The fourth leg of the six week Melodifestivalen marathon took place in the southeastern city of Eskilstuna. Six more songs competed for two places in the final, while the third and fourth place acts would continue on to the Final Vote, a run-off round at the conclusion of next week's show. The trio Chattanooga, who finished fourth in Melodifestivalen 1982, was inducted into the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame.
Done Getting Over You - Albin Tingwal
(Text/Music: Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb)
The Swedish Idol 2022 runner-up makes his Melfest debut with an upbeat pop rock number. Albin is joined by two dancers on a cyan/magenta/yellow themed stage. Some light choreography pulls together a polished look for Albin. The song itself is very upbeat, I could see it being a road trip type song, very radio-friendly, not overly showy, but a great way to start the show.
30 km/h - Lia Larsson
(Text/Music: Axel Schylström, Jimmn, y Jansso, Lia Larsson, My Söderholm, Thomas G:son)
The young TikToker (not related to Zara) makes her debut and continues the night with even more colour. Bright colours for Lia - pink, yellow, and orange. Staging relies heavily on the LED wall-- from text, sitting in a truck, and driving-themed graphics. Lia is joined with four dancers in a very Samir & Viktor type song (jumpy choreo, CO2 cannons, and pyro in a child-friendly electropop song). Definitely see this one appealing to the younger crowd and not so much for the adult viewers.
It's Not Easy to Write a Love Song - Dotter
(Text/Music: Dino Medanhodzic, Dotter)
Dotter returns to Melodifestivalen for the fourth time with an uptempo power ballad. The LED screens are turned off for this number, Dotter and a grand piano are showcased in a circle of lights and fog, the camera follows Dotter on top of and running around the piano in an intimate and emotion-evoking journey. The stripped-back staging is very reminiscent of Cornelia Jacobs' "Hold Me Closer" and Barbara Pravi's "Voila."
Circus X - Scarlet
(Text/Music: Emil Behmer, Henric Pierroff, Ian-Paolo Lira, Jessica Rachel Chertock, Scarlet, Simon Boustedt, Staffan Amberlind, Thirsty)
If you ever wondered what a Tim Burton and Melodifestivalen collab would look like, look no further. The number starts with one-half of the skeleton duo sitting on a swing holding a balloon later eventually leading up to a goth metal dance break (with dancers I believe who are dressed as crows?) Very audible audience approval for this spooky circus.
En sång om sommaren - Lasse Stefanz
(Text/Music: Anders Wigelius, Anderz Wrethov, Robert Norberg)
Yee-haw! It's not Melodifestivalen if there isn't at leas one country song. Donned with cowboy hats and fiddles, the Swedish dansband makes its return to the competition with a slow, yet upbeat number. The song is very similar to Hasse Andersson's "Guld och gröna skoga," except more relaxed. Staging is clever, features the band on a wooden dock above the LED floor made to look like water. This would appeal to the traditional schlager fans.
Happy That You Found Me - Danny Saucedo
(Text/Music: Anders Wigelius, Anderz Wrethov, Robert Norberg)
Melodifestivalen veteran returns for his fifth time as a performing artist. Set consists of multiple arches and stairs. This song is reminiscent of his dance-heavy entries ("In the Club" and "Amazing"), but without the slick choreography-- just Danny alone on stage, probably to focus more on the song itself rather than the theatrics of his usual entries.
Results
Voting (via app and telephone) is split into two rounds, after the first round of voting, the act that receives the most votes determines the first qualifier. Voting opens again for the remaining five acts, and votes from both rounds are combined and points are weighted and awarded by viewer demographics groups (3-9 years, 10-15 years, 16-29 years, 30-44 years, 45-59 years, 60-74 years, 75 years and above, and Televotes).
Voting Round 1 Results:
FINALIST: Danny Saucedo
Voting Round 2 Results:
FINALIST: Dotter (84 points, 12 points from 10-15y, 16-29y, 45-59y, 60-75y)
RUN-OFF: Albin Tingwall (63 points, 12 points from 75y+)
RUN-OFF: Scarlet (60 points, 12 points from 30-44y)
5th Place: Lia Larsson (49 points, 12 points from 3-9y)
6th Place: Lasse Stefanz (48 points, 12 points from Televote)