Sweden’s Melodifestivalen had their second semifinal heat on the 11th of February. It took place at the Saab Arena in Linköping. The hosts were Farah Abadi and Jesper Rönndahl. Let’s take a closer look at the songs that competed for this heat:
All My Life (Where Have You Been) sung by Wiktoria
Songwriters: Herman Gardarfve, Melanie Wehbe, Patrik Jean, Wiktoria Johansson
Wiktoria started the competition with an upbeat song and tons of pink and glitter. This entry does not fit the typical genre that we are used to hearing Wiktoria sing in Melodifestivalen. It does invite you to dance, and it is definitely a good pick-me upper. I find that the lyrics are overly repetitive and the chorus isn’t that strong.
Comfortable sung by Eden
Songwriters: Benjamin Rosenbohm, Eden Alm, Emil Adler Lei, Julie Aagaard
Eden’s self-written ballad showed a sense of rawness and vulnerability. The song is about the loneliness that she felt during a relationship that didn’t work. I think she was able to express that feeling in her song, but it didn’t transfer successfully to a wider audience.
Grytan sung by Uje Brandelius
Songwriter: Uje Brandelius
Uje was one of the singers that shocked Sweden when it was announced that he will be competing. Aside from being a singer, he is an actor and a politician. He is a social realist who is known for his politically-charged songs. This Mello entry is about an evening in a couple’s kitchen where the guy burns the food and the lady comforts her partner by saying that it is alright to order pizza instead. He further tells reasons why he loves his partner….such a kitchen sink romance!
On My Way sung by Panetoz
Songwriters: Anders Wigelius, Daniel Nzinga, Jimmy Jansson, Nebeyu Baheru, Njol Badjie, Pa Modou, Robert Norberg
Panetoz returns with their typical hiphop/rap/African fusion genre. There’s a lot of dancing and repetitive lyrics… probably because the only thing that I understood was I’m on my way. They definitely made my feet move to the beat.
Now I Know sung by Tennessee Tears
Songwriters: Anderz Wrethov, Jonas Hermansson, Thomas Stengaard, Tilda Feuk
If you love country music, you’ll love this. It is a combination of Common Linnets, Firelight, Elina Born, and Stig Rästa all rolled into one group. It is very upbeat and it helps you feel good. The duo’s voices complement each other and this genre. Even though I am not a big fan of country music, I liked this one.
Never Give Up sung by Maria Sur
Songwriters: Anderz Wrethov, Laurell Barker
Maria Sur surely delivered! The song is a power ballad and it definitely sounded like it was made for the chart-topping Billboards. Maria Sur definitely told her personal story through this song, and I think that she was successful in touching the hearts of her audience. I think we will see more of her in the coming years.
Mer av dig sung by Theoz
Songwriters: Axel Schylström, Jakob Redtzer, Peter Boström, Thomas G:son
Aww, Theoz! For me, this was the song of the night. This made me stand-up and dance. The whistles, the tempo, and the lyrics all gave a fun vibe that helped you remember his song. The staging was also amazingly cool; the fireworks even added to the wow factor. This will be another summer hit.
My Predictions:
Direct to the Final: Mer av dig by Theoz and Never Give Up by Maria Sur
Semifinal: Now I Know by Tennessee Tears and All My Life (Where Have You Been) by Wiktoria
The Results:
For the first round of voting, Never Give Up by Maria Sur got the most number of votes. She will go straight to the final.
There was another round of voting. This time, On My Way by Panetoz got the highest votes for this round. They will join Maria Sur in the final round in Stockholm. The second highest was Mer av dig by Theoz and Now I Know by Tennessee Tears got third highest. They will be able to sing again in the semifinal round.
Now The Fun(ner) Parts:
After all the competing songs were played, we were presented with a variety of entertaining middle acts. The first one was the presentation of Thomas G;son into the Melodifestivalen’s Hall of Fame. In the sketch, the host (Jesper) was trying to read the brain of Thomas G:son. He also presented a medley of the different songs that he composed. You can watch the segment here.
Did somebody say medley? The second act was a Mello-battle between Linda Bengtzing and Magnus Carlsson. They were joined by some famous Mello artists like Edvin Törnblom and Tess Merkel. They sang a medley of their competition songs while trying to outshine each other. It was a very entertaining act and a nice gift to those who are die hard fans of Mello. You can watch the segment here.
Final Pic
As I end this review, I want to share a picture of the semlor that was served to us during this viewing party. Semla is a Scandinavian pastry that is commonly served during February/Fat Tuesday. They were so yummy!