8 down, 17 to go
Six more P4 radio stations from all across Sweden have selected their act for P4 Nästa 2020. The winner of the competition will potentially win a spot in one of the Melodifestivalen 2021 semi-finals.
The chosen acts were decided by a mix of jury and local voting. They are as following:
- Jönköping – Henna Lacabane – Slå hål i mörkret
- Halland – Canvas – Tjugo år
- Uppland – Markus Hakim – Capulet
- Västernorrland – Nina Bring – Nära
- Malmöhus – Hilde & Erik – Som det är
- Sörmland – Linnéa Lindgren – Gå morgon
They will be joining the two acts that have been selected previously, who are as follows:
- from Skaraborg: Alicja Jern – Friendzone
- from Jämtland: Amskøld – Standby
The remaining P4 acts will be selected between June 4th and July 17th. The full list can be found here.
About P4 Nästa
P4 Nästa is an annual radio station competition held between all P4 stations across Sweden. A total of 25 acts will compete, with eight going through to the final. The final of P4 Nästa will take place on September 12.
Traditionally since 2013, the winner of the competition has been given a wildcard spot in one of the Melodifestivalen semi-finals. Last year, the lucky one was Amanda Aasa, who competed with “Late”, but failed to qualify for the final or the second chance round. Up until this day, no wildcard winner has been able to make it out of a semi-final.
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden has participated in the contest 59 times since its debut in 1958. They have missed only three contests since their debut (1964, 1970 and 1976). Since 1959, the Swedish entry has been chosen through Melodifestivalen. In 1997, Sweden was one of the first five countries to adopt televoting, and have continued to innovate the technology behind the contest whenever they host.
Sweden is one of the most successful countries at contest, winning six contests so far. Notably, their wins span their participation history; their victories span five decades with ABBA (1974), Herreys (1984), Carola (1991), Charlotte Nilsson (1999), Loreen (2012) and Måns Zelmerlöw (2015). They currently have the the second-highest number of wins, behind Ireland’s seven.
In Tel Aviv, John Lundvik represented Sweden with his song “Too Late For Love” after winning last year’s Melodifestivalen. He won both the jury and public vote in the Melodifestivalen final. This includes receiving the maximum 12 points from all international juries that voted, something that had never been achieved before until now. Despite a similarly strong jury score at the Grand Final, the televote was once again not enough to secure Sweden its seventh win.
In 2020, the Mamas were supposed to represent Sweden after previously taking part as background singers for John Lundvik. It is still unknown whether they will participate in Melodifestivalen again.
Are you looking forward to Melodifestivalen 2021? Do you think the P4 Nästa act for 2021 will advance to the final? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates!
