With Heat 2 of Melodi Grand Prix 2024 just days away, we sat down with Eli Kristen to find out more about her and what she has planned for the live show on Saturday!

Eli Kristen is one of many newcomers to MGP in 2024, but that doesn’t mean she’s a newbie in the music industry! She’s been a dancer, coach, pop singer, and is most known for her opera work. In fact, she is currently a permanent soloist at Norway’s National Opera!

Her MGP song Touch of Venus is a vulnerable introspective into the highs and lows of her own life. She wrote the song along with Ronny Janssen and knew it was the song to fulfill a goal — to enter MGP!

We asked Eli what inspired her to write Touch of Venus, and we quickly found out just how personal it is for her:

“I realized in those moments when you feel so weak, vulnerable, alone, outcast — that’s when you need to find your inner strength, and your inner love.”

– Eli Kristin Hanssveen

It turns out that Eli has been a fan of MGP for years, so we decided to play her some opera-themed Eurovision songs to see what she thought of them, as an expert soprano!

Let us know in the comments below what song you think Eli was listening to when she exclaimed:

“Only a countertenor can call himself ‘The Voice’. That was a super performance!”

– Eli Kristin Hanssveen

Find out what she had to say about that, and other operatic Eurovision performances by listening to the full episode – now streaming wherever you get your favourite podcasts!

Eli Kristen will perform Touch of Venus third of the six songs in the running order of MGP’s Heat 2, and we hope you’ll cheer her on with us on Saturday at 19:50 CET!

Photo: JULIA MARIE NAGLESTAD / NRK