PREVIEW: Melodifestivalen 2022 Heat 3 starring Linda Bengtzing, Faith Kakembo and Anders Bagge

By Aline Mahrud

WHEN?: Saturday 19 February 2022 7pm UK/8pm CET Update: Covid means all shows will now be from Stockholm

WHERE? Linköping Saab Arena WHERE DO I WATCH? SVT Play

Bengtzing returns to the scene of her greatest success for an 8th attempt at the Melodifestivalen win that has eluded her with such fan favourites as Jag ljuger så bra (I lie so well), Hur svårt kan det va? (How hard can it be?) and E de fel på mig? (Is there something wrong with me?).

  • Read on for reasons including Faith Kakembo, Lisa Miskovsky and Anders Bagge
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PREVIEW: Melodifestivalen 2022 Heat 1 starring Shirley Clamp, Robin Bengtsson & Omar Rudberg

By Aline Mahrud

WHEN? Saturday 5 February 2022

WHERE? Malmö Arena WHERE DO I WATCH? SVT Play UPDATE: Covid means Stockholm will now be the venue for all 2022 events

We’re at the venue of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest final, our last live Eurovision, and our highlight is the 1st appearance in 8 years on a Melodifestivalen stage for the legend that is Shirley Clamp.

  • Read on for reasons including MF winner Robin Bengtsson and TV star Omar Rudberg
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for January 2022 starring Moulin Rouge

  1. Moulin Rouge at the Piccadilly Theatre

This musical version of the 2001 film won 10 Tonys in 2020 and opened in London in 2021 although Covid delayed its press night and, as we write, it is still in previews with a 1st official night pushed back to 9 January 2022. We hope to visit the jukebox musical ahead of its revised press night and check out our site for a review. Tickets

  • Read on for reasons including A Number at the Old Vic, new Years & Years album and Taboo reunion
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SONG OF THE MONTH: Little Tot by Dotter (March 2021)

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.

  • Read on for reasons including why we need Dotter’s debut album – and now
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SONG OF THE WEEK: Still Young by Charlotte Perrelli (week beginning 2/3/2021)

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.

  • Read on for reasons including to watch La Perrelli’s 2021 Melodifestivalen performance
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PREDICTIONS: Melodifestivalen Andra Chansen 2021

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.

  • Read on for reasons including which writer of a 2021 final song is the only artist to have won Melodifestivalen after qualifying through Andra Chansen and our duel predictions
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SONG OF THE WEEK: Good Life by Tess Merkel (week beginning 28/2/2021)

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.

  • Read on for reasons including who is our favourite of the 28 Melodifestivalen entries this year
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9 reasons why we can’t wait for March 2021 starring Daði Freyr

  1. Daði Freyr Eurovision entry drops

2020 was the Eurovision-that-never-was and Freyr’s Think About Things was judged by many to be the song most likely to have won if Covid-19 hadn’t caused its cancellation. Like many other competitors Freyr has been selected to compete in 2021 and his song 10 Years drops 13/3/21. Freyr’s last single Feel The Love was a song of the month for us in January.

  • Read on for reasons including Treason, new Zara Larsson album and the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix
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PREDICTIONS: Heat 4 Melodifestivalen 2021 starring The Mamas, Eric Saade & Tess Merkel

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?

  • Read on for reasons including who we think will go direkt til finalen and who will make Andra Chansen

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PREDICTIONS: Heat 3 Melodifestivalen 2021 starring Charlotte Perrelli

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.

  • Read on for reasons including our predictions for who will go direkt til finalen and to Andra Chansen from this heat

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