KEiiNO | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Norway |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Members | |
| Website | keiino |
KEiiNO (/ˈkeɪnoʊ/KAY-noh,Norwegian:[kæɪˈnoː]; is a Norwegian band consisting ofSámi rapperFred Buljo and singersAlexandra Rotan andTom Hugo. The group was created in late 2018 in order to participate inMelodi Grand Prix 2019; they won the competition and were thus selected torepresent Norway in theEurovision Song Contest 2019, where they finished in sixth place and first in the public vote.[1]
The group was established in the late summer of 2018 whenTom Hugo and his husband, Alex Olsson, began writing "Spirit in the Sky", a song inspired by historical struggles for equality. They later joinedSámi rapper andjoikerFred-René Buljo and singerAlexandra Rotan. The group name Keiino was inspired by the name of Buljo's home townKautokeino (Northern Sami:Guovdageaidnu). The last part-geaidnu translates to the 'way' or 'road', which Buljo said "represents the road that brought us together" in an interview withTV 2.[2] In an interview with theKven-minority-centered mediaRuijan Kaiku, Fred Buljo discussed his Kven/Finnish ancestry, and that they had worked with a Finnish producer, and thus landed on the namekeino, theKven variant of North Samigeaidnu 'way'.[3] Alexandra Rotan explained that they each had their own career before Keiino, but it was Keiino that showed them the way to success.[3]
As a result of winningMelodi Grand Prix 2019, the group represented Norway in theEurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Spirit in the Sky". In the second semi-final held on 16 May 2019, they qualified to the final. At the finals, their entry received the highest points from the televoting with a total of 291 points, although combined with their lesser score from the jury groups they finished in sixth place, with 331 points. Following Eurovision, the group was appointed by theSámi Parliament of Norway as ambassadors for the UN Year of Indigenous Languages.[4]
On 8 May 2020, the group released their debut studio album,Okta. The album peaked at number 30 on the Norwegian chart.Okta was re-issued twice, first as a Norway-only deluxe CD in October 2021, and later asOkta (Guokte) on 24 February 2022.
On 11 January 2021, it was announced that Keiino would participate in theMelodi Grand Prix 2021 final with the pre-qualified song "Monument". The song was released at midnight on 15 January 2021 with the group's debut performance of the song during the first heat of Melodi Grand Prix 2021 on 16 January 2021. The song reached the top four in the final on 20 February 2021, eventually reaching the gold duel, but lost toTix's "Fallen Angel".[5]
Keiino embarked on an Australian tour in early 2022, which included performances at theAustralian national final and theSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.[6] During the tour, Rotan was admitted to hospital due to an infectedkoala scratch.[7]
They took part inMelodi Grand Prix 2024 with the song "Damdiggida".[8] Advancing from their semi-final, they ultimately finished in second place toGåte's "Ulveham".[9]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOR [10] | UK Down. [11] | ||
| Okta |
| 30 | 63 |
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Midnight Marina |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album or EP | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR [13] | AUT [14] | BEL (FL) Tip [15] | IRE [16] | NLD [17] | SWE [18] | SWI [19] | UK [20] | |||||||||||
| "Spirit in the Sky" | 2019 | 1 | 61 | 19 | 84 | 55 | 33 | 7 | 61 | Okta | ||||||||
| "Shallow" | — | — | — | — | — | —[A] | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Praying" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Okta | |||||||||
| "Vill ha dig" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Dancing in the Smoke" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Okta | |||||||||
| "Colours" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Black Leather" (featuringCharlotte Qamaniq) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Would I Lie" (featuringElectric Fields) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Transarctic Lover" (with Sordal) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Okta (Deluxe) | |||||||||
| "A Winter's Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Monument" | 2021 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Okta (Deluxe) | |||||||
| "Unbreakable" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Drivers License" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Summer of My Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Okta (Deluxe) | |||||||||
| "Mellom Bakkar og Berg" (with Kautobahn) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Addjas" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Okta (Deluxe) | |||||||||
| "End of Time (Taste of Heaven)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Venus" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "A New Beginning" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "On a Night Like This" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||
| "Mother of the Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Nights of Thunder" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Alt du kan se" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Midnight Marina | ||||||||
| "The Sun Always Shines on TV" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Ritma" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Get Up" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||
| "Insomnia" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Damdiggida" | 2024 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Hero, Baby" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Disco" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Say It Like That"[23] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Northern Boy"[24] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Midnight Gloria"[25] | 2025 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Halo"[26] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|
| "A New Beginning" (Peder Elias featuring Keiino) | 2022 | Love & Loneliness |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spellemannprisen | 2019 | Song of the Year | "Spirit in the Sky" | Nominated | |
| ESC Radio Awards | Best Group | Keiino | Won | ||
| Sami Music Awards [no] | 2020 | Open Class | Won | ||
| Producer of the Year | Won |
Media related toKeiino at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by | Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
