This week will see six more artists compete in the third heat of Melodifestivalen in the hopes of representing Sweden at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Here’s how the previous two heats have gone so far:
| Direct To Final Artists | Heat 5 Run Off Vote Qualifiers |
| Smash Into Pieces (Heat 1) | Adam Woods (Heat 1) |
| Lisa Ajax (Heat 1) | Elisa Lindström (Heat 1) |
| LIAMOO (Heat 2) | Dear Sara (Heat 2) |
| Maria Sur (Heat 2) | Fröken Snusk (Heat 2) |
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!
This week, we’re heading to the Vida Arena in Växjö and as with Heat 2 four of the six participants are newcomers to the contest. Last week, experienced participants LIAMOO and Maria Sur went straight to the grand final. Could we see our first debutante make it through this week? Let’s learn more about all of the artists hoping to qualify!
Jacqline – Effortless
One singer making her Melfest debut this week is 25-year-old Jacqline, who was so serious about pursuing a career in music that she left school at 16. It seemed that she was on the cusp of success when she released her debut single ‘Do It Better’ in 2021. However, tragedy struck when, on the day of the single’s launch, Jacqline was hospitalised and risked permanent damage to her vocal chords as a result of poisoning. Not knowing if she would be able to sing again, Jacqline considered giving up her dreams of being a singer. Fortunately, later in 2021, she entered the popular Swedish TV talent show Idol and ultimately ended up finishing in second place. Since then, she has gone on to perform in a number of concert halls and has also travelled to London to work on new music. In June 2023 she released the single ‘Question My Love’ and also released a cover of Wham!‘s ‘Last Christmas’ in November of the same year.
Jacqline’s song is called ‘Effortless’ and is a pop song all about falling head over heels for somebody. It boasts a star-studded team of songwriters, including Cazzi Opeia who is participating in tonight’s heat herself! The song was also co-written by Thomas G:son and Jimmy Jansson, who both had a hand in writing last year’s Eurovision winner ‘Tattoo’ by Loreen. Could ‘Effortless’ prove to be as much of a hit? We’ll have to wait until Saturday to find out.
You can hear part of Jacqline’s song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Clara Klingenstr̦m РAldrig mer
Returning to the competition for a second time is 28-year-old Clara Klingenström who is from a musical family and first became known to Swedish audiences in 2012 when her song ‘It Makes Me Crazy’ won the Gotland region of the music competition Svensktoppen nästa, which was hosted by Swedish radio station Sveriges Radio P4. At 16-years-old, she moved to Stockholm to devote more time to her career in music. In 2021, Clara made her Melfest debut with the song ‘Behöver inte dig idag’ (‘Don’t Need You Today’) which ended up placing fifth in the final and has over 20 million streams on Spotify at the time of writing. She has since gone on to release her debut album ‘Claras dagbok’ (‘Clara’s Diary’) as well as a number of singles and she has also toured Sweden.
Clara is back with her entry ‘Aldrig mer’ (‘Never Again’) which was co-written alongside David Lindgren Zacharias and Bobby Ljunggren who also worked with Clara on ‘Behöver inte dig idag’. The artist has described the song as a direct follow-on to her 2021 entry, saying:
This song is important to me and is like a continuation of ‘Behöver inte dig idag’ and from everything that happened in me when the darkness that had previously been such a big part of my life disappeared. I deserve to feel good and I’m never going to let anyone else or myself be mean to me again. I’ve felt so much that I don’t fit in and that I feel different, but with this song I take my place.
Clara Klingenström on ‘Aldrig mer’, Mellopedia
You can hear part of Clara’s song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Kim Cesarion – Take My Breath Away
Making his Melfest debut, but certainly no stranger to fame, is 33-year-old Kim Cesarion who was born in Stockholm to a Guadeloupean father and a Greek Cretan/Swedish mother. His father and uncle were both record producers and Kim was highly musical from a young age, playing the violin, piano and double bass, as well as the viola and drums. His first major musical breakthrough came in the form of his 2013 single ‘Undressed’ which reached the top 10 in the Swedish, Australian and Danish singles charts and went platinum five times over in Sweden. It was followed by a 2014 debut album of the same name and has been followed by a number of singles and his 2018 EP ‘Bleed’. Kim is known for his distinctive countertenor vocals, which feature heavily in ‘Undressed’.
