First Impression Festivalen 2023

Who are you excited about?


  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
Loreen - Tattoo
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After taking a break from the spotlight - "to focus on other stuff" :D - she’s been surprisingly productive musically lately. There’s been numerous songs attached to Loreen in recent times and why she chose Tattoo is still a mystery other than that she’s publicly stated felt “something” when she heard the song. All the talk says she’s entering with a strong entry. Similar to Euphoria and contrary to Statements (for which she was a part of the creation team from scratch) this was a finished song delivered to Loreen which she’s since meddled with and “made hers”. The story I chose to believe is that this entry was first submitted with Cazzi Opeia as the intended performer.

How Euphoria came to be what it is today
It's interesting how artists who would normally snark at any music show competitor still treats Loreens name with pure reverence. People can tell that she's genuine and it's not very common in todays society that an artist can compromise their career to be themselves but still end up making it.

Daniel Welsh did a great interview with Loreen last year on how Euphoria came about.

“I was a hippie, I wasn’t aware of Eurovision, I didn’t even own a television at that time."

“My life was basically about being in a spiritual place where I could meditate and work on that at that time. Media, television and everything, that was not even in my sphere, and especially not competitions.”


When Eurovision entered her world, Loreen had already had a few brushes with the music industry. After finishing in fourth place in her native Sweden’s version of Pop Idol in 2004, she competed in Melodifestivalen – the Swedish selection show, which is watched by around half of the population – for the first time in 2011, the year before her actual win

However, Loreen notes that these past experiences had left her feeling a little dissatisfied.

“A lot of things I did before Eurovision were a compromise, basically,” she explains. “People having ideas and thoughts about how I should be, and me trying to satisfy that. ‘We see you like this’, ‘we see you like that’, and I was just like, ‘OK, OK, OK’. And it was painful to do that.”

That’s why, she says, when Eurovision came along, it was imperative that she took on creative control and create the performance herself – without having to present to anyone before it was fully realised.

As she puts it: “Nobody knew anything. They didn’t know what I’d created. And they were scared as fuck."

“It was scary as fuck,”
the singer recalls. “You feel so alone in that moment when you believe in something that nobody else believes in.”

Loreen remembers “a lot of pushback” from “all the people that had some financial interest in me”, who came with their own suggestions of how to improve a performance she had put her heart and soul into – which would ultimately have taken away so many of the aspects of what made Euphoria so iconic.

“It was never aggressive, but it was still there,” she says. “Their ideas were like, ‘could you just please wear shoes? Do you really have to be barefoot? Maybe a pair of high heels? Something like that?’. “Or, ‘could you just try to turn up the lights so we can see your face? Or change the look?’ – because my fringe was down over my eyes, I don’t understand how I could find my way around the stage. Can we just give you more makeup, maybe some red lipstick?’.”
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Not everyone follows in Loreen's fotseps.

Things apparently came to a head the day before Loreen’s first performance of Euphoria, when she was told outright that one of its most distinctive details was going to have to go.

“The producer said to me, ‘we can’t have the siren at the beginning’,” she says. “And I told him, ‘we need the siren at the beginning to neutralise the space’. He said, ‘if you have the siren, you’re going to kill the song’. Basically I was told, ‘you’re jeopardising the whole thing’.

“This was very late, I was exhausted, it was just before midnight, and he said, ‘it’s never going to work, Loreen’. And so I said, ‘it’s either the siren or I’m out’.”

Loreen got her siren, but admits: “I remember thinking, ‘what have I done? What if it doesn’t work?’. You know, all these thoughts you get when you’re really hard on your own intuition.”

As for the producer in question, he felt rather differently once he saw the finished product.
“To his credit, when he saw the performance he came up to me with tears in his eyes – I know this sounds funky but it really was what happened,” Loreen reveals. “He was like, ‘I don’t know what to say, I’m so sorry, this is so beautiful and it doesn’t even matter if it wins or not’.”

“I really didn’t expect to win,”
she insists. “That was not even important to me at the time. But I can’t even describe the spiritual feeling when I did. I was standing there, and there was this connection between myself and the crowd, we were all together, we were all one. I know how that sounds – but it was a massive feeling. It was not about ‘look at me and what I’ve created’’, it was just a mutual understanding. And it was fucking beautiful.”

She continues: “I was standing there with 50,000 people on the other side and they were so happy… because what I presented was spirituality in a forum where everything is just ‘glitter!’. And as a woman, there’s ‘high heels!’ and there’s ‘sexy!’ – and I love that, and I can be that too if I want to – but it was almost as if people had longed for things to be simple and clean and raw.”

Melodifestivalen/ESC Performances
Since I’m bored and as we’ve already her Melfest performances too many times I’ll link some alternative performances of the legendary MHIRM and Euphoria.

My Heart Is Refusing Me


Euphoria


Statements


Interval act - Paper Lights


Resent Releases










 
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I thought “oh there’s a new thread with 40 replies, I should see what people are talking about”

So imagine my surprise when it’s only 15 minutes old with only one poster
:wownic:
 
Marcus & Martinus
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Markus to the left, Martinus to the right.

The imagined Norwegian twin big brothers of THEOZ might not be Moppy's favourites. But at least they're the first Norweigan and perhaps even international artists since Elisabeth Andreasson to be serious contenders at Melfest. Indeed, ever since they first came to stardom after winning JMPG their native home country fans has prayed for them to enter MPG with rumours circulating for a number of years. But M&M are now sharks trapped in the small fish bowl of Norway. In order for them to grow their audience they need to seek out new challenges. Now having rejected their home nation for a chance to be worshipped in Sweden they’re facing droves of furious native teenage fans and certain ridicule if they were to flop. But don't worry, M&M is not your average Efrain Leo. They've got the vocals Saade's missing and more performance experience than Måns had when he won. Expect the slickest production of a male pop act since Benjamin.

About 'Air' and their decision to enter Melfest
People thinking M&M goes half heartedly into Melfest à la Margaret are totally wrong. M&M is entering with a strong tune and a stated mission to win. Some analysts are saying that then entering is just a sign of their management making a practical commercial decision. This makes sense as the young lads now have their base in Stockholm, living and producing all their music in the Swedish capital. Breaking through in Sweden gives them access to a much bigger market and the opportunity sell out arenas close to where they live. I suspect the move to Sweden is part of a longer term goal however. Universal Sweden not only gives them the opportunity cooperate with more credible producers and artists, it might even be a stepping stone for going international if stars align.

As Markus tells Schlagerfesten, "People rect to our participation in slightly different ways, some fans might be a bit more sullen or furious than others. For us it felt natural to participate in Melodifestivalen but even though some of our fans understands our decision of course they would've wanted us to represent Norway. It would've been an honor to be allowed o represent Sweden in Liverpool and Eurovision. The goal with everything we do is to reach as far as possible and be the best in everything we do so we're giving Melodifestivalen everything we have. We're gonna serve up a grand show, make the audience feel good."

Their song Air was written together with Joker and the Debs and specifically for the Melodifestivalen arena. I would also expect more of a grown up sound and continuation of their Wicked Game tradjectory than their previous tenage fanfare. 'Air' is supposed to have a powerfully grandiose feel to it and M&M is promising to deliver a grand performance.

Martinus continues, "We want to show off our voices to the Swedish audience. The song starts out gently and mysteriously and builds up to become increasingly frantic." Markus fills in, "This song is much more majestic than anything we've done before. We hope people will get that WOW-feeling when hearing it When it comes to staging we started preparing the show pretty early. We will always think big when it comes to things like Melodifestivalen. We want to show the Swedish people what we're good for and are aiming high to give the best show possible."

Previous work

To Dråper Vann (JMPG 2012)



Elektrisk (2015)


Girls (2016)


Make You Believe In Love (2017)


Remind Me (2018)


Belinda with Alex Rose (2021)


Wicked Game (Swedish 2022 single)
 
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Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Arc North feat. Adam Woods
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After pairing up with a white reindeer/flying sheets and nordic hippie girl JHF will finally take on the moody EDM genre. DJ/Producer/Influencer Arc North with 3 million monthly spotify streams (more than 100 million total) is the big catch for SVT here and would’ve probably gotten into Melfest with or without JHF (15 million spotify streams). Adam Woods (Allskog) is a lesser known singer/songwriter who reached the Theatre Rounds of Idol Sweden both in 2018 and 2019 but was never able to reach the live shows. He’ll likely provide vocals for the non-Sami parts of the track. JHF has been circulating the Swedish tabloids for not being able to see his newborn baby for almost a year because of reineers. Post covid he's kept busy working and touring.

