The mystery group ‘Subwoolfer' won the 2022 edition of Norway's Melodi Grand Prix. They will now represent Norway on the European stage.
For the past six weeks, Norway has been choosing its entry for the next Eurovision Song Contest. Last night, we found out who will represent Norway in Turin, Italy, in May.
Following weeks of heats, ten acts competed in the final last night. The masked band Subwoolfer were the hot favourites to win the final in Fornebu with their novelty song ‘Give that wolf a banana' and they did exactly that.
“This was really cool. Now we will be the galaxy's biggest band,” said the interpreter on behalf of the band.
Watch the winning performance
Curious to find out more? Here's the winning performance from the Melodi Grand Prix final, as broadcast on NRK:
It's been a while since Norway has chosen a pure novelty song for Eurovision. Novelty songs often win the contest. But although many Eurovision experts believe Norway made the right choice, the band aren't necessarily a Eurovision winner.
What others make of the song
“You did the right thing, Norway! Everything else had been a disaster,” said Swedish Eurovision expert Torbjörn Ek to NRK.
However, the Swedish journalist said that while sending characters to Eurovision will grab attention, it rarely results in victory: “So get rid of the masks, stand for who you are and then Subwoolfer can become a fan favorite in Eurovision.”
Denmark's Ole Tøpholm believes it is a “brave choice” from Norway: “It is a song that will divide the European viewers. Either you love Norway's song or you will love to hate it.”
Who are Subwoolfer?
The big question everyone wants to know the answer to is a simple one: who is hiding behind the yellow masks? Many theories have circulated in the Norwegian press, but no-one yet knows for sure.
Will we find out before Eurovison in May? Who knows…
Norway at Eurovision
Norway has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixty times since its first entry in 1960. The three victories came in 1985 by Bobbysocks, 1995 by Secret Garden, and 2009 by Alexander Rybak.
Recent history has been a mixed bag. Rybak tried to win again in 2018 and although he won the semi-final, the wider Eurovision audience was unimpressed and he finished 15th in the final.
In 2019, ‘Spirit in the Sky' by Keiino won the audience vote, but placed 6th overall following a cool reception from national juries. Last year, Tix placed 18th.
What do you think of Subwoolfer? Does the song stand a chance in Turin?
After watching the MGP live from Australia at 5:30am Norway has made an excellent selection. So much fun to listen to. Just FYI I thought that TIX performance on the night when he performed Fallen Angel as the returning winner was incredibly moving. In some respects I can see why it scored only in the top 20 at Eurovision as it did not have the complex lyrical structure as some of the songs that placed higher. But the more I have listened to the song the more I have appreciated its meaning.