Sweden: Last minute change in the way the results are announced at the Melodifestivalen 2020 final

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A last minute change has been announced recently by Swedish public television SVT on how to announce the results at the Melodifestivalen 2020 final!

The eight-member international jury will announce their ratings as they did last year. The differentiation will be made in the announcement of the public rating. What was true was that the results of the televoting were announced from the song that received the fewest votes, until it received the most.

This year this is changing and harmonizing with the system applied to Eurovision 2020. Anyone who is last behind the ratings of the international jury will announce the rating he received from the television audience. Then they will move on to the next coke. The ratings he received from the audience, the song that topped the jury’s ratings, will be announced recently.

“We believe that this change adds to the excitement of the program and that the outcome is more unpredictable in this way”.

(Karin Gunnarsson, producer of Melodifestivalen 2020)

The member of the international jury

The countries that will vote as international committees at Melodifestivalen are:

-Australia
-Armenia
-France
-Iceland
-Israel
-Malta
-Netherlands
-Austria

At this point let’s say that in 7 previous Melodifestivalen there was a committee from Cyprus, and in 2 there was a committee from Greece.

In the age group the teleconference at Melodifestivalen

With last year’s voting by age group, things get more complicated. Initially it would not be possible to vote via sms, as the producers of Melodifestivalen emphasized that sms votes were minimal. The only way to vote will be by phone or special application.

In-app voting will require you to state your age. Viewers will be divided into seven categories as follows:

Green: 3 to 9 years old
Turquoise: 10 to 15 years
Blue: 16 to 29 years old
Purple: 30 to 44 years old
Pink: 45 to 59 years old
Red: 60 to 74 years old
Orange: 75 and above

The eighth category will be voting by telephone, where age cannot be ascertained. The heart at the bottom of the screen will simply change colors based on which age group votes the most. It can have three different colors at the same time, making it difficult to see which ages exactly each song most votes for. Each user of the app will be able to give up to five hearts (votes) per song.

Source: SVT

Sweden: It wWill not be attending the Head of delegations meeting due to Covid-19

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Dagens Nyheters reports that Sweden is canceling plans to attend the annual Heads of Delegations in Rotterdam next week. As Swedish public television explains, they took this decision as a precautionary measure.

They will attend the meeting of leaders online

Melodifestivalen producer Anette Helenius says SVT has opted to cancel its participation as a precautionary measure. They believe that meeting participation can be done with digital tools.

“It’s an ordinary meeting for us. We have attended this meeting annually and know what is expected of us and then believe we can deliver what we need digitally. It is a simple precaution not to be present”.

Anette Helenius

When asked about everything they are doing around the internet about a possible cancellation or timing of Eurovision 2020,Anette replies that it is too early to say if Sweden should cancel its participation in Rotterdam.

“It is up to the organizers to evaluate if there is a reason to cancel the event. So we wait for their recommendations. I see no reason to be skeptical of their judgment”.

Anette Helenius

The annual meeting of the Heads of Delegations will take place on Monday, March 9 in Rotterdam.

Source: ESCxtra

Sweden: The first bets on Melodifestivalen | Felix Sandman the big favorite

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It may have been just three days since the announcement of the candidates at Melodifestivalen 2020, but already the first bets for the winner have made their appearance, though we’ll have two more months to hear the first semifinal songs!

The favorite for the win is Felix Sandman, whose media articles want to sing a song to Soldi’s standards. In second place is Hanna Ferm, who is also the great hope of those who want Sweden to be represented at Eurovision with a woman after five full years. The trinity is complemented by this year’s Estonian representative in the competition, Victor Crone. His song, “Storm”, had a big airplay on Swedish radios in the past.

Following are: Robin Bengtsson who represented Sweden at Eurovision 2017, always dangerous Mariette with a song by Thomas G: Son, Mohombi who tried this year and Anna Bergendahl who represented Sweden at Eurovision 2010.

The Melodifestivalen final will take place on March 7 at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, where Sweden’s representative at Eurovision 2020 will come up. Until then we can remember once again the winner of Melodifestivalen 2019 and Sweden’s representative at Eurovision 2019, John Lundvik. With “Too Late For Love” he took fifth place in Tel Aviv.

 

Sweden: These are the candidates for Melodifestivalen 2020

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This afternoon, Swedish public broadcaster, SVT, unveiled the remaining 27 Melodifestivalen 2020 contestants! We’ve known that Amanda Aas is one of them, since she was selected by the P4 nästa radio competition.

More than 2,500 songs were submitted for the 14 venues from SVT’s open invitation, with the remaining 13 being artists invited directly from Swedish public television.

Sweden’s biggest music festival  will be hosted by David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund, who will also be presenting all six nights of the show.

Melodifestivalen begins its musical journey on February 1 in Linkoping with its first semifinal and concludes in Stockholm on March 7 with the Grand Final.

2020 is the penultimate year that finds Christer Bjorkman at the wheel of Melodifestivalen. He would very much like to win Sweden’s seventh victory and equalize Queen Ireland over his days.

The lineup as you will see below includes a number of comebacks as well as fresh suggestions that the modern Swedish music scene has to offer through Melodifestivalen. 12 of the 28 songs are in Swedish lyrics!

Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February

Malou Prytz – Ballerina
Felix Sandman – Boys with Emotions
OVÖ – Inga problem
The Mamas – Move
Suzi P – Moves
Sonja Aldén – Sluta aldrig gå
Robin Bengtsson – Take a Chance

Return here for Robin Bengtsson who represented Sweden at Eurovision 2017, but also for The Mamas who were in Tel Aviv this year. Felix Sandman in an effort, like Sonja Aldén.

Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February

Linda Bengtzing – Alla mina sorger
Dotter – Bulletproof
Anna Bergendahl – Kingdom Come
Thorsten Flinck – Miraklernas tid
Klara Hammarström – Nobody
Paul Rey – Talking in my Sleep
Mendez – Vamos amigos

Seventh entry for Linda Bengtzing, but also a return for Méndez who in 2018 had conquered the charts. Anna Bergendahl will try her luck again this year, hoping to win again ten years later.

Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15

Faith Kekembo – Crying Rivers
Amanda Aasa – Late
Albin Johnsén – Livet börjar nu
Drängerna – Piga och dräng
Mariette – Shout It Out
Anis Don Demina – Vem är som oss
Mohombi – Winners

Lots of returns in this semifinal too. Mariette and Mohombi seem to be the strongest names here, though theoretically this semifinal in terms of names looks more lucrative than the others.

Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22

Hanna Ferm – Brave
Nanne Grönvall – Carpool Karaoke
William Strid – Molnljus
Jakob Karlberg – Om du tror att jag saknar dig
Ellen Benediktson & Simon Peyron – Surface
Victor Crone – Troubled Waters
Frida Öhrn – We Are One

Nanne represented Sweden in 1996 with “One More Time”, and has since been considered one of the most important representatives of schlager music. Victor Crone has represented Estonia at this year’s competition and hopes to be on the scene for the second consecutive year with his home country this time.

Aftonblatet in its previous articles, which we informed you, guessed successfully 23 of the 24 names it had given as confirmed artists. It basically just lost Renaida!

The Second Chance procession will take place on February 29, 2020, in Eskilston, with the Grand Final taking place once again at the Friends Arena in Stockholm on March 7, 2020.

So we’re looking forward to the rehearsals to get a little taste of Melodifestivalen 2020’s songs. Until then we can once again remember the Melodifestivalen 2019 winner and Sweden’s representative in Tel Aviv, John Lundvik, who took fifth place in Tel Aviv with “Too Late For Love”.

Sweden: Mohombi returns to Melodifestivalen 2020

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Aftonbladet continues to reveal the participants in the Melodifestivalen 2020. Shortly before,it added to the 18 names it has so far made public, three more, raising the number to 21 confirmed contestants.

