Sweden: Maria Sur was not allowed to include a dance-break on her Melfest final performance!

Currently, the 19 year-old Ukrainian artist based in Sweden, Maria Sur, is the hot favorite to win Melodifestivalen 2024 and represent Sweden on home ground. Maria Sur qualified from Melodifestivalen’s second heat, with her dance entry “When I’m Gone“.

“When I’m Gone” has already gathered the attention of the Eurovision fandom, because of the traditional Swedish pop sound as well as the polished performance she and her team pulled out. As she mentioned speaking to “The Eurotrip Podcast“, her team was thinking of adding a dance-break to their final performance on March 9. However, this could not be possible as it was denied by the organizers of the show for being against the competition’s rules. In Melodifestivalen, it is not allowed to bring drastic changes to a performance mid-competition, especially when it comes to the timing of the song:

There’s not going to be so many big changes in the final. I wanted to bring this idea to the final, but unfortunately we’re not allowed to do it. 

I wanted to do a dance break. It’s not happening because of the rules. We’re not allowed to change the timing of the song. 

Moreover, there was another issue with the timing of “When I’m Gone“. Maria Sur’s entry for Eurovision 2024 sits exactly on three minutes. The maximum length of a Melodifestivalen entry, as well as a Eurovision one, is three minutes exactly. Adding a dance-break would either maximize the length of “When I’m Gone” or force the team to cut an existing part.

Regardless the issue, Maria Sur mentions:

We are very happy with the performance and the staging.

“When I’m Gone” is not Maria Sur’s first Melodifestivalen entry. She participated in last year’s edition with “Never Give Up“, where she finished ninth. This year she’s returned, claiming the Swedish representation in Malmö.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: theeurotrippodcast