Norway have traditionally been fairly successful at Eurovision, and rarely do they miss a Grand Final. In 2016, unfortunately Norway did miss out on the Grand Final, so this year, they’re hoping to get back on track with JOWST featuring Aleksander Walmann and the song Grab the Moment. The song was chosen through a national final which featured 10 songs but without the usual Norwegian flair, so from first impressions, whichever song won wouldn’t make all that much of an impact this year. Upon second listen, I was wrong.
Out of the 10 acts, Norway (and the international juries) selected the best. Everything about this song and its performance just screams super cool. The song itself is super modern and features elements many of the other songs this year don’t feature, including the use of the synthesised voices used after the choruses. Aside from this, the actual melody of the song is catchy, and the chorus is easy to sing along to. When the song gets to the bridge, the synthesised notes and his voice form this perfect chaos, as it moves into this different key that makes you go, ‘oh, that’s a bit different!’ All the elements together make for a song that is well balanced – it has elements which are innovative and modern in the Eurovision context, as well as being mainstream enough to gather the support of the general viewer. Saying that, I do think that this song will probably appeal to the younger audiences of Eurovision, but I’d be happy to be proven wrong! Song aside, the vocals are absolutely on point for the entire three minutes, and he has this tone to his voice which really appeals to me – just an added bonus!
The staging for this song in the national final was absolutely what this song needs. It really reminded me of something we’d see on a massive music festival stage. I would genuinely be happy to see this exact staging replicated on the Eurovision stage, even the details as small as the purple light and how the stage is lit. Provided the camera angles don’t alienate the performers by using too many long shots, I think this is going to look absolutely incredible on stage in May. I’m unsure as to whether the graphics in the official video (linked below) were a part of the national final performance, or whether they were added afterwards for the official video, however if that was a possibility to use live at Eurovision for television viewers, it would definitely create that modern graphic vibe that this performance has going for it.
I think this definitely deserves a place in the final, however I do worry it will be underrated on the night. It’s a rough gig in semi-final 2, however I do still think this has a chance of doing well. If it does get to the final, I’d be happy to send a few votes in for Norway, as I really do enjoy this song, enough to give it a solid 9/10.
Norway made a great choice when they voted for JOWST to represent them at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. At first listen to their song Grab The Moment, I found it pretty catchy and it’s a joy to listen to it, in that span of 3 minutes. As such, I do agree with that review on the overall.
Because I’ve watched its selection show Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), I can confirm that the graphics came along with the national final performance, from the first performance to the reprisal.
Should they advance to the final, I would be more than happy to vote for them.
Thanks for the comment! Totally agree with you, it’s super catchy! Also thanks for letting me know about the graphics, it makes the staging even greater!
Norway made a great choice when they voted for JOWST to represent them at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. At first listen to their song Grab The Moment, I found it pretty catchy and it’s a joy to listen to it, in that span of 3 minutes. As such, I do agree with that review on the overall.
Because I’ve watched its selection show Melodi Grand Prix (MGP), I can confirm that the graphics came along with the national final performance, from the first performance to the reprisal.
Should they advance to the final, I would be more than happy to vote for them.
Thanks for the comment! Totally agree with you, it’s super catchy! Also thanks for letting me know about the graphics, it makes the staging even greater!
The pink graphics were used on the live broadcast
Thanks for letting me know! Super excited to see it on my television screen in may!