Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2023 confirms 21 artists, including Ulrikke, JOWST and Elsie Bay (2023)

This is the fourth time in Melodi Grand Prix history that the final has been held outside of Oslo. In 2023, it will travel to the central Norwegian city of Trondheim.

But what 21 programs are competing for the goal? Norwegian broadcaster NRK confirmed all 21 people involved in the show in a press release. Ulrikke, JOWST, Elsie Bay, they were there along with other great artists.

You can find@euroviNOR Twitter page.

Fragment of the song MGP2023:

- Eurovision Norway (@euroviNOR)January 4, 2023

Melody Grand Prix 2023: 21 artists confirmed

Here is the official profile press release from broadcaster NRK...

semifinal 1

Ulrikke Brandstorp: "Honestamente"

Letra y música: Jim Bergsted, Helge Moen, Ben Adams, Ulrikke Brandstorp, Joshua Oliver and Christoffer Gunnestad

Ulrikke Brandstorp has been passionate about Melodi Grand Prix for many years. Many will remember her winning the 2020 season with the song "Atención". Eurovision was canceled that year, but she is now more anxious and motivated than ever. Viewers have seen her as a troll in recent years.seafood, in the mudKompani Lauritzen, especially in the lead role of Sophie in the musicaloh mom.

Ulrikke returns to pop with "Honestly", her most personal song to date. The song is based on his own life. It's about how you want to be there for your loved one when they're going through a bad experience. It's often hard to know how to support each other as much as possible without losing them completely. At the same time, you realize how much this relationship means to you. It wouldn't be me without you, a message she believes many will recognise.

Eirik Næss: "波浪"

Lyrics and music: Viktor Ljungqvist, Amalie Olsen and Eirik Næss

Eirik Næss (35) is an artist and composer from Larvik. He moved to London immediately after secondary school, where he lived for seven years and spent most of his time playing his music around town. Eirik has been an occasional guitarist in Oslo ever since he moved to the capital, where, among other things,stars gameband. He still plays in various bands and does everything from heavy rock to a Christmas tour in a year. Since the outbreak of the new corona virus, Eirik has spent a lot of time creating music. He has traveled to Nashville, Bahamas, Amsterdam, Seychelles, and Seoul to write new songs. Last year he traveled to the Maldives after being contacted on Instagram. There he met the artist Ljung and they became fast friends. After that, they toured together frequently and wrote several songs. One of them is the song "Wave", which is about taking risks and saying "yes" to life's opportunities. They wrote the song with Eirik's friend, Amalie Olsen.

Kate Gulbranson: "Tears from Heaven"

Lyrics and music: Kjetil Mørland and Kate Gulbrandsen

Kate Gulbrandsen (57) is a household name in the music industry. She is from Slemmestad and now lives in Hokksund. Kate has been making music since she was about 7 years old. In the 1980s she participated in various singing competitions. In 1985 she won a local pop music contest with the song "Første forsøk", which allowed her to enterpopular music festivalin Egypt that same year. she also participatedworld pop festivalIn Japan in 1986, he won the Golden Melody Award for the song "Carnival". The song was written by Rolf Løvland, with whom she Kate has collaborated many times throughout her career.

After winning the 1987 MGP, Kate became a celebrity with the hit song "Mitt Liv" and long hair. In 1994, Kate sang Rolf Løvland's song "Welcome to Lillehammer" for the Lillehammer Olympics. Four years later, she lent her voice to Jørn Hansen's Paralympic song "Med gullet for øyet". Since then, she Kate has appeared on many stages at home and abroad, and has also appeared on television shows.beat by beat,stars gameyarsan on the borderNow she is ready to return to the pop scene with the song "Tårer i paradis".

Rasmus Saul: "TRESKO"

Letra y música: Rasmus Simon Vedvik Thallaug, Farida Louise Bolseth Benounis and Robin Alexander Vedvik Helmersen

Rasmus Thallaug (30) is a composer, producer and artist from Tønsberg. His stage name is Rasmus Thall and he has been making music for 15 years. At last year's MGP, he served as producer, co-composer and pianist for his girlfriend Farida's production of "Dangerous." He is now back in the game with a song that he can sing himself. Rasmus is the grandson of the famous Norwegian artist Anita Thallaug, who participated several times in the same contest in the 1960s. This year marks the 60th anniversary of her participation at CES as Norway's representative with the song "Solhverv". Now it is Sun Tzu's turn to take the MGP stage, and he will take the stage with the song "TRESKO". Rasmus wrote it with Farida and her brother Robin. The song is about the brother and his daily life after his accident in 2010. With ice on his head, he had to relearn how to walk. Rasmus was close to his brothers and it was Robin who became his musical inspiration.