Kim’s Melfest entry is ‘Take My Breath Away’ which sounds very different to ‘Undressed’, featuring a catchy hook and 80s-style synths. Alongside Kim himself, it was co-written by Mattias Andréasson and Albin Johnsén, who entered Melfest 2016 themselves with the song ‘Rik’, as well as William Segerdahl (who helped pen Melfest 2024 entry ‘Supernatural’ by Adam Woods) and Christopher Johansson, who is making his debut as a songwriter in Melfest this year.
You can hear part of Kim’s song here and see an image from his first rehearsal below!
Klaudy РF̦r dig
Another artist making his Melfest debut is 24-year-old Klaudy, whose real name is William Schenberg. He grew up in Gothenburg but now resides in Stockholm where he has been working to find his sound. He released his debut single ‘NEFERTARI’ in 2021 and his latest single is the December 2023 release ‘SÃ¥ng till Sophie’. His most successful release so far is the stripped back version of his 2023 single ‘Dansa Med Mig’ which features Swedish singer Julia Lov and has over 2 million streams on Spotify at the time of writing.
Klaudy’s Melfest debut ‘För dig’ was written alongside another songwriter making his first contribution to Melfest, Ã…ke Olofsson. Written about Klaudy’s girlfriend Vera, the song is another example of this emerging artist developing his sound, with him saying:
‘För dig’ is a song that somewhere became a breaking point for me as a songwriter and artist. After writing a bunch of songs that would “fit in” on all the charts, I felt quite tired of being compared to other artists. People often said “oh this one sounds like…” or “I hear you take inspiration from…” and I got a little tired of that.
Klaudy on ‘För dig’, Mellopedia
You can hear part of Klaudy’s song here and see an image from his first rehearsal below!
Gunilla Persson – I Won’t Shake (La La Gunilla)
65-year-old Gunilla Persson is a former model and current television personality. She initially went into radio journalism, interviewing celebrities on a one-hour entertainment slot for Sveriges Radio. However, her life would change in 1983 when, without her knowledge, her boyfriend submitted photos of her to a modelling competition held by Swedish women’s magazine Damernas Värld. These photos were noticed by famous American modelling agent (and one of the judges of the competition) Eileen Ford, who signed her to the New York modelling agency Ford Models. Gunilla booked a number of lucrative jobs, including appearing in the German edition of the magazine Harpers Bazaar, a minor role in the American soap opera Dallas, and also modelling for lingerie company La Perla. Whilst residing in Hollywood, Gunilla appeared in the Swedish reality TV series Svenska Hollywoodfruar, which detailed the glamourous lives of Swedish women living in Hollywood. Although primarily known for her modelling and TV work, Gunilla has previously worked as a singer in Japan and in 2015 released a music video with Swedish rapper Dogge Doggelito.
Gunilla will be taking to the Melfest stage for the first time with her song ‘I Won’t Shake (La La Gunilla)’ which features a Western-style guitar riff and is the only entry this year to be written by just one songwriter, Fredrik Andersson, who helped to write Eurovision 2016 entry ‘If I Were Sorry’ by Frans.
You can hear part of Gunilla’s song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Cazzi Opeia – Give My Heart a Break
Cazzi Opeia is the stage name of 35-year-old DJ, singer and songwriter Moa Anna Maria Carlebecker who is one of Sweden’s most successful female songwriters. As well as having a hand in penning ‘Tattoo’ by Loreen, Cazzi is widely sought after for her work in the K-pop genre, having written songs for BTS, Enhypen and Red Velvet, among others. As a singer, Cazzi first become known through her participation in the sixth season of Idol in 2009, where she made it to the semi-finals. She released a number of singles whilst continuing to work as a songwriter before taking part in the 2022 edition of Melfest with the song ‘I Can’t Get Enough’, which placed ninth in the final, peaked at number 5 in the Swedish singles charts and has almost 12 million streams on Spotify at the time of writing.
Cazzi is back and closing Heat 3 with her song ‘Give My Heart a Break’, which was written alongside Ellen Berg (who Cazzi writes extensively with under the duo name Sunshine) as well as ‘Tattoo’ writers Thomas G:son and Jimmy Jansson. The pop song features prominent use of string instruments and when speaking about the track, Cazzi said:
‘Give My Heart a Break’ is an uplifting and at the same time emotional song. The melodies are like a melancholic happy pill while the lyrics have a deeper and more serious meaning.
Cazzi Opeia on ‘Give My Heart a Break’, Mellopedia
You can hear part of Cazzi’s song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Melodifestivalen Heat 3 takes place on February 10th 2024 at 20:00 CET // 19:00 GMT Live on SVT – click here to watch live.
Who’s your Melfest Heat 3 favourite? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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