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EUROVISION

VIDEO: Bouncer wins Norway Eurovision spot

Norway has chosen the thick-set former bouncer Carl Espen to represent it at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, betting on a piano-driven ballad rather than the usual frenetic Europop.

Published: 17 March 2014 11:59 CET
VIDEO: Bouncer wins Norway Eurovision spot
Carl Espen rehearsing with choreographers. Photo: Carl Espen website
Espen, who at 32 is older than the usual Eurovision entry, worked as a bouncer in Bergen nightclubs, as a carpenter, and as a soldier serving in Kosovo, before making his breakthrough as a singer.
 
He won Norway Melodi Grand Prix on Saturday night, beating Utøya survivor Mo Abdi Farah,  Linnea Dale, and Knut Nesdal. 
 
The song Silent Storm, by the singer-songwriter Josefin Winther, is described on Espen's website as an "intense, fragile and powerful ballad".  It is backed by sparse piano and has a sort of folky celtic melody. 
 
Have a listen here: 
 

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EUROVISION

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Cornelia Jakobs, Sweden's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, burst into tears and jumped onto presenter Mario Acampas, after shooting through to the final on Thursday night.

Published: 13 May 2022 08:09 CEST
Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Jakobs was emotional at the press conference after her victory, telling the story of her progress from an “largely unknown” indie artist to the Eurovision stage. 

“There are a lot of feelings right now in this little body, an extremely large amount of feelings that can’t really fit in, so they’re exploding,” she said, before beginning to cry. “But I’m so happy and overwhelmed by all the support I’ve got from all these fantastic countries.” 

When the time came to pick lots for which half of the final she would appear in, she leapt onto Mario Acampas, the presenter asking questions at the press conference, wrapping her legs around his waist and clasping herself tightly to his torso. 

He then walked her over to the bowl where the lots were lying. 

“I want you to choose the second half,” she said to him. “Imagine that I have a pistol here and on the count of three I’m going to shoot you if you don’t choose.”

He refused to pick for her so she took one herself and got the second half. 

Jakobs, with her song, “Hold me closer”, was the clear favourite to go into the final, and will go through alongside Finland’s The Rasmus, and his song Jezebel, Serbia’s Konstrakta with “In corpore sano”, as well as entries from Belgium, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Estonia, Australia, and Romania. 

You can see her performance on Thursday in the video below. 

In the final, she will meet the other favourites, which include Ukraine, Italy, and the United Kingdom. 

The final will be shown on Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT at 9pm on Saturday. 

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