Eurovision 2024: Ukraine is now the frontrunner to win!

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As February, the most crucial month of the pre-Eurovision period, unfolds, national finals are multiplying week by week. Simultaneously, an increasing number of songs that will compete in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest are being revealed. For this reason, one of Eurovisionfun’s most beloved and discussed columns returns, featuring betting analyses for Eurovision 2024.

As you prepare for an “hot” Eurovision February with the reveals of most entries ahead of May, bookmakers are already hard at work. The section for the winner of Eurovision 2024 is already available at some companies. Let’s take this opportunity to present what has been observed so far for the upcoming competition.

Ukraine Emerges as a Strong Favorite

As mentioned in the introduction, February is the month of numerous national finals. The first “Super Saturday” of the year has already caused reshuffling in the betting odds. Ukraine stands far ahead in the first position. The Eastern European country, consistently at the top of the betting boards in recent weeks, is considered the major favorite by bookmakers to win in Malmo.

The triumph of Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil at Vidbir, where they convincingly outperformed their competitors, has significantly affected the odds for Ukraine‘s victory in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. At present, Ukrainian victory returns up to 3.5 times the stake, compared to odds ranging from 5.7 to 7 just a few days ago.

With the widespread sympathy towards Ukraine due to the ongoing Russian invasion and the quality of Ukrainian entries in Eurovision, betting companies consider the fourth win for Ukraine in its twenty-year Eurovision history highly probable. The competition’s current odds have also been influenced by the relatively weak competition compared to previous years.

Top 5

The United Kingdom maintains its second position. The odds for the United Kingdom have dropped and are lower than they were ten days ago. The assignment to Olly Alexander and the expectations created by the BBC’s choice put pressure on the odds, ranging between 6 and 7. Currently, the United Kingdom appears as the most likely competitor to Ukraine based on bookmakers.

Italy retains the third position just a day before the highly anticipated Sanremo Festival, which boasts one of its strongest line-ups in its long history. The odds for Italy have slightly decreased, and the country is currently offered in odds between 8 and 10. The events in the small Ligurian town in the coming days are expected to influence Italy’s standing in the betting odds.

Iceland occupies the fourth position. Bashar Murad‘s song in Iceland’s national final did not convince bookmakers that it could secure the coveted victory in Reykjavik. Iceland has fallen to the fourth position with noticeably declining trends. The potential maiden victory for Iceland is currently being betted between 7 and 12 times the stake.

Sweden secures the fifth position. As the host country of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, Sweden is once again considered one of the major favorites. The odds for Sweden winning within its borders are between 11 and 13, showing a slight increase compared to the last analysis.

Top 10

In the sixth position is Israel, which sees its odds fluctuate but still maintains a relatively high position. The geopolitical reality and the war in Gaza keep Israel in contention, with victory odds ranging between 11 and 13.

From seventh place onward, significant deviations from the top six countries begin. Lithuania, in seventh place, has seen a considerable drop in odds, with the potential maiden victory returning up to 26 times the stake.

The same trend is observed for Norway, Ireland, and Croatia, which complete the top ten. All three are playing with odds above 20, with Norway‘s odds turning red after the Gåte‘s selection, while Ireland‘s turned green following the choice of Bambie Thug. Croatia‘s entry – most possibly – by Baby Lasagna and the artist’s popularity have brought Croatia into the top ten for the first time this season.

Can Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil make history in Malmo and give Ukraine its fourth victory in twenty years of Eurovision participation? Share your thoughts in the comments! Eurovisionfun will continue to provide updates and analyses as the Eurovision journey unfolds. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the world of Eurovision 2024!

 

Eurovision 2024: Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman will present Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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A Hollywood star and Eurovision veteran hosts the world’s biggest entertainment show in May. Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede accompany each other and the audience during the Eurovision Song Contest‘s three television broadcasts, direct from Malmö on May 7, 9 and 11.

Ebba Adielsson, Executive Producer for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, says:

“Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede in combination are nothing but an absolute dream duo. Malin, a wonderful personality and one of our most talented actors in Hollywood. Petra, an icon in the Eurovision context who has also been voted the best Eurovision host ever. I am incredibly proud and happy that these fantastic women will lead us through the Eurovision week in Malmö in May.”

It is the first time that Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman are working together and they are both looking forward to the collaboration.

Petra says:

“Imagine being able to lead Eurovision once again! It’s such an incredible honor. After first leading it alone and then with lovely Måns Zelmerlöw by my side, I am now so looking forward to working with Malin. We don’t know each other from before, but have seen each other a few times and I’m already completely sold. It will be a joy to work with her.”

