Melodi Grand Prix has undergone a number of changes ahead of 2025, with the format, hosts and venue all different to the previous edition. 

Norway’s national selection has been a multi-show format since 2020, but in 2025 it will return to just one live production. 

Click to read this story at a glance…

• Format Change: Melodi Grand Prix 2025 will return to a single live show, moving away from the multi-show format used since 2020
• New Venue and Hosts: MGP will take place on February 15, 2025, at Oslo Spektrum. The event will be hosted by Tete Lidbom, Markus Neby, and Marte Stokstad who will also provide commentary
• Artists: Ten artists will compete in 2025, the first time the competition will feature that number of entrants since 2019. The lineup will be revealed in mid-January
• Voting System: The winner of MGP will be chosen by a combination of a national public televote and an international jury, though the exact split has not yet been finalised
• New Leadership: Tarjei Strøm has been appointed as the new Music Director, and Mads Tørklep has become Norway’s Head of Delegation

The country’s capital, Oslo, will return to final hosting duties for the first time since 2019 as the city’s Spektrum venue acts as the base for the sole broadcast on February 15. 

Melodi Grand Prix’s new Music Director, Tarjei Strøm, and the show’s Project Manager and recently appointed Eurovision Head of Delegation, Mads Tørklep, spoke exclusively to The Euro Trip ahead of today’s announcement. 

“Focusing on one big, epic final has been the norm for much of MGP’s history, so in many ways we are returning to what has been typical for the competition,” Tørklep said. 

“We want to put all our effort, energy and money into making the final as big and spectacular as possible – all the focus and all the resources going into one unforgettable show. 

“We have to look at the budgets at this time. Prices are going up but budgets remain the same. Most people can all relate to that by looking at their own private economy. 

“It’s all about giving everybody the best MGP experience possible, and I believe one show is the right thing to do in 2025.” 

Strøm and Tørklep both stepped up to their new roles in early Autumn after long-standing Head of Delegation and Music Director Stig Karlsen decided to pursue other interests in the summer. 

Ten artists will compete to win MGP when the show takes place in February, and those competing will be unveiled to the public in the middle of January. 

The 2024 edition of the show saw 18 artists compete for a place in a final featuring just nine entries. This will be the first edition of Norway’s national selection to feature 10 artists since 2019. 

“I think people are going to be excited by the artists. There’s new and fresh stuff, really good songs and so much catchiness,” Strøm said. 

“There is also a nugget for the international fans as well.” 

Despite only joining as Music Director earlier this autumn, Strøm did have some input in deciding who should make the list of competitors. 

“Stig had done the majority of the choosing, but we were able to help out and make some changes,” Strøm said. 

“One thing is choosing [the songs], another is the stage we’re in now where we’re listening to the finalised versions and helping the artists produce the songs in the direction we want to go. 

“It’s a creative process and a psychological process. Just last week I felt like the train was really rolling.” 

Tørklep also teased a “great comeback” among the 2025 lineup. 

Melodi Grand Prix 2025 will be anchored by a trio of hosts: Marte Stokstad, Tete Lidbom and Markus Neby. 

Stokstad has been NRK’s Eurovision commentator at the last four editions of the contest, and last hosted MGP in 2012. She is also the host of Adresse…, NRK’s Eurovision preview show. 

In next year’s MGP, she will commentate on the show as well as host. 

“The idea is to give the show more of that Eurovision Song contest feeling,” Tørklep explained. 

“Our postcards will be done in more of an ESC style – no interviews, just beauty shots and live commentary from Marte.” 

Tete Lidbom is a podcast and radio host, and known to Norwegians as a detective on Maskorama, Norway’s version of The Masked Singer. 

Meanwhile, Markus Neby is a television and radio host in Norway, and appeared during the final of MGP 2024 driving around the arena in a golf cart, comedically blasting popcorn over the audience. 

“It’s a great trio. I would have begged for this job anyway, but these three were a great selling point for me,” Strøm said. 

“They care about music, they have a huge heart for music, they love MGP. 

“Now we’ve been working together for a couple of months… it’s a big family and everyone cares about the whole package.” 

Like in previous editions of MGP, the winner will be decided by both the Norwegian public and an international televote, but the split has not been finalised yet. 

“We haven’t talked about if we want the Norwegian audience to have 60% or 50% say in the winner,” Tørklep said. 

“We had 60% this year and that’s what made Gåte the winners – if we had 50/50 Keiino would have won. 

“We want the Norwegian audience to decide more, but then again it’s never easy. We haven’t decided on the split. It’s a hard decision.”