Mohombi is back

The 33-year-old singer returns to Melodifestivalen this year after a successful run last year. “Hello” may not have been able to travel to Tel Aviv, having won 5th place in the 2019 Melodifestivalen final but was loved by many and also won the Swedish charts. His worldwide fame, having collaborated with many big names, Pitbull, Nicole Scherzinger, Nelly and Akon, make him one of the favorites for Rotterdam.

From Swedish Idol to Melodifestivalen

William Strid participated in Swedish Idol last year where he managed to reach fifth place. He is especially loved at a young age and is sure to easily win their votes.

“Fresh”  blood in the Melodifestivalen

Klara Hammarström is just nineteen. She is new to the music industry, having released two singles that have earned the public’s attention.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2020

Twenty contestants have so far secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals:

-Amanda Aasa (from the P4 radio competition)
-Victor Crone
-Hanna Ferm
-Jakob Karlberg
-The Mamas
-Albin Johnsén
-Suzi P.
-Linda Bengtzing
-Frida Öhrn
-Paul Rey
-Drängarna
-Robin Bengtsson
-Anna Bergendahl
-Anis don Demina
-Thorsten Flinck
-Renaida
-Ellen Benediktson & Simon Peyron
-OVÖ (Finess & Ivory)
-Mohombi
-William Strid
-Klara Hammarström

Two names have been targeted by SVT, but have not yet confirmed their participation:

-Carola
-Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from the open invitation from SVT creators, 13 are selected through a direct invitation of SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

In detail the program of Melodifestivalen 2020 is as follows:

Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February
Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February
Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15
Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22
Eskilestone – Second Opportunity – February 29
Stockholm – Final – 7 March

David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund will all be presenting the six nights of the show. Aftonbladet correctly predicted 26 of the 28 Melodifestivalen 2019 names.

Source: Aftonbladet

 

Sweden: Three more names for Melodifestivalen 2020

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Aftonbladet continues to reveal the participants in Melodifestivalen 2020. Shortly before, it added three more artists to 15 added so far , raising the number to 18 confirmed contestants.

Renaida returns and celebrates

Renaida has every reason to celebrate after she had a serious health issue last year. She was diagnosed with cancer, but eventually managed to overcome it without even having to undergo chemotherapy. The 22-year-old singer also participated in Melodifestivalen 2018 with “All The Feels”. Through the second chance round she reached the final, finishing ninth there! The song she will be attending is expected to be in the style of her previous engagement.

Ellen Benediktson is back too but in duet

Another return was revealed by Aftonbladet, that of Ellen Benediktson. The 24-year-old singer also participated in Melodifestivalen 2014, in the same semifinal with Elena Paparizou. She had then qualified with “Songbird” in the final and finished ninth there. She participated in the following year, but this time without going to the next round. In Melodifestivalen 2020 is expected to duet with Simon Peyron.

 

Featuring rap at Melodifestivalen 2020

Given the ever-increasing dynamics of rap music, Melodifestivalen producers eagerly wanted its representatives in its next release. The band OVÖ which became known in 2018 performing a song dedicated to Zara Larsson has already secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2020

Thirteen contestants have so far secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals:

-Amanda Aasa (from the P4 radio competition)
-Victor Crone
-Hanna Ferm
-Jakob Karlberg
-The Mamas
-Albin Johnsén
-Suzi P.
-Linda Bengtzing
-Frida Öhrn
-Paul Rey
-Drängarna
-Robin Bengtsson
-Anna Bergendahl
-Anis don Demina
-Thorsten Flinck
-Renaida
-Ellen Benediktson & Simon Peyron
-OVÖ (Finess & Ivory)

Two names have been targeted by SVT, but have not yet confirmed their involvement:

-Carola
-Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from the open invitation of  SVT to creators, 13 are selected through an invitation of  SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

In detail the program of Melodifestivalen 2020 is as follows:

Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February
Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February
Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15
Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22
Eskilestone – Second Opportunity – February 29
Stockholm – Final – 7 March

David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund will all be presenting the six nights of the show. Aftonbladet correctly predicted 26 of the 28 Melodifestivalen 2019 names.

