Oda Gondrosen is a singer-songwriter from Gressvik (Fredrikstad). As a 16-year-old, she applied for Idol and that was followed by The Voice in 2015, but she felt too young and found it difficult to get anywhere with the music after those experiences. In the spring of 2020, Oda gave music shows a second chance and took part in Idol for the second time. After giving both the judges and the audience goosebumps week after week, she reached the final and finished the contest in 3rd place now Oda is making the Melodi Grand Prix debut with “Hammer of Thor”.

Hello Oda, you rose up to fame among the Norwegian audience as the contestant of The Voice Norway back in 2015 and two years ago you ended on third place on the 11th season of Idol Norway. What did those two experiences learn you and have they in any way help you prepare for MGP?
– I have grown and become more confident in myself both on a personal level but also as an artist. I have gained more stage experience and become more confident in front of the camera. To emphasize one of the important things that I learned from attending Idol, is trying to lower the stress level when singing. Earlier I would focus on every little aspect of my performance, and the tiniest little flaw would impact the rest of my performance. Now I really try to focus on that everything does not have to be 100 % perfect, but rather focus on communication with the audience.

What made you decide to take part at Melodi Grand Prix?
– MGP has always been my biggest dream. Ever since I was a little girl I have said that I want to be on the MGP stage with my own song and my own stage show. Finally the time has come and I hope I can lower my shoulders and just enjoy the moment.

Can you tell us what was the idea behind “Hammer of Thor” given the fact that you are one of the coauthors of it and what does the song mean for you?
-During the writing session we decided to write something Nordic. We had Fairytale, KEiiNO and Nocturne in mind and we quickly got into Nordic mythology. How we ended up writing a song about Thor with the hammer is a bit coincidental, but we wanted to tell a story and do something a little different than what you usually hear in MGP. The song is written for TV, and I think it needs a stage show to reach its potential and we hope it strikes among the Norwegian population and abroad. The song is about a woman who steals Thor’s hammer. So this is real girl power.

On the creation of the song you cooperated with Elsa Søllesvik and now you are competing against each other at MGP. How does that feel?
– Competing against Elsa is a bit special. To start with, we were on the same team in the making of Hammer of Thor and when it got accepted to be one of the attending songs. It was not until a little later she was told that her song also was accepted, and suddenly we were not only team members – but also competitors. After all, it has not changed my relationship with Elsa, I really love her song and I genuinely wish her the best.

What would you do if you really stole the Hammer of Thor? Will we see a bit of it your upcoming performance?
– I do not understand what you mean. I do have the hammer and story says that Thor hits everything he aims at with the hammer. And now i’m doing the same – so I would take the hammer and aim for a spot in the MGP finals!

Singing about an important part of Nordic Mythology makes me think you are into it so I’d  dare asking what do you like the most from the Nordic Mythology?
– I actually did not really know much about Nordic mythology, apart from what I learned in school a few years ago. But I’ve gotten a little more into it since we wrote the song. To emphasize one part from the mythical, it must be when Thor lost his hammer to Trym, and Trym would only give it back if he got to marry the most beautiful goddess, Frøya. Thor then dressed up as Frøya and fools everyone and retrieves the hammer.

Melodi Grand Prix has long history, 62 years have passed from the first edition, What is your favourite song which competed at the stage of MGP and tell us why did you choose it?
– I love Fairytale by Alexander Rybak. It is so catchy and I like that it is so Nordic inspired.

Do you watch Eurovision regularly, if so would you like to share a memory which you have of it or a favourite song from the contest?
– I’ve always watched Eurovision. “Euphoria” by Loreen is my all time favorite. I loved the mysterious stage show and the dancing. Last year there were also many nice songs and I love running intervals to “Mata Hari” and “El Diablo”.

If you could choose any musician to make a duet with who would it be?
– I would love to sing a great ballad with Adele. She has been my role model for many years and I love singing her songs. It would also have been fun to do a mysterious song with Aurora. After we wrote “Hammer Of Thor” I have been very inspired by Aurora for how my future music will be. Adventurous, mysterious and a hint of folk music will probably be my future as an artist.

What are your plans after Melodi Grand Prix 2022?
– After MGP I will release my own songs and continue to be on stage as an artist. I also hope I get to be a part of Melodi Grand Prix again in a few years as an artist, songwriter or both!

Thank you so much for your time Oda. We wish you the best of luck at Melodi Grand Prix. Do you want to share something else or you maybe have a message for readers of escbubble?
– Thank you very much to everyone who listens to “Hammer Of Thor”. It means everything to me. Thank you so much for all the nice feedback and kind words. I hope I make you proud when I’m on stage on January 29th.

You can listen to “Hammer of Thor” on Spotify or watch the lyrics video below

Don’t forget to vote for your favourite at the third semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2022!