SVT swear off joke entries in Melodifestivalen 2019

To start the new year, Sweden’s broadcaster SVT have announced that there will be no joke entries in Melodifestivalen. Fear not, not all humour will be lost in Sweden this year, as they promise to use humour in other parts of the show.

Frowning upon Rolandz

SVT have said that they have chosen a different direction for the contest in 2019. In previous years, several variety acts joined the line-up. Almost always, at least one of them manages to qualify for the final of Melodifestivalen. Last year, we saw Rolandz making it through to the final with “Fuldans”. Another comedy act appearing last year was culinary writer Edward Blom.

Many assumed YouTube star Vlad Reiser would be bringing a joke entry after his single release of “PrankStar” last year. He has however said his stage persona is different from the one who released the aforementioned song. Now he’s in Melodifestivalen, he feels he needs to be an artist first and foremost.

In the SVT blog, Christer Björkman commented on the decision not to include joke entries in Melodifestivalen this year:

We have had = joke acts taking part but we don’t see the same need for them. We want variation and not feel like we follow a set template.

Christer Björkman to SVT

Interval acts and hosts

SVT don’t want to abolish all humour during their Saturday night entertainment show. Therefore, they’ve decided to turn the bits inbetween the songs into humoristic pieces. That means the hosts, as well as the interval acts will contain bits of humour.

Two of the hosts this year, Kodjo Akolor and Marika Carlsson, are comedians. Sarah Dawn Finer, the third host, is also known for her comedy sketches during previous Melodifestivalen and Eurovision jobs. They will, alongside Eric Saade, be responsible to bring the laughter to the Melodifestivalen stage.

SVT blogger Gustav Dahlander is currently writing a series of blogs regarding Melodifestivalen 2019. His next blog will be about the return of ballads in Melodifestivalen. Perhaps 2019 will be the ballad year for Sweden?

How do you feel about the absence of joke entries in Melodifestivalen 2019? Let us know! Make sure you check out our detailed guide for all entrants and songwriters as well.