Norway Eurovision 2019 entry: meet KEiiNO, whose song brings traditional Joik chanting to song contest
KEiiNO will perform ‘Spirit in the Sky’ at the Eurovision Song Contest and will feature a Nordic-Swedish chant by the group’s rapper
By Deepika RajaniFriday, 17th May 2019, 10:34 amUpdatedFriday, 6th September 2019, 3:49 pm
Norway’s Eurovision Song Contest entry has got a lot of people talking.
Competing for a place in the final, KEiiNO took to the stage in Tel Aviv for the semi-finals and left viewers at home speechless with their performance of their track ‘Spirit in the Sky’.
With a catchy beat and chorus, ‘Spirit in the Sky’ also features a joik – a Nordic/Swedish chant that is performed by the group’s rapper Fred Buljo.
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Here’s all you need to know about Norway’s entry in the Eurovision Song contest.
KEiiNOO are 15th in line to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest (Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
Who is Norway’s Eurovision Song Contest entry?
KEiiNO are representing Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest. The group is made up of rapper Fred Buljo and singers Alexandra Rotan and Tom Hugo.
The group were put together for the contest ahead of the country’s Eurovision selection.
What song will KEiiNO be performing?
The track is called ‘Spirit in the Sky’ and no, it’s not a cover of Norman Greenbaum’s 1969 hit. Instead, the track, which was written by Tom Hugo, Alex Olsson, Fred Buljo, Alexandra Rotan, Henrik Tala and Rûdiger Schramm, has been inspired by the issues people have faced for equal rights.
Apart from a few bursts of flames, the stage will be pretty much empty for Buljo, Rotan and Hugo to perform on. Their outfits of the night will be black and slightly X-Men inspired.
What has been the reaction so far?
Having taken to the stage already to perform for their place in Saturday’s grand final, KEiiNO’s performance garnered a lot of attention from viewers. In particular, the unexpected chant from Buljo. The chant is known as a Joik and is a traditional song performed by Laplanders who live in the Sapmi region of Norway and Sweden.
“The song from Norway is kinda @GameOfThrones #Eurovision #NOR,” one fan claimed.
Whilst another commented: “#EUROVISION #NOR when the bald guy from Norway starts singing the Nordic chant 12 POINTS.”
“To be fair, Norway has a pretty awesome #Eurovision song this year!,” a third Eurovision Song Contest fan shared on the social networking site.
A different user commented: “Norway gave me winner vibe to be honest… I got goosebumps!!! But unfortunately they’re kinda low in betting odds… If only they had their marching band with them…#Eurovision.”
Suggesting that Bujo’s chant is the reason why the song is such a hit, another tweet read: “#Eurovision Norway’s bald guy makes this such a banger!”The group consists of rapper Fred Buljo and singers Alexandra Rotan and Tom Hugo (Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)
Who is favourite to win the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest?
Despite ‘Spirit in the Sky’ being a success with fans on social media, Norway are currently not in the running to win the competition, according to the latest odds.
At the moment, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia are all hotly tipped to secure the coveted top spot with Ladbrokes – along with other bookmakers – placing 4/5 odds on the Netherlands to win.
“It’s not often we see a nation odds-on to win Eurovision, but it’s hard to see past the Netherlands, while the UK will be lucky to get on the scoreboard if the latest odds are anything to go by,” a Ladbrokes spokesperson explained.Australia follows second with odds of 5/1 to win, whilst Sweden and Switzerland have odds of 8/1 and 11/1 respectively.
