Norwegian artists: Towards Spelman

Singer Marthy Valley Monday night criticized the Spielman Award for discriminating against the categories.

Valle himself was nominated in the classroom for performances and pop songs, and the reaction came in a Facebook post, after the award was handed out on the radio, five days before the telecast from Sentralen in Oslo.

This year, 20 of this year’s awards will be awarded before television broadcasts. Only eight prizes will be awarded live on Friday, April 22nd.

In the post, Vale compares this year’s experience of receiving an email invite to follow the radio, with her first nomination for a Spellemann Prize in 20 years.

“It was honorable and reverent, and if all classes were not equally exciting to all, it was a matter of absurd principle that it was at least as important on this particular evening, as I wrote.”

Fatal error

The winner in the song category, Tunisia, Tuesday, agreed to the criticism on his private Facebook page. Address other candidates:

– You should have heard on the radio that I won the “Traffic and Music” award! Things went wrong, everyone was supposed to be in a large hall, a little nervous and excited, well decorated for a big concert of music. Sorry and respect!

Tuva Syvertsen, pioneer of folk rock band Valkyrien Allstars, agrees with Valle and Tønes’ criticisms, on the condition that she saw the pandemic-affected awards show last year as inclusive.

The band took the award on the Nitimen show on NRK, where all the nominees were present.

From a musician’s point of view, I agree with Vale, that this is a night to celebrate the breadth of Norwegian musical life. It’s a pity that it can be experienced as if some of the music is a little hidden, Sivertzen tells Dagbladet.

– Especially for artists who work with non-commercial music, and who do not necessarily have a large audience, I think it is important to have an evening clearly dedicated to the breadth of Norwegian musical life, she continues.

Syvertsen understands how artists can feel cheated when they learn that the award in the category in which they are nominated is awarded over the radio.

– Then you know you didn’t win. I think a lot of people quit a bit when it’s done this way. Then you say the price will end up meaning less.

– More than one industrial trade fair

Composer and musician Maja SK Ratkje has been nominated several times for the Spellemann Prize, and this year’s award is believed to mean that people are not widely presented with Norwegian music.

– The Spellemann Prize is more than just a commercial industry show, but that makes distribution boring enough to move in that direction, Ratke told Dagbladet.

At the same time, the musician is pessimistic about the ability of larger channels to show their breadth.

Non-commercial musicians and composers have long mentioned that NRK and other major channels can be expected to arrive. It’s unfortunate for an audience that doesn’t already know what channels one should use to discover what’s new, Ratke says.

I found buried

– I tried to lift everyone

All prizes will be shown on Friday. We want to do what we can to do something good for the viewer, we’ve also tried to raise the bar for all the artists by publishing it in several regions throughout the week, Stian Malme tells Dagbladet.

He’s the Spellemann Project Director at NRK, and believes that the way this year’s awards ceremony is organized on the contrary can help give each individual artist more exposure than they would have received during a regular awards show.

– NRK has a lot of focus on Spellemann, especially this week. P1 plays only Norwegian music all week, while P3 plays every Friday. Malmy says that all candidates in the 28 categories also receive editorial reviews.

He confirmed that all the candidates were invited to the telecast on Friday and the subsequent ceremony. The center will be full of guests, even if the distribution took place in the previous days.

Guitarist apologizes

Less stagnation for some candidates

At the same time, the project manager understands that someone thinks they are losing something when not all awards are given at the same time, in the same hall and for the same audience.

– I agree that this means that Friday will be less fun for some candidates. It is difficult to produce a shipment of 28 prices.

According to Malmy, the awards given alongside the regulars (this year’s edition, song of the year, honorary award and this year’s Spellemann) are chosen after evaluating places where good stories work in front of a television audience.

Malme thinks this is a good way to introduce artists that TV viewers might not have heard of. At the same time, he thinks they are worried about not forming an A and B team with the artists.

“We take all the experiences and feedback for the coming year with us, but I’m sure Friday’s TV broadcast will result in a good experience for both viewers and the Norwegian music industry,” says Malmi.