Kyle Alessandro won this year's Melodi Grand Prix with the song ‘Lighter’. He will now represent Norway in Basel at the Eurovision Song Contest.
In a packed Oslo Spektrum last night, Norway chose its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Kyle Alessandro emerged victorious in this year’s Melodi Grand Prix (MGP) with his song Lighter, securing his ticket to Basel, Switzerland for the international competition in May.
The 18-year-old singer from Steinkjer is no stranger to MGP. In 2023, he competed as part of the group Umami Tsunami with the song Geronimo, although the group lost out to Alessandra with her song ‘Queen of Kings'.
This year, however, he returned as a solo artist and captured both the public and jury votes with an emotionally charged performance of Lighter. NRK said the 18-year-old, MGP's youngest participant, “outclassed everyone”.
His victory was an overwhelming one, winning 307 points in total. The runner-up, Nataleen, finished 117 points behind, while Bobbysocks—the legendary Eurovision winners from 1985—took third place with 165 points.
A Song With Meaning
Lighter is deeply personal to Kyle Alessandro. Inspired by his mother’s battle with cancer, the song carries a message of resilience and hope, with the lyrics “I'll be my own lighter” symbolizing finding strength in dark times.
What's the song like? Judge for yourself here, and let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
Kyle largely wrote and produced the track himself, with assistance from Adam Woods, a well-known songwriter and producer.
For the final performance at Oslo Spektrum, Kyle took to the stage in a symbolic suit of armour, reflecting the warrior spirit his mother displayed throughout her illness.
After being declared the winner, he broke into tears and laughter, overwhelmed by the support he received.
Norway’s Journey to Eurovision
Melodi Grand Prix 2025 was a one-night event, a departure from the multi-week format used in previous years. The result was determined by a combination of public voting (60%) and an international jury (40%).
Kyle Alessandro topped both, receiving nine out of ten possible 12-point scores from the international juries.
Following the victory, Kyle expressed his ambition for Eurovision, confidently stating: “We are going to win Eurovision, mark my words!”
He also highlighted his multilingual skills, speaking four languages, which he hopes will help him connect with audiences across Europe.
Among the interval entertainment were Marcus and Martinus, the Norwegian twins who competed for Sweden at last year's Eurovision. Life in Norway favourite Sissel Kyrkjebø also took to the stage.
What Are the Experts Saying?
NRK's Jim Ødegaard Pedersen led the praise of Alessandro's performance. noting the “clear victory” with the international jury. He also called the public vote a “huge boost” for the youngest person in the competition.
“There is a communication ability here that I have hardly seen the likes of in a long, long time! This is brilliantly done, and with a stage show that really complements the song,” he added.
Music commentators from neighbouring countries were quick to praise Norway’s choice. Ole Tøpholm, a Eurovision expert from Denmark’s DR, described Lighter as “the best choice”, with a modern sound well-suited to today’s Eurovision landscape.
Torbjörn Ek, a Swedish Eurovision journalist, agreed, noting that Norway should be happy with this result as Kyle’s song was one of the few in MGP with real final potential.
Looking Ahead to Basel
Norway has a rich Eurovision history, with three victories to date. While Alexander Rybak’s Fairytale (2009) remains one of the most memorable wins, the country also holds the record—shared with Finland—for the most last-place finishes.
However, recent years have seen Norway perform strongly, qualifying for the final in 17 out of the last 20 contests.
Kyle Alessandro will now prepare for Eurovision in May 2025, where he hopes to continue Norway’s recent streak of success and bring the country its fourth victory. Stay tuned for more updates on Norway’s Eurovision journey this year!
What do you think of ‘Lighter'? Let us know down in the comments.
