Natalie Carrion competed as an artist and songwriter in the Sámi Grand Prix 2022 and last year she commented on the competition on the Swedish side.
Now she will be the presenter for this year’s program which runs on Easter Eve.
– There are fantastic artists and yoikers who will be on stage and the Sami Melodifestivalen is so much more than a music competition. It is a place where Sami voices can be heard in an obvious way, which is great because for so many years it has been a shame to speak Sami and the joik has been banned in many places, says Carrion in a press release.
Will lead it with Gaup
She will lead the program together with Ole Máhtte Gaup from Karasjok, who is known from the hip-hop group Duolva Duottar.
He has played on the Norwegian VG list Top 20 and competed in the Norwegian Talang. On weekdays, he works at NRK Sápmi.
– Norwegians usually say that they learn to ski before they learn to speak. In my case, I learned to jockey first. Jojken and Sámi music have always been close to my heart, which is why it means so much to me to be the host of the Sámi Grand Prix, he says.
A total of twelve contestants
New for this year is that the Sámi Grand Prix on the Swedish side will be called the Sámi Melodifestivalen.
As usual, the competition is divided into two categories, singing and singing, with six entries in each category. The winner in each category is chosen by the viewers and the Swedish audience votes in the Melodifestivalen app.
SVT broadcast the competition for the first time in 2022 in Sami and last year with Swedish commentators. This year, SVT is co-producing the live broadcast together with NRK.
It is also clear from earlier that Natalie Carrion will lead a pre-program that will be part of the mello spring.