EXCLUSIVE: Marcus & Martinus on the journey to Eurovision stardom

When the hundreds of millions of viewers tune into Eurovision on Saturday, many will meet Marcus & Martinus for the first time – but their moment on that stage has been more than a decade in the making.

The twins first hit the limelight in Scandinavia at the tender age of 10, taking part in the Melodi Grand Prix Junior, a Norwegian talent show for rising stars between the ages of eight and 15. Since then, the Gunnarsen brothers have broken streaming records, toured the world and filled a trophy cabinet with awards.

“It kind of makes sense,” Marcus tells CelebMix when asked if their arrival on the Eurovision stage feels like a full circle moment. “We started doing a similar thing [Melodi Grand Prix], but it was never something we were thinking about.

“It felt like something you could look at and not reach. It was so cool but so big. This is next level and we are so honoured to be a part of it. It’s so much fun.”

Hailing from a quiet part of northern Norway, Marcus & Martinus have based their career out of Sweden in recent years and have been adopted by the country ahead of representing them on the Eurovision stage in 2024.

With a discography full of big pop production and feelgood performances, stepping up to Eurovision does feel like destiny for the duo, even if Marcus plays that suggestion down. The devastation on the brothers’ face last year when coming second place to eventual Eurovision winner Loreen at Melodifestivalen was plain to see.

“I was super gutted,” Martinus admits, chuckling when reminded about the crushed faces picked up by cameras as Loreen completed her lap of honour. “I was told I couldn’t look so sad if we lost this year!

“I was so sad. Having interviews after coming second, I was so down. It was crazy. Now, when I look back, it was the best thing that could happen to us. It was an amazing journey.

“This year’s Eurovision suits Sweden so well and we’re opening the show, it couldn’t be better for us. Everything happens for a reason and I’m super happy.”

Marcus & Martinus’ track ‘Unforgettable’ is one of their darkest pop sounds to date, picking up where they left off with last year’s entry ‘Air’. While it’s a far cry from the brothers’ early work, it’s still very much the same personalities at the heart of it.

The track that catapulted the duo into Scandi stardom was 2015 hit ‘Elektrisk’. The most streamed Norwegian song ever, the flick has become somewhat of a cult classic and is known for its frenzied reception at live shows.

“We drugged it,” Marcus jokes when asked just what makes it so special. “It’s just a lot of fun. A lot of people maybe hate performing old songs but we love ‘Elektrisk’.

“When we perform it and everyone knows the lyrics, it’s the best feeling ever and I never get tired of hearing it.”

Marcus & Martinus saw their reach grow again in 2016 as they took the decision to record tracks in English. “We started touring in Scandinavia but only with Norwegian songs, we started thinking we should go over into English but it was difficult for us at that age,” Marcus remembers.

“We tried our best to do it. The first English song we did was ‘Girls’ and that was the first that ever hit number one on Spotify. That was very cool for us and then the album [Moments] came. We were nervous but it went well!”

As far as ‘teen pop’ goes, that record is one of the most perfect examples of that genre. The sun-kissed hits boast huge choruses and endearing lovesick lyrics. On the stage, tracks became arena-sized as they toured with Jason Derulo and Marcus & Martinus hit new heights with choreography and production.

“We’ve done it [dancing] since we were little kids so it’s in our blood, it’s natural,” Marcus says, mimicking one of the moves from their ‘Unforgettable’ Eurovision routine.

“We know when we go on stage we are going to have fun. It’s very natural! We’re not really dancers but we can learn the choreography and that’s what we’ve done on ‘Unforgettable’. We think it fits right in.”

Marcus & Martinus are fully immersed in the Eurovision madness and there’s little talk of what’s to come next, although they have announced a European headline show for 2025 with a stop at London’s O2 Academy Islington on March 5.

That will no doubt come with more new music, which could sound like one of the duo’s favourite releases to date, ‘When All The Lights Go Out‘. That 2022 single flew somewhat under the radar with fans but came with a dramatic rebrand and their most candid lyrics as the twins tackled growing up in the midst of internet stardom.

“It’s a song that’s very different from our others, and very personal,” Marcus says. “It’s very underrated I think. It means a lot to us. It was a new chapter for us.”

It’s impossible not to be charmed by the Norwegian duo, who seem guaranteed to excel in the fan vote this weekend. And somehow, despite the crazy 12 years that have led this far, there’s a feeling that Eurovision 2024 could be just the beginning.

Are you a Marcus & Martinus fan? Let us know @CelebMix on X.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo7nIsWWcp51ksrmvy66qoq6VYrqivsKuqmalkafBqrrUrGSopl2ptaZ5yaisq6aVrnq1u4yerKunpp7AqrvNZqqtmaKZvK57