Here is a thoroughly charming performance of ‘Devotion’ by Sanna Nielsen. It’s from this weekend’s Sommarkrysset and sees Sanna take to the stage like a homecoming Queen, complete with a backing choir, who in turn make it sound like even more of an anthem than it already is.
It’s not been confirmed of course, and this is just speculation, but all the signs point towards ‘Devotion’ having been rejected for Melodifestivalen 2010. Its composers, its length, its sound, and the fact that it was released in January this year. All traits of a song that was entered for the competition but failed to make it into the final 32. So it’s worth noting, and worth applauding Sanna herself, for the fact that she’s still managed to turn it into one of the year’s hits. In the six months since its been out, it’s spent a lengthy spell in both the radio airplay charts and the iTunes sales charts. It’s also made a couple of sporadic appearances in the Swedish singles chart – but that of course is unfortunately no longer any indication of anything these days – an issue which we’re going to write more about in the near future. ‘Devotion’s success is a credit to both the song and to Sanna. Nowadays in Sweden, it’s become increasingly difficult for an artist like Sanna Nielsen, an artist stamped with the Melodifestivalen new veteran tag, to have a successful record in a year that hasn’t been launched by the Melodifestivalen competition. Without that show, it’s a lot more difficult for an artist like that (and we must stress that we’re talking about typically schlager singers here, not pop acts in general) to let people know that you have a record out. There’s no other launch pad like it in Sweden, and if you’ve already been tagged as the type of singer who feeds off it, it’s very difficult to then survive without it.
So it’s heartening to see that someone like Sanna can still manage to have a genuine hit without it. It’s now a well known song that she can include in her future sets, and perform at an event like Sommarkrysset, to great reception. Perhaps the only other example of this happening in 2010 was with Linda & Velvet’s ‘Victorious’. Although it speaks volumes that Linda’s record label were happy for it to be a Linda solo for Melodifestivalen, but that once the competition was no longer an option, a second famous singer was drafted in for help. It’ll be interesting to see how the new single and album from Nanne fare when they’re released in a few months time. Yes she managed a small hit in March with ‘I Natt Är Jag Din’ – but even that was riding off the coattails of Melodifestivalen – she went along to all the shopping mall tours that the artists of Melodifestivalen 2010 did, and even followed the show around some of the cities it visited this year, selling CD’s of the single at local shopping centres. We love Melodifestivalen of course, but we also love so many of the veterans that it has created. What we’re not so fond of is said veterans’ sometimes inability to score a hit without it, so we’re always glad to see such an artist beat the usual odds. And we’re hoping that it becomes more common that the trend turns.
ANYWAY……..
Here’s Sanna with ‘Devotion’, from Saturday night!
