John Christian, Jasyn, Dale and Cooper, 10 points from Emma and Craig, 8 points from Hugo

Low: 0 points from Steven and Mark

"KEiiNO clearly robbed of being Norway's representative in 2021, they should never be robbed again. Hate the song if you want, but you can't deny them a ticket to Malmo. Last year's maybe worse, but it turned out to be the best because of Ulrikke and Alessandra Mele. This year, it's going to be KEiiNO or Margaret Berger." ~ John Christian

"It’s a fresh take on an “AQUA” type sound from the 90’s and feels like a natural step forward for KEiiNO and is also a total earworm." ~ Jasyn

"There's no question I'd love to see KEiiNO back at Eurovision after their sixth place with 'Spirit in the Sky' in 2019. 'Damdiggida' is probably a more complex song with just as much jury appeal ie - none. But the public will lap this up and live performance is where KEiiNO shine. 'Damdiggida' reminds me very much of Aqua's 1997 release 'Lollipop (Candyman)' which I loved so I'd be more than happy to see it win Melodi Grand Prix this year." ~ Emma

"I like KEiiNO but I'm certainly not stan voting for this because it's KEiiNO. This just nails that late 90s into early 2000s Europopdance sound that I love. They've made it work for them and lent in hard to what makes them special. Is it a little Eurotrashy? Yes. Is it a bop that you can not get out of your head? Bigger yes! I love Alexandra's vocal on it, I do worry Fred's part edges into novelty but hey I'm loving it." ~ Dale

"This lacks some of the impact that KEiiNO's previous entries had. Nonetheless, as an Alcazar-esque schlager number, this holds together well and keeps me entertained for three minutes. I don't see this replicating KEiiNO's 2019 televote win at Eurovision, but I am expecting a fun NF performance from this - and at the end of the day, that's the name of the game!" ~ Craig

"It is so Aqua-coded I’m obsessed. It’s just nuts and something different from KEiiNO’s past two efforts. The song has that 90s/2000s chaotic euro-dance production and would explode in a live performance setting. This is a song that would go off in a crowd." ~ Cooper

1. Miia - 'Green Lights' (115 points)

Highs: 12 points from Kiel, Hugo, Mark and Craig, 10 points from Kyriakos and Jasyn, 8 points from Josh and Hayley

Low: 0 points from Dale and Fleur

"'Green Lights' is a super crisp pop number that just immediately captivated me. It has nice build up to a cute cute chorus." ~ Kyriakos

"Feels like a contemporary ballad that could be on the radio now with smooth vocals, a beautiful melody and a strong beat behind it." ~ Jasyn

"This doesn't scream WINNER - but, in this very diverse field, its the one that sounds the most like a favourite, and the one which could be Norway's best chance at taking the crown in Malmo. Miia's vocals are sweet enough, and that driving string section which kicks in at the one-minute mark is drenched in Norwegian character. The abrupt ending makes it feel like half a chorus too short, but hey, I guess time limits have to be adhered to!" ~ Kiel

"Just the best song of the lot in my opinion. I love the fragility in Miia’s voice to begin, and the song moves at a lovely pace and is really melodic. Miia shows her vocal power and the percussion and instrumentation has the Nordic production stamp on it. Not sure if this is the best choice as a Eurovision song, but I like this very much." ~ Hugo

"Miia could well win Eurovision with this song. A perfect pop composition. Part Billie, part Dua, part Selena. A lush build throughout, full of surprising musical intervals. Juries will adore, and I think the girlies at home will too. And the staging possibilities? Boundless." ~ Mark

"In a sea of bops, Miia's song stands out in a really good way. It's well-structured, builds to a decent climax and is the only song in this line-up that leaves me with much of an impression other than "wow that was fun!" Sometimes simple is the best approach, and it pays off very well here. Love it!" ~ Craig

So there you have it - Miia's 'Green Lights' is the winner of the Aussievision team's MGP rankings with former Eurovision artists KEiiNO and Margaret Berger also making our Top 4!

The songs participating in each semi final are:

Semi-Final 1: Saturday 13 January

1. Margaret Berger - 'Oblivion'

2. Myra - 'Heart On Fire'

3. Ingrid Jasmin - 'Eya'

4. GOTHMINISTER - 'We Come Alive'

5. Fredrik Halland - 'Stranded'

6. Mathilde SPZ - 'Woman Show' (feat. Chris Archer & Slam Dunk)

Semi-Final 2: Saturday 20 January

1. Gåte - 'Ulveham'

2. Super Rob, Erika Norwich - 'My AI'

3. Mileo - 'You're Mine'

4. Eli Kristin - 'Touch of Venus'

5. Dag Erik Oksvold and Anne Fagermo - 'Judge Tenderly of Me'

6. Farida - 'Heartache'

Semi-Final 3: Saturday 27 January

1. KEiiNO - 'Damdiggida'

2. MIIA - 'Green Lights'

3. Annprincess - 'Save Me'

4. Thomas Jenssen - 'Take Me To Heaven'

5. MISTRA - 'Waltz of Death'

6. Vidar Villa - 'MER'

Grand Final: Saturday 3 February

How To Watch

All four shows of Melodi Grand Prix 2024 will take place on Sunday morning (Australian time) and can be watched via the NRK website. The show will begin at:

• 7:50pm, Sat, Central European Time

• 2:50am Sun (WA)

• 4:20am Sun (NT)

• 4:50am Sun AEST (QLD)

• 5:20am Sun (SA)

• 5:50am Sun AEDT (ACT, NSW, TAS, VIC)

For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet