Marcus & Martinus: The Twin Machine That Conquered Scandinavia
They won their first talent show at the age of ten. By eighteen they were Scandinavia’s most relentless touring act. And at twenty-two, the twin brothers from Elverum, Norway, did the unthinkable: they represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest — and were called traitors by their own countrymen for it.
The story of Marcus & Martinus is not a story of overnight fame. It is the story of a pop machine that started in a Norwegian children’s talent show, ran for a decade on unstoppable output, and finally outgrew its home country. The Sweden twist of 2024 was not the beginning of their success. It was the payoff of a strategy more than a decade in the making.
The Child Stars Who Never Stopped
Marcus and Martinus Gunnarsen won Melodi Grand Prix Junior — Norway’s children’s song competition — in 2012 with the song “To dråper Vann.” They were ten years old. Where most child acts flame out, the twins converted early fame into infrastructure: by 2015 they were topping the Norwegian charts, and their debut album Hei arrived that year, followed by Together (2016) and Moments (2017).
The formula was precision-engineered Scandinavian teen pop: the smash “Elektrisk” with Katastrofe became their signature, followed by a conveyor belt of singles — “Girls” with Madcon, “Heartbeat,” “Light It Up,” “Like It Like It” with Silentó — that kept them on the road constantly. While their Norwegian peers were building careers one album cycle at a time, the twins were operating like a touring business that never closed.
The Sweden Gamble
The problem, as the brothers themselves later explained, was that Norway would not let them grow up. In an interview with Aftonbladet, Marcus said the Norwegian attitude was that they should “continue to make music for children like ‘Elektrisk'” — and that Norwegian media suggested they were obligated to compete in Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix rather than look abroad. They felt frozen as child prodigies in their home country, unable to break through as adult artists with a more mature sound.
So they looked east. In 2023 they entered Sweden’s Melodifestivalen — the world’s most-watched national Eurovision selection — and finished second, beaten only by Loreen’s “Tattoo,” which went on to win Eurovision itself. It was a stunning debut in the toughest selection in the business. In 2024 they returned, won Melodifestivalen with “Unforgettable,” and earned the right to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2024 in Malmö.
Traitors, Points and the Home Front
The Norwegian reaction was fierce. “We were called traitors,” the twins said, claiming the Norwegian media was, in their words, bullying them: “They said we were betraying our homeland.” The backlash revealed something uncomfortable about Norwegian pop culture — a small country that loved its twins as children but bristled when they sought an adult career elsewhere.
The irony of Eurovision night was delicious. The twins finished ninth in the grand final with 174 points — 125 from juries and 49 from the public. The Norwegian public gave them 10 points, one of their strongest televote scores. The Norwegian jury, meanwhile, awarded them just 3 points — a result the duo admitted stung, given the usual Nordic bloc voting. The people back home were voting for them; the gatekeepers were not.
The Melodifestivalen Breakthrough in Detail
The 2023 Melodifestivalen result deserves a closer look, because it was genuinely historic. The twins entered Sweden’s national selection as outsiders — Norwegian child stars trying to reboot in the toughest market in European pop — and finished second, beaten only by Loreen’s “Tattoo.” Loreen went on to win Eurovision 2023, which means Marcus & Martinus were, by the narrowest of margins, the second-best act in the country that produced the continental champion.
That near-miss made the 2024 victory inevitable in hindsight. When “Unforgettable” won Melodifestivalen the following year, it was not a fluke but the confirmation of a strategy: relocate the centre of gravity, earn credibility in the hardest room in the business, and let the results speak. The “Unforgettable” performance itself — black-and-blue suits, blue Converse, four backing dancers, LED walls running lines of code, a staging the duo said was inspired by Super Bowl halftime shows — was built for arenas, not television studios. The twin machine had finally found a stage big enough for it.
The Money Question
Type “marcus and martinus net worth” into a search engine and you will find the usual celebrity-farm estimates, ranging wildly and contradicting each other. Here is the honest answer: no reliable public figure exists. Their finances run through their company M&M Artister AS, and Norwegian company filings — which are public record — show a business whose fortunes track their touring and release cycles closely.
What is not in doubt is the economic reality of the twin machine: a decade of Scandinavian arena tours, millions of streams, brand endorsements aimed squarely at a young demographic, and the Eurovision effect of 2024. Wealth or not, the brothers built one of the most durable pop businesses Norway has produced this century — starting at age ten.
What Comes Next
The 2024 chapter closed with a studio album — Unforgettable, sharing the title of their Melodifestivalen winner — and the twins have continued releasing new music, including 2025 singles like “Wonder” and “Endless Summer.” The child stars who were supposed to stay children are now adult pop artists with a Swedish championship, a Eurovision top ten and a Norwegian public that quietly forgave them on voting night.
One clarifying line for anyone still confused: Marcus & Martinus represented Sweden at Eurovision 2024 despite being Norwegian — because in the music business, as they learned early, home is where the audience lets you grow up.
Marcus & Martinus: Career Timeline
The twin machine’s story is a fourteen-year build, not an overnight success — here is how two ten-year-olds from Elverum became a Scandinavian pop institution.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Marcus and Martinus Gunnarsen are born 21 February 2002 in Elverum, Norway (Marcus, fifteen minutes older) |
| 2012 | Win Melodi Grand Prix Junior with “To dråper Vann” — aged ten |
| 2015 | Debut album Hei; “Elektrisk” with Katastrofe becomes their signature hit |
| 2016 | First English-language album Together, with “Girls,” “Heartbeat” and “Light It Up” |
| 2017 | Moments; win the Spellemannprisen |
| 2022 | Win Masked Singer Sverige as the first duo to share first place |
| 2023 | Enter Sweden’s Melodifestivalen with “Air” — finish second, beaten only by Loreen’s “Tattoo” |
| 2024 | Win Melodifestivalen with “Unforgettable”; represent Sweden at Eurovision in Malmö — 9th place with 174 points |
| 2024 | Release the studio album Unforgettable |
| 2025 | New singles “Wonder” and “Endless Summer” as adult pop artists |
Key Facts & Numbers
- Eurovision 2024: 9th place in the grand final with 174 points — 125 from juries, 49 from the public
- The home vote: the Norwegian public gave them 10 points; the Norwegian jury gave them just 3
- First win: Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2012, at age ten, with “To dråper Vann”
- Net worth: no reliable public figure exists — celebrity estimates vary wildly and contradict each other; their business runs through the company M&M Artister AS
- The real economics: a decade of Scandinavian arena tours, millions of streams, youth-demographic brand endorsements and the Eurovision effect
- Swedish breakthroughs: Masked Singer Sverige winners 2022; Melodifestivalen winners 2024
What’s Next for the Twins
The child-star chapter is definitively closed: with a Swedish championship, a Eurovision top ten and the 2025 singles “Wonder” and “Endless Summer” behind them, Marcus & Martinus are operating as adult pop artists with a pan-Scandinavian base. The strategy that won them Sweden — relocate the centre of gravity, earn credibility in the hardest room in the business — now applies to the rest of Europe. New music and touring are the likeliest next moves; the machine that started at age ten shows no sign of stopping.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Marcus and Martinus’ net worth?
There is no reliable public figure. Search engines return celebrity-estimate sites that contradict each other, and the twins have never disclosed their finances. Their business runs through the company M&M Artister AS, and Norwegian company filings — public record — track touring and release cycles. What is certain: a decade of arena tours, millions of streams and major endorsements make them one of Norway’s most durable pop businesses.
Are Marcus and Martinus Swedish?
No — they are Norwegian, born in Elverum. They represented Sweden at Eurovision 2024 because Sweden’s Melodifestivalen offered the adult-career platform they felt Norway would not give them.
Why did they represent Sweden at Eurovision 2024?
As they explained to Aftonbladet, Norway wanted them to keep making children’s music like “Elektrisk,” and Norwegian media suggested they were obligated to compete in Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix. Sweden’s selection let them reboot as adult artists — and they won it.
What place did Marcus and Martinus get at Eurovision 2024?
Ninth in the grand final in Malmö, with 174 points (125 from juries, 49 from the public televote).
How old are Marcus and Martinus?
Born 21 February 2002, they turned 24 in 2026.
Are Marcus and Martinus still making music?
Yes. After the 2024 album Unforgettable, they released the 2025 singles “Wonder” and “Endless Summer” and continue to tour.
Sources & Further Reading
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