Alexandra Mele (Alessandra Mele): «Queen»

Words and music: Henning Olerud, Stanley Ferdinandez, Alessandra Mele and Linda Dale

Alessandra Mele is a Norwegian-Italian artist and composer. The 20-year-old has lived in Italy for most of her life, but she decided to move to Norway two years ago after graduating from high school. She wanted to be closer to her Norwegian family and develop her interest in music. From an early age she sang, danced and cooked with her mother, listening to Frank Sinatra. At the age of 6, she participated in her first singing competition and won all the championships with ABBA's classic song "Dancing Queen". She loves being on stage and feels that this is where she can be herself. Alessandra herself took piano lessons in Italy and took regular singing lessons with a teacher. she participatedsoundIn Norway in 2022, she won a lot of praise for her unique voice. She now lives in Lillehammer and studies at the LIMPI School of Music. The song "Queen of Kings" is about being brave enough to be yourself and coming out stronger after going through a tough time in your life.

Byron Williams Jr. & Jost: "Weird Weekend"

Letter: Byron Williams Jr. y Joachim y Steen

A music contest made in Oslo! When artist Byron Williams was growing up in warm Miami, he didn't expect to be on the pop stage in cold Little Norway. MGP was one of the first shows he saw on television after moving to the small Norwegian town of Fredrikstad. He wanted to be on that stage himself, and now it was about to become a reality. Byron has been a member of The Drifters and is known to many Norwegians through his involvement.sound2021.

Joakim With Steen (Jowst) won the Melodi Grand Prix for "Seize the Moment" in 2017 and has since been streamed over 30 million times, featured on over 400,000 personal playlists and has attracted over 2 millions of listeners. Jowst shares the stage with artists like MØ and Italo Brotherslist VGand festivals across Europe, and participated in Eurovision in Ukraine in front of more than 187 million viewers. She produced catchy EDM pop with Byron, and soon they were preparing an EP that included the MGP contribution "Freaky For The Weekend." This song is about getting ready for the party, and the guys also have big plans to do it at the MGP.

Tsunami UmamifeatureKyle Alessandro, Kristian Haugstøyl, Magnus Winjum: “Gerónimo”

Lyrics and Music:Torgeir Ryssevik, Carl-Henrik Wahl, Bjørn Olav Edvardsen, Sindre Timberlid Jenssen, Lasse Midtsian Nymann and Kristian Lund.

Umami Tsunami is a project launched in the summer of 2022. It is a community of composers, artists, producers, and those who work in design and visual expression. What happens when European pop is inspired by Asian pop? It became the starting point for Umami Tsunami. Three young talents collaborated with the artist on the pop song "Geronimo" from Umami Tsunami. Kyle Alessandro (16) from Steinkjer is known for TV shows likenorwegian talentyarsan on the borderHe has collaborated with renowned artists and producers such as André Jensen of the Hagle duo, Jesper Borgen, Erik Fjeld, Ola Klæbo (OKEY) and Lars Rosness. Kristian Haux (20) from Åmli comes from a family of musicians and has been singing for as long as he can remember. In 2020, Christian participated inIdol.Christian has worked with children and served as a parkour instructor, substitute teacher and support contact. Group leader Magnus Winjum (17) from Lilleström participated in theMGPjrand participated inBlimE!yarsan on the borderHe has given several concerts and has been on the Christmas tour. Besides, Magnus was also in thehigh school musicalHe has served as a dubbing actor in several series and is an actor in the seriesclassesan NRK.

All seven songs from Semifinal 1 will be released on January 9.

semifinal 2

Sandra Ringo: "Dreams far away"

Lyrics and music: Sandra Lyng, Erlend Torheim, Ferdinand West and Kristina Blakli

Sandra Lyng (35) de Mosjøen participated in an elIdolLike a 16 year old. Little by little she earned a long career in the music industry as an artist and songwriter. in later timeIdolShe then released the single "Sommerflørt", which topped the VG-list for five weeks. After her debut album, she began touring and appeared on various television shows. She then lived for a time in Brazil and the United States, where she worked as a composer and searched for a new form of artistic expression.

