Sweden: Jessica Andersson ready for Melodifestivalen 2021. Klara Hammarström and Alvaro Estrella are in too.

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According to the always valid newspaper Aftonbladet, 3 more artists are ready to compete in the next Melodifestivalen.

The 3 new candidates

The first name is the 2003 winner Jessica Andersson, who is ready to take part for the eighth time in the Swedish process for Eurovision. Jessica Andersson made her Melodifestivalen debut in 2003 with the duet Fame and the song “Give Me Your Love”, and represented Sweden at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 5th place. Her last participation in the Swedish selection was in 2018 with the song “Party Voice”. The song with which she is expected to participate is in the same style as the last one, modern uptempo schlagerpop.

 

 

The second name revealed by the newspaper is Klara Hammarström, who took part in this year’s Melodifestivalen with the song “Nobody” but without success. During the summer she took part in various songwriting camps for the Swedish selection process. According to a source of the newspaper, the people in charge of Melodifestivalen have asked for songs about this particular artist.

 

 

The third name revealed by Aftonbladet is that of Alvaro Estrella from Chile. Alvaro’s first appearance at the Melodifestivalen was in 2014 with the song “Bedroom” without success. His last attempt was in this year’s competition with the song “Vamos Amigos” with which he reached the final through the second chance round.

The artists who have confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2021 until now are:

  1. Julia Alfrida  (από τον ραδιοφωνικό διαγωνισμό P4 nästa)
  2. Tusse Chiza
  3. Sannex 
  4. Sami Rekik och Wahl
  5. The Mamas
  6. Dotter
  7. Jessica Andersson
  8. Klara Hammarström
  9. Alvaro Estrella

 

The full list of participants for Melodifestivalen 2021 is expected to be revealed by the end of November.

At this point, let us remind you that up to 2747 songs have been submitted for the upcoming Melodifestivalen.

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun far all the developments as far as the participation of Sweden is concerned.

Sources: Aftonbladet ESCPanelen 

Sweden: Dotter and Mamas are added to the possible names for Melodifestivalen 2021!

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Aftonbladet gives us two more names that will likely participate in Melodifestivalen 2021. For Melodifestivalen 2020 Aftonbladed achieved to predict 23 of the 24 names that was mentioned in its articles. The next two artists we will see at Melodifestivalen 2021 are The Mamas and Dotter.

The Mamas

The Mamas, were to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2020 with the song “Move”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EpSBDPlZn4

Dotter

Dotter, one of the favorites in the final of the Melodifestivalen 2020, finally finished second after The Mamas.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2021:

  • Julia Alfrida (from the P4 nästa radio contest)
  • Tusse Chiza
  • Sannex
  • Sami Rekik and Wahl
  • The Mamas
  • Dotter

The full list of candidates for Melodifestivalen 2021 is expected to be announced at the end of November.

The program of Melodifestivalen 2021 is as follows:

  • The 1st semifinal on February 6
  • The 2nd semifinal on February 13
  • The 3rd semifinal on February 20
  • The 4th semifinal on February 27
  • The second chance round on March 6
  • The final on March 13

We remind you that the Melodifestivalen 2021 due to the pandemic will take place only in Stockholm, in a place that will be announced at a later time.

Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for all the developments regarding Sweden’s participation in Eurovision 2021!

Source: Aftonbladet

 

Sweden: The first names for Melodifestivalen 2021!

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Yesterday, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet gave us the names of the first participants in Melodifestivalen 2021. We use the word “participants” because during the last years the information from Aftonbladet regarding the participants is almost accurate. For Melodifestivalen 2020, for instance, the paper predicted 23 of the 24 participants. The first three names that we will see at Melodifestivalen 2021 are Tusse Chiza, Sannex and Sami Rekik & Wahl.

Tusse

Tusse Chiza is 18 years old from the DR Congo and the winner of last year’s Idol. Christer Björkman as a guest judge at the time had made very positive comments about his talent and performance, so his participation comes as no surprise. “I’m waiting for you at the Melodifestivalen whenever you want,” Christer Björkman told him. During the summer Tusse participated in various songwriting camps looking for the song with which he will participate in Melodifestivalen 2021. Apart from Tusse himslef, Christer Bjöorkman was also looking for a song for Tusse.

 

Sannex

The Grammy awarded band Sannex will also be among the nominees for Melodifestivalen 2021. The Sannex were awarded a Grammy in 2017 for the Best Dance Band of the Year, and have received several other awards along the way.

Sami Rekik & Wahl

Two solo artists are joining their forces for Melodifestivalen 2021. Sami Rekik is 42 years old from Tunisia and part of the group Medina and Wahl ( full name Christopher Vahlberg) is 34 years old from Sweden and part of the group Södrasidan. The song with which the plan to take part will be a pop one with a structure that express the personal music style of both artists.

The full list of participants is expected to be revealed by the end of November.

Stay tuned on Eurovision Fun for all the developments regarding the participation of Sweden in Eurovision 2021

Source: Aftonbladet 

Eurovision 2021: 41 countries to participate!!

