(Photos: Janne Danielsson / SVT)
This weekend it all kicks off again – as Sweden’s Melodifestivalen returns to our screens on Saturday February 3rd.
You’ll be able to watch it live at 20:00 on SVTPlay.se – and that’s also where you’ll be able to hear snippets of the songs from 07:00 on Thursday morning, as well as clips from rehearsal performances at 07:00 on Friday morning.
SVT gave us a preview listen of all six songs ahead of the weekend’s first semi; so to get an idea of what’s competing – read on…
‘Supernatural’ – Adam Woods
(Adam Woods, Calle Hellberg, Jonna Hall, William Segerdahl)
We were introduced to Adam at Melodifestivalen 2023, when he competed with Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Arc North on ‘Where You Are (Sávežan)’ – nabbing a place in the final, no less! Now he gets to showcase what *he* sounds like.
And what he sounds like is pretty damn special. ‘Supernatural’ is a high-energy dance track that has more in common with Swedish Eurovision winner ‘Euphoria’ than it does with his collaboration last year. It sounds like what Danny Saucedo should have come back to the competition with in 2013 to finally earn that Melodifestivalen win. And he would have actually achieved it with this. It’s an incredibly strong start to Melodifestivalen 2024.
‘Hela Världen Väntar’ – Samir & Viktor
(David Kreuger, Fredrik Kempe, Niklas Carson Matsson)
Their fourth time competing in Melodifestivalen, but their first time in six years. Has their sound changed much?
Mercifully not! By the end of Saturday night we’ll know if Sweden still has an appetite for this kind of thing – this very specific kind of thing. But Samir & Viktor are cleverly hedging their bets with this one; the song morphs into what sounds like a completely different tune post-chorus. So really, they’ve given themselves two shots at impressing Swedish voters.
It’s as though ‘Bada Nakna’ never got out of the water to dry itself off and cover itself up. But life is short – let’s enjoy splashing about.
‘Min Melodi’ – Melina Borglowe
(Andreas Mattsson, Melina Borglowe, Thomas G:son)
This artist released her debut EP in 2023, and now takes her first steps onto the Melodifestivalen stage on Saturday night.
She debuts with a sweet songbird number. A ballad that exudes nice warmth via some soft guitar, well-placed strings and a touching lyric. It stands out in this semi for being the only song that doesn’t sound like it isn’t openly campaigning for a vote. Which will – ironically – make it competitive on Saturday night.
‘Forever Yours’ – Elisa Lindström
(Elisa Lindström, Erik Bernholm, Henric Axelsson, Henrik Sethsson, Thomas G:son)
Former front-lady of her own dansband, this is Elisa’s third time competing at Melodifestivalen. Will it be third time lucky at advancing beyond the semi-final stages?
That matters not. What’s important here is that SVT has offered up a gargantuan schlager banger for us all to enjoy. And we’re taking it – and never letting go. ‘Forever Yours’ is an obvious throwback to the classic era of mid-’00s Melodifestivalen, as well as being a love song to all of us who were obsessed with the contest’s output at that time.
Throughout almost two decades, we’ve seen you all enjoying this kind of schlager on the dancefloors everywhere from Euroclub to Eurofest. And we’ll be seeing you there again – absolutely losing it to ‘Forever Yours’.
CAMP!
‘Awful Liar’ – Lisa Ajax
(David Lindgren Zacharias, Sebastian Atas, Victor Crone, Victor Sjöström)
At 25 years of age, Lisa is already a Melfest veteran – she’s back for a fifth throw of the dice in 2024.
We can see why she’d want to come back again – with a song like this waved in front of her, she’d have been silly to say no. Regardless of what its result might be, ‘Awful Liar’ will be an eternal gem within the artist’s own repertoire, and one she’ll be hired to perform for crowds for years to come.
Of all her Melodifestivalen songs, it sounds most like ‘Torn’ – in that it’s a ballad that goes big on the heart-break melody and lyric combo. Once the first chorus is done with, the song takes on a larger production – building to a satisfyingly climactic final chorus.
‘Heroes Are Calling’ – Smash Into Pieces
(Andreas ”Giri” Lindbergh, Benjamin Jennebo, Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Per Bergquist)
This band made their Melodifestivalen debut in 2023 and finished in third place at the final, with their song ‘Six Feet Under’ going on to become one of the biggest radio hits of the year in Sweden.
With ‘Heroes Are Calling’, it sounds like they’ve come back to improve by a couple of places on that bronze-medal finish last year. This will appeal to anyone who enjoyed its predecessor, but also – crucially – to a few more folk; and that’s anyone who appreciates an ambitiously epic chorus.
Last year they went big, this year they’ve gone bigger. And Saturday night might not be the last time they perform on an SVT-owned stage in Malmö before the year is out…
