Itâs time for the fifth and final heat of Melodifestivalen 2024! 6 artists in this yearâs contest will compete for the opportunity to reach next weekâs grand final. Hereâs how the previous heats have goneâŠ
| Direct To Final Artists | Heat 5 âFinalkvaletâ |
| Smash Into Pieces – âHeroes Are Callingâ | Elisa Lindström – âForever Yoursâ |
| Lisa Ajax – âAwful Liarâ | Adam Woods – âSupernaturalâ |
| LIAMOO – âDragonâ | Fröken Snusk – âUnga & Friaâ |
| Maria Sur – âWhen Iâm Goneâ | Dear Sara – âThe Silence After Youâ |
| Jacqline – âEffortlessâ | Gunilla Persson – âI Wonât Shake (La La Gunilla) |
| Cazzi Opeia – âGive My Heart A Breakâ | Klaudy – âFör Digâ |
| Danny Saucedo – âHappy That You Found Meâ | Albin Tingwall – âDone Getting Over Youâ |
| Dotter – âItâs Not Easy To Write A Love Songâ | SCARLET – âCircus Xâ |
This heat also includes the âFinalkvaletâ – this is the final qualification round, which weâll explain further in this article.
This week, weâre heading to the Löftbergs Arena in Karlstad. Four of the six participants are newcomers to the contest, with two returnees. Last week, returnees and favourites Danny Saucedo and Dotter went straight to the grand final. Letâs learn more about all of the artists hoping to qualify this weekâ
Marcus & Martinus – âUnforgettableâ
This year’s favourite to win, Norwegian twins Marcus & Martinus are back to claim the Melfest trophy they just missed out on in 2023 with âAirâ.
They were born in Trofors in 2002, and at just 10 years old won Norwayâs Melodi Grand Prix JR with âTo drĂ„per vannâ, which peaked at #8 on the Norwegian charts. Marcus & Martinus became teen sensations in 2015 when their debut album âHeiâ went to number 1, which featured the hit single âElektriskâ â which charted at #3 in Norway and #8 in Sweden. Their second album âTogetherâ went to #1 in Norway and Sweden, and to #6 in Finland. A year later, they won Spellemann of The Year at the Spellemann Awards and achieved a #1 single with âGirlsâ, which featured Madcon. In 2018, they won Best International Act in Greeceâs MAD Video Music Awards and supported Jason Derulo on tour the same year. After winning The Masked Singer Sverige in 2022, they moved their base to Sweden – leading them to Melodifestivalen.
All eyes will be on the twins this year once again, as they enter the contest with âUnforgettableâ – which is written by the same team behind their 2023 effort – Linnea and Joy Deb, Jimmy âJokerâ Thörnfeldt and Marcus & Martinus.
You can hear part of their song here and see an image from their first rehearsal below!
Chelsea Muco – âControllaâ
Chelsea Muco is a 26-year-old actress and artist born in Burundi, moving to Jordbro, Stockholm when she was 7. Chelsea began getting into a music career after she met Pa Modou Badjie – one of the members of Panetoz – through the âVĂ€gen utâ project. Since then, sheâs become one of the most successful R&B and Afrobeat stars in Sweden, with her lyrics focusing on self-discovery, loss and love Chelsea is no stranger to competitions – she won the talent contest âNĂ€sta NivĂ„â!
âControllaâ is written by Chelsea, Pa Modou Badjie, FERNAND MP, Karl Flyckt, Elsa Carmona Oljelund and Anderz Wrethov. Chelsea has described her song, sayingâŠ
The song “Controlla” is danceable and flirty. In terms of sound, I would describe it as powerful, with choirs and harmonies. It’s a fusion of afrobeats, pop and a touch of amapiano. Iâd I had to quote [to describe âControllaâ] I would have said “best of both worlds”.
Chelsea Muco, Mellopedia
You can hear part of Chelseaâs song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Jay Smith – âBack To My Rootsâ
Helsingborg native and country music singer Jay Smith first came to prominence on the music scene after winning Idol 2010. His self-titled album shot straight to number one and was subsequently followed by two further albums, released in 2013 and 2019.
His sister is Maria Smith, who forms the duo Smith & Thell alongside Victor Thell – both of which had a hand in writing Jayâs song âBack To My Rootsâ. Jay also has writing credits, as do Jonas Jurström and Jonathan Keyes. The song is about getting back up after facing setbacks.
You can hear part of Jayâs song here and see an image from his first rehearsal below!
Elecktra – âBanne Majâ
Elecktra (Robin Werner) is a 36-year-old drag artist born just outside of Malmö, and raised in Höllviken. Growing up, Robin had interests in theatre and dance, delving into the drag scene as a teen and creating Elecktra aged 17. Drag Race fans will likely recognise Elecktra from the 2023 season of Drag Race Sverige, where a performance of âUnna daj (synd Ă„ slĂ€nga ju)â became so popular online that it was released as her debut single. The song won âSong of The Yearâ at the QX Gaygala. Sheâs also featured on After Darkâs tour of Sweden.
âBanne Majâ is written by Elecktra (Robin) and his husband Jonny Werner, as well as Anderz Wrethov and his older sister Elin. This is how this is how Elecktra has described âBanne MajââŠ
A real show. Not stripped, not modest. This SkĂ„ne queen spares no expense, so to speak! Itâs troll-friendly, danceable and fun. And who would have thought otherwise.
Elecktra, Damernas VĂ€rld
You can hear part of Elecktraâs song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Annika Wickihalder – âLightâ
23-year-old Annika Wickihalder was born in Ărnsköldsvik, but now lives in Söderhamn. She rose to fame after participating in Idol 2021 – releasing her debut EP âHollowâ last year. Her music mixes soul, gospel and pop to create a unique sound, exploring themes of vulnerability, and self-reflection.
Her entry is called âLightâ and started to come to fruition back in 2021 after her Idol journey – which she has said is inspired by opinions shared during her time on the show on social media about how one should look and act. She explained the song’s meaning by saying:
I sing about being lost in othersâ versions of me and how it helped me to instead listen inward. To dare to feel oneâs own emotions and to trust oneself when adversity visits.
Annika Wickihalder, Mellopedia
âLightâ is written by two of the team behind 2020 Melfest winner âMoveâ – Herman Gardarfve and Patrik Jean (who took part himself in 2021), along with Linnea Gawell and Annika herself.
You can hear part of Annikaâs song here and see an image from her first rehearsal below!
Medina – âQue Seraâ
Sam-E (Sami Rekik) and Alibi (Ali Jammali) formed Medina back in 2003 after meeting in Knivsta whilst promoting a genre known as âHaffla musicâ, where rhythms from the Arab world are mixed with Hip Hop. They released their first mixtape âRumble in Fiskayyetâ in 2004, with the album âFullblodâ following a year later. It wasnât until 2013 that they saw mainstream success with the single âMiss Decibelâ reaching #2 on the Swedish charts, with the 2014 follow-up âSe pĂ„ mig nuâ charting at #10. They went on a break in 2018, with Sami taking part in Melfest 2021 alongside WAHL with â90-Taletâ. He also had a Top 5 hit on the Sverigetopplistan later that year with âFlaggan i topâ which featured Anis Don Demina.
The duo announced their return in 2021, with their comeback single, âIn i dimmanâ serving simultaneously as their debut Melodifestivalen entry in 2022. The song placed 3rd in the final and charted at #2 in Sweden. It wasnât their only song that year – Medina were also writers behind LIAMOOâs âBluffinâ, which placed 4th. That same year they released their first album in 7 years âHöj Den NĂ„gra Decibelâ, followed by âTropicaliseraâ in 2023.
Medina will close out 5 weeks of heats with their song âQue Seraâ, written by Sami, Ali, Jimmy âJokerâ Thörnfeldt and Anderz Wrethov. It features lyrics in Swedish, Spanish and French – and, just like âIn i dimmanâ, is an anthemic track thatâs certainly one to watch for this yearâs contest. Hereâs what they had to say about âQue SeraââŠ
“Que sera” is about what happens, happens, and there isn’t much you can do about it except to live on. Today, there are so many negative influences in everyday life and many people stress over things that are beyond their control. We want, with this song, to make people see life from a simpler perspective. Forget yesterday and live for tomorrow.
In terms of sound, “In i dimman” is night and “Que sera” is day. It is happy and uplifting. A crazy mix of Latin drums, North African choirs, Spanish and French lyrics and some beautiful mottos that we have taken with us in life. Medina’s whole thing during these 20 years has been about trying to renew ourselves but in our own way – The Medina Way – and we really feel that we have succeeded.
The most important thing about this song isnât winning. We want to take the viewers and listeners on an escape from everything destructive and then come back to earth with new energy!
Medina, Mellopedia
You can hear part of Medinaâs song here and see an image from their first rehearsal below!
Finalkvalet – What Is It & How Does It Work?
As mentioned earlier, this weekend doesnât just see Heat 5 take place – we also have the Finalkvalet! But what is it?
In previous years, you may remember Andra Chasen (which was then just rebranded to the Semi-Final). This was where the songs that came 3rd and 4th in their heats would, up until 2023, be put into âduelsâ, with the duel winner (or top 2 in 2022) going straight to the final. In 2023 the duel system was removed, with all the songs competing as if it was a regular heat. Now, with the re-introduction of a fifth heat, thereâs no time for a stand-alone semi-final/andra chansen style show – so how does the Finalkvalet work?
This year, the songs we saw place 3rd and 4th will be open to the public vote again. Theyâll initially be awarded proportional points based on how many votes they received in their respective heats, before receiving points based on the votes they get from the Finalkvalet. This will be announced after Heat 5 has ended, with the top 2 songs going through to the final next Saturday. Competing for the final two qualification rounds are Elisa Lindström, Adam Woods, Fröken Snusk, Dear Sara, Gunilla Persson, Klaudy, Albin Tingwall, SCARLET and the two 3rd & 4th placers from Heat 5.
Melodifestivalen Heat 5 takes place on March 2nd 2024 at 20:00 CET // 19:00 GMT Live on SVT â click here to watch live.
Whoâs your Melfest Heat 5 favourite? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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