It’s the Eurovision down season, and don’t you for a second think we’re going to stop speculating, arguing, and pushing our heated opinions. Our latest series will look at the national finals of Eurovision, and discussing how we would reform the national finals of Eurovision. Today we’re having a look at Melodifestivalen.
In part 23 of this series Kittens, Ben and Daniel discuss what changes they’d make to Sweden’s national final.
What is Melodifestivalen?
Sweden’s Melodifestivalen, colloquially known as ‘Melfest’ or ‘Mello’ has been running almost every year since the late 1 950s to select the nation’s entry for Eurovision. The first winner of the contest was Alice Babs in 1958 with “Lilla stjärna” – and the contest has grown to be one of the most popular shows in the Sweden, with around half of the population tuning in every year. The current format of Melfest consists of five heats of six songs each, taking place across five Swedish cities, with two artists from each heat reaching the final in Stockholm, which usually takes place on the second Saturday in March. In 2024, they were joined by two artists who qualified via a controversial “Finalkval” system. Melodifestivalen uses a unique voting system that divides voters by age ranges (3-9, 10-15. 16-20. 30-44, 45-59, 60-74, 75+) as well as a telephone vote.
Do we like what the NF does so far, and do we think there’s a chance of it producing a winner?
Daniel
I mean obviously it can produce a winner, It’s produced several. My relationship with Mello is very love-hate. There will always be at least one song I obsess over, but it’s very rare that said song will actually win the show (Cornelia Jakobs aside!) Objectively, I think Melfest is a very well oiled machine that is brilliant at what it does, which is producing hyper-polished radio friendly songs that do well both in streaming numbers and in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Kittens
Mello is an industry, not just a show. By far the biggest commercial show of the NF season. It is a success, with artists still sticking in the charts for weeks after the show and rocketing little known artists to household names overnight. But I’m going to lay my cards on the table here, as a huge Mello fan, I can feel the shine definitely start to wear off the show. It is absolutely fantastic doing the job of a family friendly, Saturday night music festival that is designed to get music into the charts and on radio. However, I think it needs to take a look at itself as a selection process for Eurovision, because making purely radio-friendly music does not (always) lead to a winner in a contest that is increasingly unpredictable and changing.
Ben
One would have to be out of touch to believe that Mello can’t make a winner. Sweden’s 7 winner’s (well … 6 artists 7 songs) aside, prolific Mello writers show up and write entries across the continent. Mello is factory that takes in the same group of writers, pairs them with a singer, and produces radio-friendly music. It has ascended past being just a national final and almost gone into the Sanremo tier of “show first, Eurovision second”.
What changes would we make to the National Final?
Daniel
This would absolutely never happen but I would absolutely love, even just as a one off, if a measure were put in place that each person can only be a contributor on one song ever year. I can’t help but feel that the avalanche of G:Son and Jimmy Joker Thornfeldt songs each year is starting to get a little stale, and whilst I think that Melfest has a number of years left before things would start to sour, I’d much rather they fix the roof whilst the sun is still shining than get drenched by the rain. I’d also love to see a less box ticky way of selecting a more diverse pool of songs, in a sense that in every year we get the stereotypical dansband that comes last in the heat, the aged up joke act etc. whilst the pop boys and girls are storming into the lead. Since Jon Henrik Fjällgren has said Mello 2023 was his last, I’d also like to see a more concerted effort into getting a new generation of Sámi cultural representation into the contest, especially after SVT pleasantly surprised me with how promiment they made Sámi Grand Prix on the Melfest app. I also think the Finalkval introduced this year is a terrible idea but I’ll let Kittens do the big rant about that.
Kittens
Well Daniel has set me up here with Finalkval so lets do that one. Finalkval in any incarnation, even given we know it’s going to change for 2025, needs to be stopped. I am aware the producers think it will introduce drama and keep people on hype, but it simply does not work. No version of it, in any incarnation, has ever really worked. Call it andra chansen or whatever you like, but it simply does not work, and feels somewhat like it is just keeping artists hanging on a thread for no good reason. Watching artists schlep all the way to Karlstad to be trounced by just the artists who had performed that particular evening anyway feels like it would have been a bitter pill for them to swallow. There is a very easy solution, and that’s to qualify more acts directly from the deltävlingar themselves – sending 3 acts from each week, increasing the final to 15 acts. This would not have significant effect on the final (given that some of Mello’s interval acts this year have been…questionable and could easily be cut – but not you Björnzone) and could legitimately give artists the boost they need. Away from Finalkval, the selections themselves need work. The same songwriters over and over, the same artist styles over and over, and a general feeling of deja vu all adds up to a big need to change. I feel I could also have words about the age-voting here. If you try and please everyone, you end up exciting nobody – and that is very much a metaphor for Mello’s Eurovision entries as a whole.
Ben
Kittens already said all my gripes about Finalkval/Andra Chancen/whatever abomination of second chance they come up with next, so I’ill just tail off of Daniel. I beg you SVT please please PLEASE have some more diversity in the writing department. I love songs from G:son and the Debs as much as any Mello fan, but its getting tired. Similarly, can please see some younger, more unknown, Swedish talent? As much as I want to see Dotter, Samir&Viktor, Danny Saucedo, and Medina go to Eurovision, I want to see some new and diverse talent showcased. What makes seeing the same group of artists hurt worse is that, over in neighboring Norway, NRK showcases so many talented debut artists (see Alessandra) year after year. And while we are at it, SVT, besties, where is the Sami representation? Just having Jon Henrik Fjalgren year after year doesn’t count. Norway almost consistently puts minimum 1 new Sami artist in MGP and SVT even streams Sami Grand Prix + supports it in Mello app. At this point, it feels like SVT is just keeping them in SGP and not allowing anyone to graduate to the big stage.
Do we think any reforms are likely to happen to this NF?
Daniel
Excluding the shifting of some goalposts they’ve already done with Finalkval, Probably not. I think that SVT are far too scared to tip the apple cart and disrupt what isn’t just a song competition but what is essentially an entire industry in Sweden. SVT know change is scary and if you look at results and the radio they’re doing a lot right, but the sun won’t shine forever.
Kittens
Lipservice changes have been made, and (finally) releasing all the songs on the week of the competition is a welcome change. But I fear that Mello in general needs a sharp shock to spur on a change. The way they are going, I fear a Eurovision low score or non-qualification will happen sooner than later – and that will shock them into action. Until then, they will move along as if nothing is wrong – and if you look at results, technically there really isn’t anything wrong at all. The problem with Mello is there is no problem. However, not all is right in Mello as a Eurovision selection, and the sooner they acknowledge the elephant in the room, the sooner they can work out what age bracket it fits into.
Ben
I can beg, plead, and cry for a wider selection of songs all i want, but I don’t expect Mello to change it at all. SVT is too afraid of losing the viewers (like Norway has) so they thaw out the same 10 writers every year, give their songs to the same artists, and pic 3 newbies out of a hat to send into the lions den. SVT seems to believe that they wont win Eurovision without a Loreen size artist winning Mello, so I highly doubt they will change anything until they are proven wrong.
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 2024, Sweden were represented on home soil by Marcus and Martinus. As the host entry, their song “Unforgettable” did not need to compete in the semi-finals. At the close of voting in the grand final, they had received 174 points. 125 points were received by the juries, while the twins received 49 points by televoters.
What do you think about our reforms? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Stina Stjernkvist / SVT for Melodifestivalen 2024
Tim J