Malin Åkerman has solid stage and film experience, but the Eurovision Song Contest is a completely new arena for her:

” can’t really describe my feeling about this. I’m so excited and a little nervous, but only in a positive way. I have always liked Eurovision and to be part of this amazing program, and that with Petra, is nothing but a dream. Besides, Petra is one of the funniest women I know.”

Who is Malin Åkerman

Malin Åkerman was born in Stockholm, but grew up in Canada. Nowadays she lives in Los Angeles with her family, but with a father living in Falsterbo, Malmö is still a familiar place . She has a great social commitment and was thinking of becoming a child psychologist. Malin Åkerman’s career as a photo model started as a five-year-old, and she pursued a modeling career as an adult but then switched to the acting profession. Her filmography includes the TV series The Comeback and Entourage and films such as The Heartbreak Kid and Watchmen. She has played opposite actors such as Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock and The Rock. On Swedish screens, we have been able to see Malin Åkerman in the musical film En del av mitt hjärta, where she also got to show her singing talent, and now most recently in the audience hit Ett sista race.

Who is Petra Mede

Petra Mede’s public career took off after participating in an amateur stand-up comedy competition in the spring of 2005. Nowadays, she is one of our most popular presenters and comedians. Petra Mede has hosted the Melodifestivalen, the QX-gala and the Guldbaggegala, participated in numerous television programs and had her own – Petra Mede show, on TV3. She has made the Swedish people laugh in comedy programs such as Morning Sofa, Parlament, Help!, Cirkus Möller and Högklackat. In 2013, Petra Mede led the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, a task for which she was praised internationally. In 2016, she gained renewed confidence and then with Måns Zelmerlöw – together they presented, among other things, the equally humorous as well as bombastic interlude “Love, Love, Peace, Peace”. “They are the best damn Eurovision presenters ever”, wrote the American site Buzzfeed and the duo have also been voted best Eurovision presenters of all time.

Source: SVT Pressrummet
Photo: Photo: Janne Danielsson/SVT

Do you like the host of Eurovision Song Contest 2024? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Sweden: Smash Into Pieces and Lisa Ajax are the two direct finalists of the First Heat of Melodifestivalen 2024!

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Ninety minutes ago, the show for the First Heat of Melodifestivalen 2024, started off on SVT and SVT Play. And we are here to share the results of the night with you!

The two numbers that qualify directly to the finals are Smash Into Piecesand Lisa Ajax which we will get to see perform their songs live, on the 9th of March, when the finals will take place at Friends Arena.

But how things developed during the night?

The show

The first week of competition arrived really fast. Today, Saturday, February 3, Melodifestivalen 2024 started from this year’s Eurovision city Malmö.

Carina Berg is the host of all the shows of the tour this year! After tonights show, Göteborg follows and finally the final show in Stockholm on the 9th of March.

The show started with an intro, Carina was chilling at home, then it all became like a musical with Carina singing and changing costumes throughout the number.

The experts make an first

New in Melodifestivalen this year is the participation of a couple of really knowledgeable music and Mello-experts – radio and TV profile Tina Mehrafzoon and Mello-oracle Ronny Larsson. During both the races and the final, they analyze the evening’s line-up and give their opinion on how they are doing.

The numbers

  • “Supernatural” – Adam Woods

First up on stage Adam Woods. It’s an EDM pop, reminds me of Avicii, Alesso, Swedish House Mafia, in general Swedish dance bangers. Amazing vocals, great production, but everything is there for a reason. It is an immersive experience, Adam plays with the LED throughout his performance, on the floor and in the back LED screen. There are flowing projections on there that make you feel like you’re drowning in love, in combination to the song.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Hela världen väntar” – Samir & Viktor

Typical Samir & Viktor song in Swedish, of course an “oj oj oj” part would be there. This song got the crowds involved a lot. Vocally they seemed a bit off, the chorus part was okay since there were mainly the backing vocals. The staging also reminds me of concepts of Fokas Evangelinos. Large prop with stairs and projections of cities and natures at the back. In the first two rehearsals the colours were a bit more cold, now they kind of changed the tint of the background LED  screens to more earthy colours and a more vivid turquoise. By the end, glitter got thrown in the arena and the crowd started cheering manically. Pyro and fireworks also made their appearance.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Min melodi” – Melina Borglowe

It’s a guitar-based pop song with obvious indie elements. I can hear Thomas G:Son contribution to the song. Melina‘s voice is so sweet, but she sounded much more confident in her two first rehearsals, at some point she kind of lost it. It is this kind of Melfest entries, with a girl, a guitar, dark background and lights all around, very emotional and cute. A pleasant song overall. The audience clapped as they should but they didn’t go manic over this performance.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Schlager party is the theme, if you know what I mean. Lots of pink, glitter, light, glow. Elisa shines, so you’d better wear sunglasses during this performance. Elisa does what Sweden knows to do best. High notes and an ear-candy key change! The staging reminds me kind of the one that Andromachihad with Cyprus back in 2022. But make it Swedish and put it 20 levels higher than what you saw. Four silver dancers, two girls and two boys. The audience went crazy, also fireworks made an entrance! Great great great!

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Awful Liar” – Lisa Ajax

A love power-ballad for Lisa this year. Reminds me of a Natalie Imbruglia ballad. Guitar and strings on the plate for a hapily sad song. Beautiful song. Moon behind her, a girl and a boy doing a contemporary dance routine around her. Her vocals are on point and she makes us all get relatable and get all the feels. We’ve all been there, where we have been betrayed, lied to, cheated on. You feel all of this by listening to this song.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Heroes Are Calling” – Smash Into Pieces

Their distinctive sound is there, the song in my opinion is stronger than their entry last year, expectedly with an amazing production to the last touch. Their staging now I think is a bit less than last year, I probably had more expectations since they did that great in 2023. The Apocalypse DJ is behind the led screens and can be seen in parts of their performance. A very cinematic presentation and as the guys said in their interview, the whole idea was that we are following Apoc in his own mission. Red laser beams and strobe lights add to the staging. Chris’ voice always sounds like the studio version, if not better. At the end it’s all about fireworks! Is this song a contender for the win? I think it is. Smash into Pieces make a great impact to the audience. But it is too early to say.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

After the six performances, Carina‘s husband footballer Erik Berg brings this year’s trophy, the Sångfågel, which has pink tiles on it

Photo: Stina Stjernkvist / SVT

These were the six numbers of this week, a recap follows to show the voting numbers for the contestants of the heat.

The Intervals

Photo: Stina Stjernkvist / SVT

Already in this round, the first of five, there is an interval with a capital I when the successful group A-Teens reunites to celebrate their 25th anniversary. For the first time in eighteen years, Marie Serneholt, Sara Lumholdt, Dhani Lennevald and Amit Paul will perform together, and will offer a sparkling medley with both their own and some of ABBA‘s songs. First song is ABBA‘s “Mamma Mia“. “Upside Down“ followed, which was released as first single from their second album, then “Floorfiller” backed by six dancers, lots of lights and laser beams. This is very impressive. Again on ABBA mode, with the song “Gimme, gimme, gimme (A Man After Midnight)“!

The Direct Qualifiers

First voting round winner: Smash Into Pieces
Second voting round winner: Lisa Ajax

 

Semi-Finalists

Second voting round 2nd place: Elisa Lindström
Second voting round 3rd place: Adam Woods

Second voting round results

Age-band 3-9 years old winner: Adam Woods

Age-band 10-15 years old winner: Lisa Ajax

Age-band 16-29 years old winner: Lisa Ajax

Age-band 30-44 years old winner: Lisa Ajax

Age-band 45-59 years old winner: Lisa Ajax

Age-band 60-74 years old winner: Elisa Lindström

Age-band 75+ years old winner: Elisa Lindström

Televoting winner: Elisa Lindström

See you next Saturday, at the next heat, when you will have the chance to be informed in detail about the show and the next two finalists, as soon as they are announced on TV!

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding Melodifestivalen 2024 and the Swedish entry for Eurovision 2024!

Source: SVT
Photos: Andreas Papayiannakis / EurovisionFun, Stina Stjernkvist / SVT

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Sweden: The betting odds, just a few moments before the Melodifestivalen 2024 First Heat results!

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Melodifestivalen 2024 First Heat show will begin in a few moments, with the new competition format in place and will be aired on SVT and SVT Play.

Six contestants will have to compete against each other tonight, in order to secure one of the direct finalist places, or if not directly qualifying to the finals to remain in the competition, as their last chance in the hopes of competing at the finals.

