The greatest show on earth is nearing its 2019 conclusion. How to celebrate at our Melodifestivalen final afterparty? Our selection is unashamedly heavy on the schlager.

• Read on for our top five favourite Melodifestivalen winners

 

5. Carola Evighet

Our top five favourite winners kick off in reverse order with the undisputed Queen of Melodifestivalen. Our first live experience of Carola was via satellite link to west London Swedish pub the Harcourt Arms during 2006 when the entire place went bonkers for this. We caught her live in Athens that year and in a tremendous contest thought she deserved better than 5th:

4. Loreen Euphoria

Next up and the year Melodifestivalen chose something contemporary when Loreen brought the contest back home to Sweden from Azerbaijan in 2012:

3. Eric Saade Popular

From Manboy to this 2011 winner who swapped an onstage shower for breaking out of a glass box. We saw Eric Saade romp to third in Dusseldorf yet didn’t understand how it was beaten by the eventual winners:

2. Charlotte Perrelli Hero

Our lovely runner up stepped out of the light, like a star, like a hero. We couldn’t believe how this fan favourite fared in front of our eyes in Belgrade in 2008 – 18th. Later we discovered Charlotte Perrelli was lucky to have even made the final:

1. Lena Philipsson Det Gör Ont

And to our winner. A ruder Oooh Aaah than Gina G’s sung by a woman who knows exactly whose bread she’s buttering? We loved how brazen Lena Philipsson is when we caught her win our first live Melodifestivalen in 2004 and later in its English version romp to 5th before our very eyes in a strong Istanbul final:

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