The network responsible for the Norwegian national final and therefore their representation in the Eurovision Song Contest, NRK has announced the presenting team at the helm of the popular national final and mainstay in the national final calendar MGP. They are Ingrid Gjessing Linhave, Ronny Brede Aase and Kåre Magnus Bergh. They are back from 2020, and will host the six live broadcasts.
When will MGP take place?
The semi-finals that were introduced during MGP’s sixtieth anniversary will be maintained next year, and the first of five semi-finals will broadcast live already on Saturday, January 16th.
The artists competing in the Semi-Finals and their entries will be released on Monday morning ahead of their respective semi-finals. The pre-qualified artists will release their entries the day before their performance in the semi-final.
There will be a new semi-final every Saturday until the Grand Finale on Saturday, February 20th. Six pre-qualified artists will go straight to the finale but will showcase their song in one of the semi-finals each.
All semi-finals as well as the Grand Finale will be broadcasted from the H3 arena at Fornebu outside of Oslo. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic this will unfortunately take place without any audience.
Ingrid had this to say about hosting for a second year in a row.
The three of us are so excited to be hosting MGP again! We have gotten a chance to listen to the songs and we believe MGP will be better than ever. We are looking forward to sharing the music and the artists with everyone
I think everyone is longing for unity, shared experiences and a feeling of joy after months of dealing with the ongoing pandemic. We better polish our golden shoes and sequin jackets
A second chance!
NRK is excited to introduce a “wild card element” for MGP 2021. This means that all the artists who do not advance from the semi-finals still have an opportunity to make it to the final. The Norwegian audience will be able to vote online for one of the finalists who then will receive the last spot in the Grand Final. The wild card artist will be announced in a radio broadcast on Sunday, February 15th, the day after the last semi-final.
The Grand Final will consist of a total of 12 competing acts: 6 pre-qualified artists that have been selected by a professional jury, and the 6 finalists selected throughout the semi-finals. In the Grand Final, the Norwegian TV audience alone will decide who will represent Norway at Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in May.
Stig Karlsen who is the Head Of Delegation for Norway on behalf of NRK had this to say about MGP2021
MGP 2021 will be the most important ever. In this difficult time with few events to bring us together, we all need a music show like MGP now. Next year’s MGP will feature a fantastic collection of artists and songs. We look forward to saying goodbye to 2020, firing up the confetti cannons and kicking off 2021
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