In addition to hits like "Play My Drum", which has nearly 30 million streams on Spotify, Sandra is a regular on TV screens. she has been co-judgeidol boy, is the participant71 degrees north latitude, and participated instars gameIn 2020, he finished in second place. In 2021, he will also appear inmonson went astraySandra was the songwriter for last year's MGP, penning the NorthKid song "Someone."

Sandra wants to use the costly experiences of her life for something positive and strives to turn the bad into strength. In recent years, her Sandra has focused on family and education in psychological training, and now offers life management courses. She participated in the Melodi Grand Prix as an artist for the first time with a song written by himself. "Drøm d bort" is a song about vulnerability, hope and strength.

Joan: "Echoes of my heart"

Letter:Morten Franck, Christopher Colin Archer, Christine Ekeberg, Audun Agnar Guldbrandsen and Jonas Nes Steinset

Jonas Nes Steinset (26) from Lier, stage name JONE, competes in his first Melodi Grand Prix. With the song "Ekko Inni Meg", he has created a catchy song that will make you want to dance. After transferring in year 9, his exposure to his music led him to earn a degree in songwriting and production from Christiania University College. Here he met his faithful companion, Daskeladden, with whom he currently tours and produces all of his music. Since 2020, JONE has focused on creating catchy choral party music, with singles including "Et sted på Montebello", "Jag gillar dig" and "Livet på bøgda". In 2021, he was nominated formagicianIn the party music category, the single "Eventyr" went gold. JONE has been compared to names like TIX, Cir.Cuz and Halva Priset/Katastrofe. These are also the artists he has always been inspired by. His popularity grew through his own concerts and as a warm-up for Hagle, TIX, Staysman and Ronny Ringnes. JONE has nearly 10 million streams on streaming services. JONE's participation in the Melodi Grand Prix is ​​a milestone in the young farmer's career so far.

Swing it: "Forbidden"

Words and music: Martin Jarl Velsin, Jonah Charles Hitchens, Vebjørn Mamen and Sam Peter Norris

Swing'it started their career as buskers in Tønsberg in 2014. Their dream is to show the world that happy jazz also belongs in the world of 2020s music. Since then, the band has played hundreds of concerts in Norway, Europe and the United States. They have performed on everything from huge festival stages to private yachts in Ibiza, parade concerts in New Orleans, secret jazz clubs in London, and cruise ships in the Caribbean. In 2018, they created the concept "Prohibition", a show of dance, burlesque, cabaret and music from the 20s, with the entire audience dressed in the Gatsby style. Celebrating the "New 20s" in early 2020, Norway hosted the largest New Years party with 750 people in attendance. In 2021 they sold out the Trondheim Samfundet in less than 24 hours. For many years the group has been a regular at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival, the largest jazz festival in Norway. Despite their short career, they have managed to become the most played band in the festival's 58-year history with 74 concerts. They are currently touring major European cities, playing to thousands of people in cities like Berlin, London, Amsterdam and Paris before returning to Norway and MGP. The band consists of Martin Jarl Velsin from Trondheim, Leif Peter Vilhelm Grahn from Oslo, Edvard Bondi Knowles from Oslo, Jan Ivar Ekroll from Trondheim, Vebjørn Mamen from Oslo, Håvard Mathisen Tanner from London and composed by Håkon Kvam from Oslo.

Her: "Waist"

Lyrics and Music: Raphaela Antônia Souza Silva, Timothy John Adam Gosden and Tristan Henry

She (24), also known as Raphaela Antônia Souza Silva, was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Throughout her life, she was heavily influenced by her parents' eclectic musical tastes. At the age of 2, she was introduced to Sarah Brightman's concert "La Luna" and immediately decided to become an opera singer. She kept this dream throughout her life, between ups and downs and many moving moments, beginning with one of the most famous choirs in Belo Horizonte, the Palace of Arts (“Palácio das Artes”), which in 2010 became Soprano 12. A year later, Ella and her mother moved to Tromso, in northern Norway. She completed high school there before moving to Oslo in 2017. She considers Tromsø her hometown.