About 'Where You Are (Sávežan)'
The demo likely featured Idol alumni William Segerdahl as the main singer as he's been reasonably close to making the cut a few times already. Replacing Willian for JHF as a vessel for greater stardom seems like a cunning move for this social media entrepreneur. Not much has been pulicly revealed about the song but rumours say this is an all male Keiino incoming.

Jon-Henrik Fjällgren

Mello History
Jag är fri (Manne leam frijje/I Am Free)



En värld full av strider (Eatneme gusnie jeenh dåaroeh/A World Filled With Carnage)


Norrsken (Goeksegh/Northen Light)
Link


JHF Miscellaneous




Arch North's Most Streamed
Meant To Be (feat. Krista Marina)



Youngblood


Numb (LinkIng Park Cover)


Adam Woods
Hold Me While You Wait



Monster (101 views)
 
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Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Arc North feat. Adam Woods
JHF-Combined.jpg


After pairing up with a white reindeer/flying sheets and nordic hippie girl JHF will finally take on the moody EDM genre. DJ/Producer/Influencer Arc North with 3 million monthly spotify streams (more than 100 million total) is the big catch for SVT here and would’ve probably gotten into Melfest with or without JHF (15 million spotify streams). Adam Woods (Allskog) is a lesser known singer/songwriter who reached the Theatre Rounds of Idol Sweden both in 2018 and 2019 but was never able to reach the live shows. He’ll likely provide vocals for the non-Sami parts of the track. JHF has been circulating the Swedish tabloids for not being able to see his newborn baby for almost a year because of reineers. Post covid he's kept busy working and touring.

About 'Where You Are (Sávežan)'
The demo likely featured Idol alumni William Segerdahl as the main singer as he's been reasonably close to making the cut a few times already. Replacing Willian for JHF as a vessel for greater stardom seems like a cunning move for this social media entrepreneur. Not much has been pulicly revealed about the song but rumours say this is an all male Keiino incoming.

Jon-Henrik Fjällgren
Mello History







JHF Miscellaneous




Arch North's Most Streamed
Meant To Be (feat. Krista Marina)



Youngblood


Numb (LinkIng Park Cover)


Adam Woods


Would it work to make some kind of DJ Sami joke?
 
Would it work to make some kind of DJ Sami joke?
Might be inappropriate. As far as I know Arc North is of North Germanic ethnicity, the same people whose timely expansion has gradually displaced the Sami over the centuries.
 
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Mariette
Despite becoming a beloved face to the Swedish general public and having a knack for creating memorable melodies Mariette has failed to produce any hits outside of the Mefest competition. Nevertheless she’s been cultivating a public image as a LGTB+ advocate, solid performer and reliable TV-persona. This has secured her place as a regular feature on variety shows and summer tours all over the country. She was notably runner up on the Petra Mede led Strärnornas Stjärna (Shirley came in last :(). She did however get a bit burned after her last two attempts failed to meet her own expectations. Multiple sources says Mariette as late as last year claimed she would not enter Melodifestivalen again unless she had a winning song. As such, expect this to be her last attempt at Eurovision glory for a good while.

About the song
I haven't heard much about the song other than it's supposed to be "majestic". I've heard conflicting reports on weather it's a mid-tempo or ballad. Either way it's likely gonna be slower than her previous attempts.

What has she been up to lately?
Switched out girlfriends

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Got married, made a baby, working on a second
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Got reported to the social services out of concern for her newborn
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Melodifestivalen history








Other Releases
The One That Got Away



If Only I Can
 
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Wiktoria
Somehow Wiktoria isn't in a similar position as Mariette going into 2023. Our iron plated heroine is a Heavy Hitter solely in the Mello bubble. Basically everything Wiktoria has tried to translate her success outside of the Melfest arena has flopped terribly, having only two Christmas singles land on the Swedish charts. Perhaps it's due to a lack of effort from her part, not seeming particularly interested in engaging in Swedish public life, or perhaps it's been about behind-the-scenes tensions with her label.

I Told Santa (358 views)
Below you can at least see her performing a 2018 single in front of a balcony of old people during the pandemic.


