EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: NORWAY - Keiino - Spirit In The Sky

Welcome to another Eurovision 2019 review!

Today, we focus on Norway. After another quality year of Melodi Grand Prix (Mr. Unicorn and Holla were robbed), the show was won by supergroup Keiino with 'Spirit In The Sky'.

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: This song is the epitome of Eurovision, to a casual fan and to a Eurovision fan. This sound was hugely popular over the 00s and offers a slice of nostalgia in the contest nowadays. You would only ever get this type of song at Eurovision, an unapologetic piece of cheese and a massive look back at the iconic soaring Scandipop production that SLAPS. We've been hearing this for decades now but it still makes us feel euphoric and watching live performances of Spirit In The Sky, the mood just lifts whenever they enter a room and perform this because it has been made to get people going.

I'm going to be honest and say that I initially hated Spirit In The Sky because it felt so dated but I'm starting to feel like its actually really clever and they are aware of this. Keiino as a project feels more like at Scandipop over the decades and unites Scandinavia together with its traditional production, and that shows with the lyrical content and inclusion of the Sami vocalist and lyrics about the Northern lights, it brings that culture and inclusivity together and creates a number that is unapologetically true to what its trying to bring, and that's made me really come to enjoy this entry. Heck, even typing Keiino excites me after realising the two i's in the name resemble a Scandinavian flag which is just one of the coolest things this year omfg. They are also absolute charmers and have been running the pre-party circuit like crazy, someone should really turn them into a 'Damn ma is it that serious?' meme by now.

What I Don't Like: Okay, so I may as well touch on why I personally wasn't into the song when it was announced. The joiking guy for me really is the weakest part. Not because of its inclusion, but I don't know if Fred's really hitting it the way he should be. His solo part gets quite monotonous and I don't know if he has the range to keep me hooked, and although his joiking seems to be getting better I do feel like I've heard joiking done better than this and it has more potential to sound more magical.

Also that music video? Messy. I hope they were just messing about because it looks like they raided a Claire's accessories box and had a field day, which is cute but come on, they could have done so much more with it. That point also remains for the staging, I found it really empty and disjointed at Melodi Grand Prix, for a song which doesn't feel disjointed at all, it was a disappointment. Please don't mess it up live Norway!

Prediction: Okay, for a while I thought this was a Verona-style entry and would qualify with the televote but flop hard with the jury. Although, this is way better than Verona so I do believe it will do better than that, but this is jury poision and especially in a jury-friendly second semi-final, I expect a huge discrepancy between the televote and jury here. With messy staging, this could not qualify so I'll say its borderline for now.

Final Score: 7/10

Summary: The nostalgic Scandibanger filled with joy that maybe we all needed this year. It that encapsulates the spirit of Eurovision and for that reason I'm here for it.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a like on this post and check out my other blog posts. Also, feel free to follow me @ESCTBy for more Eurovision ramblings!