In 2022, the first single "Criminal" will be released. The song, featuring French and Brazilian superstars Franglish, Xamã and JS O Mão de Ouro, is the theme song for the Brazilian movie "Me Tira da Mira," which opened in Brazil last March. Following her successful debut, Ella fused Scandinavian and Latin styles with the single "Oh!" with singer and Tiktok phenomenon Yina Rose. Returning to Norway in May 2022, Ella planned to start her live shows, which were successful. In the second half of 2022, Ella headlines one of the four successful "Paris Latino" festivals and ends the year with a remix of the Brazilian super-hit "Tudo OK". She invited her friend and former MGP contestant Royane as a guest artist. She is now ready for the pop stage.

Alejandro Fuentes: "Fire"

Click download to save Alexander Fuentes - Matthew Camargo mp3 youtube com

We met Alejandro Fuentes (35) from Chile and Kristiansand throughIdolIn 2005, after that match, he released his debut album "Diamante o Perla", which took a total of 17 weeks.list VG.Alejandro has had a successful solo career and as part of Denye Gitarkamaterene. He toured all over Norway with Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen and Askil Holm, selling out halls with "Hallelujah – Live". he successfully gave them amagicianAwarded in 2006, new tour in 2009 and 2019.

Alejandro participated in Pop in 2018 with the love song "I have another". Like this year's contribution "Fuego", it is also in Spanish. That same year, he decided to try his hand at an art career in Spanish in Latin America. He now works with various Latino producers and Grammy Award winners such as Angel Pututi and Beatriz Cezar.

In 2021, he released Miss Favela with Tshawe Baqwa and Admiral P. Alejandro, like many other Norwegian artists, is well-versed in many forms of television entertainment. In addition to Pop, he will also appear in71 degrees north latitudethis winter.

Björn Olaf Edwardsson: "Shut my heart"

Lyrics and music: Bjørn Olav Edvardsen, Christian Ingebrigtsen and Henrik Thala

Bjørn Olav Edvardsen (40) is an artist, actor and composer who lives in Nord-Odal, but grew up in Tromøy, on the outskirts of Arendal. He debuted as an artist at the Grand Prix of Melody, something he had dreamed of all his life. Bjørn Olav makes his way as an artist after being a finalistIdol2005. Since then, he has appeared in many stage and television productions, includingsoundHe currently runs his own record label and has collaborated with several Norwegian artists. Bjørn Olav considers being able to sing with Sissel Kyrkjebø in 2015 to be the highlight of his career.

Over the last three years, she has explored and developed her writing skills. He is the composer for the 2021 MGP and writes the final piece, "I Ca n't Escape." This year, he was also one of the composers for the song "Geronimo" for Umami Tsunami. His own song is called "Shut My Heart Off", which he wrote with Christian Ingeblisen and Henrik Tara. In this song he expresses the longing to be able to "turn off" his feelings and his heart to take a break from thoughts, anxieties and prejudices. Now, he is stronger and more confident than ever on the MGP stage and is eager to share his heart with the rest of Norway and Europe.

Elsie Bay: "I love you in my dreams"

Letter: Elsa Soleswick,Andreas Stone Johnson y Tom Ohler

Elsa Søllesvik (26) is an artist and composer who, despite her young age, has been working in the industry for many years. The Haugesund girl had her breakthrough at 17 with pop group Elsa & Emilie, which made her apor: Alarm, P3-listing,lime treeylist VGAs of this writing, the couple has had over 50 million streams on Spotify.

In 2014, Elsa was nominatedmagicianwith the album "Endless Optimism", which is the soundtrack of the television seriespityHe also composed and sang the opening song for the Korean drama.queen houseIt starts in 2021. In recent years Elsa has been actively working as a composer. During 2022, she will visit countries like Germany, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, and South Korea along the way.

Elsa was very involved in Pop in the last edition. She wrote her latest contribution, The Witchwood, in 2021. Last year, she entered the competition with two songs. She wrote "Quake" and "Death of Us", which she sang herself, finished in the top four. She has now returned as a songwriter for Eline Thorp's "Not Meant to Be" and she herself sang "Love you in a dream" on her Elsie Bay solo project.

