Aussie Muso on the Road to Eurovision - Mileo
Australian/Norwegian singer songwriter, Mileo, is set to take the stage this weekend at the Norwegian song contest; the Melodi Grand Prix. This prestigious song contest determines the artist that will represent Norway in Eurovision 2024 held in Malmo, Sweden.
The Norwegian broadcasting network, NRK, will present the semifinals of the national contest in Oslo this weekend, with Mileo performing his single ‘You’re Mine’ and competing for one of three top positions that will take him to the grand final. Betting odds on Unibet have him geared to make it to the grand final and social media has backed him heavily with over 115,000+ plays on Spotify within a week.
The song will be staged with TV theatricality and feature choreography by Mona-Jeanette Berntsen, who has worked with artists such as Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Alicia Keys and Chris Brown. Mileo says it will be a spectacle in true Eurovision style. ‘’I’ve enjoyed working with Berntsen as she truly appreciates the character I have created in the song. She even has me performing upside down.’’
Mileo is excited to be representing his ancestral homeland in the MGP and has been writing and producing music in Norway since 2013. His first single “Ëcho'' was a radio success, followed by “Know You Better” in 2016 where the song when viral debuting on the Billboard “Spotify Viral 50” at number 16 and charting in the top 10 on multiple countries viral streaming charts, while reaching top position on the Hype Machine “Most popular tracks on twitter.” In 2017, Mileo released "Worry" featuring Adelén. It became Mileo's first national charting song. He later released the single "Dead", featuring the rap duo Madcon. It was announced on January 5th that Mileo was selected for the prestigious Melodi Grand Prix and he will be the first Australian/Norwegian to do so.
Mileo’s passion for creating and finding his true artistry was fostered through his family's love of music as well as through his attendance at the fully selective performing arts high school; Hunter School of the Performing Arts, in Newcastle NSW. Encouraged by his Norwegian father to watch Eurovision each year, the song contest is one close to his heart. The Eurovision Song Contest became popular in Australia when SBS Australia first aired the competition in 1983. The competition, which appealed to our love of kitsch and vibrant humor, has been embraced as an annual spectacle, with late-night viewing parties and eccentric outfits. Indeed, it was thanks to Australia that ABBA became such a global success, their song 'Fernando' topped the Aussie charts in 1976 for fourteen weeks, catapulting the band to international fame. Our fandom of the event eventually led to Australia officially joining the competition with our own entries in 2015, when Guy Sebastian took 5th place. Some of which have been nationally selected by the public and others selected by a music panel. Mileo is overjoyed that Norway still allows the public to determine their entrant and his followers vocally support and praise is confidence and quirkiness. It is for this reason that Mileo has decided to take this chance to compete for Norway.
Australians can get behind Mileo this weekend by voting online during the live broadcast, which will take place from 6am to 7am AEST. All international votes are collected via the NRK website, which will also live stream the event. Voters will be required to indicate their name, year of birth and the person they wish to place their vote for (Mileo).
