Fifth place in Eurovision: — KEiiNO has come to stay

Published May 19th, by NTB-Alexander Vestrum, translated by Karina Brandt, June 11th 2020

— This shows that we have an audience also outside Norway, says KEiiNO’s Tom Hugo about the Eurovision-fifth-place. The Netherlands won, but Norway received most votes from the audience.

The Netherlands and Duncan Laurance won Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song, “Arcade”. This is the fifth victory for the Netherlands, but we have to scroll all the way back to 1975 to find the previous one.

A fifth-place to Norway and KEiiNO brought them to be the best of the North. And not only that – Norway actually received the most votes from the viewers, entire 291 points.

A strong goal

— This is just fantastic. We had a strong goal to win the viewers’ votes in Eurovision and we made it. We beat the Swedes. And we landed on a fifth-place in total. It is so great! Tom Hugo shouts and gives the rest of the band a high-five.

He emphasizes that the band won the viewer’s vote clean and that the band doesn’t care what the music reviewers think.

— This shows we have an audience outside Norway also, Tom Hugo adds.

— A great future

— I have cried quite a few tears because it was so emotional to see we have reached those at home. This was our goal and we made it, Alexandra Rotan says.

— KEiiNO has come to stay and we will grow and have a great future in the world, she says.

Fred Buljo has faith that the joik was amongst what helped them to win the people.

— The joik is one of Europe’s oldest forms of music, so perhaps it touches the spirit of the people a little, and this was the goal. I wanted it to be like I was in their living room and joiked into their ears, he says.

Tom Hugo promises a new single from the band in three-four weeks. And during this year the band has for goal to create a concept album with indigenous people from the entire world. This happens in the the year which is FN’s year for the language of indigenous people.

15th Place half-way

From the jury, Norway only received 47 points. This gave them a 15th place before the votes from the viewers were read aloud.

— We were a little huffy on that point, Alexandra Rotan admits.

Now concerts in Norway and the rest of Europe waits – and first of all a performance during MGPjr this coming weekend.

— It is so incredibly great to be able to stand there, because we have dreamt of standing on the Eurovision-scene since we were little. Alexandra has, after all, been in MGPjr, Tom Hugo says.

So far ahead of Sweden

In total Norway received 338 points, six points more than our Swedish neigbours. Italy took second place, Russia was number three and Switzerland ended as number four. After Norway and Sweden on the lists, follows Aserbajdsjan on a seventh-place, North-Makedonia as number eight and ninth-place was Australia’s and Iceland number ten.

Great Britain received the fewest points of all and ended at number 36 in the finale in Tel Aviv – with only 16 points. And it was noted that also Germany ended without any viewers’ votes at all.

The last time Norway was amongst the top five, was in 2013 when Margaret Berger was number four.

The top favorite

The Netherlands was top favourite at the odd-set companies long before the competition in Tel Aviv and strengthened their position during the week of semi finals.

The winner, Duncan Laurance, said afterwards that he performed the song again Saturday evening:

— This is for having big dreams. This is for music first. Always.

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