All seven songs from Semifinal 2 will be released on January 16.

semifinal 3

Skrellex: "Love again"

Words and music: Kai Thomas Ryen Larsen, Michael James Down, Will Taylor, Primoz Poglajen and Jonas Gladnikoff

Kai Thomas Larsen (36), a drag performer named Skrellex, is from Moss and lives in Oslo. Many Norwegians are familiar with the image of him after years in the spotlight. He has been a member of the Bårdar Academy and has been working as a music and performance artist since 2007. Among other things, Kai Thomas was inHappiness is - Grand Prix AdventureAt the Edderkoppen Theatre. she placed second in the talent showfat, and received the title of "Mr." Gay Norway" was released in 2008. In 2010, she released the song "Be Proud", the official song of "Mr. Gay Europe", and then toured Europe.

In the pop the drag artist Skrellex participates. when she isall together now, 99 out of 100 judges got up from their chairs. We also see Skrellex as a mentor.drag me, as a drag queen in the seriesdragAnd as a guest to participate in various programs. Skrellex is suitable forworms tourand toured with them for the past year. Now Skrellex is ready for the big pop stage.

Tiril Beisland: "Romperlo"

Words and music: Emma Steinbakken, Emilie Hollow, Lars Rossnes and Benjamin Pinkus

Tiril is a 21-year-old artist and composer from Lilleström. She was surrounded by a very musical family and her youth focused on dance, theater and music. She loved writing since she was a child, writing books and lyrics alone or with friends. Today, storytelling and communication are the most important things in her music. Tiril draws inspiration from renowned artists like Adele, Florence + The Machine, and Christina Aguilera. She was an actress at Skedsmo Amatørteater, a dancer at the Norwegian Ballet Academy and a county representative for UKM. Since elementary school, she had a strong desire to become an artist, a dream that became more realistic after a year of study at the LIMPI pop music school. Since then, Tyrell has created a lot of new music that she looks forward to sharing with people. She is now ready to debut as a pop cheerleader.

Akuvi: "Victoria"

Words and music: Beatrice Akuvi Hosen Kumordzie, Andreas Stone Johansson, Anderz Wrethov and Konstantinos Vlataras

Beatrice Akuvi Hosen Kumordzie (27) is a Norwegian-Ghanaian artist, composer and entertainer. She entered the 2020 Melodi Grand Prix with the song "Som du er". She is also known as the Norwegian voice behind animated characters like Dolores in Disney movies.charmand the rapper Karma in the Netflix seriesThe world of karma.The Asker girl spent five years studying in South Africa, where she began to explore its sound and musical landscape. Akuvi's Ghanaian roots shine through in her songs. Meanwhile, her song lyrics, based on the pages of Akuvi's diary, often have complex depth. She delivers lyrics about buried dreams, lost loves, identity, and indecision with an ambivalent attitude, vulnerability, and sense of humor. Akuvi's latest single "What We Are" landed on NRK P3's "Best right now" list when it was released in May.

Artel Paterson: "Masterpiece"

Words and music: Andreas Stone Johansson, Hannah Dorothy Bristow and Atle Pettersen

Atle Pettersen is an artist and presenter with a long and varied career. Many Norwegians know him from music shows.beat by beat.He has also been involved in television productions such aschristmas morning,open in summer,sporting eventylist VGAtle has made several musicals and operas, includingSinging in the rain,jersey boyylos Beatles.now he has his own podcast,father in life, spoke to guests in the studio about the joys and challenges of being a parent.

Atle has participated in several music competitions in the last decade. He made a breakthrough in thisFactor XIn 2010, he then participated instars game2013 yThe hitYear 2014. Music has always been a big part of Atle's life, playing and making music for himself and for others. His annual Christmas concert has become a cherished holiday tradition for many. Atle participated in the MGP with the song "World On Fire" in 2021, and now he is preparing to appear again on the MGP stage with the song "Masterpiece".

