Deltävling 2 of Melodifestivalen 2022 is happening tomorrow, and Rosie and Angus had a chance to watch some of the rehearsals for the second heat of the competition. These are their opinions and predictions for Saturday’s show.
LIAMOO – “Bluffin”
The performance starts with the stage lit in purple, with the spotlight on LIAMOO coming on when he starts to sing. His purple background displays his face during the pre-chorus. As the chorus hits, most of the lights turn down and his background goes dark. When the beat comes back in, images of his face flash on the screen behind him.
Throughout the performance, the purple and white lights are used to illuminate LIAMOO, who remains all by himself on stage. Most of the camera shots throughout the performance focus on him, with some wider shots to break it all up. Instead of centering the singer, a lot of shots have the singer of to one side of the screen, with camera pans and his movements moving him from one side to another.
Towards the end of the song, the lights switch between purple and white faster and faster, with the background also flashing at increased speed. The performance ends with a zoom-in on LIAMOO’s face.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| This is the polished, contemporary pop we’ve come to know and love from Sweden, and LIAMOO gives a fantastic performance. It’s got a great beat, and despite the heavy use of instrumental interludes, he owns the stage the whole way through. I expect this to do very well. | While this song isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, LIAMOO is a strong performer. He owns that stage by himself, and the lighting choices really enhance the song as well. I’d usually expect this to do very well but we saw last week that anything could happen. Still, expect to see this song in Mello again. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| DTF | Semi-Finals |
Niello & Lisa Ajax – “Tror du att jag bryr mig”
Niello and Lisa Ajax make full use of the stage in the Avicii Arena. With props used to make the stage look like a hair salon, the two performers are joined by four dancers, two men and two women. The camera pans across the stage, letting us take it all in before Niello starts the song. The main colours for the performance are blue and purple, with both the props and the background using them heavily.
The male dancers join Niello at the centre of the stage, before moving stage right as the chorus hits. The camera cuts to Lisa Ajax and her two dancers performing the chorus and choreography, which includes shouting at a phone.
As the song progresses and Niello and Lisa Ajax sing at the same time, split screen is used to show both performers on their sides of the stage. Towards the end of the song, Niello and Lisa meet in the middle, the lights cut out and they are lit by a purple spotlight. We then turn the lights back on for the climax of the song.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| This is one of the most interestingly staged numbers I’ve seen in my (admittedly very short) time watching Mello, and there’s something about this that just puts a smile on my face. I love the fact that it’s in Swedish and I find the melody catchy and it makes me want to dance along, but it does feel like there’s something missing from it – in a heat full of such charismatic performances, this might struggle to capture the audience in the same way. | It’s always good to hear Swedish at Mello, and the performance works well with the song. While I do like the song, I have to admit that the lyrics are unimpressive to me and the melody not very memorable. Between another big name performing in Swedish on the same night and the other performances, I see this struggling. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| 7th | 6th |
Samira Manners – “I Want To Be Loved”
The performance starts with the camera slowly zooming in on Samira. The stage is lit by yellow lights, giving a campfire feeling. Samira is sitting on a chair in the middle of the stage with her guitar. She is joined on stage by a drummer and two more guitarists. The camera shots focus on Samira, panning around her face while occasionally cutting to her hands.
After the first chorus, Samira gets up and walks with the microphone as she keeps singing. As the song starts building up towards the end, she walks to the B-stage where she is lit by a spotlight. During the final chorus, the camera sometimes switches back to Samira’s fellow musicians before cutting back to her. The final shot is a striking close-up of Samira, with only the spotlight on her still being on.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| This is understated and incredibly beautiful, and the staging of this song completely brings it to life with the star-like lights in the background. It’s full of beautiful harmonies, and Samira has a unique and lovely voice. After last week’s surprise DTF for Cornelia, I’m not sure quite where this might end up. I’d love to see this do incredibly well, and either way, it’s going on my playlist. | This is my favourite song in this heat, and the entire staging and Samira’s performance bring it to life beautifully. It stands out on the night, but I fear that it just won’t get the support over the other songs. Could this pull a Cornelia Jakobs and go to DTF? It’s always possible, but I am not getting my hopes up. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| 6th | 7th |
Alvaro Estrella – “Suave”
The performance starts with some aesthetically hazy camera pans before we see Alvaro against a black and red background of stylised roses on fire. After the first couple of lines, he is joined by two backing dancers in dark red suits and black hats, as fire lights up along the two sides of the stage. Very quickly, two more backing dancers also join the party.
As the chorus kicks in, the background gives some short red flashes, between showing an abstract red smoke/flame patter. Alvaro moves away from the backing dancers for the second verse, and we see the camera pan around him, interspersed with shots of the dancers before the join him again towards the end of the verse. They dance together until the end of the song.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| This is the Latin-inspired number we have come to expect from Alvaro over the last few years, and given he made the final via Andra Chansen last year, I see no reason as to why this won’t achieve just as good a result again. It’s fiery, it’s sexy, it’s definitely impactful, and I expect that people will enjoy this a lot. | Again, not a song for me but this is quite the fiery performance. Literally. Between the staging and his stage presence, I see no reason for this to not do well. Especially considering it is quite the earworm. I expect this to do similarly to his previous two entries. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| DTF | Semi-Finals |
Browsing Collection – “Face in the crowd”
We start with a heavy dose of flashing lights and on screen effects. The camera cuts and pans around the band members, who are illuminated by the flashes and the pink LED background. The background then starts flashing monochromatic graphics. On stage are the four members and all the things you would expect at a rock concert. Their outfits are eclectic, but feel completely right for this performance.
