With less than 48 hours to go until Melodifestivalen 2024 is due to commence, Kittens and Euan had a chance to watch some of the rehearsals for the first heat of the competition, where they give their opinions and predictions for Saturday’s show.
Adam Woods – “Supernatural”
The song starts off with Adam viewed from above in dark on the stage with white paint splash style graphics on the floor screen in a square around him. The graphics move out like tendrils around him and then move out to fill the stage, moving with his body movements (think the Mans Zelmerlöw “Heroes” staging).
He’s wearing a shiny black and grey jacket with fringe detailing and plain black trousers, As the cameras pan out the graphics move onto the back walls, filling the stage and the lights from the stage flashing in time in the chorus. For the second verse, the tendrils turn to an orange-red and he ‘pushes’ them down with his hands to the rhythm. The graphics on the floor turn to gold sparkles and follow him around during the catchy chorus, and he ends with white and gold graphics surrounding him as the lights fade to dark.
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Euan | Kittens |
| This is Melfest-by-numbers but still manages to be amazing. He has a great stage prescence that is really emphasised with the the emptiness of the stage. The focus on just him really let’s you focus on a pretty damn good vocal performance that works so well with the song. | This isn’t anything new for Mello, but it’s slickly presented and the song is very catchy. The simple staging is effective, but I worry it won’t have as big an impact as it could do for an opener and might get forgotten. The graphics are great but sometimes a little too subtle and I would love to have seen some dancers or physical staging elements to complement them. |
| Euan’s Prediction | Kittens’ Prediction |
| Stay in competition / 3rd | Stay in competition / 4th |
Samir & Viktor – “Hela Världen Väntar”
Samir & Viktor are on a set of platforms, linked in the middle with stairs down to the main stage. Pictures of landmarks from around the world are on the screen surrounding them and they are lit in blue. They are dressed in matching red and blue varsity jackets, tracksuit bottoms and white trainers, and for the chorus they are joined by 5 dancers who come in on the steps, wearing white streetwear. The two come together in the middle of the stage for the second verse and pause there, as one of the dancers leaves the bridge and does flips and spins in the middle of the stage.
Samir & Viktor step off the bridge and all the dancers join them on the stage for the rest of the verse and chorus – there’s confetti cannons (wooooo!) and they return to the bridge for some camerawork facing away from the audience, with the dancers returning to the bridge with them for the ending shot, where we get some whooshes of pyro.
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Euan | Kittens |
| A tad more subdued than I was anticipating, particularly in the opening. It feels like it takes a third of the song before it fully gets going. This is made up for in the last 30 seconds of the songs where there’s a sharp increase in energy. The end does help give the song a kick, but it does feel like there’s something lacking from the overall package, and I can’t help but feel a little disappointed as someone who’s usually a big fan of their entries. | It’s that Samir & Viktor style that can be heard from a mile away. It’s definitely very catchy, but feels slightly weaker than their previous offerings, lacking a bit of punch. The staging and lots of dance movement adds a lot to the performance, but it still feels like the song just isn’t quite enough for what it wants to deliver. Still enjoyable, but just a bit disappointing. |
| Euan’s Prediction | Kittens’ Prediction |
| Stay in competition / 4th | Out / 5th |
Melina Borglowe – “Min Melodi”
Melina is dressed all in a green flared jumpsuit, holding her guitar and is surrounded by sphere shaped gentle lighting on stage. With the camera panning past the orange tinged lighting which gently pulses, it feels nostalgic, like city lighting in a soft late evening. The presentation is very sweet and delicate, and benefits from the simplicity of it all.
The lights cut out for a poignant moment, where the song pauses, and then come back on to resume more of the same as before before they fade to shadow at the end.
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Euan | Kittens |
| Simple yet so effective. The intimate and personal performance from Melina is encaptivatingly twee. Only real criticism of the performance is related to the camerawork there’s a lot of jumping about the place and she’s not connecting well at times. It needs a lot more focused shots like in the beginning. Like many meaningful songs in Melfest I expect the Swedish public to pay it in dust. | This is really simple but much more effective than I thought it would be – the staging feels really nostalgic and sweet, and it really suits the song. While it’s probably not going on my personal playlist, I think it will definitely have its fans who will adore it, and I can see it being surprisingly high up in the voting (prove me wrong!) |
| Euan’s Prediction | Kittens’ Prediction |
| Out / 6th | Stay in competition / 3rd |
Elisa Lindström – “Forever Yours”
The song begins with Elisa by herself on stage in a what could only be described as a stylised shell akin Botticelli’s Venus. She is in a white ruffled dress with a slight tail. Half way through their songs we have backing dancers. The four of them are donned in silver tops and white trousers. They take little focus off Elisa, and there are several plumes of smoke during the chous.
The song ends with the dancers leaving the stage and with a softer vocal moment focused entirely on Elisa.
