Håvard and Michael continue their discussion by considering syntactical richness, genre performance, and even nationalist politics to give an in-depth view of this years (2026) Eurovision song contest.

Right after World Cup Soccer, the Eurovision Song Contest is the most coveted prize, with enormous cultural cachet. Arranged by an assembly of state television channels in Europe, the Middle East, and -- yes -- Australia, each nation selects a song + performance to represent them in this internationally televised program. Håvard Bamle and Michael Prince share offhand and deeply considered remarks and observations on the 2026 contest. In Part 1, the contest itself, the use of English as the language of performance, and the contestant nations that came out the worst for it are discussed.

Håvard Bamle and Michael Prince discuss the 2026 MGP Finale for Norway. The cultural context for MGP and Eurovision in Norway is illustrated via an in-depth discussion of 5 of the entries. In terms of genre and aesthetics, performance has gradually displaced the "song" as the determining factor, as shown by Jonas Lovv's victory.