– It’s a big circus here, some parts of the city are blocked for Eurovision. On opening day the train station was nearly closed, so people in Liverpool knew it was Eurovision, Patrick smirked.

22-year-old Johan Patrick Bredesen, who is originally from Southern Norway but lives in Spydeberg, says he has only been involved in the Eurovision scene in recent years.

– I was active in the Eurovision community last year and this year. Like most Norwegians of my generation, it started when Alexander Rybak won in 2009. After that I was hooked, and never had enough of the circus.

He is in Liverpool as part of the Norwegian Eurovision team, which is a fan site that closely follows song contests throughout the process. After the Norwegian final in 2020, Patrick happened to be there.

– The 2020 finals had voting issues, which caused my favorite to quit before the gold duel. Then I got so angry that I joined the forum to speak my mind. What I thought was a forum for those who were annoyed with voting problems in NRK, turned out to be a discussion forum for Eurovision Norway.

It wasn’t long before Eurovision Norway was looking for new, committed people who would put their souls into Eurovision. Then Bredesen didn’t mind asking.

— I sent message after message to be a part of it, and finally got my chance in the fall of 2021. Since then it’s been fun and lots of it, the 22 year old giggles.

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Colorful suit

The journalist was noticed around the Eurovision community for her colorful outfit.

– I bought my first colorful suit in 2020, and it was used for the MGP Norway 2022 final. After that, I was spammed with messages from people who saw me on TV in that suit. And everyone present was proud of the suit. It has become my trademark in Eurovision circles, and people love it, Bredesen exclaimed.

He has also received some comments about the lawsuit at Liverpool. Most are positive and come with praise.

– There is someone who only laughs at me when we meet, but it’s just laughter and a good mood. I went without a colorful suit today, in “civilian” clothes, and then people wondered where my suit had gone. So it must have left an impression, Bredesen admits.

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Local journalist

Bredesen usually works at Smaalenenes Avis. Now he spends his holidays at the world’s largest music festival.

– I have a huge advantage in that I know how journalism works, so I have it in my trunk. Eurovision is so important to me that taking a few weeks off to take part is invaluable. The combination is great, and after all it’s a hobby I do in my free time, so it’s great to watch big events.

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– How is the atmosphere for Norwegian tenants in Liverpool?

– The atmosphere is absolutely fantastic. We are a larger Norwegian group here. We were very happy that Norway went to the final, we were called last in the semifinals, so the atmosphere was very different then. I would start crying and be very stressed, Bredesen admits.

– What do you think of Norway’s chances of winning?

– A lot of people here don’t think we have it, but I think we do. If Alessandra manages to do the same thing she did in the final in Norway, we can win. I am 100 percent sure of the top 10, and have a small chance of winning.