Becoming her own decision maker
Despite this and more than one opportunity to come back to the competition Wiktoria has been reluctant. She’s been spending her time taking some creative control over music making process and to distance herself from the country label her old management forcibly stuck on her. Let’s see if it has paid off!

About the Song "All My Life (Where Have You Been)"
If possible where gonna see an even more energetic Wiktoria this year. Her own-penned song is a love anthem dedicated to her Ice Hockey pro boyfriend Hugo Alnefelt but the initial rumours of entering another teary ballad is unfounded. She's going full out catchy uptempo and bringing dancers on stage.
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Melfest History





Other Releases
One Wish for Christmas


Where You Ever?
 
Might be inappropriate. As far as I know Arc North is of North Germanic ethnicity, the same people whose timely expansion has gradually displaced the Sami over the centuries.

Oh! Jon is half Sami right? How about DJ & Sami?
Oh never mind
 
Tone Sekelius
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Tone has been working hard the past year. In the last 12 months she's gained over 80k followers on TikTok, stayed in Mexico for 10 weeks to host TV3s most popular program, the 36 episode long reality show Paradise, produced 36 Youtube videos, 163 Instagram posts, 122 Tiktik updates, 48 podcasts, won the Swedish LGTB person of the year award and just last month was back in Mexico for another 5 weeks of Paradise recordings.

The new Tone
Tone been having an intense pre competition workout schedule for both voice and physique. She also comes armed with a new packet of baps, will they make the difference?


The boob job documentary. Tone comments "I was like I know how to deepthroat but it was like this *click*, 2 sec and it was down".

About the song "Rythm of my show"
Tone promises more show, tits, attitude and a lot of dancing. She wants to give listeners a self confidence boost.

Will she stay on her schlager track or make a transition to mainstream music?
She says 'Rythm of my show' is more similair to 'What a Shame' than 'My Way'.



Melfest Documentary



Song Releases
My Way



What A Shame


Crying On Christmas
 
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Panetoz
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Their most famous song is still the pre-Mello Dansa Pausa and not much has happened musically since their last participation. However, being one of the few acts able to ignite an otherwise comatose Swedish audience and the perfect blend of inoffensive, multicultural and up-beat they still have a lot of special event bookings and draw in large crowds while touring. There's no speculations regarding the creative aspirations of Panetoz this year, they're gonna do what they've always been doing but the lyrical theme is love this year. Original? No, but why change a winning concept?

Releases

Efter Solsken


Håll Om Mig Hårt


Dansa Pausa


Om (rare footage of Swedish audience showing signs of life)
 
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Paul Rey
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This repeat songwriter/performer of sultry gems doesn’t need much more of an introduction. An unknown trivia is that he's Mello debut was originally going to be as the duet partner of Ellen Benediktson for Surface in 2020, but she was later dropped Simon's lap after he wrote Talking In My Sleep.

About Royals
The most promising part is that this entry is supposed to be an uptempo dance banger. Viewers can expect party, energy and bedlam.

Melfest History

Talking in My Sleep


Missing Piss


Other Releases

Good as Hell


All Falls Down


Has recently started releasing music in Swedish:

Någon Någonsin
 
Nordman
Nordman popularized the pop folk music genre in Sweden during the mid 90s and paved the way for future acts such as Timoteij and Kalle Moraeus. The bands nyckelharpist writes all of their music and most of their non-Mello lyrics are written by Py Bäckman. The band was on hiatus during 1998-2004 as the bands frontman was stuck in substance abuse. He manage to get clean and since their comeback breakthrough in Melfest in 2005 the band has released a continued a trickle of songs and tours. 2022 has been a bit of a post-covid relaunch with a couple of single releases and a feature in Så Mycket Bättre where they made a Swedish version of Måns' Hope & Glory.

About Släpp alla sorger
Nordman's song has been rumoured to the most liked song by the pre-selction jury out of all the submitted 2 824. One should however remember that the 14 artists selected by SVT sometimes write entirely new songs and therefore bypasses the submission process altogether. The song is themed around moving on from something difficult, Wester hopes that it'll give listeners hope, potency and euphoria.

