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Norwegian twins to represent Sweden at Eurovision

Norwegian twins Marcus and Martinus won an easy victory in the Melodifestivalen competition on Saturday night, and will represent Sweden at Eurovision 2024 in Malmö in May.

Published: 10 March 2024 10:35 CET

Norwegian twins to represent Sweden at Eurovision

Norwegian band "Marcus and Martinus" perform during the Nobel Peace Prize concert on December 11, 2016 in Oslo, Norway. Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP.

Melodifestivalen 2024 finished on Saturday night and saw Sweden finally choose its entry for the upcoming 68th Eurovision Song Contest. The competition, which is to be hosted in Malmö in May, will see Norwegian twins Marcus and Martinus represent Sweden.

Despite not being Swedish nationals themselves, the twins can represent Sweden because their co-songwriters (Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb and Linnea Deb) are all Swedes.

12 songs were in contention at Melodifestivalen on Saturday night, with a combination of public voting and 8 international juries (each with 50 percent weighting) giving the Norwegian twins an easy victory.

READ ALSO: Hotels, tickets and scams: What to know about visiting Malmö for Eurovision 2024

Twin brothers Marcus and Martinus Gunnarsen, originally from Elverum in Norway, won with their song Unforgettable. The international vote gave the twins 85 points, almost double the second placed finisher, Cazzi Opeia, with Give My Heart A Break.

The Norwegians also easily won the public vote, scoring 92 points. Medina’s Que Sera finished a distant second, on 61 points.

Their Melodifestivalen triumph is not the Norwegian twins’ first taste of pop success. They first emerged on the scene in 2012 as 10-year-olds when they won Melodi Grand Prix Junior, a Norwegian TV talent show. They’ve since won a Norwegian Grammy, the Swedish edition of The Masked Singer, and toured Europe.

The pair have also released three studio albums, all of which were Number 1 hits in Norway.

Eurovision 2024 will not be the Gunnarsen twins’ first experience of the competition — in 2017 they announced Norway’s points tallies in Kyiv.

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Five cocktail bars in Malmö to try for pre-dinner drinks

Care/of

This award-winning cocktail bar tucked away next to a barber’s shop is a must for any fans of cocktails. It’s tiny, so make sure to make a reservation if you want to be sure to get a seat.

Their cocktails are a mix of classic drinks and their own inventions, including the Guess what?, an ever-changing cocktail made up of whatever the bartender creates that day, as well as a few mocktails, beers and wines.

Want something special or a classic drink not on their menu? Just ask the bartender and they’ll make it for you.

At around 160 kronor for a cocktail, this is maybe not the kind of place you stay in all evening, but is a perfect place to have a couple of drinks before a concert at Malmö Live, which is just around the corner.

They serve small bites for 120 kronor or hotdogs for 100 kronor, so probably best to go somewhere else for dinner.

Address: Fiskehamnspromenaden 11c

Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 4pm-late, with a cocktail brunch on Saturdays from 12-3pm

MALMÖ NIGHTLIFE:

BISe

BISe, short for Bisous, the French word for a kiss on the cheek, is a restaurant, wine bar and cocktail bar in the city centre which opened in 2022.

Not only is the food good, but the drinks are too – BISe was nominated in the “sommeliers’ drink experience” category at the Swedish Gastronomy awards in 2023 and again this year.

The bar, Bar Bisou, serves traditional cocktails with BISe’s own twist, which change with the seasons. Why not try a Negroni with Meyer lemons and Sicilian blood orange, a vegan White Russian with BISe’s own coffee liqueur, or the inventively-titled Istället för Old Fashioned (“Instead of Old Fashioned”) with homemade raspberry vinegar and fig leaves? They even have a couple of mocktails, like a non-alcoholic negroni (a NOgroni), and spritz from Scanian producers Franka.

Address: Norra Vallgatan 88

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 3pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 3pm-midnight

Boulebar

This might seem like a bit of an odd option on a list of cocktail bars, but Boulebar is more than just a place to go to play a few rounds of petanque. Their cocktail list is small but perfectly formed, like their Angélique Papon with gin, St Germain elderflower liqueur, cucumber and lime, or their Pommango Spritz, with vodka, apple, mango and crémant. You can also get a glass of pastis to enjoy while you boule if that’s more your thing.

Address: Drottningtorget 8 or Norra Parkgatan 6

Opening hours: Drottningtorget: Mon-Weds 3pm-11pm, Thurs-Fri 3pm-midnight, Saturday 10:30-midnight. Folkets Park opening hours vary depending on season.

Scania

This bar, which has no relation to the truck company, specialises in a frankly bizarre mix of Mexican-Korean fusion, where they serve bibimbap al pastor and burritos with kimchi. The bar, which is situated in the middle of the restaurant, boasts more than 35 different types of tequila, and it’s perhaps not a surprise that so many of their cocktails include tequila, too.

Here, you can try a chili margarita with a gochugaru-salted rim, or order a pitcher of the spicy Mexican beer and tomato-juice based cocktail michelada to share while you tuck into some kimchi fries.

Address: Bergsgatan 18

Opening hours: Tues-Sat 5pm-3am. Lunch Tues-Fri 11:30am-2pm.

KOL

KOL is a meat-centric restaurant specialising in food cooked on the grill – kol is the Swedish word for coal or charcoal.

They have a wide range of drinks to go with your dinner, including wines, beers, non-alcoholic options and, yes, cocktails, which they make using their own freshly-pressed juices. You can choose a pre-dinner cocktail, like the Marilyn Monroe featuring vanilla vodka, passionfruit liqueur and sparkling wine, post dinner cocktails like the Port O’Berry – port spiked with blackberry and raspberry, or a whenever-you-feel-like-it cocktail off their drinks menu. Why not the aptly-name Dala Horse, with Swedish lingonberries paired with vodka, lime and ginger beer, or something from their gin menu, where you can choose from garnishes like dill, coffee beans, juniper and thyme? Don’t feel like cocktails? They have a good wine list too.

Address: Kalendegatan 16

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 5pm-late, Fri-Sat 5pm-3am. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm

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