Norway Melodi Grand Prix - here we go!

A few months ago we got a wonderful surprise in the mailbox directly from the head of delegation at NRK that our song "We are as one" was selected to compete in Melodi Grand Prix - MGP Eurovision Norway 2020! After years of trying with different songs and artists we finally got this exciting chance and with one of our favourite songs of all times, so it's hard to describe the happiness and gratitude as well as surprise that was flowing within us reading this email! BUT we could not tell anyone, because it was a secret until the official release in February, ouch! 😂 
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3b6LK2g
See the live performance here:
https://tv.nrk.no/serie/melodi-grand-prix-tv/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3GK75jassc

We started finishing the final version with the awesome artist/songwriter/producer "Elin & the Woods" (Elin & Robin) to reach the deadline, as well as our trustworthy and talented musicians and friends Patric Skog on soulful guitars and Björn Malmqvist on brilliant violins. A new experience for us to actually finish the song AFTER it was selected, as most countries require a final product by the submissions. 

The song is a soft fusion of pop and strong melodies with etno and joik elements joined together in a midtempo ballad where the traditional meets the modern. We really love the harmonies of this song and the vocals are important for it to stand out. The message of all people living in harmony as one, goes hand in hand with the music.
Please have a listen on Spotify and follow the lyric video on Youtube!Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3b6LK2g

We were so happy to be invited by NRK as songwriters to the H3 Arena in Olso ❤ ✈ to join the live TV show and broadcast! It's such a rush to actually be able to take part on set and to get a personal invitation is of course truly appreciated. We work hard around the year and usually book and drive everything ourselves when it comes to Eurovision. It's been amazing experiences in all countries during the years with 7 songs as backing vocalist on stage and also as songwriters in 2 other countries except Norway. Read all about our earlier journeys in the blog archive! Moldova 2018, Iceland 2016, Finland 2015, Belarus 2015, Belarus 2014, Malta 2014, Moldova 2013.

The funny part is that this song was actually sent with another artist to the competition, however we knew that it had been discussed as interesting earlier years for the show. The songs seem to have their own lives which was proven this time. 😂

We also vlogged behind the scenes about our trip in our own version of the song in both Swedish and English! Check it out here:

We had a generous welcome and hospitality in Oslo and a nice stay at Hotel Radisson and it was a rush, just back and forth from Saturday to Sunday! Not much sightseeing unfortunately but the stay was amazing, a new Nordic Eurovision country which is a milestone for us and always a great experience to see how everything works on set and feel the excitement with the audience. 

 

We wore Gold Sequins High Waist Two Piece from www.hotmiamistyles.com and golden/black etno inspired earrings from http://www.eiladesign.fi/

As soon as we arrived in Norway we just had a couple of hours to grab something quick to eat, do our hair, makeup and clothes at the hotel before the grand rehearsal in the arena that went on for a couple of hours. A dinner was served for the invited guests before the final TV broadcast that started at 8 PM and we were really excited to get a close up camera view when the song was announced in the duel. 4 songs were competing in this 5th semi final and there was a draw for what acts would start, so we didn't know the order of the songs before the show was on. Everyone in Norway and outside could vote online and when the first duel was done the next one set the winner. The final will be in Trondheim next Saturday to pich the Norwegian winner and representative for Eurovision 2020.

We are really proud of all the songs and ESC experiences we have been through since 2013, many ups and downs and it may seem like an easy task to submit songs and score high or even win, but it's a hard task and lots of work. People often ask us how we do and why we do this and it's the love of this music that kept us going so far. But there is no easy shortcut, we do the work of being both songwriters, managers, producers, singers, publishers and project leaders around the year nowadays to find cooperations and finalize the release. It's not the same procedure every time, it's different depending on the country, artist, rules etc, but sometimes it's a bit too much administration and discussions and less creative work than we expect. Without our great teams of tireless producers and cowriters it would be an even harder task! The main focus for us is not to earn money, but we want our music to be visible and to have TV performances, good team work, a common goal and energy and aim to do what it takes but still keep a friendly and professional tone. We are always looking for new cooperations and we also offer to do new versions/releases of our released songs or optional cover songs! For 2020 our focus is to have great music experiences and creative "music Fridays" and see if that will lead us to reach our higher goals instead of just trying to push them which we've done too much earlier years. With positive energy we believe we can be satisfied even though it may not be exactly the goal we set in our minds!

Here is a live interview about our songs for Eurovision 2020:

Do you want to cooperate with us in music? Do you want to release one of our songs or a cover song? Do you want to work with Eurovision or other competitions? Check out our offers here:
👉http://www.ylvalinda.com
👉http://www.ylvalinda.se 
👉https://www.facebook.com/risingstarchoir/ 
👉http://webshop.ylvalinda.com/butik/
We are looking for Swedish singers to Rising Star who want to do a studio recording of a cover song! Please get in touch! Both children and adults are welcome!
👉https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWGWGl3jHUlgPCvl3PsBD3jcJFx9JD4OskETnskbsxaY-GbA/viewform?fbclid=IwAR0_w6HB6RV8STRqjSU4_VSYczphtkZSA0P53MTTyzsEk15QT42xe3wn7jo
 👉https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmBcvBFaotBgBpuN009lmrpyBlG3oegePDVskJzLg5nlYsYQ/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1xkF5UHbZOncaylFpY-0G5SIvoDbH0fZENjBoEly4spFpilUjrNs2g2Pk