Every year, the Swedish P4 Nästa competition is a bright spot in the relatively dark and empty void that is the Eurovision news cycle in the summer. That’s because the competition produces the first Melodifestivalen act for the Eurovision season! This year, Julia Alfrida was given a wildcard to compete in Melodifestivalen 2021!
Won the wildcard and the show
Per the rules of the P4 Nästa competition, the winner of the show is not necessarily the same as the artist that goes to Melfest. While the winner of the show is decided by a public vote, a professional jury decides who will win the spot in Sweden’s Eurovision national selection.
Last year, despite Amanda Aasa being chosen as the Melfest wildcard, the competition as a whole was won by Tim Lööv. This was the case for Julia with her song “Dark Doom.”, which placed sixth in the competition.
Of course, she will have to write a new song for Melodifestivalen, as songs for that competition are not to be released until it performs in its semifinal at the earliest.
Wildcard acts in Melodifestivalen
No act chosen to be in Melodifestivalen via the P4 Nästa wildcard has ever made it past the semifinal stage. The best placing one of these acts ever received was 5th in the semifinal, when Terese Fredenwall and Smilo achieved this in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
Last year, the P4 Nästa wildcard was Amanda Aasa, who sent the song “Late” to Melodifestivalen 2020. She placed 6th in her semifinal, not qualifying.
Are you happy with the winner of P4 Nästa? Are you excited to see her in Melodifestivalen 2021? 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!
Julia got the Melodifestivalen place but she was actually only 6th in the competition. Hilde & Erik won P4 Nästa 2020.