Source: Aftonbladet

Sweden: Two eurostars return to Melodifestivalen

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Aftonbladet yesterday unveiled three more names to participate in Melodifestivalen 2020, raising the number to 14 confirmed artists according to its report. Anna Bergendahl and Robin Bengtsson stand out among them, both previous winners of the Melodifestivalen and representatives of Sweden in the ESC.

Return for Robin Bengtsson, three years after his victory

Robin Bengtsson won the 2017 Melodifestivalen with “I Can Go Go On”, winning fifth place in the Eurovision contest in Kiev. The 29-year-old artist has not done great things in music since then, focusing his attention on the hairdressing chain he opened. This will be his third appearance at Melodifestivalen, for Robin, who has been counting on an 11-year career since it all started for him in 2008 when he took third place on Pop Idol.

Third return for  Anna Bergendahl

Anna Bergendahl, 28, has the unfortunate privilege of being Sweden’s only representative, who failed to qualify for the Eurovision final. She has a relevant career with Robin after joining Pop Idol that same year. In 2010 she won the Melodifestivalen with “This Is My Life”, but lost the qualification from Cyprus, taking the eleventh place in the semifinal. This year, he participated in Melodifestivalen for the second time with a song by Thomas G: Son, “Ashes To Ashes,” reaching the final through the second chance. The song,although not winning the Melodifestivalen, was widely heard on Swedish radios, marking the successful return of Anna Bergendahl.

A Dj at Melodifestivalen

Aftonbladet’s third name revealed is Dj, Anis Don Demina. He became known not so much as Dj, but as YouTuber. He participated in a duet in this year’s Melodifestivalen.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2020

Thirteen contestants have so far secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals:

Amanda Aasa (from P4 Nästa)
Victor Crone
Hanna Ferm
Jakob Karlberg
The Mamas
Albin Johnsén
 Suzi P.
 Linda Bengtzing
 Frida Öhrn
 Paul Rey
 Robin Bengtsson
 Anna Bergendahl
 Anis Don Demina
Two names have been targeted by SVT, but have not yet confirmed their involvement:

Carola
Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from the open invitation to SVT creators, 13 are selected through an invitation to SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

In detail the program of Melodifestivalen 2020 is as follows:

Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February
Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February
Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15
Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22
Eskilestone – Second Opportunity – February 29
Stockholm – Final – 7 March

David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund will all be presenting the six nights of the show. Aftonbladet correctly predicted 26 of the 28 Melodifestivalen 2019 names.

Source: Aftonbladet

Sweden: Drängarna in the list of participants of “Melodifestivalen” too

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According to Aftonbladet, the well-known Swedish dansband group Drängarna will take part in the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen for the first time.

On the occasion of its 25 years of operation in the Swedish music industry, the band found the appropriate song to participate in the upcoming Melodifestivalen 2020 event.

The same source revealing the band at Aftonbladet says they had submitted songs to the country’s national finals and other seasons as well, but had apparently been rejected.

In this way, Drängarna will become the 11th participant of this year’s Melodifestivalen 2020. The other names that have secured a place in the semifinals are:

-Amanda Aasa (from P4 Nästa)
-Victor Crone
-Hanna Ferm
-Jakob Karlberg
-The Mamas
-Albin Johnsén
 -Suzi P.
 -Liza Bengtzing
 -Frida Öhrn
 -Paul Rey

At the same time, two names are targeted by SVT, but so far they have not confirmed their participation:

-Carola
-Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from SVT’s  open invitation to  creators, 13 are selected through an invitation of SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

Who are the Drängarna?

The Drängarna were formed in 1995 and the same year they became famous with the song “Vill du bli min fru”. It consists of four men, Robert Åhlin and Olav Fossheim, who have been in the band since its inception, while Magnus Olsson and Anders Wigelius have joined the band in recent years.

Source/Image: Aftonbladet

Sweden: Linda Bengtzing returns to Melodifestivalen | Two more names are added to the list

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The list of artists we will see competing in the next Melodifestivalen grows. Three names have been added today, according to Aftonbladet, among them the legend of schlager musician and veteran of the competition, Linda Bengtzing!

