– Has an extra gear

War and conflicts: – It was magical to be able to stand on the world’s biggest music stage and present Gåte’s universe to an even larger audience, said Gåte vocalist Gunnhild Sundli after the effort in the semi-final, in a statement conveyed by NRK’s ​​press department.

She broke into cheers when Norway was read out as the fourth country to advance.

– Now we have given everything, then we can hope that Europe and the world liked what they saw, heard and felt. The atmosphere in the hall was nothing to complain about, said Sundli.

When she met the press, she said that the performance “felt like giving birth”.

– It’s a huge discharge every time, Sundli said, adding that she was very happy.

As expected, Israel’s controversial contribution “Hurricane” also made it through. Israel’s participation in the competition has caused strong reactions around the world. In the host city of Malmö, over 10,000 people had turned up to demonstrate against Israel on Thursday.

– I have not seen the demonstrations. I’m here, I’m focused on music, joy and love, and that’s what matters today, she told NTB earlier in the day.

– Mixed response in the hall, said NRK’s ​​commentator Marte Stokstad.

SVT tells Expressen that the sound is always different for the audience in the hall than for TV viewers.

The security stakes around the Golan are enormous. After the semi-final, she was asked by a journalist if she had thought about whether her presence could bring risks to the other participants. The moderator was quick to interject that Golan doesn’t have to answer the question if she doesn’t want to. That upset many of the journalists in the room.

– The EBU takes all precautions to make this a safe place for everyone, answered Golan.

Gåte says it is possible to make the performance in the final even better than the semi-final.

– There are always some things that can be a little better. We will make sure that the magical feeling that comes through this number will flow even, even wilder and freer in the finale, replied guitarist Magnus Børmark to questions from NTB.

– There is always an extra gear.

The Norwegian reviewers were consistently positive about the effort from the Norwegian hope in the semi-final, where Norway was second last in the fire. Gåte will perform in the second half of the final on Saturday.

– We have seen many legends participate in Eurovision over the years, but few have left as clear a mark as the Norwegian singer Jahn Teigen. He represented his beloved country no less than three times and each time he brought something unique to this competition, the presenters said in one of the semi-final break sequences.

In the TV broadcast, you could see clips from Jahn Teigen’s three international final contributions throughout history: “Mil etter mil” in 1978, “Adieu” in 1982 and “Do Re Mi” in 1983.

– He debuted in Eurovision in 1978, and he finished in last place with an unforgivable zero points, said the presenters.

– But that didn’t stop Jahn from coming back, and coming back again. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2020, and Norway and Eurovision lost one of its greats.

Norway’s entry is one of ten that progress to Saturday’s final, among the 16 countries that participated in the semi-final.

In the semi-finals, Golan was met with both cheers and boos when she performed her song. On the TV broadcast, it was difficult to hear the reactions in the hall.

The other countries advancing from the second semi-final are Armenia, Austria, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands and Greece. The ones that fell out were Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Malta and San Marino.

During the semi-final, the presenters made a big splash on Jahn Teigen.