Welcome to XTRA Decides! In this feature the team here at ESCXTRA rank the national final songs, giving our choice of the winner. We are ranking the songs using the Eurovision style 12-1 scoring system. Today we decide the winner of Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix.
After five weeks of semi-finals and a wildcard round, we have twelve songs to choose from in the final. After our scores the team has chosen KEiiNO with the song ‘Monument’ as the winners of Melodi Grand Prix. Check out our scores and the thoughts of some of the team below…
Our Scores
| KEiiNO – Monument 12: Tom O, Aline, Sami, Tom R, Costa, Bente, Tim, Lisa, Vincent | 1 | 150 |
| Blåsemafian – Let Loose 12: Sean | 2 | 114 |
| Emmy – Witch Woods 12: Nick, Nathan W | 3 | 95 |
| Raylee – Hero 12: Angelos | 4 | 76 |
| Atle Pettersen – World On Fire 12: Dominik | 5 | 74 |
| TIX – Fallen Angel | 6 | 68 |
| IMERIKA – I Can’t Escape | 7 | 60 |
| Kaja Rode – Feel Again | 8 | 51 |
| Jorn – Faith Bloody Faith | 9 | 50 |
| Stavangerkameratene – Who I Am 12: Maria | 10 | 47 |
| KiiM – My Lonely Voice | 11 | 46 |
| Rein Alexander – Eyes Wide Open | 12 | 36 |
Reviews
Lisa (12pts)
Once again KEiiNO can do no wrong! Go through their archives and it’s a rich tapestry of consistent quality. That is just as evident here in ‘Monument’. Which can only be described as a best of medley showcasing what they do best. A major symphony of Alexandra and Tom’s incredible harmonies, layered in Fred’s Sami/rap skills, reminiscent of ‘Would I Lie’. Which is accompanied by the orchestra they collaborated with on ‘A Winter’s Night’ with. They are back with purpose and intent, a monument to all the time we spent in 2020 waiting for the arts to prosper again. Now it is almost as if KEiiNO heard the pleas. Their thunder and gloria is back and ready to not only succeed in Melodi Grand Prix, but bring back the Eurovision trophy to Norway. Only someone very brave would bet against them!
Aline (12pts)
Since their appearance in MGP 2019 and Eurovision 2019 I have totally fallen in love with this band. A true holy trinity! In the past two years, KEiiNO has been spoiling us with banger after banger. So being a massive fan of ‘Monumen’ is no surprise here. The way Fred starts with a joiking part in the song creates an immediate, ultimate nordic vibe in the song. Alexandra’s vocals are just out of this world and Tom blending his voice with her’s give a really enjoyable sound. Fred’s Sami rap part gives me absolute chills. It sounds so mysterious. Compared to ‘Spirit In The Sky’ (which I think is rather unfair) ‘Monument’ feels more like an anthem rather than a banger. I am sure that if they make it to Eurovision again, Europe would fall in love with them again aswell. And then it’s about time they break through in multiple European countries because that’s what they deserve.
Sami (12pts)
First of all, I must say that I get annoyed everytime someone says it’s too early for KEiiNO to come back. Valentina Monetta represented San Marino three times in a row, Lena came back right after winning .. With the pandemic, artists probably don’t have much else to do right now so I’m very happy KEiiNO are giving Eurovision another shot already. “MONUMENT” is a great song to return with, as it’s different enough from their previous entry but also has all the elements that we love about KEiiNO. Melodi Grand Prix 2021 final is extremely strong, but I still think KEiiNO deserves to win this Saturday.
Dominik (7pts)
The thing I really love about Keiino is how much positivity they spread and how engaging they are with the Eurovision fans. “Spirit In The Sky” was a bubble gum pop banger that just is what Eurovision fans breathe. I think “MONUMENT” might be less of a banger but more like an anthem. And this might be something for the locals as well. I would not say that I’m the biggest Keiino stan but I really do appreciate what they give Eurovision and also MGP. They are 1000% in it and give it all. They will do amazing in the final of MGP and maybe also in Eurovision. Everything is possible and I’m excited to see what will happen, but I don’t think this is the end of the story of Keiino and Eurovision.
Dan (guest review)
It takes a lot to return to a competition you’ve previously won – so the moment KEiiNO announced their return to MGP, it was no doubt going to be with something special. ‘Monument’ isn’t groundbreaking, nor is it orchestrated in a way to make itself sound different from any other pop track, but where it excels is having the qualities to be an instant earworm. Catchy, radio friendly and performed incredibly well live. If they could win the public televote at Eurovision with ‘Spirit in the Sky’, I think they’d have next to no problems doing equally as well, if not better, with this.
Xtra Decides so far
Check out more from our Xtra Decides feature with the links below…
- 🇫🇮 We choose Telfon Brothers x Pandora
- 🇳🇴 We choose ‘Vi er Norge’ as the Melodi Grand Prix wildcard
- 🇭🇷 We choose Bernarda with ‘Colors’
- 🇸🇪 Melodifestivalen: our semi-final 2 direct finalists
- 🇸🇪 Melodifestivalen: our semi-final 1 direct finalists
- 🇱🇹 We choose The Roop
- 🇫🇷 We choose Barbara Pravi
- 🇮🇱 We choose ‘La La Love’ for Eden Alene
Do you agree with our decision? Have you got a different Melodi Grand Prix winner? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for reactions and interviews.