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A few moments ago, the EBU revealed the list of the participating countries at the upcoming contest of Eurovision 2021, on 18th, 20th and 22nd of May in Rotterdam the Netherlands. Actually they are the same 41 nations that were about to take part in the 2020 contest that was canceled due to the COVID19 pandemic.

EBU and the Dutch host broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS have already revealed the 4 scenarios which their are focused on, and they abide by the restrictions and the facts of the pandemic and according to which the Eurovision 2021 will take place. The scenario, which will be chosen, will be announced in due time.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said:

“We are grateful for the commitment of the 41 participating broadcasters in helping us bring the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2021.”

“We have the exact same line up of countries that would have competed in 2020 and we are thrilled that they will all return next year. Together with our host broadcasters we are continuing to develop the 4 different scenarios and maintaining a dialogue with all participants. The team from NPO, NOS and AVROTROS are working hard on ensuring the Eurovision Song Contest will provide the excitement and innovation expected by over 180 million viewers, despite the challenging circumstances.”

 

Of the 41 nations taking part, 35 will compete in two Semi-Finals with 10 successful acts from each Semi-Final joining the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and hosts the Netherlands in the Grand Final.

Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, said:

“It is fantastic that the same 41 countries that would have taken part this year still want to come to the Netherlands in May 2021. This demonstrates their confidence in our country still being able to organize a successful Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam next year, after the cancellation of the 2020 edition.”

“We have set the bar high to create 3 amazing live shows for an audience of 180 million people, even in these challenging times. To achieve this, we are working on an extensive protocol that guarantees the health of employees, participants, the press and visitors as much as possible.”

 

Participating broadcasters
The following countries (and EBU Member broadcasters) will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam:

Albania (RTSH)

Armenia (AMPTV)

Australia (SBS)*

Austria (ORF)

Azerbaijan (Ictimai TV)

Belarus (BTRC)

Belgium (VRT)

Bulgaria (BNT)

Croatia (HRT)

Cyprus (CyBC)

Czech Republic (CT)

Denmark (DR)

Estonia (ERR)

Finland (YLE)

France (FT)

Germany (ARD/NDR)

Georgia (GPB)

Greece (ERT)

Iceland (RUV)

Ireland (RTE)

Israel (KAN)

Italy (RAI)

Latvia (LTV)

Lithuania (LRT)

Malta (PBS)

Moldova (TRM)

The Netherlands (AVROTROS)

North Macedonia (MKRTV)

Norway (NRK)

Poland (TVP)

Portugal (RTP)

Romania (TVR)

Russia (Channel One)

San Marino (RTV)

Serbia (RTS)

Slovenia (RTVSLO)

Spain (TVE)

Sweden (SVT)

Switzerland (SRG SSR)

Ukraine (UA:PBC)

United Kingdom (BBC)

*EBU Associate

 

It is worth to be mentioned this is the first time since 1990 that we have the same amount of participating countries in two consecutive years.

Source: Eurovision.tv

Sweden: Loreen with “DNA” at Melodifestivalen 2021?

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According to what Scandipop reports today, Loreen will participate in Melodifestivalen 2021 with the song “DNA”. The song will describe how a girl of Moroccan origin transformed into an artist from the western world.

The news about Loreen’s possible participation in Melodifestivalen 2021 was written months ago on Reddit, but today Scandipop actually confirms it. Loreen is also the first rumored participant in the Melodifestivalen 2021.

If the rumors are confirmed, this will be Loreen’s fourth appearance in the Melodifestivalen, which she won in 2012 with Euphoria, where she later also won the Eurovision Song Contest. Her last participation was in 2017 with Statements, which while garnering very positive reviews inside and outside Sweden, failed to qualify for that year’s Melodifestivalen final.

Would you like to see Loreen again at the Eurovision Song Contest?

Sweden: New format for Melodifestivalen from 2022?

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In an exclusive interview given by the executive producer of Melodifestivalen, Anette Helenius, to the daily newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, she refers to the decision of the Swedish public broadcaster to hold Melodifestivalen 2021 without an audience and with all its shows in Stockholm, but also with their intention to change the format of the contest, from 2022!

In Stockholm and without audience Melodifestivalen 2021

Anette Helenius reports that the decision not to hold the regular Melodifestivalen tour in various cities in the country was taken a few weeks ago, taking into account the epidemiological situation in Sweden and in cooperation with the competent authorities. All the necessary measures will be taken, while the artists and those who still participate in Melodifestivalen 2021, will undergo a rapid test upon entering the venue where the contest will take place.

Although it was initially put on the table to choose a city other than Stockholm, it was decided that it would be safer but also more functional to choose the capital, since most people live there and thus avoid extra travel.

The absence of the audience is clearly important, but it will enable SVT to make some choices, which with the presence of the public would be impossible. The presenters have not yet been selected, but may be different each week, wanting to give a separate identity to each of the six nights of the show.

