Emmy ‘did a deep dive on Irish culture' to represent Ireland at Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest act Emmy Kristiansen did a 'deep dive' to represent Ireland, a fellow Norwegian singer has said.
Kristiansen will perform her song Laika Party, about a Soviet dog sent to space, during the second semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Thursday.
The 24-year-old hopes to replicate Bambie Thug, who at Malmo 2024 was the first Irish entrant to make the final since Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Lisbon in 2018.
Norway's Kyle Alessandro, the youngest to compete in Basel at 19-years-old, qualified on Tuesday during the first semi-final with the fiery song Lighter, and is hopeful he will be joined by Kristiansen.
In the Swiss city on Thursday, he told the PA news agency that both the singer and her keyboardist brother Erlend Kristiansen are 'amazing'.
He added: 'I've known them since I was a little kid, and their dancers are also Norwegian this time around. So they're bringing Norwegian-ness to the stage.
'But I know that Emmy has also taken a deep dive into the Irish culture.'
Kristiansen did not go through in the Norwegian contest, and instead won Ireland's Eurosong 2025 to earn the right to enter for Ireland.
Alessandro said he was having a similar experience 'because I'm half Spanish, so I represent Norway, but a little bit Spain also because it's my father's homeland'.
The singer is also having his final school exams on Monday, after he competes on Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17, a day when he would normally be doing the 'russ', a once-in-a-life time event for graduates where he would wear colourful trousers and take part in wild activities.
'If I win here, there are no excuses for the final exam,' he said. 'I'm not going to study for them because I don't have time.
'After Eurovision, I'm releasing more music… and I'm going to be playing at one of the biggest concerts in Norway.'
He also pointed to the luckiness of competing on a national day, which gave Norway its third victory in Moscow 2009.
Alessandro, who was told to work with his Swedish songwriter Adam Woods by a friend in London, and enter to represent Norway, said: 'If don't recall incorrectly, I think Alexander Reebok, he won on the 16th of May, but he won past midnight, so it was the 17th.'
He follows Norwegian band Gate, who came last in 2024 with Ulveham.
On Saturday, he will face his fellow 10 qualifiers from Tuesday including touted favourite, Sweden's representative Kaj with their sauna song Bara Bada Bastu, and Ukraine's Ziferblat with the track Bird Of Pray.
They will be joined by the 10 qualifiers from Thursday night, and the 'big five' – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – and reigning champion Switzerland, who as host are guaranteed a slot after their act, Nemo, was victorious last year.
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