TikTok-Viral Viking Pop Lands Fifth for Norway

MAY 15 2023 · 12:00

Alessandra · "Queen of Kings" · Norway · 2023 Placement: 5 · Score: 268 · Language: English · Composers: Alessandra Mele, Stanley Ferdinandus, Linnea Deb · Venue: M&S Bank Arena · Host: Liverpool, United Kingdom · Type: performance innovation · Broadcast: streaming era Alessandra Mele — 20, Italian-Norwegian, all crimson leather — takes the Liverpool stage for a Viking-adjacent pop-anthem with driving drums and chant-along chorus. The song had already gone TikTok-viral weeks before Liverpool with over 100 million video uses. Her performance executes the viral energy at full scale. 268 points for 5th place. Context 'Queen of Kings' had become the first pre-contest TikTok blockbuster in Eurovision history, with millions of creators lip-syncing and choreographing to it. NRK's Melodi Grand Prix viewership surged on the song's virality. Alessandra was Italian-born, raised in Norway, selected by NRK over established Norwegian pop candidates. Legacy The 2023 card established a new Eurovision pattern: pre-contest TikTok virality as predictor of televote strength. Alessandra's subsequent career focused on the Italian-Norwegian market. 'Queen of Kings' charted across European streaming markets. Subsequent Melodi Grand Prix selections explicitly considered TikTok algorithmic potential.