VoR
Take it or leave it
Last week's opener was a bit of a let-down, despite a schlager diva bucking the trend and clawing her way to Andra Chansen. Will heat two up the stakes a little?
1. Maria Sur - When I'm Gone
Anderz Wrethov, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Julie "Kill J" Aagaard, Maria Sur
Ukrainian Maria gave us all the fear last year that her incredibly basic ballad might harness enough sympathy to spoil things for Loreen. In the end, common sense prevailed but she did well enough to grab a second shot at the title. Hopes are high for an Ellen Benediktson-esque songbird to SLUT makeover.
2. Engmans Kapell - Norrland
Larry Forsberg, Lennart Wastesson, Sven-Inge Sjöberg
This year's obligatory folk-rock outfit. Their biggest hit to date sounds promisingly jaunty, so if you have a soft spot for a shouty sea shanty this grizzled lot may be up your alley.
3. Dear Sara - The Silence After You
Benjamin Rosenbohm, Jonas Thander, Marcus Winther-John, Sara Nutti
Likely to cool things down a bit after Engmans have spilt their rum all over the stage, this quirky singer songwriter has moderate buzz from the fans on name only. Having sampled her wares on Spotify, her material seems to have something resembling a pulse, so she should at least be more interesting than Sophie Habibis-Borglowe from heat one.
4. C-Joe - Ahumma
Charles Koroma, Diana Kambugu, Michael Didriksson, Palle Hammarlund, Tony Malm, Twice Ice
As far as I can tell, the lowest-profile entrant in this heat. This Cameroonian-Swede's stock in trade seems to be sunny reggae music, so this should be affable filler at worst.
5. LIAMOO - Dragon
Anderz Wrethov, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Julie "Kill J" Aagaard, Liam Cacatian Thomassen
I posted back in 2022 that if LIAMOO couldn't win on his third try, he was in danger of entering the Andreas Johnsson/Linda Bengtzing/Mariette school of ever diminishing returns mixed with ever increasing sense of desperation. Well, he didn't win and here he is again, so we'll see if my grim prediction pans out. For what it's worth, he/his label seems to be throwing a fair bit of cash at the stage show for this, but the fact that he was denied the pimp slot in favour of a flashy new name may not bode brilliantly for him...
6. Fröken Snusk - Unga & fria
Fröken Snusk, Sara Ryan
This year's tabloid-baiting chaos agent, the mysterious Fröken Snusk are riding in on a wave of controversy, not least around the recent allegations that their entire career might be some kind of elaborate SCAM. Their material tends towards rowdy party dance with confrontational lyrics, and Unga & fria seems likely to be a slightly watered down version of the same. Will they ride their notoriety to the final or crash spectacularly a'la the not dissimilar Kamferdrops. We'll soon find out...
Schedule
Tuesday: Song lyrics. Journalists' reviews starting at 10am CET.
Wednesday: First Rehearsals.
Thursday: 1 minute studio version at 7am CET
Friday: 30 sec of the performance at 7am CET and the general rehearsal poll.
Saturday: Melfest
1. Maria Sur - When I'm Gone
Anderz Wrethov, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Julie "Kill J" Aagaard, Maria Sur
Ukrainian Maria gave us all the fear last year that her incredibly basic ballad might harness enough sympathy to spoil things for Loreen. In the end, common sense prevailed but she did well enough to grab a second shot at the title. Hopes are high for an Ellen Benediktson-esque songbird to SLUT makeover.
2. Engmans Kapell - Norrland
Larry Forsberg, Lennart Wastesson, Sven-Inge Sjöberg
This year's obligatory folk-rock outfit. Their biggest hit to date sounds promisingly jaunty, so if you have a soft spot for a shouty sea shanty this grizzled lot may be up your alley.
3. Dear Sara - The Silence After You
Benjamin Rosenbohm, Jonas Thander, Marcus Winther-John, Sara Nutti
Likely to cool things down a bit after Engmans have spilt their rum all over the stage, this quirky singer songwriter has moderate buzz from the fans on name only. Having sampled her wares on Spotify, her material seems to have something resembling a pulse, so she should at least be more interesting than Sophie Habibis-Borglowe from heat one.
4. C-Joe - Ahumma
Charles Koroma, Diana Kambugu, Michael Didriksson, Palle Hammarlund, Tony Malm, Twice Ice
As far as I can tell, the lowest-profile entrant in this heat. This Cameroonian-Swede's stock in trade seems to be sunny reggae music, so this should be affable filler at worst.
5. LIAMOO - Dragon
Anderz Wrethov, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Julie "Kill J" Aagaard, Liam Cacatian Thomassen
I posted back in 2022 that if LIAMOO couldn't win on his third try, he was in danger of entering the Andreas Johnsson/Linda Bengtzing/Mariette school of ever diminishing returns mixed with ever increasing sense of desperation. Well, he didn't win and here he is again, so we'll see if my grim prediction pans out. For what it's worth, he/his label seems to be throwing a fair bit of cash at the stage show for this, but the fact that he was denied the pimp slot in favour of a flashy new name may not bode brilliantly for him...
6. Fröken Snusk - Unga & fria
Fröken Snusk, Sara Ryan
This year's tabloid-baiting chaos agent, the mysterious Fröken Snusk are riding in on a wave of controversy, not least around the recent allegations that their entire career might be some kind of elaborate SCAM. Their material tends towards rowdy party dance with confrontational lyrics, and Unga & fria seems likely to be a slightly watered down version of the same. Will they ride their notoriety to the final or crash spectacularly a'la the not dissimilar Kamferdrops. We'll soon find out...
Schedule
Tuesday: Song lyrics. Journalists' reviews starting at 10am CET.
Wednesday: First Rehearsals.
Thursday: 1 minute studio version at 7am CET
Friday: 30 sec of the performance at 7am CET and the general rehearsal poll.
Saturday: Melfest