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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.
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.
Silje Nordnes, Ronny Brede Aase and Kåre Magnus Bergh are the hosts of the Grand Finale!
New this year is a wild card: «Sistesjansen»
NRK is excited to introduce a wild card element for MGP 2021, called «Sistesjansen». 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 winner will be announced in a TV and radio broadcast on Monday, February 15th at 8 PM CET, two days 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.
"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” says Stig Karlsen, head of MGP.
Who are the artists? Important dates
The 6 pre-qualified artists and the 4 first semi-finalists will be announced at a press conference at NRK’s headquarters on Monday, January 11th at 12.30 PM. The remaining artists will be announced on live broadcasts on Facebook and NRK.no each Monday throughout the MGP season:
- Monday, January 18th: The four artists competing in semi-final 2 on Saturday, January 23rd, will be announced.
- Monday, January 25th: The four artists competing in semi-final 3 on Saturday, January 30th, will be announced.
- Monday, February 1st: The four artists competing in semi-final 4 on Saturday, February 6th, , will be announced.
- Monday, February 8th: The four artists competing in semi-final 5 on Saturday, February 13th, will be announced.
- Monday, February 15th: The artist who gets the Wild Card ticket for the Grand Final will be selected in a live broadcast on NRK 1 and P1 radio
- Saturday, February 20th: The Grand Final of Melodi Grand Prix 2021!
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.
When will the songs be released?
The artists and their songs will be released on the Monday morning ahead of their respective semi-finals. The pre-qualified artists will release their songs the day before performing in a semi-final.
Voting
The Norwegian audience will vote online during the live broadcasts.
Following the MGP final in Trondheim in February this year, NRK has worked hard to make the voting solution more robust. This includes changes to the technical setup, scaling it up and accounting for an even larger volume of votes. There will also be several backup solutions in the unlikely event of technical difficulties.
