Melodi Grand Prix Junior
Melodi Grand Prix Junior, also spelled as MGPjr, is a Norwegian television song competition for aspiring singers between the ages of 8 and 15. The competing songs are written by the participants themselves and are sung primarily in Norwegian, and on several occasions, there were songs in Northern Sami, another language of Norway. Many past contestants went on to become stars, such as 2002's Nicolay Ramm, 2005's Malin Reitan, 2007's Celine Helgemo, 2009's Jørgen Dahl Moe, 2014's Mathea-Mari Glittenberg, and 2017's Oselie Henden.
| Melodi Grand Prix Junior | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Norway |
| Original languages | Norwegian (main) Sami (secondary) |
| Production | |
| Running time | Varies |
| Release | |
| Original network | NRK |
| Original release | Original: February 23, 2002–May 28, 2022 Revival: TBA 2024 |
History
The idea was taken from the Danish broadcaster Danmarks Radio, who launched a song contest for aspiring singers aged 8 to 15 in spring 2000. The format was a success and caught the attention of Norway and Sweden in 2002.
From 2003 to 2005, the contest used to select the Norwegian entry for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC). In 2006 Norway withdrew from the contest to participate in MGP Nordic and the contest used to select the entry for the Scandinavian counterpart until 2009. MGPjr is still held annually, but it's not used to select an entry for any contest. Shortly after Junior Eurovision 2021, NRK revealed that a delegation was sent to Paris to watch how much the contest evolved, raising questions about a possible return in 2022.[1]
Only days after the 2022 edition of MGPjr ended, NRK announced changes to the format, thus putting the contest's future in jeopardy.[2]
Presenters
- Thomas Numme (2002)
- Stian Barsnes-Simonsen (2002–08)
- Nadia Hasnaoui (2004–06)
- Kåre Magnus Bergh (2009–10)
- Marthe Sveberg Bjørstad (2009)
- Ingrid Gjessing Linhave (2010, 2016)
- Margrethe Røed (2011–15)
- Alex Rosén (2011)
- Tooji (2012–14)
- Nicolay Ramm (2016–17)
- Mikkel Niva (2017–19)
- Sigrid Velle Dypbukt (2018–19)
- Selma Ibrahim Karlsen (2020-22)
- Victor Sotberg (2020-21)
Winners
| Year | Date | Venue | Artist | Real Name(s) | Song (translation) | Other contests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | February 23, 2002 | Oslo Spektrum | To små karer | Nicolay Ramm, Christoffer B. Claussen | "Paybacktime" | MGP Nordic 2002 |
| 2003 | September 6, 2003 | 2U | Charlot Daysh, Joakim Harestad Haukaas | "Sinnsykt gal forelsket" (Crazy in love) | Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003 | |
| 2004 | June 12, 2004 | @lek | Aleksander Moberg | "En stjerne skal jeg bli" (I'm gonna be a star) | Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004 | |
| 2005 | May 28, 2005 | Malin | Malin Reitan | "Sommer og skolefri" (Summer and school free) | Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 | |
| 2006 | April 22, 2006 | Ole Runar | Ole Runar Gillebo | "Fotball e supert" (Football is super) | MGP Nordic 2006 | |
| 2007 | June 2, 2007 | Celine | Celine Helgemo | "Bæstevænna" (Best friends) | MGP Nordic 2007 | |
| 2008 | September 5, 2008 | The BlackSheeps | Agnete Johnsen, Emelie Nilsen, Alexander Touryguin, Viktoria Eriksen | "Oro jaska, beana" (Be quiet/Shut up, dog) | MGP Nordic 2008 | |
| 2009 | September 5, 2009 | Jørgen | Jørgen Dahl Moe | "Din egen vei" (Your own way) | MGP Nordic 2009 | |
| 2010 | September 4, 2010 | Torstein | Torstein Snekvik | "Svikter aldri igjen" (Never let you down again) | ||
| 2011 | September 3, 2011 | Sval | Sval Rosenløw Eeg | "Trenger deg" (Need you) | ||
| 2012 | September 1, 2012 | Marcus & Martinus | Marcus Gunnarsen, Martinus Gunnarsen | "To dråper vann" (Two drops of water) | ||
| 2013 | August 31, 2013 | Unik 4 | Audun Rørmark, Simen Bakkåker, Annika Momrak, Eline Nesje | "Så sur da" (So mad) | ||
| 2014 | August 30, 2014 | Mathea-Mari | Mathea-Mari Glittenberg | "#online" | ||
| 2015 | November 7, 2015 | Thea | Thea Floer Kulseng | "Du gjør mæ så gla" (You make me so happy) | ||
| 2016 | November 5, 2016 | Vilde & Anna | Vilde Hjelle, Anna Naustdal | "Vestlandet" (Western nation) | ||
| 2017 | November 4, 2017 | Telenor Arena | Oselie | Oselie Henden | "Verda vår" (Our world) | |
| 2018 | November 3, 2018 | 4everU | Eline Roa Gran, Savannah Løver, Maria Elisabeth Heitmann, Bettina Ranvik | "Forandring" (Change) | ||
| 2019 | May 25, 2019 | Anna & Emma | Anna Vestreheim, Emma H. Ylvisåker | "Kloden er syk" (The world is sick) | ||
| 2020 | August 22, 2020 | Oslo Spektrum | Hennika | Hennika Eggum Huuse | "Kan ikke la deg gå" (Can't let you go) | |
| 2021 | May 29, 2021 | Josefine & Oskar | Josefine Westgaard, Oskar Armandus Høgetveit | "Smitte deg med glede" (Infect yourself with joy) | ||
| 2022 | May 28, 2022 | Telenor Arena | William | William Alexander Høyem Ribe | "Tusen tanker" (A thousand thoughts) | |
| 2024 | Upcoming | |||||
See also
- MGP Junior, Denmark's national MGP competition
- Lilla Melodifestivalen, Sweden's national MGP competition
- Melodi Grand Prix Nordic, extinct pan-Scandinavian competition
- Junior Eurovision Song Contest, pan-European competition
References
- Herbert, Emily (21 December 2021). "Junior Eurovision: NRK Sent A Delegation To Paris, Possible Return in 2022?". Eurovoix.
- Pettersen, Jørn (31 May 2022). "NRK usikre på MGPjr i 2023" (in Norwegian).