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Euan | Kittens |
| I refuse to believe this is not a lost Sanna Nielsen perfomance. The sound and the quality of this schlager is exactly what has been missing from the contest in recent years. I do think this is lacking a little of vocal prowess to make it a Melfest classic, but overall a good performance that I think is going to be well received by the Swedish public. | Oh this is what I am here for. Classic schlager done perfectly, staging by that is eyecatching and memorable, vocals on point, such an amazing outfit, camp as all hell. I feel like there’s no way this won’t make it through to the final in a heartbeat. (I do worry about how she’s going to be picking glitter off everything for a week though). |
| Euan’s Prediction | Kittens’ Prediction |
| Direkt til Finalen / 2nd | Direkt til Finalen / 1st |
Lisa Ajax – “Awful Liar”
Lisa starts alone in dark on the stage, surrounded by rocks, with a moon in purple in the background. She’s in a figure hugging bejewelled black dress that shows off her baby bump. Shortly she’s joined by a male and female dancer, who come in and out of shot at pertinent moments.
Lisa sits on one of the rocks and the female dancer mirrors her movements subtly behind her. As the song develops, and the chorus lifts, the dancers accelerate behind her, in a dazzling display of lifts and acrobatics. Lisa stands and stays mainly static, showing off her vocals while the dancers move swiftly around her, until the song ends.
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Euan | Kittens |
| The song very okay, but is lacking a lot of impact. The style of ballad doesn’t really work with Lisa’s vocals and this is really prevelent in the chorus. There’s really not much here that’s helping me remember the song. It does feel like there are several points where there should be pyro but there’s nothing?? I can remember very little of the performance unless I’m actively watching it. | This is unfortunately too middle of the road for me. I feel like I should love it, and she’s a great singer, but I feel like I can barely remember it after a few listens. It feels like it either needs to be a lot faster, or a lot slower, but is somehow stuck in between. The chorus has a lot of potential, and it feels very radio friendly but just purely doesn’t have the big impact I wanted it to have. |
| Euan’s Prediction | Kittens’ Prediction |
| Out / 5th | Out / 6th |
Smash Into Pieces – “Heroes Are Calling”
The performance opens with the singer alone at the back of the stage fairly difficult to see with images of a post-apocalyptic cityscape in the background. As the backing images showcase the city we transition to close ups of the singers, as the bassist and guitarist appear. The stage dims as the cityscape turns to night, and red lasers fill the stage. The lights change to reveal the drummer is raised in a separate area obscured by the screens. The lighting transitions back to the warm lighter orange as the other three band members face the back of the stage and the steady cam focuses on them as they walk towards it. They turn back around and we return to the laser show at night for the chorus. Large mix of wide shots interspersed with close ups of the band members.
As the song slows the light transitions to blue as the song kicks into the final stage; as the volume increases the lasers return in a blue hue. The song ends with a few tufts of pyro.
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
What did we think of the rehearsal?
| Euan | Kittens |
| Extremely amazing follow up to last year’s entry. While their previous song at time felt to loud and in your face the mellower opening, coupled with the dark and moody sage really creates a fantastic experience for the viewer. The song has a satisfyingly strong hook, and a great emphasis on top tier drumming. In terms of staging, the emptiness of the stage really works for them as they fill the stage well with their prescence, and it amplified the effectiveness of the lasers. | This feels like a worthy follow up to their previous offering – and their fans will love it for sure. My only worry is that the staging doesn’t have the impact that their staging from last year does, and it feels at some points that they look lost on a big stage, which isn’t helped by the drummer in the alcove. Still, definitely one of the more memorable and catchy songs of the heat. |
| Euan’s Prediction | Kittens’ Prediction |
| Direkt til Finalen / 1st | Direkt til Finalen / 2nd |
The first heat of Melodifestivalen 2024 is set to commence on the 3rd February at 20:00CET. Don’t forget to follow That Eurovision Site to keep up to date with the latest coverage of Melodifestivalen 2024!
What we know about Melodifestivalen 2024
As revealed back in June – the Semi Final stage is no more. Two artists from each heat will go directly to the final (10 artists in total), and the two remaining places will be allocated via a run-off vote among the 3rd and 4th placers in each heat, bringing us to 12 artists in the final.
The dates and venues for this year’s competition are as follows:
- Heat 1 – February 3 – Malmö – Malmö Arena
- Heat 2 – February 10 – Gothenburg – Scandinavium
- Heat 3 – February 17 – Växjö – Vida Arena
- Heat 4 – February 24 – Eskilstuna – Stiga Sports Arena
- Heat 5 – March 2 – Karlstad – Löfbergs Arena
- Final – March 9 – Stockholm – Friends Arena
The shows will be hosted by Carina Berg. Tickets for this year’s edition of the competition went on sale in early November.
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 seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).
In 2023, Loreen returned to represent Sweden, who won the 2012 edition of the competition. She competed with the song “Tattoo”, which managed to qualify for the Grand Final, and placed 1st with 583 points. Loreen won the jury vote, accruing 340 points from the jury, earning an additional 243 points from the televote. This now means Sweden matches Ireland for the record of most wins in Eurovision history.
Are you excited for Melodifestivalen 2024? What do you think of the running order for this year’s competition? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik-Tok as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: SVT
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
Tim J