By Neil Durham
WHEN?: 7pm (UK time) Friends Arena, Stockholm Saturday 9 March 2024
WHERE DO I WATCH?: SVTPlay
Norwegian twins Marcus and Martinus are the best shot Sweden has of winning Eurovision for a record breaking 8th time. UPDATE: Marcus and Martinus won Melodifestivalen.
By Aline Mahrud
WHEN?: 7pm UK time 24 February 2024
WHERE?: Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna WHERE DO I WATCH?: SVT Play
2 Melodifestivalen runners up return to the show at the weekend and we think 1 has the best song so far.
By Neil Durham
WHEN?: 7pm UK time 24 February 2024
WHERE?: Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna WHERE DO I WATCH?: SVT Play
Both this week’s returning acts – Dotter and Danny Saucedo – have come agonisingly close to winning Melodifestivalen and would be expected to advance straight to the finalen from this heat.
We awarded 14 monstas for the best pop, theatre, TV and film of 2020 in December – and here we look at the cream of 2021 so far and what’s to come. Previous winners in this category are 2020 Redemption by Hurts, 2019: C U Next Tuesday by Shakespears Sister, 2018: Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae , 2017: New Rules by Dua Lipa, 2016: Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake, 2015: Goodbye To Yesterday by Elina Born and Stig Rästa
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
OUT: 27/2/21
Dotter, real name Johanna Maria Jansson, has written 2 of the most impressive singles of the last 12 months bringing to mind Florence and the Machine with Bulletproof and now Robyn.
WHEN?: Saturday 13 March 2021
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
HOW TO WATCH?: SVTPlay
We’ve enjoyed this Melodifestivalen more than we have for many years which may in part be due to the extra time lockdown has afforded us to obsess about it.
WHEN?: Saturday 13 February 2021
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
Before last weekend you would have to go back 14 years to the last time that 2 Swedish language songs went direkt til finalen and so read on for our predictions for Heat 2’s return of Dotter and fate of the 2 songs in Swedish.
WHEN?: Saturday 13 February 2021
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
The biggest story of Melodifestivalen 2021 is the return of 2020’s top 2, The Mamas and Dotter, who were separated by only 1 point back in March 2020.
WHEN?: Saturday 6 February 2021
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
It’s business as usual for Melodifestivalen in 2021 as Heat 1 opens with the pre-contest favourite, this year Danny Saucedo (pictured above), as it did last year when Felix Sandman could only make Andra Chansen.
It’s been quite the year, it’s almost Christmas and what would the festive season be without some recognition of the best of 2020? Over the next week we’ll shortlist five nominees in each of 14 categories for our Oscars, or monstas if you will, of 2020.
