Norway have had a good recent run of results at the Eurovision Song Contest, with their last three entries finishing comfortably within the top 10 in the final.  The 2016 representative will be selected at the Melodi Grand Prix, held in Oslo’s Spektrum Theatre on 27th February.

One of the hopefuls is the band Pegasus, who have enjoyed great success in recent years within their native Norway, and will be looking to appeal to a wider international audience with their song ‘Anyway’.  We caught up with them for an interview recently, and this is what they shared with us:

Firstly congratulations on being selected for the MGP final.  You’ve had quite a successful career in Norway but might not be quite as well known to international audiences.  Would you be able to tell us a little about the band, how you started out and your biggest achievements to date? 

“We started out in 2006 and recorded our debut album at a studio called Hitsville here in Norway with two well known Norwegian producers. It was released in February 2007 and it spawned a radio hit called ‘Kine’ (pronounced : Keeneh), which is a Norwegian girls name. Since then we have released 8 studio albums, a ‘Best of’ and a Christmas album. We received a Norwegian Grammy in 2013 and got voted ‘Songwriters Of The Year’ in 2014 in our respective genre.”

What made you consider entering ‘Anyway’ into the competition.  Have you always had ambitions to compete at Eurovision, or did it just feel right with this song?

“People around us have suggested that we should give MGP a try for quite some time, but we never submitted any songs. We finally gave in and submitted the song ‘Anyway’, but failed to get a response. Oddly enough, the MGP-team contacted us a few months later and asked if we would like to try out for this year’s MGP. We told them that we already had submitted a song. They couldn’t find it in their database so we sent it to them again. They loved it and wanted us join. Meant to be?”

And the song itself, how would you describe its style.  Is there a specific message within the song?

“I would describe the song as a pop/rock ballad, but it all boils down to individual taste eventually. The lyrics tell of a serious situation that is very hard to be in or around, especially if it’s happening to someone you care about. When someone, who is in a relationship, is being used and taken advantage of and is fully aware of it, but still gives a 110% to make it work because they think they’re not strong enough to leave.”

Do you have anything exciting planned for the stage performance in MGP, are you able to share anything with us yet, or will we just have to wait and see?

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see. The thing is, we were a band before MGP and we will be a band after MGP. So what we do or how it all is presented should be fairly close to who we actually are. But, what I can tell you, is that the atmosphere and stage-props will be as big as the song itself.”

Are any of you fans of MGP and the Eurovision generally?, are there any former Norwegian entries (or from any other nation) that you have particularly enjoyed?

“I’m a huge Eurovision fan. There’s been quite a few MGP entries that have stuck with me. My favourite Norwegian entry is Wig Wam’s ‘In My Dreams’, but my all time favourite Eurovision song is ‘Ein bißchen Frieden’ by Nicole from 1982. Other incredible songs are ‘In A Moment Like This’ by Chanée & N’Evergreen (Denmark);‘Making Your Mind Up’ by Bucks Fizz (UK); ‘Waterloo’ by Abba (Sweden); ‘Främling’ by Carola (Sweden) and the list goes on and on and on…….”

And outside of Eurovision, what sort of music would you generally listen to?, Are there any artists who have inspired you or influenced your sound?

“I listen to all kinds of music. To me, there’s only two types of music; good and bad. And the great thing about it is that I decide what’s good or bad. It can be everything from Death Metal to Opera to Classical music. But, what I enjoy the most is 80s music. My idols growing up was Jon Bon Jovi and Paul Stanley from KISS. Other favourites include Smokie, Eagles, Bee Gees, Savage Garden, Poison etc….”

What would it mean to you to represent your country at Eurovision?

“Well, first of all; Anything you get to do for your country is great! And to represent your home country in a huge event like Eurovision is nothing short of an honour. An absolute honour.”

Could you share with us your favourite thing about Norway?  If you were to win and Norway were to host in 2017, where would you recommend visitors to go first?

“Norway is famous for its landscape, the mountains and the valleys. So a trip with one of the ‘Hurtigruten’ ships would simply take your breath away. Or if you’re the city type, then a little visit at ‘Frognerparken’ in Oslo would be interesting. There’s a lot of amazing statues there and they’re nude. But, if nudity scares you, there’s always Burger King or McDonald’s.”

Finally would you have any other message for our readers?

“Well, just think about it !! The concept of Eurovision has lasted 60 years solely because of the fans. Every year they demand it, cherish it, they love it !!  The Eurovision fans simply amaze us, so keep it going strong and ‘Come Together’.”

You can listen to Pegasus’s song ‘Anyway’ here: