Despite the artist lineup all but saying who’s going to win even before we have the songs, I’m still quite excited about Melodifestivalen. It always gives me a chance to fall in love with songs that will certainly fail to even qualify for the final.
The thing I really like about Melodifestivalen is that the producers aren’t afraid of admitting that songs other than the winners exist, which is why the opening act is a rendition of Unga & fria from last year’s contest - a song that didn’t even advance to the final. That said, I see no reason why they had to include a Joost joke - regardless of what you think about him, this is also SVT making fun of their employee who was involved in that. It’s just in bad taste for a broadcaster that failed its duty of care to bring it up like it’s funny.
There isn’t a lot to say about this song. It’s actually kinda fun, but it’s also such a typical heat 1 opener that I only have to roll my eyes at the running order trope. And, to be clear, this is aimed at the producers, not the artists or the song - they don’t get to decide their running order after all. But yeah, it’s fun, though not outstanding. I enjoyed it.
Qualified
Qualified (heat winner)
Qualified from the second chance round
A cute ballad like this will never go amiss for me. I also really like his delivery - it really elevates the overall performance and makes it easier to connect with the song. But I just don’t find it memorable enough to more than enjoy it.
This is super 80s in the best way possible. The opening sounds like a news theme, her being lowered from the ceiling immediately grabs my attention, the synth work is immaculate and the performance is sassy and engaging. While I usually dislike costume changes, it does work in this specific case for some reason. While the vocals aren’t as impactful as I usually like them to be, they fit this kind of playful song.
There’s a reason why Melodifestivalen is the only NF where I watch full shows to catch up instead of just the songs. The 80s spoof opening is funny even to me, someone who didn’t grow up in that era or watched a lot of 80s Melodifestivalen. I really liked that they invited the original performers of 100%, which is an actual song from Melodifestivalen 1988.
I was familiar with a couple of her songs even before Melodifestivalen, so I was really excited to see her name on the artist list. When I listened to the studio cut, I was immediately convinced by this song, but the live performance elevated it even more for me. She’s the kind of performer who manages to come off as both fragile and strong at the same time, which really helps her sell the songs. The only thing I still don’t really like is the “hahaha” parts - they don’t fully fit the song. But, I admit, they stand out a lot less to me now than they did at first.
I just can’t hate a classic cheesy schlager like this. Sure, it brings nothing new to the table, but I just can’t help but get swept up in its fun atmosphere. There’s even a key change, which only hypes me up because the song embraces being cheesy. This is basically concentrated serotonin in musical form.
Qualified
Qualified
Even though I don’t really like country music, this specific song isn’t that bad, but only because of the singer. He delivers this with a lot of emotion and actually manages to get to me a little.
This is definitely a song aimed at Swedes and I can’t say I’m impressed. To me, it just drags on and on and on (see what I did there?). I can’t see myself revisiting it at all.
I didn’t know that Eva Rydberg singing Tattoo and Euphoria was all I needed in my life, but it’s all I needed in my life. I love how unreserved she is and how she doesn’t care about public opinion and just does what she likes.
Qualified
They definitely committed to the gold thematic, at the very least. The outfits are gold, the things hanging on stage are gold, and everything is gold. Unfortunately, sparkles like this can’t really hide the fact that the song itself is quite predictable. Musically, it doesn’t stand out at all, although Malou has a pretty nice voice.
There’s nothing wrong with the song: it’s pleasant and has a nice flow, but once again, it doesn’t exactly stand out in any significant way. But I don’t dislike it either.
Qualified from second chance round
He’s a good performer, but this is another song that doesn’t really interest me that much. I don’t have any significant thoughts or opinions about it. It’s just alright.
Qualified
I always thought that Busy Doin’ Nothing should’ve won Melodifestivalen 2014, so I’m glad they’re using it as an opening act. It’s such a relatable song.
I have no idea why, but this is such a catchy and fun song. I already found it entirely irresistible while listening to the studio cut, but the live performance elevated it even further. And sure, it is a tiny bit standard, but I can’t complain when it’s the good kind of standard. The key difference between this and other songs that feel very typical is a performer that really sells it - vocally, through movements and general stage presence. And the red staging fits this well. I wouldn’t have minded to see this in the final at all.
I was hoping this would make it out of the second chance round, but alas, the format change made this basically impossible. Since this was in a very strong heat, it left it with not enough points to even come close to qualification.
It’s a shame as it’s great. The twangy guitar at the start is really cute and already makes me slightly biased for the song, but it’s her delivery that really sells it to me. It’s soft but has a lot of conviction, which helps. Also, I’ve read the translation of the lyrics, and I agree with some Swedes I’ve talked to - this has great lyrics. Loreen should write more songs (because, yes, she wrote this song). I’m glad that songs like this have a place in Melodifestivalen, and they make me wish the second chance round was still a separate heat.
Here’s the most trivial and empty country song ever. It sounds like someone took all country music and distilled it down to the most stereotypical sound ever. The lyrics are stupid, the music is repetitive, and everything is just bad. It’s just innately dislikeable.