The camera cuts and lighting follow the energy of the song. Slower when it slows down, downright chaotic when the song goes hard. Most camera cuts start from a little distance away before zooming in, then cutting away for the next shot to zoom in, and so on. The song ends on an impressive amount of pyro, followed by flashing lights. The performance closes on a shot showing the entire band on stage.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| What a fun, nostalgic, rock song this is. It’s rocky enough to appeal to fans of the genre, but accessible enough for anyone who might not call themselves a rock fan to enjoy this also. There’s a great energy to this that’ll have people on their feet. It’s another one that’s hard to judge as to how it’ll do; I’m excited to see, and I hope it’ll do well, though I also wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t quite garner enough support to make it through. | Both the song and performance really stand out. I’m not entirely onboard with the camera cuts but who cares, I am moving along with this enough to barely even notice! This really brings a bit of energy to the entire show, and that is much appreciated. I’ll definitely be browsing through the Browsing Collection discography later! As for how competitive it is… I see this as a dark horse to potentially do well, but do not have any high hopes. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| 5th | 5th |
John Lundvik – “Änglavakt”
We start panning into John from a diagonal angle – he’s dressed in beige, with white spotlights lit behind him. There’s a good bit of lens flare as the camera circles around him, before we view him from the front. Throughout the chorus, we see shots of him from different angles – close up, mid shots and full lengths from different perspectives. As a heartbeat sounds in the music, we see the floor beneath him light up white to the beat.
The second verse continues as before, white lights and multiple camera angles as he moves around the stage playing to the camera. Above him, a white square of lights shows in an outline, before spotlights light up in the middle of it and move with him as he performs. The lights fade down on him as the song ends.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| It’s a different direction for John Lundvik from the energy and power of Too Late For Love. This is understated and emotional, though for me succeeds less at capturing that style of song than Samira. His charisma is undeniable, the staging effective, but I’m left feeling a little cold. Whether the voting audience will feel the same, I have no ideas – maybe I’m just heartless! | Mello veteran John Lundvik brings an emotional and professional performance of a well produced ballad. Lyrically it is so-so and musically it doesn’t quite grab me, but he really sells the emotion of the song. Combine this with his charisma and the tasteful staging, and I think this will go straight to the final. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| Semi-finals | DTF |
Tone Sekelius – “My Way”
We see Tone first of all from the back, dressed in an incredibly long trench coat which looks yellow beneath the lights. We see her in a close up from the front as she starts singing, and instrumental breaks in the song cut to a single backing dancer, who is later joined by another dancer also.
We pan out to show the whole stage as the chorus kicks in, Tone in the centre and the dancers to the left of her. We also get some shots of some of the string players who are also sat on stage – two violin players and a cellist. As the second verse begins, Tone is in darkness against the lit dancers, before the spotlight rises on her again. As the second chorus starts, she throws off her trench coat to reveal a black velvet dress underneath. The curtain LED behind her behinds to flutter. The dancers have now left the stage.
When the second chorus ends, she walks over past the string players to the B-stage, which lights up with a star pattern. She remains here for the final chorus.
Photo Credit: SVT / Annika Berglund
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Rosie | Angus |
| It’s a delightfully celebratory performance from Tone, whose song celebrates coming out of your shell and being yourself – a very personal story for her. She sells the song completely, and it’s an upbeat, joyful number that will make you feel good. The staging doesn’t quite feel completely cohesive yet, and I’m not sure if this will impact how viewers at home will take to it, but regardless of where this places, it’ll be a song which touches a lot of people. | Outfit changes, a great buildup musically, and an amazing performer. If there are any reasons for people not to vote for this, I haven’t seen them yet. Upbeat, danceable, and one of the most fun songs of the night. I expect this to do very well throughout Mello. |
| Rosie’s Prediction | Angus’ Prediction |
| Semi-finals | DTF |
The second heat of Melodifestivalen 2022 is set to commence on the 12th of February at 20:00CET. Don’t forget to follow That Eurovision Site to keep up to date with the latest coverage of Melodifestivalen 2022.
Sweden’s Eurovision Journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win six times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, and 2015).
In 2021, Sweden was represented by Tusse, who won the 60th edition of Melodifestivalen and competed with the song “Voices”, which managed to qualify for the Grand Final and placed 14th with 109 points from the jury and televoters.
What are your thoughts about the Melodifestivalen rehearsals? How do you think the show will go on Saturday night? As always, let us know what you think by getting in touch in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on our social media – we are on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Source: SVT / Annika Berglund
