Kyle Alessandro from Norway: "The staging will be bigger, more dramatic and cooler"

The next one on our interview list is Norway's representative, Kyle Alessandro, who is actually the youngest act at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

He was born in March 2006 and turned 19 just last month. At a young age he shows wisdom, maturity and, the most important thing for Eurovision, talent. His colleagues are not indifferent to his youth:

– I feel a lot of support from my Eurovision peers and I think they're going a bit easier on me because, in the back of their minds, they know I am 19. Everyone's taking very good care of me, he says.

While acts like Poland's Justyna Steczkowska see Kyle as her son, others such as Austria's JJ see him as a brother. It's like family, and they intend to keep it that way without much (or any) negativity around:

– I am only getting good vibes so far. We have this group chat and literally everyone talks in there except for Italy's Lucio Corsi.

It seems that the Italian act doesn't spend a lot of time on social media and hadn't seen the requests when we spoke. Kyle was hoping to meet him in Madrid in order to complete the group chat and hopefully he did:

– Everyone's talking in this group chat and it's just lovely because we're all really united by music.

Besides making music and currently doing Eurovision, he is still finishing his studies. All of this for a 19-year-old cannot be easy to take:

– I actually didn't go to school today. I came back just yesterday from Amsterdam and had to rest, he explains.

– I am trying to take one thing at a time and take care of myself... Eat well, drink enough water, and of course, enjoy this experience that has always been my biggest dream.

Why is Eurovision your biggest dream?

– I don't know, actually, he laughs.

– I just know it is. My family recalls these stories of little me, in front of the TV and pointing into it whenever it was Eurovision time.

It obviously was only a matter of time until Kyle made his first attempt. This happened in 2023 as part of Umami Tsunami – a boyband that reached the finals, but unfortunately came in last:

– It was an amazing experience. I got to make new contacts, I got to meet Norway's head of delegation, and also Alessandra who won that year.

That's her! She... Queen of Kings:

– I am so grateful to have her in this whole process, she's my biggest moral support and I can just ask her anything.

Participating in Norway's MGP 2023 was also the moment Kyle realized he wanted to pursue music for a living:

– I always knew, but participating was this huge piece of confirmation. It was the moment I thought "I'm good enough to do it."

MGP 2025 and "Lighter"

Well, it took Kyle two years to stand up and try again. But this time he did it solo:

– I had to do it. Once I was done with MGP 2023 I was hungry for more. And while I loved the experience, I also didn't feel like it was 100% me.

That's now the case with "Lighter," the winning song that will represent Norway at this year's Eurovision. While it can be considered a pop tune, the entry manages to mix Kyle's origins in just one song: Norwegian folk music is mixed with Spanish rumba flamenca, a genre within flamenco music. He was born to a Spanish father and a Norwegian mother.

It's also quite a personal song penned by Kyle himself and Adam Woods:

– It's about my mother's battle with cancer. When she was diagnosed she was told she'd have roughly six months left, but those passed and she was still alive and continued to fight. Today, she's cancer free.

– She fought so hard and told me to never lose my light and that's what sparked the whole theme.

Back then, a production titled "Monarch" was already in the works. Its meaning was within the same universe as the now-Eurovision entry, "Lighter":

– It was about being your own king, queen or monarch, staying true to yourself and fighting through and through, he explains.

He ended up adapting the lyrics to mirror light and everyone's inner fire. He sent the ideas to Adam Woods (Melodifestivalen 2023, 2024), blended both ideas, and "Lighter" was born.

The formula worked and Kyle beat the competition with a margin of 117 points:

– I've gotten so much support and love. I feel very safe knowing that Norway wanted me to represent them. I will now try to just give some of that love back and show Europe what Norway is capable of doing.

Eurovision 2025

For Basel, the staging will be kept but adapted:

– Everything will basically be the same, just bigger, more dramatic and cooler.

Tell us about the inspiration behind the staging.

– We tried to get inspiration from the medieval times in Norway. As you can see, there are two stones behind me that symbolize the Viking runestones. I also have fire on stage that is a reflection of the fire that always keeps burning and, of course, serves to light up the room, he explains.

For the concept, Kyle opted to not get inspiration from past Eurovision stagings. Instead, only Rihanna's Super Bowl was taken into account:

– I wanted the choreography to have the same impact, but mixed with Norwegian folk dance.

Dancing is, in fact, a major part of Kyle's performance and also his act:

– It's a big part of me. I've been dancing since I was around five, and if I am honest, I sound worse whenever I am not moving.

We're less than 20 days away from Kyle's first Eurovision performance. His goal is to follow up on his mother's advice:

– I want to spread love and try to inspire others that may be going through the same thing me and my mother did. I want to tell them that it's going to be okay and I hope "Lighter" will serve like a hug.

I hope "Lighter" will serve like a hug.

Moreover, delivering a good performance is also part of his hopes. But don't count him out when this Eurovision season is done:

– I have been in the studio making music, so after this I am not disappearing. I am going to stand here and keep on releasing music.

Kyle Alessandro will take the Eurovision stage on 13 May to perform "Lighter" as one of the contestants in the first Semi-final, hoping to earn a spot in the Grand Final.