Tonight the new semi-final of Melodifestivalen took place at the Friends Arena in Stockholm. Eight acts from the heats qualified for the semi-final, later drawn into two groups to compete for the final four places in the final next Saturday.
The semi-final was introduced for the first time this year. Previously the fifth show of Melodifestivalen was entitled andra chansen, the second chance. Two songs from each heat qualified to the semi-final.
The Swedish people had five votes to be distributed for each of the songs. From each of the two groups, the two entries that received most points in total from the eight voting groups advanced to the final. In each of the two groups, the eight voting groups each awarded 35 points on the scale of 12-10-8-5 points.
The results of the Semi Final of Melodifestivalen 2022
| Group 1: |
| 1. Tone Sekelius – My Way (Finalist) |
| 2. Alvaro Estrella – Suave |
| 3. Danne Stråhed – Hallabaloo |
| 4. Anna Bergendahl – Higher Power (Finalist) |
| Group 2: |
| 1. THEOZ – Som du vill (Finalist) |
| 2. Lisa Miskovsky – Best to Come |
| 3. Lillasyster – Till Our Days Are Over |
| 4. Cazzi Opeia – I Can’t Get Enough (Finalist) |
The other finalists
| Robin Bengtsson - Innocent Love |
| Cornelia Jakobs – Hold Me Closer |
| LIAMOO – Bluffin |
| John Lundvik – Änglavakt |
| Anders Bagge – Bigger Than The Universe |
| Faith Kakembo – Freedom |
| Klara Hammarström – Run to the Hills |
| Medina – In i dimman |
Melodifestivalen 2022: venues
Following the cancellation of the Melodifestivalen 2022 tour, the originally chosen venues were replaced:
- 5th February – Heat 1 (Avicii Arena)
- 12th February – Heat 2 (Avicii Arena)
- 19th February – Heat 3 (Avicii Arena)
- 26th February – Heat 4 (Friends Arena)
- 5th March – Semi Final (Friends Arena)
- 12th March – Final (Friends Arena)
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Beginning their Eurovision history in 1958, Sweden has always maintained an excellent record of results. Yet it was not until 1966 that Sweden reached the top three for the first time. The Swedish entry, ‘Nygammal vals‘ finished in second place at the contest in Luxembourg City, still the only time Sweden has finished second. Later it was 1974 when Sweden truly began their legacy in the contest. After earning their first win with, ‘Waterloo‘. Of course, launching ABBA into a global success.
Consequently Sweden have won a further five times – Herreys (1984), Carola (1991), Charlotte Nilsson (1999), Loreen (2012) and Måns Zelmerlöw (2015). As well as finishing in third place six times, the country also achieved a second-place finish in 1966 but have never finished as runner-up again. Therefore Sweden is the second most successful Eurovision nation behind leaders, Ireland with seven wins.
In 2021, Tusse was selected to represent Sweden in Rotterdam with his song ‘Voices’. Not to mention that he prevailed against strong competition from 2011 podium finisher, Eric Saade, and 2020 entrants, The Mamas. During the contest in Rotterdam, Tusse qualified from the first Semi-Final in 7th place and in the Grand Final, Sweden finished in 14th place with 109 points.
Listen to all released songs of Melodifestivalen 2022 below (finalists come after heat 4):
Did your fave make it? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates. Also, make sure you follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run-up to the 2022 contest in Turin!