Release History

Pre Melfest
Vandraren



Be Mig


Mefest
Ödet var min väg



I Lågornas Sken


Post Melfest
Om Gud var jag



För redeliga män


Vi kan vinna (Måns' Hope & Glory cover)
 
Theoz
Since his last participation THEOZ has been doing all the normal things for an artist of his age. He has toured, gone to school, worked on his singing and dancing abilities and updated social media. He's also turned 17.

About Mer av dig
Mer av dig is supposed to be a song much in the same vein as Som Du Vill. According THEOZ both the song and number will be upgraded over his previous try, "it's gonna be more of everything".

Releases

Het


Why why why


Som Du Vill


Painkiller


Julmusiken
 
Ewa & Eva
Last time they competed Ewa was completely exhausted by the end of the first deltävling and come Andra Chansen the both of them looked positively done with this shit.

So what's happened since last time?
Ewa has gone back to her calm pensioners life while seemingly enjoying occationally popping by for a gig or two. Eva has on the other hand continued working at a 120% and has now worked as a professional actress for over 65 years. At the ripe age of 80 she's now finally planning to retire from her position as Theatre Manager and actor at Fredriksdalsteatern after doing one last show running through the entire summer.

About Länge Leve Livet
  • Uptempo
  • High BPM
  • Show number
  • Dancing

Releases

Rena Rama Ding Dong - Various Releases






 
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Hoping Eva & Ewa have shelled out for a decent track not recorded on a potato this time.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Hak
Last time they competed Ewa was completely exhausted by the end of the first deltävling and come Andra Chansen the both of them looked positively done with this shit.

About Länge Leve Livet
  • High BPM
  • Dancing
That doesn't sound like a good combination.
 
Victor Crone
Victor's recipe for success might be his very active way of seeking out musical collaborations and that's how his Mello journey once started with Behrang Miri bringing him on for DRVIF. Perhaps Behrang will stop by for a cameo during the first deltävling as both Victor and Loulou apparently made their Mello debut as sidekicks to him. Either way Crone has continued to be productive. Ever since his ESC participation he's been able to live off of doing music full time through a combination of touring, artistry and songwriting. Recently Wind in My Sails has been a decent radio hit in Sweden and internationally Lonely World where he provides vocals has done very well.

About Diamonds
Diamonds is an fastpased uptempo song about invincible love.

ESC History
Behrang Miri feat Victor Crone - Det Rår Vi Inte För


Storm


Troubled Waters



Recent Releases
This Can't Be Love


Wind in My Sails


K-391 & Victor Crone - Lonely World
 
Elov & Beny
Elov & Benny first met in high school and soon discovered a shared passion for music and in 2008 they began writing and producing music together. Their rough EPA-traktor blend of pop, electronic, and hip-hop influences quickly built a following of party peeps all around the Swedish and Norweigan countrysides. Since then, they have released several hit singles. Their 2022 summer hit, Bubbel på balkongen, is perhaps their most famous as it reached number 2 in both Norway and Sweden. Their live performances are usually high-energy and filled with crowd-pleasers, excactly what SVT is hoping for with their Melfest participation.

About Raggen Går
RG
is a love declaration to the Swedish countryside. Think catchy, dirty, upbeat, snus, ugly dancing and sing-along.

Assorted Music Video Releases
Singel o sökande (Singel and looking)


Duktig Nykterist (Sound Sobriety)


Bubbel På Balkongen (Sparkling on the Balcony)


Cheva På Fredag (Cheva on Friday)
 
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Axel Schylström
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One night in June 2012 Axel and a friend decided to see if they could climb on top of a train. When on top Axel come into contact with power lines and 16.000 volt surged through his body. Rushed to the hospital and was sedated for days with burns covering 70% of his body, his friend also got burnt although to a lesser extent. Since then he’s worked as a lecturer and influencer and in 2018 he released his first self-penned book, Bränd (Burnt). His music career started when selected for Idol 2015 where he eventually placed fourth in Idol 2015. In 2017, he just barely lost out to Lisa Ajax’s "I Don’t Give A" for the last finalen spot. Since then he’s been very close to making the cut for a number of years. Lately he's also started to become a prominent writer of Swedish Lyrics, amongst others he wrote THEOZ's "Som du vill" last year.

Last year he posted the most liked Swedish Instagram post of all time.


About Gorgeous
"Gorgeous is a power ballad about being kind to oneself and content with your own self reflection."

