The final heat of the ultra-famous Melodifestivalen took place in Karlstad’s
Löfbergs Arena on the 2nd of March 2024. It was hosted by Carina Berg and
the special guest host, Björn Gustafsson, also appeared on some acts.
Melodifestivalen veteran, Frederik Kempe, graced us with his presence to
accept his plaque for being part of Melodifestivalen’s Hall of Fame. A medley
of his songs was performed by Sanna Nielsen, Kristin Amparo, Natalie
Carrion, and the incredible choirs "Söt Likör" and "Sällskapet CMB”. We also
watched and listened to Johan Östling and Björn perform songs throughout
the night to entertain us.
Now let’s jump to the important part. The six competing songs and artists
were as follows:
1.) Unforgettable (Marcus and Martinus) - What a light show! Their
performance was definitely a step up from last year’s Air. They meant
business! Did I like it? It’s all right. I understand why this will get a lot of
votes.
2.) Controlla (Chelsea Muco) - Another song with Afro-inspired beats. It had a
jazzy, sultry start then the rhythm turned faster. She has a strong voice but
you can still sense her nervousness while performing.
3.) Back to My Roots (Jay Smith) - A powerful country rock song. This genre
isn’t my cup of tea, but country song lovers would appreciate his solid
performance.
4.) Banne Maj (Elecktra) - I expected a lot from Elektra as my friends who are
fanatics of Drag Race Sweden hyped her so much. It felt that it lacked a little
bit of mmmpppph. Hearing Banne Maj over and over again was borderlining
cringy.
5.) Light (Annika Wikihalder) - Wow! It was a powerful ballad yet typical of
Melodifestivalen to have. It was a flawless performance from her but it felt
that Annika was just mad and hateful. I don’t think that was the message that
the song conveys.
6.) Que Sera (Medina) - An upbeat, playful song that shouts Medina. You
cannot deny that they are a crowd pleaser and that they were chosen to end
the performances with a bang. One thing that I like the most about their
performance is that they maximized their staging!
My predictions:
Direkt till final: Marcus and Martinus and Medina
For Run-off Voting: Elecktra and Annika Wikihalder
Results:
Direkt till final: Marcus and Martinus and Medina (82 points)
For Run-off Voting: Annika Wikihalder (79 points) and Jay Smith (73 points)
Run-Off Voting
The songs that ended in third and fourth places on the five semifinal heats
were given one last round of run-off voting. Each song was given points
based on the votes that they got from their first performance. Then, the
points from the run-off voting were added. In the end, Annika Wikihalder (245
points) and Jay Smith (235 points) secured their spots on the final night.