Tonight’s contestants

  • “Supernatural” – Adam Woods
  • “Hela världen väntar” – Samir & Viktor
  • “Min melodi” – Melina Borglowe
  • “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström
  • “Awful Liar” – Lisa Ajax
  • “Heroes Are Calling” – Smash Into Pieces

The odds

The betting odds depend on many factors and as these factors are subject to changes anytime, the odds can still fluctuate, even last minute. Currently there seem to be two clear direct finalists and these are Smash Into Pieces and Adam Woods.

As for the two semi-final qualifiers, currently, in the third and fourth place of the betting odds we have Lisa Ajax and Samir & Viktor respectively.

Let’s see what is going to happen, we will get the chance to watch the actual heat live, on SVT and SVT Play and of course at EurovisionFun you will get the chance to be informed about the results as soon as they are announced on TV!

Which two of today’s competing artists do you think will be the direct finalists, that will be competing on the 9th of March, hoping to represent Sweden in Malmö, this year?

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding Melodifestivalen 2024 and the Swedish entry for Eurovision 2024!

Source: Eurovision World

 

 

Sweden: Melodifestivalen producer Karin Gunnarsson aims for another Eurovision victory!

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It has been almost 9 months since last year’s Eurovision victory of Sweden with Loreen getting a double with the song “Tattoo“.

Melodifestivalen producer Karin Gunnarsson spoke to The Euro Trip podcast and expressed her goal to win again, back-to-back, aiming to help Sweden make history this year. Gunnarsson said:

“The ambition is to do it again, nothing less. It has meant so much for the Swedish music industry, songwriters and the people of Sweden that we did win, so the vibe has been very positive.  I thought it would be a hangover and artists would not want to compete, songwriters thinking we wouldn’t win again, and it would be a tougher season, but not at all. It has ignited Sweden to move forward. I’m still looking for our next winner.”

Karin was the one that helped things happen last year. She was the one that received a demo by the group of writers Peter Boström, Cazzi Opeia, Thomas G:son, Jimmy Jansson and Jimmy Joker. They sent a demo to Gunnarsson and the Melodifestivalen team and the rest is history:

“I heard the song and all I could think about was, ‘This is such a Loreen song’. The songwriters and I had a conversation going, and I know Loreen, but not that well. It was someone else who played it to her. If the song existed, then I had a feeling that she would not be able to say no. She’s such a creator, artist and incredible person. For me it was hand in glove, and I hoped she would feel the same. When she heard it she just felt that it was her song.” 

Sweden was the bookies favourite to win last year, but Finland and Käärijä were closely following Loreen, so it was a hard game for two. Karin “bet” on Loreen‘s win, by getting a tattoo a few days before she headed off to Liverpool:

“I have a tattoo. I did this two weeks before Liverpool. I thought to myself, ‘This is going to happen’, but I didn’t want to jinx it. I did it and I didn’t tell anyone. All the time in Liverpool I always wore long sleeves. At breakfast on Sunday I had short sleeves on and I went over to Thomas G:son and I showed him. I had told him if we win, I’d get the crystal ball tattoo.” 

The schedule for the six shows of the Melodifestivalen 2024 tour

  • Heat 1: Saturday 3 February 2024, Malmö Arena, Malmö
  • Heat 2: Saturday 10 February 2024, Scandinavium, Göteborg
  • Heat 3: Saturday 17 February 2024, Vida Arena, Växjö
  • Heat 4: Saturday 24 February 2024, Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna
  • Heat 5: Saturday 2 March 2024, Löfbergs Arena, Karlstad
  • Final: Saturday 9 March 2024, Friends Arena, Stockholm – Solna

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun and don’t miss out on anything regarding this year’s Melodifestivalen!

Follow us in all our social media, so that you’ll not miss anything regarding the your favourite national selection process:

Source: The Euro Trip Podcast, The Euro Trip Podcast
Photo:Stina Stjernkvist / SVT

 

 

Sweden: Heat 1 of Melodifestivalen 2024 tonight!

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The curtain opens tonight for Melodifestivalen 2024, with the first heat of this year’s Swedish national selection. Five heats and the grand final will keep us company from today until March 9, when we will officially find out the representative of Sweden in Eurovision 2024.

In tonight’s first semifinal, six entries claim the two tickets to the final, while two more entries will have the chance to compete in the final qualification round on March 2nd, after the fifth heat.