Releases
När ingen ser


Jag är kvar


Forever Yours
 
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Smash Into Pieces
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Smash Into Pieces (SIP) is an alternative metal and explosive schlager-poprock band with worldwide aspirations. They formed in 2008 and has released 7 album since. For a band of their notability they have a rather large cult following. After the band lost two members in 2017 the band saw a change of direction with APOC taking over the helms and bringing in elements of electro/EDM to their music.

Who is APOC?
APOC, The Apocalypse Dj, is the band's drummer and DJ, who's in all of their videos acting as thier rebellion leader and bounty hunter. While part of it from the beginning it's role and prominance has gradualy increased over time.



"While people around me accepted to live sadly ever after, like ants building a pile of dirt for their queen, that wasn’t enough for me. I always felt different. I always felt like I was meant for something else. I needed to rock my microphone," says The Apocalypse DJ to Loudwire. "I lost track of time, lost track of what was real and what was fiction. And sometimes I think I almost lost my mind, but in the end I came out on top. A brand new me was born. A re-creation of my being. A remix that had developed a set of super-skills. With this power, I knew my dreams could become true. I just needed to find a group of like-minded individuals.

After the original drummer, Isak Snow, left for a managerial position, it entered into the drummer and DJ position and took over the band.

Now on their fourth album, the band leader adds, "With Unbreakable I was just a spirit in the booklet. With The Apocalypse DJ, my name and photo made it to the cover. With Rise and Shine, I took my place as the superhero, DJ and drummer of the band. With Evolver, I’ve started my quest: to change the world of music as we know it. The time has come to EVOLVE the human race and open their minds."


Superstar In Me tells the story about APOC's childhood, upbringing and how it came to be what it is today.

It's identity is unknown.


About Six Feet Under
The song is about the frontman's bout with the depression a few years back. He wants to inspire listeners in a similar position to make a change in their lives. The band aims to make the audience feel like they're at one of their live shows.


Realeases

Spotify


Arcadia Trailer


Boomerang ft. Jay Smith


Let Me Be Your Superhero
 
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Uje Brandelius
Uje is a jack of all trades most famous as the frontman for the Swedish prog band Doktor Kosmos, well known for their satiricly themed criticism on social, philosophical and political subjects. He's also a actor, writer and was from 2008-2017 the Left Party's (former Communist Party) Press Secretary. In 2015 he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease.

About Grytan
Grytan is about a kettle and start off slow and increases in tempo and energy towards the end. Uje will focus on the lyrical delivery.

What is Progg? - #Melodifestivalen #Canceled
Progg is a Swedish a left-wing and anti-commercial musical movement in Sweden that began in the late 1960s and became more widespread in the 1970s.


Swedish progg in its basic form.

In 1975 the progg movement managed what no other world occurance have to date. PROGG CANCELED MEDODIFESTIVALEN. Contrary to what many historians now believe ABBA wasn't all that cool or popular among the general Swedish public at the time. Youngsters prefered to listen to more credible alternatives sounds with a political message. After ABBA won the debate in Sweden first centered around how expensive Mello and ESC was to host and gradually a movement sprung out protesting against the commercialization of music at large. During the ESC week Swedish progg bands held an Alternative Festival where anybody who wanted could perform a song. Sillstryparn's entry "Doin' the omoralisk schlagerfestival" (Doin' the immoral schlager festival) with lyrics criticizing the commercialised nature and lacking moral integrity of Eurovision, was the most popular song from the alternative event.


Ulf Dageby sings "Doin' the omoralisk schlagerfestival"

The Swedish special police bureau also had to beef up the security of ESC as Baader–Meinhof planned terror activites against the festival.

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The Red Army Faction didn't like ABBA.

Come 1976 and SVT2, morally panicked, at a members meeting decided to shut down the festival as it represented the "lowest common denominator for pseudo-European music life where the national and artistic identity is obliterated". They reverted their decision in 1977 and Melodifestivalen has been running every year since.

Releases

Doktor Kosmos
Holiday



När min pojke går på stan


Uje Brandelius

Här kommer livet


Ramlar mot varandra
 
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Casanovas
Casanovas started touring in 1989 and is one of Swedens more famous dansbands. They won the Swedish Dansband Championship in 1998, have released 11 albums and a myriad of singles. It's guitarist Jimmy Lindberg, is the last of the founding members standing.

