What can I say?? :-D We chose our entry last night and it was, as we say round these parts, en total utklassing. :-D It was a good show, as we expected, but it was the tallying of the votes that was truly memorable. And how. Our winner, Alexander Rybak, won by more than 600,000 votes. Unprecedented. More than one million votes were tallied in all and about 740,000 of those went to Rybak. One million votes is actually pretty damn impressive for a country whose total population is less than five million ... ;-)
So! Alexander Rybak, aged 22 1/2, will compete for Norway in Moscow in May. We are the nation that has come last in the ESC the most times ... and dash it all, we have deserved it. But we have also won twice, so it isn't all ignominy. Far from it, indeed. And this year I think our chances are very good of doing well again. The bookmakers have us high on their list now that we've been sensible enough to pick this song ;-), the buzz online is very positive, and, well, I have a good feeling. A real good feeling. :-)
I personally like this song a lot, and I think the international audience will too. It combines Western and Eastern in a great way ... it has some very Norwegian elements as well as an Eastern European flavor. The singer is young and handsome and charming, which of course never hurts. :-) He has a great stage presence and despite being young seems very professional on stage ... but enthusiastic at the same time, you can tell he loves performing. The dancers, from the contemporary folk dance troupe Frikar, are a memorable element that I think will stick in people's minds. Great choreography. The song is catchy, easy to remember with a good melodic beat. All in all I have to say that the one thing I don't like about this song is that it's in English and not in Norwegian. :-)
But on the other hand, maybe Alexander should sing in Russian in Moscow?? :-D This is our secret weapon - he is originally Belarusian and speaks fluent Russian. o_O Imagine the PR tour we can put on with this guy. :-D Boy, am I looking forward to May ... !! :-D
I also love the fact that the singer has also written and composed the song - he will actually really be competing, and not just be thought to be competing. ;-) So. This is Alexander Rybak performing his own composition, Fairytale - he will be competing for Norway in Moscow on May 14th, and - I have no doubt - on May 16th as well. I can't hardly wait ... !! :-D
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3 comments:
As you summarise the story so far quite well (and I agree totally to the cheer for this song), you may add some facts to clarify the originality of the dance, the tune, Alexander himself, etc. (Norwegian alltogether, RE. norsk folkemusikk, hallingdans, he moved to Norway at 5 and never looked back, etc.) as there seems to be much confusion internationally (is the dance Russian, is the tune Irish, etc.).
Finally - can you hardly wait till May or can you not?!?
From Norwegian Abroad
While I understand the desire to have a song representing Norway sung in Norwegian, I think it is a smart move to have the song in English. More people viewing Eurovision will immediately understand the lyrics and song, which may help Rybak.
It's not easy to write good lyrics. It's not easy to write good lyrics in English when it is your second or third language. I'm not particularly impressed with the lyrics.
However, the tune is - as you say - catchy and upbeat. Rybak's presentation and use of Frikar (and the traditional Norwegian music and dance elements) are excellent.
And the fact that he speaks Russian, which he can use to great effect even just saying a charming "hello" to the audience in Moscow, will add even more value to his entry.
I think the combination may be a very strong one going into the competition -- and I'm hoping for a Norwegian win in Moscow in May.
Well, I'm not familiar with Norway's traditional music but if it sounds like this, I love it!!!!
Rybak is very cute and sweet and this is a great advantage though he should work on the "tongue" thing :-)
Great entry this year for Norway!
Good luck (though you probably won't need it)!
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