| Queen of Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cover: | Queen of Kings (song).jpeg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alt: | The official cover for "Queen of Kings" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | single | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Artist: | Alessandra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ep: | Best Year of My Life | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language: | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released: | 9 January 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 2:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label: | Starlab Music | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Title: | Pretty Devil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Year: | 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Misc: |
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"Queen of Kings" is the debut single by Norwegian-Italian singer Alessandra Mele, which was released on 9 January 2023.[1] The song represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2023, Norway's national selection for the event.[2] [3] It finished in 5th place at the Eurovision grand final with 268 points.
Prior to its victory in the Norwegian selection, "Queen of Kings" went viral on the social media platform TikTok. The track became a commercial success after Eurovision, topping the charts in Norway and reaching the top ten in Austria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[4]
In an interview with Eurovision fansite Eurovision Fun, Mele stated that the song is about showing "the power of women, but also the power of all people, about how important it is to feel yourself." Mele said that her experiences as a bisexual woman influenced the creation of the song.[5]
See main article: Melodi Grand Prix 2023.
Melodi Grand Prix 2023 was the 61st edition of Norwegian: [[Melodi Grand Prix]]|i=unset, the contest that selects the Norwegian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The contest consists of three semi-finals and one final.[6] "Queen of Kings" was selected to compete first in the first-semi final, where it would manage to qualify to the final.[7]
Heading into the final, the song was considered a favorite to win Melodi Grand Prix 2023, being the favorite in reader polls on Eurovision fansites Wiwibloggs[8] and ESCUnited.[9] In the final, an international jury and a public televote was used, with both contributing 50% of the vote. "Queen of Kings" would manage to earn a total of 233 points, earning 104 points from the jury and 129 from the public, winning both halves of the vote and earning the Norwegian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[10]
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Norway was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 9 May 2023, where it qualified for the final after its performance as the contest's opening song.[11]
Remixes by Da Tweekaz x Tungevaag, Billen Ted, & Gabry Ponte were also released.
| Peak position | |
| Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA)[12] | 21 |
|---|---|
| Croatia (Billboard)[13] | 12 |
| France (SNEP)[14] | 152 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[15] | 58 |
| Greece International (IFPI)[16] | 4 |
| Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[17] | 4 |
| Italy (FIMI)[18] | 33 |
| Latvia (LAIPA)[19] | 7 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[20] | 7 |
| Luxembourg (Billboard)[21] | 16 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[22] | 29 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[23] | 1 |
| Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[24] | 20 |
| Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[25] | 8 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] | 59 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] | 7 |
| Position | ||
| Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[28] | 27 | |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[29] | 87 | |
| Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[30] | 73 | |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[31] | 47 |
"Queen of Kings"