Participants

Six artists compete tonight in the first heat of Melodifestivalen 2024. These artists are:

  1. Adam Woods – “Supernatural“
  2. Samir & Viktor – “Hela världen väntar“
  3. Melina Borglowe – “Min melodi“
  4. Elisa Lindström – “Forever Yours“
  5. Lisa Ajax – “Awful Liar“
  6. Smash Into Pieces – “Heroes Are Calling“

Format

Two songs will directly qualify to the grand final of Melodifestivalen 2024, which will take place on the 9th of March. The songs that will place third and fourth will have a second chance to claim a ticket for the Grand Final, at the final qualification round, held on the 2nd of March, right away after the fifth heat. There will be five heats in total.

During the five heats, the final results will be determined solely by the votes of the Swedish viewers. This will, of course, change in the grand final on 9 March, when the Swedish representative will be decided 50% by the vote of Swedish viewers and 50% by the vote of an international jury, along the lines of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The dates of Melodifestivalen 2024

  • Heat 1: Saturday 3 February 2024, Malmö Arena, Malmö
  • Heat 2: Saturday 10 February 2024, Scandinavium, Göteborg
  • Heat 3: Saturday 17 February 2024, Vida Arena, Växjö
  • Heat 4: Saturday 24 February 2024, Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna
  • Heat 5: Saturday 2 March 2024, Löfbergs Arena, Karlstad
  • Final: Saturday 9 March 2024, Friends Arena, Stockholm – Solna

The host of all six shows of this year’s Melodifestivalen will be Carina Berg.

The first heat of Melodifestivalen 2024 will start at 20:00 CET and will last one and a half hour. You can watch it through the SVT website by clicking HERE.

Τhe winner of Melodifestivalen 2023 and hence the Swedish representative at Eurovision 2023 was Loreen with her song “Tattoo“. Loreen went to become the first female artist in history to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice.

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding Melodifestivalen 2024 and the Swedish entry for Eurovision 2024!

Lisa Ajax: “I want the audience to feel, if they’re in that situation right now, that they’re not alone and that it gets better!” | Exclusive Interview

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Andreas Papayiannakis and EurovisionFun is accredited by SVT to follow the Melodifestivalen tour for a third year in-a-row. In Malmö we got the chance to meet a few people involved in this year’s Melodifestivalen.

Among those was five-time contestant Lisa Ajax at the press conference of the second noon rehearsal earlier today, in Malmö Arena on an short interview.

Lisa is a veteran at Melodifestivalen, it’s her fifth time. She told us more about how it feels to be back.

“It feels very good. It’s always so fun to be here and for every year that I’m here it gets more… I don’t know, I know what’s gonna happen and I feel more ready when I get here.”

Everyone can relate to Lisa’s song, everyone has been there, has been lied to, betrayed, cheated on. What does she say about the song?

“I really feel the lyrics and I’ve been there but I’m not there now, thank God. My life is pretty much perfect, I would say. I love that about music, that you can always go back into a feeling and you can look back at it and feel like, oh my God, I’m so thankful that I’m not there right now. And then I want the audience to feel, if it’s someone that’s in that situation right now, that they’re not alone and that it gets better. Because I’ve been there, so I can really relate to the lyrics.”

How did this collaboration start with Sebastian Atas, Victor Crone, David Lindgren Zacharias and Victor Sjöström and Lisa ended up performing the song at this year’s contest?

“I think it was two years ago, a long time ago, and then I was in the studio with David Lindgren-Zacharias, that has written the song and then there were more people involved as well, but I was in the studio with him and I tried a different song and then he just said that I have another song that I want you to hear. And then he played “Awful Liar”. and I loved it from the very first time I heard it. And I knew that I was like, okay, I need to have this song. And then, two years later, we are here. So it was a little process to get the song and to get everything to work.”

Lisa confessed that they would submit it last year, but they were a bit late. We don’t know what would happen, should Lisa have submitted the song in 2023. What does Lisa expect with this year’s participation? He clarifies:

“I really hope that I get to go to the finals, of course, but you never know. I don’t know what the audience will think. And I can just affect what I do and I will just do my best on the stage and deliver emotions and that the audience really feel what I’m singing. And that’s all I can do. But I really hope that it gets me to the finals, of course.”

Finally she sends a message to her Swedish and international fans that have been following her, but also the new ones that will know her this year for the first time:

“I really hope that you are watching and that you love the song just as much as I do. And yes, see you on Saturday.”

You can watch our exclusive interview with Lisa Ajax at the video down below:

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun and don’t miss out on anything regarding this year’s Melodifestivalen!

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Sweden: The general rehearsal of the First Heat of Melodifestivalen 2024! (Live)

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The general rehearsal of the 1st Heat of Melodifestivalen 2024 has just started. We are happy to be watching it live, at Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden. We will be covering this rehearsal, describing in detail what is happening during the show, for you to follow the entire process.

