In Norway, the delegate for Eurovision Song Contest will be selected in the annual TV show "Melodi Grand Prix" (MGP) that is airing on NRK's main channel NRK1. The Norwegian people cast their votes via televoting and an international jury will also have a say.
All songs are released immediately after the press conference where the artists are revealed.
Full list of artists and songs:
"Stop the Music"
Charla K (Charlotte Kjær)
Lyrics/Composers: Charlotte Kjær/Per Gessle/Alex Shield
Charlotte Kjær (29) from Tønsberg is currently living in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2009, she participated in the Norwegian TV show "X Factor" as part of the group "Shackles". In 2013 the group participated in MGP, in that case as a duo.
Charla K has worked with the Swedish producer and musician Alex Shield, and in 2017 she signed a record deal with Per Gessle's record label Space Station 12. Gessle is known by many for his success as part of Swedish Roxette.
Charla's first single was "Should'a Let Me Go", written together with Alex Shield and Sharon Vaughn. This year, she co-wrote "Stamina" for Anastacia’s new album.
"Tengo Otra"
Alejandro Fuentes
Lyrics/Composers: Alejandro Fuentes / Angel Arce Pututi / Alejandro Arce Pututi
Alejandro Fuentes (30) was born in Chile and grew up in Kristiansand, Norway. He first became known through "Norwegian Idol" in 2005, and has since enjoyed success as a solo artist as well as a member of the group "De nye gitarkameratene". They were awarded Spellemannprisen 2006 (Norwegian Grammy) for their cover version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Alejandro has received gold and platinum awards.
With his Chilean background, Alejandro wanted to perform the love song "Tengo Otra" in Spanish at this year's MGP.
"Talk to the Hand"
Alexander Walmann
Lyrics/Composers: JOWST (Joakim With Steen/Jonas McDonnell) / Magnus Klausen
Alexander Walmann (32) from Porsgrunn first became known to the public when he came second in the Norwegian TV show "The Voice" in 2012. Still relatively unknown, he was considered an underdog before last year's MGP where he and Joakim With Steen participated as JOWST. They won the national selection and represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev, where they earned a 10th place finish with the song "Grab the Moment". JOWST has toured Europe and received a multi-platinum award.
"You Got Me"
Stella and Alexandra (Stella Mwangi og Alexandra Rotan)
Lyrics/Composers: Gustav Eurén / Niclas Arn / Stella Mwangi / Andreas Alfredsson
Stella Mwangi (31) and Alexandra Rotan (21) were matched by NRK, since they were seen as a perfect duo for the already written song "You Got Me". After getting together and singing the song in a studio, it was clear to them and everyone around them that this was a pairing that was meant to be. Being from the same town in Norway, the two musicians have a lot in common and mutual respect for each other's work.
Norwegian-Kenyan Stella is considered one of Norway's leading rap artists, while Alexandra is travelling the world as lead vocalist for the Norwegian producer and DJ Alan Walker.
Stella won MGP with the song "Haba haba" in 2011, and represented Norway at Eurovision in Düsseldorf. Alexandra also has experience from the MGP world, having participated in the Norwegian MGP Junior.
"Moren din"
Vidar Villa (Henrik S. Olstad, Martin Thomassen, Vidar Andrè Mohaugen, Jonas Thomassen, Ole Tobias Antonsen)
Lyrics/Composers: Vidar Andrè Mohaugen / Jonas Thomassen, Martin Thomassen
Each time Vidar Villa (26) from Oslo releases a new song, it gets streamed millions of times on Spotify. His song "One Night Stand" was one of Norway's biggest hits last summer, and received a four time platinum award. In 2017 his songs were streamed more than 27 million times, making him one of the most streamed Norwegian artists last year.
Vidar Villa's song is in Norwegian, and is about a man falling in love with his friend's mother.
"I Like I Like I Like"
Tom Hugo (Tom Hugo Hermansen)
Lyrics/Composer: Tom Hugo Hermansen
Tom Hugo Hermansen (38) from Kristiansand, is a singer-songwriter with several platinum awards. He works both in Norway and internationally, and splits his time between Germany and Norway. Tom Hugo has co-written multiple songs for successful artists in Germany and Japan.
His debut single "Open up your Eyes" was released in 2011, followed by his debut album "Sundry Tales" the year after. Tom Hugo is participating in MGP for the second time. His first performance in the show was with the song "Det er du" back in 2013.
"Scandilove"
Ida Maria (Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen)
Lyrics/Composers: Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen /Stefan Törnby
Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen (33) from Nesna is a well-known artist and songwriter in the genres of punk and rock. She has been part of the music scene in Norway since winning a national contest in 2006, and has since toured venues and festivals in Norway, Europe and around the world. Several of Ida Maria's songs have been used in TV series in the US.
Her debut album "Fortress Round My Heart" was released in 2008, resulting in a Spellemann Award (Norwegian Grammy).
Ida Maria wrote the song "Mama's boy" performed by Ella in the MGP show last year.
"Who We Are"
Rebecca Thorsen
Lyrics/Composer: Kjetil Mørland
Rebecca Thorsen (19) from Oslo finished high school with a specialization in music last year. She has won "P3 Urørt U16", a national music competition for artists under 16 and is pursuing a life in the music industry. She has already performed on stages like the Bluebird Café in Nashville and been a supporting act for Isac Elliot and Donkeyboy.
Her song is written by Kjetil Mørland, who won MGP in 2005 together with Debrah Scarlett. They finished in eighth place in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "A Monster Like Me".
"Light Me Up"
Nicoline (Nicoline Berg Kaasin)
Lyrics/Composers: Nicoline Berg Kaasin/ Johan Larsson/ Emilie Adams
Nicoline Berg Kaasin (28) from Bærum, is a singer and dancer who became well known in Norway when she came to the final in the Norwegian "The Voice" in 2015. In 2016 she released her first single "No Suitcase". That same year, she came to the final in the Norwegian TV show "Stjernekamp", where she competed with many of Norway's most established musicians.
Nicoline was one of Margaret Berger's three backup vocalists when she won MGP in 2013 and later represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden.
"That's How You Write a Song"
Alexander Rybak
Lyrics/Composers: Alexander Rybak
Alexander Rybak (31) became known all over Europe when he represented Norway and won Eurovision Song Contest in 2009. He broke all previous records with 387 points. The song "Fairytale" topped the European charts after his victory, and his album "Fairytales" was released in 25 countries. Since then, Alexander has been working on numerous music projects and toured Europe.
Alexander was born in Minsk, Belarus. At the age of 5, he and his family moved to Oslo where they settled in Nesodden outside of Oslo. He learned to play violin, and it was not long before he started performing on stage.