Linda Bengtzing for the seventh time in the Melodifestivalen

This will be the seventh entry for Linda Bengtzing at Melodifestivalen, now 45 years old. Her first attempt was in 2005, with her fifth best in 2008. Her last attempt was in 2016, when she was excluded directly in the semifinals.

Her song will be in the style she knows best to serve, the pop schlager, a type of music that has been steadily coming to an end in recent years (see Jessica Andersson and Linda Hedlund).

Paul Rey is favorite, Frida Örn for fourth time

Frida Öhrn, 40, is preparing for her fourth appearance at Melodifestivalen. This will be her first involvement as a solo artist, having previously competed with groups that were then part of them.

Paul Rey is 27 years old and is thought to be one of the wonders of the Melodifestivalen 2020, as he is involved with a song among the favorites. This is his maiden entry into the competition, which he thinks as a springboard to get more people to know him.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2020

Ten contestants have so far secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals:

-Amanda Aasa (from P4 Nästa)
-Victor Crone
-Hanna Ferm
-Jakob Karlberg
-The Mamas
-Albin Johnsén
 -Suzi P.
– Liza Bengtzing
 -Frida Öhrn
 -Paul Rey

Two names have been targeted by SVT, but have not yet confirmed their involvement:

-Carola
-Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from the open invitation to SVT creators, 13 are selected through an invitation of SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

In detail the program of Melodifestivalen 2020 is as follows:
Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February
Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February
Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15
Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22
Eskilestone – Second Opportunity – February 29
Stockholm – Final – 7 March

David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund will all be presenting the six nights of the show.

Source: Aftonbladet

Sweden: Two more names for Melodifestivalen | Eric Saade thinks seriously the prospects to join with the right song!

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Two more names for Melodifestivalen 2020 are revealed by Aftonbladet, while Eric Saade, who took third place for Sweden in 2011 with “Popular”, is reportedly targeting the country’s public broadcaster , SVT.

Albin Johnsén and Suzi P ready for Melodifestivalen 2020

Albin Johnsén, 30, and Suzi P, 16, are the two new artists revealed by Aftonbladet to take part in Melodifestivalen 2020.

Albin Johnsén had a huge hit in 2014 and competed in Melodifestivalen 2016 with Mattias Andréasson, with the song “Rik”, reaching the second chance round.

Suzi P is a young up-and-coming singer, very popular at an early age, and also participated in “Summer Holiday Morning”, a children’s show on Swedish public television.

Is Eric Saade coming back?

Eric Saade, 29, was the presenter of this year’s Melodifestivalen. He has already participated three times, making sense every time, and in 2011 he was the winner of the Melodifestivalen with “Popular”.

This song was a revival of Sweden in the competition, marking the end of its poor performance in scoring and the beginning of a decade, with results that almost always ended in the top ten but also two wins (2012 and 2015). .

Sources close to the singer say a fourth entry would have been of interest to him, as long as there was a proper song. In his latest recordings, however, he himself plays songs in Swedish lyrics. If he finally says yes to SVT, he has to choose between the Swedish verse he prefers or the English that strategically helps most.

The artists who have so far confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2020

Seven contestants have so far secured a place in the Melodifestivalen 2020 semifinals:

Amanda Aasa (from P4 Nästa)
Victor Crone
Hanna Ferm
Jakob Karlberg
The Mamas
Albin Johnsén
 Suzi P.

Two names have been targeted by SVT, but have not yet confirmed their participation:

Carola
Eric Saade

Recall that 14 of the 28 participants of the Melodifestivalen result from the open invitation to SVT creators, 13 are selected through an invitation to SVT and 1 is from the P4 Nästa radio competition.

In detail the program of Melodifestivalen 2020 is as follows:
Linkoping – First Semifinal – 1 February
Gothenburg – Second Semifinal – 8 February
Lulea – Third Semifinal – February 15
Malmo – Fourth Semifinal – February 22
Eskilestone – Second Opportunity – February 29
Stockholm – Final – 7 March
David Sundin, Linnea Henriksson and Lina Hedlund will all be presenting the six nights of the show.

Source: Aftonbladet