This weekend we will hear the remaining seven songs of Melodifestivalen 2021 in the fourth and final semi-final. After Tusse and Charlotte Perrelli got the two final spots in the past week, we are looking for the 7th and 8th songs to go to this year’s final. And two of the acts below will be the lucky winners on Saturday. Thursday will be the day for us to talk about the full songs and rehearsals, Friday we will bring you updates from the rehearsals, and in the evening we live blog the dress rehearsal. Saturday we, of course, bring you the full coverage for the live show. Everything here on ESCXTRA!
Before the broadcast of the Melodifestivalen, 60 seconds audio clips of the competing entries will be published on Thursdays at 13.30 on SVT Play and Melodifestivalen’s app.
30 seconds from each contestant’s rehearsal get published on SVT Play and in Melodifestivalen’s app on Thursdays as well.
Entire entries (not finalists) will be posted after 9.30 pm on SVT Play and in Melodifestivalen’s app on Saturday after the broadcast.
Now let’s take a look at this week’s seven competing acts and some facts provided by SVT.
Tess Merkel – Good Life
Written by: Tony Malm, Tess Merkel, Palle Hammarlund, Mats Tärnfors
Performers
• Dancers: Fatou Bah, Sanna Jansson, Carin Mårtensson Årenäs and Louise Wallentin.
• Off-stage backing vocalist: Sara Nordenberg.
Show creators
• Show creators: Dennis Brøchner, Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste and Jennie Widegren.
• Choreographer: Zain Odelstål.
Props and special effects
• 2 laser pillars, 4 metres high.
Theme: Stylistic, conceptual, modern disco.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 62.
Tess on the entry:
”If I would describe my song in one sentence, I would say that no matter what happens in life, there is always joy, love and hope to fight for, and above all, life should be celebrated. The song came into being during a very blue and heavy period of my life. I felt weak and started to write to get it out of the system, and it all turned out so blue. So I thought: ‘Dammit, time to make something positive out of this! Good Life, here I come.’”
Lovad – Allting är precis likadant
Written by: Mattias Andréasson, Alexander Nivek, Lova Drevstam, Albin Johnsén
Performers
• Dancer: Daniel Koivunen.
Show creators
• Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste och Jennie Widegren.
Props and special effects
• Microphone stand with flowers.
• Heavy smoke.
• Camera trick with the dancer.
• Blackbox behind the stage.
Theme: Breaking-point, dream-like, misty.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 31.
Lovad on her entry:
”If I would describe my song in one sentence, I would say: maybe you have to break to get whole again. It’s going to be fragile, on the breaking-point. I might start crying, I don’t know.”
Efraim Leo – Best Of Me
Written by: Efraim Leo, Cornelia Jakobsdotter, Amanda Björkegren, Herman Gardarfve
Performers
• Dancers: Christoffer Collins and Martin Wallin Andersson.
• Off-stage in-house backing vocalists: Emelie Fjällström and Lars Säfsund.
Show creators
• Show creators: Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste and Jennie Widegren.
• Choreographers: Christoffer Collins and Martin Wallin Andersson.
Props and special effects
• LED: Creating a separate room with walls and a floor.
• External lighting.
• White microphone stands.
Theme: Warm, extroverted, modern dance performance.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 54.
Efraim on his entry:
”It’s a song about how hard it is to leave someone that you like. It was born when I, Cornelia, Amanda and Herman were sitting at a Stockholm hotel room in morning wraps and jamming. At the end of the day, the song was there. The viewers can expect a delightful and energetic song which will make it hard to stand still.”
The Mamas – In The Middle
Written by: Emily Falvey, Robin Stjernberg, Jimmy Jansson
Performers
• Off-stage backing vocalist: Stran Cetin.
Show creators
• Show creators: Dennis Brøchner, Zain Odelstål, Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste and Jennie Widegren.
• Choreographer: Zain Odelstål.
Props and special effects
• Effect: Pre-recorded bridge.
Theme: Closeness, majestic, joy, sisterhood, power.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 33.
The Mamas on their entry:
”We were in the studio with Robin Stjernberg, finishing our EP. He played the song, and we liked it a lot and wanted to try to record it. When we did, it was a magical moment, like we have to do this. We cried, it was very emotional.”
Sannex – All Inclusive
Written by: Greta Svensson, Hans Thorstensson
Performers
• Off-stage in-house backing vocalist: Lars Säfsund.
Show creators
• Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste and Jennie Widegren.
Props and special effects
• White podiums and backline.
• Camera: Colour-tinted filter.
• LED: Beach, palms.
Theme: Flirtatious, lovely.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 70.
Sannex on their entry:
”The parents of our songwriters like dansband and schlager music, and the song was born when they set their mind to write the best goddamn song there is in the dansband/schlager genre. The song suits everybody and speaks straight to the heart and soul of the people.”
Clara Klingenström – Behöver inte dig idag
Written by: Clara Klingenström, Bobby Ljunggren, David Lindgren Zacharias
Performers
• Off-stage in-house backing vocalist: Emelie Fjällström.
Show creators
• Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste and Jennie Widegren.
Instruments
• White electric guitar.
Props and special effects
• External lamp.
• Chromed microphone stand.
• Camera: Retro filter.
Tema: Honest, authentic, grimy, analogous.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 28.
Clara on her entry:
”If I would describe my song in one sentence, it would be: Goddamn revenge. I wrote the song when I had hit the bottom. But now, it’s time for revenge.”
Eric Saade – Every Minute
Written by: Eric Saade, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt
Performers
• In-house dancer: Kenny Lantz.
• Off-stage backing vocalist: Greg Curtis.
Show creators
• Show creators: Fredrik ”Benke” Rydman, Lotta Furebäck, Sacha Jean-Baptiste and Jennie Widegren.
• Choreographer: Fredrik ”Benke” Rydman.
Props and special effects
• White plate.
• Black cloth with a magnetic release.
• Contingently a black carpet.
• External lighting.
• Wire.
Theme: Black space.
Camera cuts
• Approximately 99.
Eric on his entry:
”My song is a sexy, addictive pop song – with a stroke of darkness in it.”
Semi-Final 4 will be hosted by Christer Björkman together with Per Andersson & Pernilla Wahlgren!
You can find more info about the competing acts and about the show on media.melodifestivalen.se
Sweden at 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 the 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 second-highest number of wins, behind Ireland’s seven.
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