"Queen of Kings" is the debut single by Norwegian-Italian singer Alessandra Mele. It was written by Mele alongside three other songwriters, and was released on 9 January 2023 through Starlab Music. The song represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, where it finished in fifth at the final with 268 points.
The song has been described as a song advocating for female empowerment and perseverance according to Alessandra, and is inspired by Norwegian culture, Alessandra's Italian heritage, and her experiences being bisexual. "Queen of Kings" was well received by critics, drawing consistent praise for its musical composition and Alessandra's vocal abilities. The song drew commercial success, peaking at number one in its native country of Norway, within the top five in four European countries, and within the top ten in a further seven countries.
Background and composition
"Queen of Kings" was written by Henning Olerud, Stanley Ferdinandez, Linda Dale, and Alessandra Mele.[1] According to Alessandra, the song was written at a specialized songwriting camp for the Melodi Grand Prix, the annual competition that the Norwegian Broadcasting Corpoation (NRK) uses to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.[2] The song was inspired by a piano melody played by her producer, imagining "a goddess running in the darkness through the woods, through the trees in a winter storm. She's a strong woman, coming out of a bad period".[3] The song is also inspired by Alessandra's Italian heritage combined with her experiences living in Norway,[4] with Alessandra wanting to combine Norwegian culture and the "power" of Italian mannerisms of speaking to make the song portray a "powerful woman".[5]
The song is described as an ode to female empowerment that is inspired by Alessandra's experiences with being bisexual in Italy.[6][2] To Alessandra, it also advocated for perseverance through hard times, stating that "the song represents me as an artist but also as a person. I am not perfect and I have been through a lot but I am also proud of the bad things that happened to me because it helped shape who I am."[7] The song also uses the symbolism of a queen to represent that "she will rise up because of all the shit that she has been going through... because you felt it, you're going to grow out of it."[8] References to Norwegian folklore are also made within the song, with Wiwibloggs writer Oliver Adams stating that the rhythms used within the song "emulate those used in sea shanties and traditional Norwegian folk songs".[9]
Music video and promotion
Along with the song's release, an accompanying music video directed by Alexander Zarare Frez was released on 24 March 2023.[10] To further promote the song, Alessandra announced her intent to perform at various Eurovision pre-parties before the contest during the months of March and April, including Melfest WKND on 11 March,[11]PreParty ES on 9 April,[12]Eurovision in Concert on 15 April,[13] and the London Eurovision Party on 16 April.[14] Alessandra also various versions and remixes of the song, including an acoustic version of the song on 13 April 2023,[15] an Italian version on 21 April,[16] and a remix featuring Italian DJ Gabry Ponte.[17]
Critical reception
"Queen of Kings" has been largely well received. In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from several critics, the song was rated 8.06 out of 10 points,[18] earning fifth out of 37 songs on the site's annual ranking.[19] Another review conducted by ESC Bubble that contained reviews from a combination of readers and juries rated the song second out of the 15 songs in the Eurovision semi-final "Queen of Kings" was in.[20] A ranking containing reviews from three BuzzFeed editors ranked the song first overall, earning a total of 25 out of a possible 30 points.[21]Vulture's Jon O'Brien ranked the song tenth overall, describing the song as "an unashamedly OTT female-fronted dance-pop anthem" but admitting that "it may get lost alongside the other Scandi big hitters at [Eurovision]."[22]ESC Beat's Doron Lahav ranked the song 14th overall, writing that it was "catchy and contemporary."[23]
BBC News' music correspondent Mark Savage described the song as "an electric jolt of Euro-pop, with a baroque chorus most artists would kill for", praising Alessandra's vocal abilities.[24]i's Anna Bonet ranked it third out of the 26 finalists in Eurovision 2023, writing that "if Game of Thrones were to do a musical, this is what it would look like... she could be a dark horse."[25]The Times' Ed Potten ranked it 13th out of the 26 finalists, rating the song three out of five stars.[26]National Public Radio's Glen Weldon ranked the song third in his top ten for Eurovision 2023, praising the song's imagery and Alessandra's ability to sing whistle notes.[27]The Guardian's Ben Beaumont–Thomas included the song in his "14 songs to listen out for at Eurovision 2023" list, writing that the song was a "folkloric be-robed anthem... The grog-chugging heartiness of a sea shanty done with the drum programming of an Ibizan tech-house producer, Queen of Kings will whip up a storm in the arena."[28]
Norway's national broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corpoation (NRK), organised a 21-entry competition, Melodi Grand Prix 2023, to select its entrant for the 67th iteration of the Eurovision Song Contest.[29] The competition was split into three seven-song semi-finals on the 14th, 21st, and 28 January 2023. The top three in each semi-final qualified for a nine-song grand final on 4 February 2023, with the winner of the grand final being selected through a 50/50 vote of juries and public televoting.[30]
Alessandra performing "Queen of Kings" at the first semi-final of Melodi Grand Prix 2023.
"Queen of Kings" was drawn in the first semi-final, performing in first.[31] The song was able to qualify into the grand final,[32] where it subsequently was drawn to perform as the ninth and last song in the grand final running order.[33] In the grand final, Alessandra was able to win both the juries and televote, earning 104 and 129 points in each respective category for a total of 233 points; 95 more than the runner-up, Ulrikke Brandstorp's "Honestly".[34] Responding to her victory in Aftenposten, she affirmed that the victory was for "the queer environment".[35]
At Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 took place at the Liverpool Arena in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 9 and 11 May, and the final on 13 May 2023. During the allocation draw on 31 January 2023, Norway was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[36] The duo were later drawn to perform first in the semi-final, ahead of Malta's The Busker.[37]
Alessandra performing "Queen of Kings" at a dress rehearsal leading into the first Eurovision 2023 semi-final.
For the Eurovision performance of "Queen of Kings", Alessandra was accompanied by four backing dancers who carry glow sticks. Alessandra herself wears an outfit designed by Susanne Hoftun and Katarzyna Blonska, featuring a dark green top, black fishnet pants, and a gold necklace and bracelet.[38][39] According to Alessandra, the outfit was inspired by a combination of modern fashion styles and the fashion of Elizabeth I, stating that "it's like a modernised her: royal, but still you have the warrior taste of it."[8] The performance is similar to its Melodi Grand Prix performance; like in MGP, it starts off with a focus shot of Alessandra's face, which is meant to show that "the powerful face of the Queen that is not perfect".[7][39] The performance features purple and blue lighting, with glow sticks appearing during the song's second chorus. The performance ends with orange lighting as Alessandra walks onto an auxiliary stage.[38][40]
Alessandra performed a repeat of their performance in the grand final on 13 May. The song was performed 20th in the final, after Ukraine's Tvorchi and before Germany's Lord of the Lost.[41] After the results were announced, she finished in 15th with 268 points, with a split result of 52 points from the juries and 216 points from televoting.[42] Regarding the former, the song received no sets of the maximum 12 points; the highest amount given was two sets of 10 points from Denmark and Israel. In the televote, "Queen of Kings" was able to receive one set of 12 points from Finland.[43] In response to her result,
^Aasmundsen, Jakob Semb (4 February 2023). "Du må være deg selv!" [You have to be yourself!]. Aftenposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 42. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 20. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^"Top Singles (Week 20, 2023)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 20. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
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