It’s that time of year again – Melodifestivalen is back! This year, 30 artists will compete across 5 heats for a chance to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2024. This year, the pressure will be on more than ever for everyone competing, as they’ll be following in the footsteps of Loreen, who won not only Melodifestivalen but Eurovision for the second time with ‘Tattoo‘ in 2023. As the contest takes place on home soil this year in Malmö, which artist will be hoping to do the double, and get Sweden their eighth Eurovision win?
It could be one of the six in Heat 1 – only 2 can qualify for the final, whilst 2 will enter the second chance vote, which takes place at the end of Heat 5.
Phoenix would also like to take this opportunity to thank SVT for once again granting us accreditation to this years Melodifestivalen – we can’t wait to bring you all the exclusive content as and when we get it!
Here’s all you need to know about the Heat 1 artists and their songs.
Adam Woods – ‘Supernatural’
22 year-old Adam Woods (Adam Allskog) grew up in Vaxholm & Täby, outside of Stockholm, and trained as a classical pionist before auditioning for Idol in 2019 – leading him into his current singing career. Adam released his debut single – a cover of the Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way’ – in 2020, alongside Helion and Rotciv & Revilo. His first solo track ‘Drifting‘ was released just a few weeks ago on January 12th 2024, and has already amassed over 300k streams on Spotify. If you saw last years competition, you’ll probably recognise Adam – he made his debut in Melodifestivalen 2023, alongside Arc North and four-time Melfest entrant Jon Henrik Fjällgren as the lead singer on ‘Where You Are (Sávežan)’, coming 4th in the final.
Adam is back this year, this time as a soloist with ‘Supernatural‘. The song is an upbeat, slick pop track that we’ve come to recognise as a ‘classic’ Melfest entry in recent years, and is a great opener to Heat 1. Adam has described his song as the following:
“Supernatural” is basically about the fact that it’s okay to love, to love in all its consuming forms – because sometimes that’s what allows one to love themself. […] The song has speed, power, weight and happiness – all in a mysterious and dynamic package. This song means everything to me, and I want everyone who hears it to feel the same epic but also deep feeling that inspired it. Therefore, I have worked for over six months on every detail. No part is included unnecessarily, and if only one person says they get the point, then I’ve succeeded.
Adam Woods on ‘Supernatural’, Mellopedia
You can hear part of Adam’s song here, and see an image from his first rehearsal below!
Samir & Viktor – ‘Hela världen väntar’
Samir & Viktor return to Melfest this year, after taking 6 years away from the contest. The duo have been part of the contest on 3 occasions – in 2015 (‘Groupie‘, 8th place), 2016 (‘Bada Nakna‘, 12th place) and in 2018 (‘Shuffla‘ 4th place). They’re one of the most successful artists in Melodifestivalen when it comes to qualifications, ranking 12th in the list for most appearances in the final.
Samir Badran was born in Linköping, rising to fame in 2013 and 2014 through reality TV series Paradise Hotel. He also placed 5th in Let’s Dance 2017, and co-presented Talang from 2019-2021. Since 2022, Samir has been working in the real estate industry. Viktor Frisk was born in Alberga, and worked as a fashion blogger, meeting Samir through mutual friends before beginning their joint music career. He published a book in 2017 titled Min Superkraft, detailing his personal experiences living with ADHD. Like Samir, Viktor took on Let’s Dance in 2018, also finishing 5th. The pair released their own book that same year.
Samir & Viktor released their first single ‘Success‘ in 2014, which reached #3 in the Sverigetopplistan. Outside of their Melfest entries, they’ve had hits such as ‘Fick Feeling‘ and ‘Put You Hands Up för Sverige‘. 2016 saw them take a short hiatus from music before returning a year later. In 2020, they announced they were taking another break to explore their own interests, with ‘Arbetslös‘ serving as their final single.
After 3 years away, Viktor revealed on Nyhetsmorgon in 2023 that he and Samir would be returning, releasing the song ‘SKÅL‘ a few weeks later. The pair now turn their attention back to Melodifestivalen, this time with the entry ‘Hela världen väntar’. Keeping the upbeat vibe after Adam Woods, ‘Hela världen väntar’ has an anthemic, catchy chorus that should be no suprise to anyone who’s familiar with Samir & Viktor’s past entries. You can hear part of their song here, and see an image from their first rehearsal below!
