The first semi-final of Norway's Melodi Grand Prix 2022 is happening this weekend!
Over the course of the competition there will be four semi-finals and a second chance round before the contest will culminate in the Grand Final on 19th February.
The Aussievision team has listened and voted on the four competing songs this weekend and voted for our favourite entry each.
Here are our rankings from 4th down to 1st:
4. Mira Craig – 'We Still Here' (0 votes)
3. Frode Vassel - 'Black Flowers' (2 votes)
"This gives me some pretty decent rock with a lot of melodic and hooky moments. Out of the four songs this is the one I liked immediately on first listen." ~ Dale
"I think this song has such a great hook to it. The bass that can be heard throughout the song is so infectious. The lyrics seem enjoyable and I feel that this song is the most down to earth song for this semi-final." ~ Tim
2. Trollfest - 'Dance Like a Pink Flamingo' (5 votes)
"Wow what a mess this song is yet it works so well!! I'm expecting explosive staging for this one! The chorus is so catchy, love the guitar and there are several moments in this song that will make it very memorable! "Dance like a pink flamingo, Woooooaaahhh!"" ~ Kyriakos
"This slaps. I love wacky entries where there is a balance. The metal elements stop this from going too ridiculous and predictable. It's already a favourite of mine this NF season. Please Norway, send this to Torino already." ~ Fleur
"It might have taken me a couple of listens and a watch of the music video, but 'Dance Like A Pink Flamingo' is fantastic. On the surface, it seems like a silly novelty song about dancing like a pink flamingo, complete with broken English, Eurovision parody tropes aplenty, with a fun dance to accompany it(!), but take a listen to the lyrics of the verses in amongst all the Winny Puuh (Eesti Laul 2013)-style screaming and you'll realise that this song is actually deeper than it first seems. The chorus is really catchy (especially with the "whoa-oa-oa" part that reminds me of Blind Channel's Eurovision entry last year), the metal instrumentation is punchy, the overall package is very memorable, and in my opinion it's absolutely genius. I can't wait to see what TrollfesT will do with the staging at MGP. I'm ready to distract myself, submit to the will of the "one overlord", and hit the dancing floor! ~ Laura
"Compared with its fairly run-of-the-mill SF1 competitors, TrollfesT’s 'Dance Like A Pink Flamingo' at least has a USP. That USP is, admittedly, the song’s madness and I’m still yet to decide whether it’s a weirdly compelling or just weird entry. I also couldn’t unhear a certain resemblance to Men Without Hats’ hit 'Safety Dance' speeded up… with bonus flamingoes." ~ Steve
"This is the only song of the four I liked AND I love the heavier stuff. Its comedy and heavy together - what is not to love about this?" ~ Hayley
1. Eline Noelia - 'Ecstasy' (7 votes)
"Basic yet competent Scandi-pop. Very reminiscent of Elevate from MGP Semi 1 last year which was also my top pick of the bunch. Eline’s vocals feel airy and sweet but I find they sound stretched very thin in the chorus. If she can pull off those high notes live, I will be very surprised. Overall a solid song with the studio version but I feel it will falter live and will be quickly forgotten after this semi-final." ~ Josh
"This is the best song of this heat by miles. Ecstasy is punchy, has an interesting progression and keeps you hooked from start to end; something the other three songs can't. This song needs to be sung well or it will fall at the final hurdle. But as it stands right now, this semi-final is Eline's to lose." ~ Cooper
"Best of a bad bunch, edging out Frode Vassel because at least 'Ecstasy' sounds contemporary. The real winner here is semi-final 2 (and 3, 4 and 5...)." ~ Mark
"Simply the most melodic out of this set of four! I love the layered vocals in the pre-chorus and the best drop is interesting, keen to see what they do on stage with it." ~ Hugo
"It’s the least worst of this dismal bunch. It probably has the most modern feel of these songs at least. Unfortunately the vocal is at a pitch that is uncomfortable to listen to and the arrangement and production feels messy." ~Mike
"I really like the choice of instrumentation in Ecstasy which give it a 'world music' feel with a current sound thanks to the beat drop. It's very well produced but it will be interesting to see if Eline can sing this high live, particularly in the chorus. It is quite difficult to understand the lyrics at times yet there is still enough to sing along to here." ~Emma
"I think 'Ecstasy' has the most potential to elevate in the live performances. If it's performed with a strong vocal performance, I think it will make a great impact." ~ Guy
Melodi Grand Prix 2022 semi-final airs on 15th January in Norway time or the early hours of 16th January in Australia.