About Så kommer känslorna tillbaka
Så kommer känslorna tillbaka is a fastpased uptempo sing-along song.

The Dansband genre
The dansband genre is the total inversion of progg, usually playing commercially proven music and easily remembered lyrics. The genre mashes rockabilly, rock'n'roll, jazz, swing, country and schlager into an accessable a danceable beat. Danceable is important as the bands derives most of their income from playing live at dancing venues. For tax reasons, it's possible to write-off "fantasy" outfits in declaring of income, on the grounds that it would not be possible to wear such outfits in everyday life. This led to many bands wearing highly extravagant matched outfits in their stage performances. The internationally most famous dansband song is probably the ESC 1999 winner.


Charlotte Nilsson sings Take Me To Your Heaven

Casanovas Live performances

Jennifer


Mota Olle i grind


Varje gång du ber mig
 
Laurell
Laurell Barker might be completely unknown in Sweden but more than a few have certainly heard her summer hit Habit. Rumour is SVT rejected it for Melodifestivalen and now didn't want to do the same mistake twice. I think most in this forum knows Laurell as the quantity over quality songwriter for a bunch of preselections all over Europe. Nevertheless she has a knack for dance tunes and hooky melodies. In Canada she was featured in the first season of Canadian casting process, being crowned “Vancouver Idol” in the process. She then had a number of Canadian minor hits before turning her eye to Europe. She's now a bona fide writing camp collaborator and have written songs in over 20 countries. Love made her come to Sweden and she's now married and settled down in Malmö since a few years back.

About Sober
"Sorry is about going out for a big night out with your friends and before the party has even started you meet this person that makes you feel higher than you've ever been in your life." Expect the performance to be high energy, festive and fun.

Laurell's Hit Releases

Unbreakable



Habit


Love It
 
Melanie Wehbe
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Melanie is short and also most famous for songwriting as well as being Mariette's partner and backing singer until they broke up in 2017. So far she's written a total of 8 songs for Melodifestivalen, notably The Mamas winning song Move, and has also won the Dansk MPG with the Leonora song Love Is Forever (12th ESC 2019).

Many of her songs are done in a songwriting team together with Patrik Jean and Herman Gardarfve.

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Herman Gardarfve, Melanie Wehbe and Patrik Jean.

About For The Show
Melanie describes the song as something that "starts out slow and gentle an builds into a confetti bomb".


Singles

Rich


Nothing Like You
 
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Maria Sur

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She participated in Ukraine's The Voice and was one of the favourites before fleeing to Sweden in the wake of the Russian invasion. There she started contacting various Swedish singing celebrities on Instagram to no avail. That was until Sarah Dawn Finer, daughter and now holy shepherdess of Swedish immigrants, answered her and got her into a national benefit concert for Ukraine. She hasn't realeased much material yet and is still singing her Survivor cover from The Voice in Swedish variety shows. It's likely that Warner will try to time her launch with Melodifestivalen.

About Never give up
"My song will tell my story and the most important thing is that the performance frames the song in the best possible way. The performance should highlight the song and not take over".


Live Performances and Releases

Survivor (The Voice Ukraine)


That's The Way
 
Kiana
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Kiana Blanckert is basicly a Swedish Maria Sur without the refugee backstory. She's been doing a few musicals before her break in 2021 when she competed in the TV show Talang. She made it to the final and ultimately finished in second place in no small part due to smart song choices and an odyssey of caterwauling.

About Where Did You Go
Where Did You Go
is a uptempo campy dance banger. The girl can move her hips so expect extensive choreo. Kiana hopes she'll make the Swedish "audience get up and dance" :side-eye:

Talang 2021 Performances

Audition



Semi Final - Bang Bang Mashup


Final - California Dreaming
 
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Rejhan
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Rehjan is a Swedish kid with heritage from Kosovo and Bosnia. He entered Talang 2021, the same year as Kiana and also reached the finals before ultimately losing out to magician Johan Ståh.

About Haunted
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is a sentimental ballad about a relationship that ended. SVT is angling for a new Bishara moment here.

Talang 2021 Performances

Audition - I'm not the only one



Semi Final - When I Was Your Man


Final - All I Ask
 

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