New format from 2022

Melodifestivalen has been running steadily since 1959, when Sweden had to choose its second entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1958, in Sweden’s maiden appearance at Eurovision, the internal selection option was used. In 1967 the name Melodifestivalen was introduced.

Since 2000, Melodifestivalen has been the most popular television program of the year, with more than 4 million viewers annually. It has more viewership, even from the Eurovision Song Contest itself.

Until 1998, the winner was chosen solely by the juries. In 1999, televoting was used for the first time. In 2002 the Melodifestivalen, which until then was one night, introduces the system of four semifinals and the second chance, a format that is still used today.

Annete Helenius gave important news in her interview. In particular, she said that in parallel with the changes that will take place this year in Melodifestivalen due to COVID-19, the production team is working on some other changes, which will be permanent and will be implemented from 2022.

This practically means that for the first time since 2002 we will have significant changes in the format of Melodifestivalen. No further explanations or details were given, so we look forward to it.

We remind you of the detailed program of Melodifestivalen 2021:

  • The 1st semifinal on February 6
  • The 2nd semifinal on February 13
  • The 3rd semifinal on February 20
  • The 4th semifinal on February 27
  • The second chance round on March 6
  • The final on March 13

As usual at the end of November we will have the announcement of the 28 contestants!

Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for all Melodifestivalen 2021 news!

Source: Dagens Nyheter

Sweden: The dates of Melodifestivalen 2021

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After the announcement that Melodifestivalen will not go on tour in 2021 and will be held only in Stockholm given the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national broadcaster, SVT, revealed today the exact dates on which the shows of Melodifestivalen will take place and through which the new representative of Sweden will be determined.

The 1st Semi Final: 6th February

The 2nd Semi Final: 13th February

The 3rd Semi Final: 20th February

The 4th Semi Final: 27th February

The Second Chance show: 6th March

The Grand Final: 13th March

Source: Eurovoix

Sweden: All the shows of Melodifestivalen 2021 in Stockholm

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According to always valid Aftonbladet newspaper’s article, all the competitive shows of Melodifestivalen 2021, the show through which  Sweden selects its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, will be held at the capital city, Stockholm.

Traditionally the shows of Melodifestivalen are held in various cities all around the country with the final taking place in Stockholm. All the same, given the pandemic situation of COVID-19, there will be no Melodifestivalen tour in 2021. Initially this scenario was the back up plan of SVT but it will be implemented eventually, since neither the municipalities are eager to spend millions for shows that might not take place, nor the SVT wants to jeopardise its reputation by imperiling the public health.

Moreover, there are no decisions yet regarding the place of the show, whether it will be held in a studio or in a stadium. Questions arise as far as the tickets issuance is concerned.  Aftonbladet contacted the porject manager of the show Anette Helenius, who commented:

“We have nothing to comment at the moment. We will let you know as soon as we have something to announce”

Last but not least, according to the reputable newspaper, the presenter of the event will be the beloved of Swedish television David Sundin, who will not be alone on stage. Who will accompany him, we will get to know in due course.

Source: Aftonbladet

Sweden: First 14 songs of Melodifestivalen 2021 have been chosen!

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With a photo from the audition process, Swedish Public Television (SVT) informs us that 14 of the 28 songs of Melodifestivalen 2021 have already been selected.

In the four semifinals of the Melodifestivalen 28 songs compete every year. Of these, 14 come from the open application process, 13 are by direct invitation of SVT to established artists and 1 position belongs to the artist selected by the radio competition, “P4 Nästa 2020”.

SVT revealed to us that the 14 songs from the open invitation have been selected, after the committee auditions have been completed. It took a week for the committee to listen to the 2,747 songs submitted for Melodifestivalen 2021!

It is more than six months left before we have a winner in Melodifestivalen 21, but the work is already underway. For one week, our jury has listened through all the entries submitted. The work is now complete and the first 14 contributions have been selected.

SVT for Melodifestivalen 2021

Now the production team of Melodifestivalen will get in touch with popular names of the Swedish music scene to propose one of the 13 wildcards of this year’s competition. We remind you that Julia Alfrida has already secured a place in the semifinals of Melodifestivalen 2021, through “P4 Nästa 2020”.

Stay with us because the nomenclature for Melodifestivalen 2021 is just beginning!

 

Sweden: Julia Alfrida is the first artist for Melodifestivalen 2021!

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We now know the first candidate of Melodifestivalen 2021. This is Julia Alfrida, who was selected by the jury of “P4 Nästa 2020” which ended a while ago, to compete in the semifinals of Melodifestivalen next year.

Every year, Swedish Public Broadcaster selects one of the finalists of the P4 Nästa radio competition, which involves young artists and creators. The one selected for the Melodifestivalen is not necessarily the winner of the competition. This happened again this year, after the “P4 Nästa 2020” was won by Hilde & Erik.

Julia Alfrida will compete in Melodifestivalen 2021 with a different song than she did in P4 Nästa 2020. So far no candidate from P4 Nästa has qualified for the Melodifestivalen final, not even in the second round.

Below you can listen to the winning song of P4 Nästa 2020: