VoR
Take it or leave it
With four heats down and Sweden voting notable conservatively so far this year, the direkt qualifiers from this heat would seem to be a foregone conclusion. Can any of the also-rans pull off a last minute dark horse run for the title? Let's see...
1. Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable
Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Marcus Gunnarsen, Martinus Gunnarsen
In the year after Sweden scored their record-equally seventh Eurovision victory, it seems strange that they might well essentially outsource their home entry victory lap to a pair of vaguely creepy Norwegians. That is what the bookies are predicting though, and the early buzz is that there is serious money behind this entry. They of course finished second last year, and that was against Loreen. This year their hottest competition is a Danny Saucedo stumbling blearily out of paternity leave with a 2013 Avicii demo and no staging budget, so you can understand why they're probably feeling quietly confident...
2. Chelsea Muco - Controlla
Anderz Wrethov, Chelsea Muco, Elsa Carmona Oljelund, Fernand MP,Karl Flyckt, Pa Modou
Emerging from Sweden's allegedly thriving afrobeat scene, Chelsea Muco is a Burundian-born singer and songwriter who was mentored by the lads from Panetoz - some of whom also co-wrote this entry. With Anderz Wrethov on board to guarantee a commercial sheen, there may be a path to AC for this if she plays a good hand.
3. Jay Smith - Back To My Roots
Jay Smith, Jonas Jurström, Jonathan Keyes, Maria Jane Smith, Victor Thell
Another familiar Melodifestivalen trope here - the comeback story. Jay Smith won Swedish Idol in 2010 and enjoyed platinum success with his debut album, but personal problems overshadowed his music and he failed to sustain his success with subsequent releases. Over a decade later, he's got quite the crack team backing him up on the rather pointedly-titled Back To My Roots, including Grammy winning folk-pop icons Smith & Thell. If anything can disrupt the expected Marcus, Martinus and Medina walkover this semi, it'll probably be this.
4. Elektra - Banne maj
Anderz Wrethov, Elin Wrethov, Jonny Werner, Robin Werner
Fresh from a strong showing on the inaugural season of Drag Race Sverige, Elektra makes her Melfest debut after releasing a couple of post Drag Race singles that sound pretty much exactly as you'd expect. After Dark 1.0 aside, drag queens don't have the strongest scorecard at Melfest, unlike the many schlager boilers who merely resemble them. Probably strictly fun for a taste, not a swallow, but you never know.
5. Annika Wickihalder - Light
Annika Wickihalder, Herman Gardarfve, Linnea Gawell, Patrik Jean
Not much to say about this one, a relatively new face to the scene with a couple of under the radar singles to her name. Move songwriter Patrik Jean is among the composers, and she seems to have a line in gospel-tinged alt-pop. That's all I've got.
6. Medina - Que Sera
Ali Jammali, Anderz Wrethov, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Sami Rekik
The other big hitters this semi final. Their last Melfest effort took them to third place in 2022 and gave them a massive domestic hit. They're massively popular in Sweden, but their Swedish-language party pop tends to get undervalued a bit when it comes to selecting a Eurovision entry. Could the low-stakes afterglow of a popular win be the perfect context for loosening up a little and sending them all the way. Maybe!
Tuesday: Reviews
Thursday: Snippets!
Friday: Rehearsal footage
Saturday: Live show
1. Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable
Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Marcus Gunnarsen, Martinus Gunnarsen
In the year after Sweden scored their record-equally seventh Eurovision victory, it seems strange that they might well essentially outsource their home entry victory lap to a pair of vaguely creepy Norwegians. That is what the bookies are predicting though, and the early buzz is that there is serious money behind this entry. They of course finished second last year, and that was against Loreen. This year their hottest competition is a Danny Saucedo stumbling blearily out of paternity leave with a 2013 Avicii demo and no staging budget, so you can understand why they're probably feeling quietly confident...
2. Chelsea Muco - Controlla
Anderz Wrethov, Chelsea Muco, Elsa Carmona Oljelund, Fernand MP,Karl Flyckt, Pa Modou
Emerging from Sweden's allegedly thriving afrobeat scene, Chelsea Muco is a Burundian-born singer and songwriter who was mentored by the lads from Panetoz - some of whom also co-wrote this entry. With Anderz Wrethov on board to guarantee a commercial sheen, there may be a path to AC for this if she plays a good hand.
3. Jay Smith - Back To My Roots
Jay Smith, Jonas Jurström, Jonathan Keyes, Maria Jane Smith, Victor Thell
Another familiar Melodifestivalen trope here - the comeback story. Jay Smith won Swedish Idol in 2010 and enjoyed platinum success with his debut album, but personal problems overshadowed his music and he failed to sustain his success with subsequent releases. Over a decade later, he's got quite the crack team backing him up on the rather pointedly-titled Back To My Roots, including Grammy winning folk-pop icons Smith & Thell. If anything can disrupt the expected Marcus, Martinus and Medina walkover this semi, it'll probably be this.
4. Elektra - Banne maj
Anderz Wrethov, Elin Wrethov, Jonny Werner, Robin Werner
Fresh from a strong showing on the inaugural season of Drag Race Sverige, Elektra makes her Melfest debut after releasing a couple of post Drag Race singles that sound pretty much exactly as you'd expect. After Dark 1.0 aside, drag queens don't have the strongest scorecard at Melfest, unlike the many schlager boilers who merely resemble them. Probably strictly fun for a taste, not a swallow, but you never know.
5. Annika Wickihalder - Light
Annika Wickihalder, Herman Gardarfve, Linnea Gawell, Patrik Jean
Not much to say about this one, a relatively new face to the scene with a couple of under the radar singles to her name. Move songwriter Patrik Jean is among the composers, and she seems to have a line in gospel-tinged alt-pop. That's all I've got.
6. Medina - Que Sera
Ali Jammali, Anderz Wrethov, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Sami Rekik
The other big hitters this semi final. Their last Melfest effort took them to third place in 2022 and gave them a massive domestic hit. They're massively popular in Sweden, but their Swedish-language party pop tends to get undervalued a bit when it comes to selecting a Eurovision entry. Could the low-stakes afterglow of a popular win be the perfect context for loosening up a little and sending them all the way. Maybe!
Tuesday: Reviews
Thursday: Snippets!
Friday: Rehearsal footage
Saturday: Live show
