Ben Adams has finally spoken out after being unmasked as one-half of Norway’s Eurovision 2022 act Subwoolfer.
Sporting black suits with white shirts and distinctive yellow wolf headpieces, gloves and ties, they were known to the public only as Keith and Jim when the duo hit the stage in Turin, Italy to perform Give That Wolf a Banana, with the track finishing in the Top 10 on the scoreboard.
During Norway’s national selection process this year, Subwoolfer returned to perform their new single Worst Kept Secret, during which they revealed themselves as the a1 star and Norwegian ‘Idol’ runner-up Gaute Ormåsen.
Speaking in RETROPOP’s April 2023 issue, Ben reveals how he ended up on stage at the Grand Final, sharing: “We were at a writing camp for MGP (Melodi Grand Prix) – the national selection for Norway’s Eurovision – which I’ve done for many years. We were put together in groups to write songs and the brief was to write the most ridiculous song you could possibly think of with no boundaries. So that’s what we did – and the more stupid it was, the more funny we thought it was.”
They initially discarded the track, but “months later” Norwegian national broadcaster NRK got back in contact and invited them to submit the track to the Contest. “It’s very hard to find artists that want to sing a song called Give That Wolf a Banana,” he laughs. “So NRK said, ‘You should do it,’ and because me and Gaute have pretty successful, respectable careers outside of songwriting, we were like, ‘No, we’re not going to do it, because if this goes wrong it would be terrible.’ So they said, ‘Well, why don’t you wear masks?’”
The pair took hiding their identity so seriously that they didn’t even reveal themselves to their fellow contestants! However, a certain space man did rumble them: “I think Sam Ryder cottoned on, because he saw me at the breakfast buffet and I didn’t say hi – I remember thinking, ‘I hope he hasn’t seen me,’ and then just left,” Ben recalls.
“But we didn’t tell anybody. We walked into the venues in visors and masks, stayed in our dressing room, didn’t talk to anyone. In all the interviews, we didn’t say a word; I was standing in the room with reporters that I’ve known for years and I’m friends with, but I couldn’t tell them that it was me! Now, I’m getting texts like, ‘You fucker! We were in the same room and you didn’t even say ‘hi’!’”
Subwoofer are still signed to Universal and plan to continue writing and recording together, but that doesn’t mean Ben is finished with a1 either.
“I still have a full touring schedule with a1,” he beams. “In 2022, I’d just had a baby, I got married and bought a house up in the mountains – I thought, ‘Cool, I’ll keep doing stuff with a1, do some writing and producing for other people, but also have some nice chilled out time in my family.’ And it’s been anything but!
“Now, I have this project, trying to be a dad and a husband, and a1. We have an Asian tour at the end of the year and we’ve got lots of songs on the go – whether we’ll release them or not, I don’t know.
“But we’ve got loads of gigs booked in with people like 5ive and Blue – other acts from our era – so that’s an ongoing thing. I think it’s fantastic to be able to still be doing this 25 years later. It’s great!”
Subwoolfer’s new single Worst Kept Secret is out now on Universal.
Read the full interview in the April 2023 edition of RETROPOP, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store, use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist, or get Digital Copies delivered direct to your devices.
