It’s not unlikely to see Norway in the Eurovision final, and beyond that, it’s not uncommon to see the nation reach the Top 10. Norway was a televote hit last year, and overall finished 6th in the final, but would they have been a hit with Ulrikke and her song, Attention?
Anita (Eurovision Union)
Song and Vocals
Look, I won’t leave you with a cliffhanger, and I’ll straight up say, if Norway didn’t make the Top 5 at Eurovision this year, it would be more of a surprise than if they did make the Top 5. What a cracking song from Norway, – Spirit in the Sky who?
From the first line, you are absolutely hooked to this song. There’s something so magical about how this song is arranged and produced mixed with Ulrikke’s stunning vocals. The pre-choruses really highlight that angelic tone, but then she is able to truly belt out that chorus, and it’s all backed by the incredible orchestral sounds. By the time we reach that bridge, where she hits ‘the’ note, it’s clear that this is a strong contender. For me, that’s essentially the ‘winning’ moment.
Totally jury friendly, this would have been near or at the top of the jury vote, but I would absolutely not discount it in the public vote either. It’s just an all round good song, and out of the ballads this year, Norway was a stand out.
Performance and Act
Ulrikke previously competed in the Norwegian selection with an upbeat number which I remember was one of my favourites from that National Final season. She was a strong contender then, but you can really see the growth in Ulrikke as an artist. Attention is much more grown up, and really lets her shine.
Performance wise, I suspect we wouldn’t have seen too many changes at Eurovision from their national final performance. Simple, elegant, and pyro in all the right moments. I also don’t think it needed many if any changes.
Next Up: 2021
This is where it gets a little sad. Norwegian broadcaster NRK will be going ahead with their selection, and although they offered Ulrikke a position in the final, it’s likely that we won’t be seeing her compete. This is a huge loss for Norway, and although sure, they will be able to find another artist, I just find it such a shame that they don’t work closely with Ulrikke and some great Norwegian songwriters to create another Eurovision masterpiece.
Conclusions
It’s not always easy for me to ‘guesstimate’ where entries would finish on the results table, but Norway I feel fairly certain about. This would have been Top 5. What a stunning song and artist, truly one of the best of the class of 2020. We need Ulrikke at Eurovision, and fingers crossed that it happens, one day.
Rating
10/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)
Song and Vocals
What a nice orchestral song was this, for Norway. ‘Attention’ was written by Morland, and that was clear in the composition. A bit old-fashioned maybe and clear jury food, but because of the stunning delivery by Ulrikke it was still in the race for a very good result for me.
Performance and Act
I loved the charming camerawork, keeping the focus on Ulrikke in a dark and intimate staging. Backing orchestra only on screen to add to the feeling of the song. Sometimes her eyes were closed a bit too often, also on moments when she should connect with the camera. And – try watching the performance without the sound on – she could have a more friendly look every now and then, which she does have when the performance is over. Talking about these details tells me I saw the great potential in this entry.
Next up: 2021
Ulrikke was offered a place in the Norwegian final, just like this year, but she refused. That makes sense to me. She was a fan-favourite, with chances of a high ranking at the contest. And now she is back at the start. On the other hand, we don’t know what her next song will be like, and Norway takes the contest seriously and wants to be sure they have a class act, like all recent years. Let’s see what MGP 2021 will bring us.
Conclusions
It is so sad that I will never know how high ‘Attention’ would have finished in Rotterdam. Would it have turned out to be a contender for victory, when we witnessed it at the rehearsals? I had it in the back of my mind. This song will not get the attention it surely deserved. As do a lot of other songs and singers.
Rating
9/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:
Brandon: 8.5/10
Steef:: 8/10
Joshua: 8/10
Selim: 9.5/10
Heath: 10/10
Kaitlin: 10/10
Average Score: 9.1/10
What do you think of Attention? Follow our Eurovision 2020 reviews here.