Surprise! We’ve extended our Nordic Week on the podcast and we’re back in Norway with less than a week to go before Melodi Grand Prix kicks off in Oslo! Our final MGP 2025 interview is with newcomer Ladybug!

A latecomer to the music scene, she left real estate behind to pursue her passion for music. With her unique style and compelling story, she’s sure to capture hearts across Norway and beyond with her MGP entry Hot As Hell In Paradise.

Ladybug’s story is as fascinating as it is uplifting for anyone struggling to make a difficult choice. She could have easily been working away as a realtor these days, but instead, we’ll see Ladybug on the MGP stage this Saturday:

“I studied real estate for three years, but I realized if I said yes to that job, I would never pursue my dream of becoming an artist.”

— Iris Severine Mikalsen (Ladybug)

Ladybug’s story is also one of hard work and patience. Initially rejected for MGP 2024, her determination paid off as she was selected for the 2025 edition:

“I had been talking a lot with NRK and MGP. And so I thought that I would maybe get in. Then they announced on their social media platforms ‘thank you so much to all the artists who has sent us their songs, but we have now found our artists’. So I was like, dang it, not this time either. But then it just takes a couple of days and [Stig Karlsen] calls me up and he was like, ‘yeah, so I have bad news for you, Iris, as you probably understand, you’re not going to be in MGP 2024′ … but I have some good news for you – that is that I’m wondering if you want to do MGP 2025’. I was like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’ And he explained to me that the only reason why it didn’t go in 2024 was because I had sent in so late and they had already picked so many of the artists and it didn’t fit [musically].”

— Iris Severine Mikalsen (Ladybug)

Hot As Hell In Paradise is a pop anthem, but one with a deep message behind the lyrics:

“This song is about finding that one special person where you instantly feel like, wow, this is my soulmate. But then there’s a lot of people that […] have a lot of bad feelings about this person, and they try to turn your head into thinking bad thoughts about this person. But then instead […] you take a step back, and you decide that you know what, I am going to get to know this person myself, so that I can make up my own mind about this person, because I think this person is beautiful.”

— Iris Severine Mikalsen (Ladybug)

Be sure and check out the full interview with Ladybug (above) as she teases some new music coming soon, the adorable source of her stage name, and the big surprise to watch out for on the MGP stage. The episode is now streaming wherever you get your favourite Eurovision podcasts!

Let us know in the comments and on our social media profiles @buildingbridgespod what you thought of the interview and if you think we’ll see Ladybug on the Turquoise Carpet in Basel in May!