Ahead of the final of Melodifestivalen this weekend, Tim gets the chance to sit down with Panetoz for an interview. They are competing in Melodifestivalen with their song “On My Way”.
Check out our interview with Panetoz here!
During the interview, the guys talk about their happiness at going directly to the final after their heat. They also, give an idea about their plans after Melodifestivalen, as well as giving hints as to whether their song will stay in Swedish.
About Panetoz
Panetoz is a five-piece band originally from Jorebro, on the outskirts of Stockholm. The band is made up of Pa Moudou Badjie, Nebeyu Baheru, Johan Hirvi, Daniel Nzinga and Njol Ismail Badjie. Each of the band members have roots in other countries including The Gambia, Angola, Congo, Finland and Ethiopia. Panetoz were first established in 2001, when the band members were in school. Since then, the band has gone on to participate in Hitmakers, which catapulted the group onto the national stage. As well as this, Panetoz have participated in Melodifestivalen once before – in 2014, where they placed 9th in the final. Their second entry to Melodifestivalen – “On My Way” – was written by Panetoz themselves, alongside Anders Wigelius, Jimmy Jansson and Robert Norberg. Panetoz will perform 5th in the final.
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 its debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win six times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, and 2015).
In 2022, Sweden was represented by Cornelia Jakobs, who won the 61st edition of the competition and competed with the song “Hold Me Closer”, which managed to qualify for the Grand Final and placed 4th with 438 points from the jury and televoters.
Are you excited for Melodifestivalen 2023? Are you excited to see Panetoz’s performance in this year’s Melodifestivalen? Do you think they could win? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: That Eurovision Site / MED Photography
