It’s not time already, is it? It is! Melodifestivalen 2020 kicks off THIS Saturday. And we’ve got all of the info you need on that first heat, to get you prepared.
When do we hear the songs? One-minute-long clips of all seven songs have now been released. You can listen to them via the link below.
And do we get rehearsal footage? Also below!
And how do I actually watch the show? Wherever you are in the world, you’ll be able to stream it at 20:00 CET this Saturday night, right here.
And who’s competing? In what order? What are the songs like? All that we can tell you right now. Here’s your guide to the artists performing in Heat 1;
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You can listen to 60 second of each song right here
You can watch 30 seconds of each artist’s Thursday rehearsal right here
Move – The Mamas
Songwriters: Melanie Wehbe, Patrik Jean, Herman Gardarfve
These ladies pretty much stole the show of Melodifestivalen 2019 when they backed eventual winner John Lundvik’s ‘Too Late For Love’. Common sense prevailed and they’ve been invited back to compete again, and this time on their own. The song has been described as something that’s gonna make Sweden wanna get up and DANCE. Having lived there for three years, we can’t quite imagine the Swedes partaking in an action that could be seen as so socially awkward at mere minutes past 8pm, but we CAN see them getting behind this trio in a much more muted sense – by looking down at their phones and giving them all their votes. There’s a lot of national pride behind these ladies, and rightly so.
Moves – Suzi P
Songwriters: Joy Deb, Suzi Pancekov, Aniela Eklund, Malou Ruotsalainen, Chanel Tukia, Kenny Silverdique
16-year-old Suzi P broke through last year year with the million-streaming hit ‘Shunon‘. 2019 was also the year that Swedish hip-hop well and truly took over the Spotify Top 50 as by far and away the most popular genre in the country. And so in both senses, it’s a big coup for SVT to have snagged Suzi for Melodifestivalen 2020. She describes the song as a pop-style track that touches upon her love of music and dance.
Take A Chance – Robin Bengtsson
Songwriters: Jimmy Jansson, Karl-Frederik Reichhardt, Marcus Winther-John
The man who went and won the whole thing in 2017, before giving Sweden a respectable 5th-place finish at the Eurovision Song Contest. The streaming figures of his follow-up songs haven’t quite reached the dizzying heights of his two Melodifestivalen entries, however, so it’s not all too surprising to see him back, even if it is so soon. But it’s a pleasant surprise, nonetheless. One can also assume that he wouldn’t be back so soon unless it was with a song that was just too damn good to pass-up.
Ballerina – Malou Prytz
Songwriters: Thomas G:son, Peter Boström, Jimmy Jansson
After debuting in Melodifestivalen 2019 and going DIREKT til finalen, it’s little surprise to see Malou invited back in 2020 to showcase what she can do once more. We’d imagine her main aim is improving on the last-place finish she achieved last time. But given that she followed up Meodifestivalen with one of our fave EPs of the year, we don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to see her move up the leaderboard next time. Especially not with that trio of songwriters behind her! The song is described as modern arena-pop, which sounds nicely LARGE, doesn’t it?
Inga Problem – OVÖ
Songwriters: Nicholas Frandsen, Lukas Nathanson, Jean-Willy Akofely, Nickie Osenius Kouakou
OVÖ (‘Om Vi Överlever’, so ‘If We Survive’, in English) is made up of two already-established artists, Finess and Ivory. They got together in 2017 and describe their sound as a mix of pop and afrobeats. One of their biggest hits to date has been a song called ‘Zara Larsson‘. Maybe after this week, Zara will finally get around to releasing ‘OVÖ’?
Sluta Aldrig Gå – Sonja Aldén
Songwriters: Bobby Ljunggren, David Lindgren Zacharias, Sonja Aldén
One of our favourite schlager balladeers has been far too quite of late for our liking, though in 2018 she did gift us with the truly beautiful ‘Vi Har Varit Här Förut‘. It’s fair to say that we can well imagine what her comeback song to Melodifestivalen is going to sound like, but we can also well imagine that she won’t have come back unless the song was 100% ballad-banger. She’s already compared Sluta Aldrig Gå to her biggest hit to date – ‘För Att Du Finns’. Those sound like fighting words, to us.
Boys With Emotions – Felix Sandman
Songwriters: Tony Ferrari, Parker James, Peter Thomas, Philip Bentley, Nicki Adamsson, Felix Sandman
The last time he competed in Melodifestivalen 2018, he practically tied in first place with the winner, given all that him and his song ‘Every Single Day’ went on to achieve afterwards. He released a brilliant debut album later that year, and last year, he went on to release music with a more mature sound, and one that most definitely has its eye on being heard outside of Sweden. We’re actually quite surprised to see him in the line-up today, given how little he really ‘needs’ the competition right now. But, he’s here, and he’s already the clear favourite to win, on name alone. Good luck to anyone hoping to stop him – they’re gonna need it!
