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.
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
OUT: now
Team monstagigz is celebrating a birthday today and so it seems fitting that our newly-crowned song of the week is by this 2021 Melodifestivalen finalist who was also crucially the last Eurovision winner of the 20th Century.
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
WHEN?: Saturday 6 March 2021
WHERE DO I WATCH?: SVTPlay
One of the genius ideas that makes Melodifestivalen the greatest show on earth is that the quality of the songs is so good that eight of those which narrowly missed out on the finalen deserve a second shot at four places in that final.
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?
WORTH A LOOK?: *****
OUT: now
Stellar electropop duos like Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell and Erasure were all the rage in the 80s but seem far less so now although that could all change with the emergence of this Danish pair.
WHEN?: Saturday 13 February 2021
WHERE?: Annexet, Stockholm
Sweden seems to be embracing the nostalgic and fun songs this year ahead of the ballads which might work in the favour of Eurovision and Melodifestivalen winner Charlotte Perrelli who returns here with a song we’re expecting to be both uptempo and reminding of her experience as well as vitality.
WHEN?: Saturday 20 February 2021
WHERE?: H3 Arena, Fornebu, Oslo
HOW TO WATCH?: NRK link
Sweden’s Melodifestivalen may be the average Eurovision fan’s favourite national pre-selection show but the quality on display in Norway’s 2021 Melodi Grand Prix means it is fast following in the must-see footsteps of its rival.
* Read on for reasons including who we think will win and how each song would do at Eurovision
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.
WORTH A LOOK?: ****
OUT: now
Saturday was a kalla natt for Jessica Andersson who was eliminated from Heat 1 of Melodifestivalen with the anthemic Horizon but the good news is the performance is available to watch (read article below) and the single for download.