Qualified
The chorus - which is supposed to be the most memorable part of the song - is just really annoying. The endless repetition of the word “be” makes it sound like a siren. The verses aren’t that bad, though, but the song is mostly made up of the chorus, so they just come and go five seconds later. I do kinda enjoy her voice, I suppose, although the song does its best to prevent me from liking it.
Qualified
The opening act in the final heat is a parody of Las Vegas, Sweden’s baffling entry from 2005. Admittedly, it’s better in Swedish. This will also have the second chance round at the end, but I won’t be covering it since the performances won’t be new.
Admittedly, I’m a bit underwhelmed. I really liked their entries in 2019 and 2021, but this is a tier below those. It’s still fun, but it isn’t anywhere near as catchy as their previous attempts. And, of course, this doesn’t compare to Eloise at all.
This song feels like it was designed to be anti-catchy. The melody has very little flow and his voice is muffled and powerless. I don’t feel anything about this, unfortunately.
Qualified
This song is weird. On one hand, it’s kinda fun and catchy, but on the other hand it’s kinda lifeless and plastic. I was bopping for a while, but it just didn’t go anywhere and my mind got tired of it in a bit. The live performance was kinda fun, so I’m leaning towards having a positive feeling towards this.
The staging actually elevates this song a lot. I didn’t give it much thought in the studio, but they recreated a whole apartment on stage, which immediately got my attention. I don’t think it has much to do with the song, but it makes it feel like a music video. The song itself is pleasant enough, but hardly standout.
Qualified
“Welcome to the show” indeed, as we open with Nemo singing an acoustic version of The Code. Can’t say I was a huge fan of the new rendition, but it was a nice way to open. They also show their love for Europe by performing I Love Europe from Melodifestivalen 2008.
This is definitely a song. His voice is the only thing that saves this because otherwise it’s just meh. The lyrics are appropriately inane, the staging is kinda eh and it’s just overall blah.
Here’s the biggest argument against the new Andra Chancen format. There’s no way they would’ve been in the final if SVT didn’t mess with that this year.
The song isn’t just bad; it’s irritating. There’s no cohesion or flow. It’s just a stream of annoying noises for three minutes, accompanied by a slew of annoying tropes like a key change at the end.
This is very 80s in a good way. He’s a good performer and sells this song really well. But it helps that the song is also just inherently good. It’s catchy, it has good lyrics and a good melody. I wouldn’t be mad if it won.
The song is fine. Not outstanding, but fine. It definitely has a very stereotypically Swedish sound to it, but it’s also Klara’s weakest attempt so far. The song is just kinda boring though, but I really like the staging. It’s by far the best-looking song so far.
Take schlager, but make it just a tiny bit edgy by adding electric guitars, and you have this. It isn’t actually edgy and it still has as much of a swedopop sound as the other songs in the lineup, but the staging has chains. Not that it’s terrible or anything, but it doesn’t really appeal to me.
This kind of arena rock just appeals to me. Erik is a great performer and really sells the song in a live setting. I was surprised at how much this grew on me after seeing the live performance in the heat, but I can safely say that I really like it now.
This is just so boring. It tries to hype me up, but it completely fails at that. The verses are weak, and the chorus is even weaker. The breakdown section is also boring. I have no idea how it was DTF.
Here’s the token Middle Eastern Melfest song. To be fair, there are some good ideas here, but they don’t come together at all. It’s also a rare example of a song having a better chorus than verses.
What a revolutionary song… not. It’s definitely a pleasant listen, and Måns performs it well, but the song itself is just mediocre - basically just Heroes, but not as good. I’m just not a fan of the generic lyrics at all. However, the staging is executed perfectly. It doesn’t relate to the song too much, but it does manage to hold the viewers’s attention for the full 3 minutes of the song.
SVT received almost 3000 submissions this year and this was among 30 best? I really doubt that. It’s the kind of country music I just can’t stand because it doesn’t even try to bring anything new to the table. I’m not mad at this existing though - I find it unworthy of my headspace at all.
She has a good voice, but that’s about it. The song just lacks cohesion to it. I liked her entry from the previous year more.
This is how you do a fun entry. A lot of other fun songs forget that they still need to be good songs, but not this one. They sing really well, which is rare in acts like this, but definitely appreciated - especially considering the kind of fun acts we already have. It’s also just a good song - again, unlike a lot of other fun acts, this is first and foremost a good song and a comedic act second. It has a very catchy chorus and good verses, which has been quite rare this season. Overall, I’m praying this gets chosen.
Well, in a refreshing change of pace, only half of my top 10 didn’t qualify this year. This means I was more satisfied with the results than I usually am.
I also liked the interval acts. First up, Medina covered Genom eld och vatten, which is a total evergreen, and then the hosts (featuring the one and only Petra Mede) did a parody song about Eurovision gays, set to the melody of När vindarna viskar mitt namn (aka When Spirits Are Calling My Name).
The jury voting was exciting! This never happens, but KAJ led the jury voting at some points during the voting and Måns only won by two points, wow. And KAJ absolutely demolished the televote after that, which means that Sweden will be singing in Swedish for the first time since 1998 - and for the first time since 1963 without being forced to by the rules!
While my overall winner didn’t win, my winner of the final did, so I’m happy.