This weekend – Sunday October 27th – Swedish broadcaster SVT is launching a brand-new spin-off of its much loved music entertainment behemoth Melodifestivalen. The new show is called Hello Mello, and it’s essentially to Melodifestivalen what Junior Eurovision is to the Eurovision Song Contest.
SVT have even gone so far as to say it’s “for performers who aren’t yet old enough to compete at Melodifestivalen“. But, like its parent show, it’s a song contest at heart. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of its premiere this weekend:
What is it?
Hello Mello is a whole-new song contest, loosely following the Melodifestivalen format, in which 25 young artists between the ages of 13 and 15 compete with newly-composed songs from some of Sweden’s top pop composers.
You can watch the trailer for the programme right here.
Top pop composers?
Plenty of the names that Melodifestivalen fans will already know from that show’s songwriting credits every February, and some who have penned Eurovision Song Contest classics, too.
Here are just some of the songwriters that are behind the 25 entries competing in Hello Mello’s inaugural year:
Thomas G:son, Peter Boström, MEDINA, Anderz Wrethov, Danny Saucedo, David Lindgren Zacharias, Melanie Wehbe, Patrik Jean, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Cazzi Opeia, Jimmy Jansson, Fredrik Sonefors, Faith Kakembo, Fröken Snusk, Rasmus Gozzi, Lisa Ajax and Adam ‘Rymdpojken’ Englund.
When do we get to hear the songs?
Five songs will compete in each of the five heats, leading up to the grand final. But ahead of the live broadcasts on Sundays, all five of that week’s songs will be released on the Friday.
You’ll be able to find them on all your fave streaming services, but SVT will also be popping them up here every Friday at 00:00 for prosperity.
Beyond this introductory article, we won’t be covering the show on Scandipo, but we’ll be adding the best of the bops onto our Best New Scandipop playlist each week.
How many songs will progress to the final each week?
From each of the five semi-finals, two songs will be voted through to the final. And there is no second-chance round – it’s going to be a ten-song final.
And what’s the prize?
The winner will have the honour of performing at next year’s Melodifestivalen. It’ll be an interval or opening act performance, rather than the opportunity to compete.
But, quite clearly, Hello Mello has been devised to be a training ground for Melodifestivalen. Here, SVT will be able to cherry-pick the performers with the most potential to be future Melodiestivalen stars. And that obviously won’t be limited to just those who win Hello Mello.
So there will probably be some very bright futures ahead for some of the lineup.
How does the voting work?
As with Main Melfest, all voting is done via the Melodifestivalen app, and you’ll only be able to vote in Sweden. But if you’re reading this in Sweden (men tjena, fina du!) and would like to know more, you can read (på svenska) how the voting works right here.
How do I watch?
If you’re in Sweden, you’ll be able to tune in on SVT1 at 20:00 CET. And if you’re outside Sweden, you’ll be able to watch on the Hello Mello page at SVTPlay.
It’s happening every Sunday night for the next six weeks.
Who’s hosting?
Melodifestivalen icon and Eurovision Song Contest luminary Eric Saade, plus TV host, former Miss Sweden and former member of the girlband NG3 (oh babe, you haven’t bopped until you’ve bopped to ‘The Anthem’) Malin Olsson.
And who’s competing?
Here’s the full linup of the five weeks of competition – the artists, the songs, and the songwriters behind them:
(photo: Janne Danielsson / SVT)
Semi-Final 1 – October 27
Valencia Montpaz
Dancing All By Myself
(Malin Johansson, Christian Fast, Johannes Willinder)
Leon Frohm
Better Days
(John-Emil Johansson, Anderz Wrethov, Marcus Winther-John
Black Roses (Addapinya Kongyim, Eddie Tanttu, Albin Landersjö, Pavel Volkov)
Only Strangers
(Addapinya Kongyim, Eddie Tanttu, Albin Landersjö, Pavel Volkov, Magnus Karlsson, Fredrik Andersson)
Sora Elding
Stanna Tiden
(Ida Schönbeck, Karolina Walker)
Grannen Måns (Måns Ek)
Din DJ
(Sami Rekik, Ali Jammali, Peter Boström, Thomas G:son)
Semi-Final 2 – November 3
Ninija (Ninija Axelsson)
Vi Kan Börja Om Igen
(Jesper Welander, Alexandra Eriksson)
4FUN (Olivia Chahimi Östmark, Tuva Ähdel, Oliver Samil, Sean Kvamme)
Get Right Up
(Danne Attlerud, Michael Klauss, Thomas Thörnholm)
August Follin
Över Mig
(William Schenberg, Gustav Blomberg)
OSMAN (Osman Salijevic)
Droppe i Havet
(Emilio Pezoa Amigo, Kevin Hazami, OSMAN, Ahmet Salijevic)
Ina Lindgren
Out Of My Head
(Herman Gardarfve, Melanie Wehbe, David Lindgren Zacharias, Patrik Jean)
Semi-Final 3 – November 10
EDVARD E (Edvard Ekdahl Munch)
Rör På Dig
(John-Emil Johansson, Emma-Lee Andersson, Elias Öberg, Arash Fahmi Vahid, EDVARD E)
Leo S Maas (Leo Svanström Maas)
Will You Ever Know
(Samira Manners, Hilde Schotte, Fredrik Andersson)
Maja Söderström
Lat
(Axel Schylström, Joy Deb, Palle Hammarlund, Thomas G:son)
Tymur Vasylyshyn
I’ll Find You
(Linnea Deb, Fredrik Sonefors, Faith Kakembo, Thomas G:son)
Lilly & Leah (Lilly Källstrand Holmgren och Leah Nyström)
NIGHTTIME
(Yasmine Tahar, Rasmus Deffler)
Semi-Final 4 – November 17
AXEL (Axel Ekström Dellvi)
Tills Månen Blir Sol
(Adam ‘Rymdpojken’ Englund, Gustav Blomberg, Danny Saucedo)
Betty Lo (Betty Billgren)
Varför Vill Du Inte Ha Mig
(Betty Billgren, Jesper Welander, Alexandra Eriksson)
Oliver Eriksson
Numb
(Gustav Blomberg, Amanda Thomsen, Andreas Poom)
Sixten Linton
Hearts Will Collide
(Sixten Linton, Amanda Kongshaug, Gustav Blomberg)
Jennifer Aoun
Breaking My Heart
(Jimmy Jansson, Moa ‘Cazzi Opeia’ Carlebecker, Thomas G:son)
Semi-Final 5 – November 24
Kimberly Rydberg
Through It All
(Karl Flyckt, Patrik Jean, William Segerdahl, Calle Hellberg)
WillTech (William Saadoun)
EPA i Fjällen
(Fröken Snusk, Rasmus Gozzi, André Zuniga, Palle Hammarlund)
LEONA (Leona Tidbeck)
Över Ytan
(Calle Hellberg, Max Huss, Lisa Ajax, Christoffer Balazik, William Segerdahl)
Bianca Rosendahl
Take My Hand
(Johan Jämtberg, Christoffer Jansson)
Felix (Felix Norrbrand)
Fever Dream
(Christoffer Collins, Alexander Laitila, Emelie Eriksson)