Erin Thorpe: "It wasn't on purpose"

Lyrics and music: Jonas Holteberg Jensen, Andreas Stone Johansson, Elsa Søllesvik and Eline Thorp

Letra y música: Sindre Timberlid Jenssen, Anna Timgren, Gaute Ormåsen, Benjamin Alasu and Erik Fjeld

Letter: Stig van Eijk and Beate Helen Thunes

It's been 24 years since Stig van Eijk made his breakthrough as an artist. He won the Norwegian MGP final in 1999 and represented Norway at Eurovision in Jerusalem at the age of 17. The single "My life without you" and his first album sold well. In the same year, he also won the title of "Male Artist of the Year" at the Hit Awards. Stig now works as a lyricist, songwriter, and producer. In 2002, Stig wrote the award-winning song "Once in a life" for Heinz Winckler, which he eventually won.IdolIn South Africa. It was double platinum. Stig also wrote a peace song for his native Colombia in 2002. Stig's music has been well received by a wide audience and has appeared on stages around the world. Stig now has several record projects coming up in 2023. He is the lead singer of the band Black Ballroom, which recorded an album at David Bowie's former Sono Studios. He was also one of the creators of the children's hit "Trollala." Reggae is one of his favorite genres and he hopes that with "Someday" we can all be more aware of what's going on around us. Whether in the world or in an intimate relationship.

All seven songs from Semifinal 3 will be released on January 23.

Below we've pasted NRK's ​​press release detailing the big changes coming your way this year...

main changesmelodyGrand Prix 2023

there will be big changesmelodyGrand Prix this year. Few but great semifinalists, without pre-qualified artists, withoutduelAnd the final in Trondheim.

21 artists who will perform on January 4Day, 2023. The scope of the Melodi Grand Prix is ​​the same as before, with the same amount of New Norwegian music, but the number of broadcasts will be reduced to three semi-finals and one final.

non-prequalified artist

The stakes are high for all artists, as no artist is guaranteed a place in the final. The 2023 changes were made based on viewer feedback.

"There are several good reasons to go through the prequalification act solution, but MGP is still evolving. We are now looking for a more understandable competition format where all artists compete from the same starting point. From day one, everyone is in higher risk," says head of music Stig Karlsen.

Three semifinals - no duels - no last chance

The semifinals have been reduced from five to three, and there will be no "last chance". To bring more music to each broadcast, seven artists will compete in each semifinal. There will be no duels and the voting process will begin after all artists have performed. The three artists with the most votes advance to the final.

Trondheim

The winner of this year's Melodi Grand Prix will be chosen on Saturday, February 4 at the Spektrum in Trondheim.DayThe MGP final has only been held outside of Oslo twice before, once in Stavanger in 1989 and most recently in Trondheim in 2020.

"After two years of pandemic, we can finally bring MGP back to a big stage.we dreamFIt's been full since our last time, just a few weeks before the country went into lockdown in March 2020.Words cannot describe the promise we saw from our 8,500 viewers, but the TV pictures speak for themselves. We hope to build a great final from central Norway to all of Norway again," Carlsen said.

international jury inGran Ffinal

To increase the chances of winning in the Eurovision Song Contest, it has been decided to re-introduce the international jury during the final, last seen at the 2019 MGP. The judging panel is made up of professionals from the music industry. selected countries and will be 50% final during the final. Therefore, the audience votes will count towards 50%. Who will be on the jury will be announced after the final.

"MGP is part of an international music competition and we want to use a voting model similar to the Eurovision Song Contest. This is to increase our chances of winning at the ESC. A model that combines professional jury voting and audience also gives us the opportunity to create more exciting pop pop on a better basis”, says Stig Karlsen.

Release Artists and Music

The 21 artists will be unveiled at a press conference in Marienlyst on Wednesday, January 4.Day2023. Here we can also know in which semifinals they will appear.

The songs will be released weekly to draw attention to the songs that will be contested in the three-week semi-finals. In other words, the first seven songs will be released on Monday, January 9. All streaming services will release all seven songs from Semifinal 2 on Monday, January 16, and all seven songs from Semifinal 3 on Monday, January 23.

four streamsSecondtotal

All three semi-finals were televised live from Nydalen in Oslo. The first semifinal will take place on Saturday, January 14. Semifinal 2 on Saturday January 21 and Semifinal 3 on Saturday January 28. The grand final will take place in Trondheim on February 4.

host

Arian Engebø and Stian “Staysman” Thorbjørnsen will host the Melodi Grand Prix 2023. Arian is the radio host of the well-known music show StudioP3 and also presents Scandinavia's biggest free concert "VG-Lista". Stian is an experienced musician and has also participated twice in the Melodi Grand Prix. He is also a well known TV presenter.