This article is being updated in real-time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser and all the rest is on us!

We will keep you up to date with all the latest information and images off this semi-final rehearsal, allowing you to get a glimpse of what you will get to see tomorrow February 3, at 20:00 CET, when you watch the actual show of the heat, on SVT and SVT Play.

The show

The first week of competition arrived really fast. On Saturday, February 3, Melodifestivalen 2024 starts and it starts from this year’s Eurovision city Malmö.

Carina Berg is the host of all the shows of the tour this year! With the next show of the contest on Saturday February the 3rd, Melodifestivalen will take place in Malmö, then Göteborg follows and finally the final show in Stockholm on the 9th of March.

Carina is now at the arena and everything is ready to begin! It’s time to face the music!

The show starts with an intro, Carina is chilling at home, then it all becomes like a musical with Carina singing and changing costumes throughout the number.

After the intro, Carina presents this show’s contestants!

The experts make an first

New in Melodifestivalen this year is the participation of a couple of really knowledgeable music and Mello-experts – radio and TV profile Tina Mehrafzoon and Mello-oracle Ronny Larsson. During both the races and the final, they analyze the evening’s line-up and give their opinion on how they are doing.

The numbers

  • “Supernatural” – Adam Woods

First up on stage Adam Woods. It’s an EDM pop, reminds me of Avicii, Alesso, Swedish House Mafia, in general Swedish dance bangers. Amazing vocals, great production, but everything is there for a reason. It is an immersive experience, Adam plays with the LED throughout his performance, on the floor and in the back LED screen. There are flowing projections on there that make you feel like you’re drowning in love, in combination to the song. Would love to see him as a DTF!

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Hela världen väntar” – Samir & Viktor

Typical Samir & Viktor song in Swedish, of course an “oj oj oj” part would be there. This song got the crowds involved a lot. Vocally they seemed a bit off, the chorus part was okay since there were mainly the backing vocals. The staging also reminds me of concepts of Fokas Evangelinos. Large prop with stairs and projections of cities and natures at the back. In the first two rehearsals the colours were a bit more cold, now they kind of changed the tint of the background LED  screens to more earthy colours and a more vivid turquoise. By the end, glitter got thrown in the arena and the crowd started cheering manically. Pyro and fireworks also made their appearance.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Min melodi” – Melina Borglowe

It’s a guitar-based pop song with obvious indie elements. I can hear Thomas G:Son contribution to the song. Melina‘s voice is so sweet, but she sounded much more confident in her two first rehearsals, at some point she kind of lost it. It is this kind of Melfest entries, with a girl, a guitar, dark background and lights all around, very emotional and cute. But would this be a worthy direct qualifier, to the finals though? Not sure, but a pleasant song overall. The audience clapped as they should but they didn’t go manic over this performance.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

We are halfway through this heat’s numbers. Coming up, we have a Schlager diva, an emotional ballad and an aggressive rock song. Let’s move on to numbers 4, 5 and 6.

  • “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Schlager party is the theme, if you know what I mean. Lots of pink, glitter, light, glow. Elisa shines, so you’d better wear sunglasses during this performance. Elisa does what Sweden knows to do best. High notes and an ear-candy key change! The staging reminds me kind of the one that Andromachi had with Cyprus back in 2022. But make it Swedish and put it 20 levels higher than what you saw. Four silver dancers, two girls and two boys. The audience went crazy, also fireworks made an entrance! Great great great! This one at least remains in the competition!

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Awful Liar” – Lisa Ajax

A love power-ballad for Lisa this year. Reminds me of a Natalie Imbruglia ballad. Guitar and strings on the plate for a hapily sad song. Beautiful song. Moon behind her, a girl and a boy doing a contemporary dance routine around her. Her vocals are on point and she makes us all get relatable and get all the feels. We’ve all been there, where we have been betrayed, lied to, cheated on. You feel all of this by listening to this song. Not sure if she will qualify directly to the finals or remain in the competition. Either of the two, I think she’s not getting disqualified.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

  • “Heroes Are Calling” – Smash Into Pieces

Their distinctive sound is there, the song in my opinion is stronger than their entry last year, expectedly with an amazing production to the last touch. Their staging now I think is a bit less than last year, I probably had more expectations since they did that great in 2023. The Apocalypse DJ is behind the led screens and can be seen in parts of their performance. A very cinematic presentation and as the guys said in their interview, the whole idea was that we are following Apoc in his own mission. Red laser beams and strobe lights add to the staging. Chris’ voice always sounds like the studio version, if not better. At the end it’s all about fireworks! Is this song a contender for the win? I think it is. Smash into Pieces make a great impact to the audience. But it is too early to say.

Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis

After the six performances, Carina‘s husband footballer Erik Berg brings this year’s trophy, the Sångfågel, which has pink tiles on it

Photo: Stina Stjernkvist / SVT

These were the six numbers of this week, a recap follows to show the voting numbers for the contestants of the heat.

The Intervals

Photo: Jimmy Wixtröm / Aftonbladet

Already in this round, the first of five, there is an interval with a capital I when the successful group A-Teens reunites to celebrate their 25th anniversary. For the first time in eighteen years, Marie Serneholt, Sara Lumholdt, Dhani Lennevald and Amit Paul will perform together, and will offer a sparkling medley with both their own and some of ABBA‘s songs. First song is ABBA‘s “Mamma Mia“. “Upside Down“ followed, which was released as first single from their second album, then “Floorfiller” backed by six dancers, lots of lights and laser beams. This is very impressive. Again on ABBA mode, with the song “Gimme, gimme, gimme (A Man After Midnight)“!

The virtual Direct Qualifiers

First voting round virtual winner: “Hela världen väntar” – Samir & Viktor

The first voting round winner move from the green room onto an intermediate small stage in the middle of the audience and sing their song. At the moment Samir & Viktor are performing and on the LED screen of the main stage the word “FINALIST” is displayed. By the end of their performance they just rush onto the main stage and wrap up with their performance.

Second voting round virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

The second voting round winner does exactly what the first voting round winner did. Green room, intermediate stage, main stage.

Those who virtually remain at the contest

Second voting round virtual 2nd place: “Supernatural” – Adam Woods
Second voting round virtual 3rd place: “Min melodi” – Melina Borglowe

Second voting round results

Age-band 3-9 years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Age-band 10-15 years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Age-band 16-29 years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Age-band 30-44 years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Age-band 45-59 years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Age-band 60-74 years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Age-band 75+ years old virtual winner: “Forever Yours” – Elisa Lindström

Televoting virtual winner: “Min melodi” – Melina Borglowe

A prediction

It is hard to decide, the victory of Loreen has stepped up the game and everyone has done a great job this year. After the general rehearsal, I would expect Adam Woods  and Smash into Pieces to be the DTF acts and Elisa Lindström along with Samir & Viktor or Lisa Ajax to remain in the competition.

The schedule for the six shows of the Melodifestivalen 2024 tour

  • Heat 1: Saturday 3 February 2024, Malmö Arena, Malmö
  • Heat 2: Saturday 10 February 2024, Scandinavium, Göteborg
  • Heat 3: Saturday 17 February 2024, Vida Arena, Växjö
  • Heat 4: Saturday 24 February 2024, Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna
  • Heat 5: Saturday 2 March 2024, Löfbergs Arena, Karlstad
  • Final: Saturday 9 March 2024, Friends Arena, Stockholm – Solna

Which two of today’s competing artists do you think will be the direct qualifiers to the finals, on the 9th of March?

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding Melodifestivalen 2024 and the Swedish entry for Eurovision 2024!

Source: SVT
Photos: Andreas Papayiannakis / EurovisionFun,

Stina Stjernkvist / SVT

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Elisa Lindström: “Maybe I can meet fans and sing the song along with them! I’m longing to meet you!” | Exclusive Interview

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Andreas Papayiannakis and EurovisionFun is accredited by SVT to follow the Melodifestivalen tour for a third year in-a-row. In Malmö we got the chance to meet a few people involved in this year’s Melodifestivalen. Among those was Elisa Lindström who had us over at Quality View Hotel, the appointed artist hotel in Malmö next to Malmö Arena on an extensive interview.

Εveryone who’s following Melodifestivalen knows who that wonderful lady is, Elisa Lindström. We got the chance to see her perform on stage, yesterday morning. Her song is like a Schlager-bomb, the Schlager-bomb we all need! But what was the thinking behind the song, when Elisa co-wrote this?

“So, Henrik Sethsson, Henric Axelsson, Thomas G:son and Erik Bernholm have written it. And I was just in the finishing of writing it. When I got the song to me, it was almost done. So, it was a super nice experience to listen to the song for the first time. And I was, okay, yeah, the demo, I need to try this. And I just thought, it’s something special here. And then I went up to Stockholm to Henrik and recorded it. Then we did some changes in the end and it felt like it was written to me.”

