Norway: Farida wins the second Norwegian heat, and advances to the final

Bærum, 22 January 2022

We’re here for the report on Norway’s second Delfinale, which aired earlier tonight. Let’s jump straight in!

As you know from last week, Norway once again opted for a Duel format, where two entries are pitted against each other. Whoever receives the most votes via the app vote wins the duel. There are two head-to-head duels, each providing a winner. These two winning acts then square off against each other in the Gold Duel, which will detemine who advances to the Final.

Because of COVID restrictions, MGP does not have an audience, with fans being able to “clap” via the NRK app and website, which would then be played after the performance in lieu of actual applause. Female hostess Anikka Momrat caught COVID last week and couldn’t present in person, so her male colleagues Kåre and Mikkel took the full duties upon themselves.

Likewise, due to the pandemic, the Duels were drawn in advance of the live show. Scroll below to see which acts performed against each other and who advanced!

Duel 1

Glam Rock Diva Lily Löwe drew Idol Alumnus and country singer Steffen Jakobsen in a rock vs rockabilly rockdown.. You can listen to the two live performances below:

Lily Löwe – “Bad baby”

Steffen Jakobsen – “With me tonight”

The Winner: Ultimately STEFFEN JAKOBSEN was declared the winner.

Duel 2

Emotional intelligence reigned surpreme when Daniel Lukas and Farida squared off against each other in a battle of break-up songs. You can listen to the live renditions below:

Farida – “Dangerous” 

Daniel Lukas – “Kvelertak”

The winner: After voting closed, it was FARIDA who emerged victorious.

Auto Qualifier Showcase: Christian Ingebrigtsen

While Steffen and Farida prepared to sing again, NRK showcased their second auto qualifier. A1 member and established singer-songwriter Christian Ingebrigtsen performed his self-written serenade, “Wonder of the world” for the first time. You can listen to it below:

Every week, one of the Auto qualifiers will bring their entry live during the show. Next week, we’ll be hearing Subwoolfer perform their  song, “Give that wolf a banana” live for the first time.

Gold Duel

 

After Elsie, it was time for the final showdown: Steffen Jakobsen vs Farida. Country Rock finally collided with break-up ballad. Who would win the golden ticket to the final on 19 February? Ultimately, Norway’s bias towards indie girl ballads kicked in, and they picked Farida to advance to the finale. Congratulations Farida, who celebrated her qualification with a very convincing Munch impression:

Her victory also means that Lily Löwe, Daniel Lukas and Steffen Jakobsen are relegated to the repechages. On 7 Febuary, four acts will be chosen to compete live during the Second Chance show on 12 February.

Onward to next week, where four more hopefuls will square off in an equally long-winded showdown! To see which five acts will feature next Saturday, consult this pretty graphic I made for your convenience:

Earlier this morning, a Team ESC United panel of experts weighed in on the songs in this delfinale and collectively selected the song we thought should advance. Did we get it right or did we just embarrass ourselves?? Find out here.

Do #YOU agree with the results in Norway? What do #YOU think of Farida and Christian’s songs? Let us know in the comments, on social media or on our Forum HERE.