Melodifestivalen: Schlager Boiler Survivor - ROUND FOUR

Vote for your LEAST FAVE

  • 2010: Pernilla Wahlgren - Jag vill om du vågar (10th)

    Votes: 13 48.1%

  • 2011: Linda Bengtzing - E det fel på mig? (7th)

    Votes: 6 22.2%

  • 2014: Alcazar - Blame It On The Disco (3rd)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 2014: Helena Paparizou - Survivor (4th)

    Votes: 8 29.6%

  • 2021: Charlotte Perrelli - Still Young (8th)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    27
VoRonika

VoRonika

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A bit of a funny one in the Schlager sphere, is our JessAan. She's never really built up a huge amount of career momentum outside Melfest, she's never really had a hit album and she doesn't appear to do as much TV work as your Sanna and Pernilla types. Maybe a Swede would be better placed to explain exactly where she sits in the pop culture, but all I know is that during some of the darkest years for the class of early 00s divas, she was the only one who proved consistently capable of drawing enough voter support to compete with the younger artists - at least in the semi finals, anyway - leading me to the inescapable conclusion that she is simply some kind of NATIONAL TREASURE.

Obviously she's in the select group of divas who actually has a Eurovision appearance under her belt, as one half of Fame in 2003. They had another crack the following year before quietly splitting up and launching solo careers. Much was expected of her solo debut Kalla Nätter, but unfortunately despite being a banger for the ages, it seems JessAn the sex kitten wasn't what the public wanted, and she crashed out in fifth to much homosexual horror.

There was a minor redemption in 2007 with the disco-fied Kom, which was fairly forgettable but at least took her as far as Andra Chansen. After a four year gap she returned in 2011 with the biggest hit of her solo career I Did It For Love, which finally got her into the finals and enjoyed record-breaking success at Swedish radio. Another big ballad, Can't Hurt Me Now, also went to the finals, but there was a clear whiff that she benefited from a confusing new voting system, as the song flopped on the charts and was swiftly forgotten.

Apparently inspired by a tough-love gay friend who insisted that she hadn't yet reached her full diva potential (would that certain other divas had such a sage!) JessAn finally faced her fears and made her long-awaited return to Schlager in 2018. Party Voice was no disappointment, racking up her third consecutive finalist and giving her her highest charting song in almost a decade.

Sadly, she pushed her luck a bit too far last year with - inevitably - a power ballad. Horizon was better than many, but not quite good enough and she crashed out in her semi for the first time since 2006. A bit of a sad full circle moment, I hope we haven't heard the last of her, but hopefully next time with a bit more of the pep that she discovered on this entry...



6th: Jessica Andersson - Party Voice
7th: Lina Hedlund - Victorious
8th: Anna Book - Himmel för två
 
Isn't she kind of like a Will Young/Kelly Clarkson figure but with less actual sales success? Fondly remembered as a winner of one of the first series of a reality contest that more or less everybody watched...
 
Penelope said:
Isn't she kind of like a Will Young/Kelly Clarkson figure but with less actual sales success? Fondly remembered as a winner of one of the first series of a reality contest that more or less everybody watched...
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I’m always intrigued how somebody like that makes a living?
 
I would imagine THIS isn’t the primary source of income for most of these performers.

Anyway I’ve voted Survivor out as it is the weakest remaining song and not even schlager.
 
VoR said:
JessAn is a staple on the Digiloo tours that go across Sweden every year. I assume stuff like that is her bread and butter.
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JESS, THAT’S IT!
JessAn, in the good company of Charlotte and pre burnout Nanne, is probably the schlager diva with the heaviest year round touring schedule.

JessAn makes a living off of pure competence. She never misses an appointment, doesn’t complain and is just generally well liked and dependable. She just gives the audience and production exactly what’s expected at EVERY INSTANCE (the lone exception being her Kalla Nätter hotpants scandal).

Given her intense work load I imagine she doesn’t spend enough time smooching up to the big shots to receive the really high profile presenter/show gigs, or maybe it’s just because she lacks the pull and anticipation that’s needed to be a headliner.
 
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Penelope said:
Considering it's the biggest show of the year, YES

Do they get paid per appearance?
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Yes, per appearance. It’s not much considering the amount of work put in.

SVT and live nation is far from the worst of the bunch though. Swedish Idol’s production company Fremantle gives participants an whopping 875kr per week!
 
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As a testament to JessAn's tenacity and undemanding nature we have Bjorkman's Lex JessAn. In her duel against Elin Lanto JessAn's in-ear monitors didn't work and she had to sing the whole duel without in ear sound, still winning the duel.

Since then Bjorkman had always told the artists in preparatory meetings, don't do what Jessica Andersson did in 2007. If you've got any technical difficulties that's outside your control then halt the performance and you'll get to do it again. Reinaida did this in 2018 (although she had chosen to use her own earpiece) to much of SVT:s dismay. The word on the street is this has made SVT very reluctant to invite Reinaida back into the contest.
 
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