They did not write the song at a songwriting camp, they did it privately. As she says, the genre is totally Henrik Sethsson and Thomas G:son, it’s their soul. Henrik Sethsson and herself talked about it earlier that it all came from their heart.

“We love this kind of music. And it’s so nice to show it for people. And yeah, we want everybody to dance and sing.”

To my eyes, Elisa is literally doing what Sweden knows to do best. It’s the Schlager song, with that kind of pop diva on stage. So much glitter and glow. Elisa adds on that:

“Yeah, we wanted to create a number that was exactly as we feel for the song. That it’s the glitter and this uplifting feeling. And I think Jennie Widegren and Lotta Furebäck has really worked that out so well. We had a mood board that we sent to them. And some words that were important. We want a modern Schlager party. And we want glitter and feminine energy. And then they came back with an idea.”

The Eurovision fan base, on Twitter mainly, they’ve gone nuts with Elisa’s song. How did she react when I mentioned that?

“Oh, I’m so happy. You know, it’s crazy. I’ve just been in this little bubble. And I’ve lived with the song. And now it’s like, people they’re going to listen to it. And maybe I can meet the fans and sing this song along with them. And I get goosebumps because that’s what I live for. I’m longing to meet you. And when you’re a bit drunk, you can like… And just scream out. The message is just throw yourself out in love, to be brave and just sing it and dance and be free..”

Her last time at Melodifestivalen was in 2021, so this is her third time. How does she feel she has evolved as an artist? She explains:

“Oh, I think a lot because I’ve worked so much on stage and I’ve worked with so many talented people that has inspired me and helped me grow. And also, I’m 10 years older from when I first did Melodifestivalen here in Malmö and I have the opportunity now again. I also have a little daughter, so she has also taught me so much about myself. So I think I’m much more calm and secure about who I am and what I want to give to people. And I’m a bit touched when I talk about that because she has really shown me that what’s important and that I just want to bring joy through music.”

She wants people to focus on the fact that the song is up-tempo. That it has a lot of energy and it suits her energy very well and she can totally be herself and just throw herself out there.

“So I want them to feel the love and the joy and the power that I feel and that the song has and that power that music has also. Just that the people can feel the joy and the love is what is important in the world and that also maybe this can be a break from all the troubles that we live in. So this can be like a magical little bubble that we can rest in and just be happy and fill up with energy.”

She wants to touch the soul of the viewers to help give themselves that break to also just be happy.

“And I don’t know, it’s a competition and you know, there’s so many great songs. But for me, it’s the most important thing that I reach people and I feel that I’m doing it already. So that’s my goal. And also my goal is to come out there and sing live with you.”

She is also sending a message to all her Swedish and international fans out there:

“The song that I’m going to sing is about to be brave enough to stand in love. And yeah, I hope you will feel that and feel my love to you and to the music.”

You can watch our exclusive interview with Elisa Lindström at the video down below:

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun and don’t miss out on anything regarding this year’s Melodifestivalen!

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Sweden: Watch clips from the rehearsals of the Melodifestivalen 2024 first heat!

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As usual, a few hours before each Melodifestivalen heat, SVT published the rehearsal clips of all six competing artists of the first heat of February the 3rd, taking place in Malmö.

A while ago, the first 30 second rehearsal clips of the upcoming heat got published! You can watch the published clips, by clicking on the song title links below:

In the meantime, you can read through the lyrics of all six competing songs of this heat in our previous article.

Carina Berg is the host of all the shows of the tour this year! With the next show of the contest on Saturday February the 3rd, Melodifestivalen will take place in Malmö, then Göteborg follows and finally the final show in Stockholm on the 9th of March.

The schedule for the six shows of the Melodifestivalen 2024 tour

  • Heat 1: Saturday 3 February 2024, Malmö Arena, Malmö
  • Heat 2: Saturday 10 February 2024, Scandinavium, Göteborg
  • Heat 3: Saturday 17 February 2024, Vida Arena, Växjö
  • Heat 4: Saturday 24 February 2024, Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna
  • Heat 5: Saturday 2 March 2024, Löfbergs Arena, Karlstad
  • Final: Saturday 9 March 2024, Friends Arena, Stockholm – Solna

Which two of the above artists do you think will be the direct qualifiers to the finals?

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding Melodifestivalen 2024 and the Swedish entry for Eurovision 2024!