Alexander Rybak returns to Eurovision!

Alexander Rybak has shown us all how to write a song! The 2009 Eurovision winner will return to the Eurovision Song Contest with his “That’s How You Write A Song” after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2018.

Tonight, it was time for Melodi Grand Prix 2018! The show started off with the hosts performing a medley of old Norwegian Eurovision entries. It was fun and cute, and it’s very obvious that Silya is a singer and Kåre Magnus is…not.

From ten to four to two to… Rybak

Ten acts started the show, all hoping to become Norway’s next Eurovision hopeful. In the end, four of them made it through to the next round. Interestingly, all four of them had previously been involved in Eurovision in one way or another: Alexander Rybak (2009), Aleksander Walmann (2017), Stella (2011) & Alexandra and finally Rebecca (with a song written by Morland, who represented Norway in 2015).

After the female acts went head to head, Rebecca defeated the duo with her “Who We Are”. She then had to take on the winner of the male duel, where Alexander Rybak emerged as the winner.

The crowd reaction gave a clear sign as to what we could expect for the final result. At the end of the show, Alexander Rybak was announced as the winner of Melodi Grand Prix 2018. He will represent his country in Lisbon at the Eurovision Song Contest, nine years after a historic win with “Fairytale”.

Is this how you write a comeback?

Reactions to Alexander Rybak’s victory are divided. Some love it, some hate it. Is that perhaps a good sign for the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009? Can he come back with another winner, this time “That’s How You Write A Song”? Check out his performance below:

Looking back at the show…

ESCXTRA.com was present live on the ground in Oslo Spektrum. Below, you can find a live report of the entire show, where our Wivian Renee Kristiansen was present and took some shots for you!

Stella & Alexandra

First act out were Stella & Alexandra with their up-tempo song. Stella was rapping, which is what she does best. Alexandra, however was hitting a few bum notes, and she’s slightly out of breath during parts of the song. This was a very fun and happy performance, though, and the audience liked it!

Aleksander Walmann

Next up was Aleksander Walmann with “Talk to the Hand”. He was vocally solid, but the performance was slightly “flat”. He had, very wisely, decided to have dancers doing the dancing, so he had all the breath he needed to finish the song. He’s really cute, though, in pink and maroon!

Ida Maria

And then; Ida Maria. A hot mess consisting of red and white polkadots, beach balls, cheer leaders and a couple of kitchen sinks. Holy TimTam; this was soooo much fun! We need acts like this!

NICOLINE

NICOLINE was next on stage, and unfortunately she was off key for most of her performance. The verses were fine, but the rest was not quite there. And she had such a wonderful dress rehearsal performance…

Tom Hugo

Tom Hugo gave us a very happy and dancy number, while looking worryingly like a certain Swedish entry from 2017…minus the gym equipment. And slightly less polished and synchronized. Visually, this was a fun performance, and vocally he’s pretty flawless.

Charla K

Charla K looked like a million dollars in her blue sequined dress. Unfortunately her vocals aren’t as flawless as her outfit. She was off key for much of the song, which was a shame, as she had a great dress rehearsal, just like NICOLINE did.

Alejandro Fuentes

Alejandro Fuentes did it all himself. No dancers, no fuss of any kind. Just him and his song in Spanish. However, the stage in Spektrum is a BIG space to fill on your own. And he also experienced the curse of the good dress rehearsal; he’s slightly off during parts of the song. Seems a good dress rehearsal meant a bad show!

Vidar Villa

Next, Vidar Villa took to the stage with a full band, to share with us the love he has for his friend’s mother. This performance was pretty much flawless, and the audience showed him their love with a flood of love back!

Rebecca

Rebecca has the only ballad in this year’s final, and she delivers like there’s no tomorrow! Where the stage seemed huge with just Alejandro on it, it now seems absolutely perfect for Rebecca on her own. She was a favourite and lived up to that tag tonight.

Alexander Rybak

Last on stage is an old friend; Alexander Rybak! No further introduction required. And the audience LOVED him! With this performance, it already became clear he would be going far in tonight’s competition.