By Neil Durham
WHEN?: Saturday 22 February 2025 7pm UK time
WHERE?: Malmö Arena, Malmö
Zelmerlöw is the big favourite to win MF for a 2nd time after triumphing in 2015 with Heroes which finished 3rd in the Eurovision televote behind Italy and Russia but went on to triumph.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
OUT: 27 February 2021
Heat 4 of Melodifestivalen didn’t disappoint in the quality of its songs but we would have loved for our favourite – the debut solo single by a third of Alcazar – to have done better than 5th.
WHEN?: Saturday 13 February 2021
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
Can The Mamas make it 3 wins in a row after backing John Lundvik on Too Late For Love in 2019 and singing Move themselves the following year?
WHEN?: Saturday 27 February 2020
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
Tess Merkel (3rd from left above) is the 4th member of supergroup Alcazar to compete in Melodifestivalen individually with Magnus Carlsson (2nd from left above performing Alcastar) making the final in 2006 and 2015 and Lina Hedlund doing so in 2019.
Our obsession with Melodifestivalen, Sweden’s Eurovision selection show, started in 2003 when we learned that Alcazar were taking part.
WORTH A LISTEN?: ****
OUT: now
Former Alcazar frontman Carlsson references two of his biggest Melodifestivalen hits in this positive, high-energy tale of coming out and finding happiness which is, appropriately, this year’s Stockholm Pride anthem.
We’ve described Alcazar as ‘the greatest act never to represent Sweden in Eurovision’ and 1 of its current members, Lina Hedlund (pictured far left above), competes in Heat 3 in Leksand on 16 February.
Everybody deserves a second chance – especially during the greatest show on earth, Melodifestivalen, which has its Andra Chansen on Saturday (4/3). Robin Stjernberg famously won from AC in 2013 but none of our top 5 did.
This solo star and former member of bands Alcazar and Barbados has tried, and failed, to represent Sweden eight times in the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurofest club night at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern has boasted Melodifestivalen stars including Linda Bengtzing and Shirley Clamp. On 13/1 it throws open its doors to Carlsson. Tickets
Välkomna to our review of Melodifestivalen heat 4 and our own exclusive Mello afterparty curated especially for you, dear reader. Were you Molly Style or Dolly Style? Did your favourites get through? Let us know in the comments below.