Melina Borglowe – ‘Min melodi’
25 year-old singer/songwriter and indie artist Melina Borglowe will be making her debut in Melodifestivalen this year, and is the only artist in this Heat that hasn’t taken part before. Born in Växjö, Melina was inspired by her father to start singing, releasing her first single aged just 13. She has also been part of Rec-Collective, an initative started with the aim to get young girls interested in music production. Melina has recently signed with record company TEN Music, releasing an EP, ‘Puss kram hej’, in October.
Melina has described her Melfest entry ‘Min Melodi’ as the following…
“Min melodi” is a guitar-based pop song about how love is the basis for the desire to create. Andreas Mattsson and Thomas G:son sent me the melody and the chords, and I thought it was such a beautiful chord sequence and a wonderful drive in the song. Then I wrote the lyrics and played a lot with the words when I did it. I thought it felt funny to have different similes for music and creation because I wrote with Mello in mind. […] I am so incredibly grateful to be part of this crazy adventure. I hope that I will learn a lot about how TV and big productions work, since I have no experience with it before.
Melina Borglowe, Mellopedia
You can hear part of her song here, and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Elisa Lindström – ‘Forever Yours’
Country/Pop star Elisa Lindström returns for the third time at Melodifestivalen, last taking part in 2021 with ‘Den du är‘. She has also taken part in 2014 with ‘Casanova‘, and in Lilla Melodifestivalen with ‘Du får ta mitt hjärta’, as part of music group Lali.
Elisa is from Töreboda, and recently performed in ‘De’ e’ det här vi kallar kärlek‘, a musical based on the life of Lasse Holm. She’s also the lead singer of the Dansband, Elisa’s. She’s no stranger to success – winning shows such as Dansbandskampen, Let’s Dance and Körslaget over the years.
‘Forever Yours’ is a big schlager track – something we haven’t seen often in Melfest in recent years, and will definitely appeal to voters who love that style of music. You can click here to hear her song, and see an image from her rehearsal below!
Lisa Ajax – ‘Awful Liar’
Melodifestivalen fans will probably recognise Lisa Ajax – she’s particpated four times with varying degrees of success in the contest. She debuted in 2016, coming in 7th place with ‘My Heart Wants Me Dead‘, returning the following year with ‘I Don’t Give A’ and in 2019 with ‘Torn’, both of which came 9th. In 2022 her Swedish-language duet ‘Tror du att jag bryr mig‘ with Niello didn’t make it past Heat 2. Lisa has also competed in Lilla Melodifestivalen, entering the song ‘Allt som jag har’ in 2012. She, like Samir & Viktor, is one of the contests most successful artists, appearing in the final on three occasions, and, along with Danny Saucedo, is the most experienced Melodifestivalen artist taking part in 2024 – both on their fifth attempt at the trophy.
Lisa is from Järfälla and rose to fame when she won Idol in 2014. Her music consists of both Swedish and English-language pop songs. Aside from singing, in 2022, she came 7th in Sweden’s version of Let’s Dance. She announced at the end of 2023 that she’s expecting her first child this year!
Her entry is called ‘Awful Liar’, and is about the feelings and emotions a person experiences after a breakup. It’s a powerful ballad showcasing her incredible vocals, and could see Lisa make it to her fourth Melfest final. You can click here to hear her song, and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Smash Into Pieces – ‘Heroes Are Calling’
Smash Into Pieces are taking Melfest on for the second time, after a successful run in 2023 saw their entry ‘Six Feet Under‘ place 3rd behind Marcus & Martinus (who also compete this year in Heat 5), and Loreen. The song gained Smash Into Pieces a new audience, and proved that pop wasn’t the only genre that could do well in Melodifestivalen.
The group is from Örebro, and is made up of singer Chris Adam, guitarists Per Bergquist and Benjamin Jennebo, and a drummer known only as “The Apocalypse DJ”. Despite forming in 2008 and signing a record deal in 2013, it was in 2017 that they broke-through with the album ‘Rise And Shine’. They’ve since amassed half a billion streams, and are platinum-awarded artists, touring all over Europe and the USA in recent years. They label their music as ‘Smashsound’, which combines rock, pop and electronic.
This year they take on the contest with ‘Heroes Are Calling‘, and if you liked their last entry you’ll probably enjoy their effort this year – it has a similar vibe, but still feels fresh for the 2024 contest. Will Smash Into Pieces take the top spot and represent Sweden at Eurovision this year? Time will tell. You can hear their song here, and see an image from their rehearsal below.
Melodifestivalen Heat 1 takes place on February 3rd 2024 at 20:00 CET // 19:00 GMT Live on SVT – click here to watch live.
Who’s your Melfest Heat 1 favourite? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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