This week marks the penultimate heat of Melodifestivalen 2025, with 6 more artists set to take part. Here are how the heats have gone so farâŠ
| Finalists (March 8th 2025) | Final Qualification Vote (March 1st 2025) |
| John Lundvik – âVoice Of The Silentâ | Meira Omar – âHush Hushâ |
| Maja Ivarsson – âKamikaze Lifeâ | Kaliffa – âSaluteâ |
| Erik Segerstedt – âShow Me What Love Isâ | Dolly Style – âYIHAAâ |
| Klara Hammarström – âOn and On and Onâ | |
| Greczula – âBelieve Meâ | |
| Annika Wickihalder – âLife Againâ |
Phoenix would also like to take this opportunity to thank SVT for once again granting us accreditation to this years Melodifestivalen!
This week weâre heading to the venue for Eurovision 2024 & 2013, Malmö Arena! We have an equal number of returnees and debuting artists this week – and itâs also the heat that has everyone talking, thanks to a certain former Eurovision winner making their comeback! Letâs find out more about this weeks artists & songsâŠ
Andreas Lundstedt – âViciousâ
Andreas Lundstedt is a true Melfest Veteran – with this year marking 29 years since he first took part. Born in 1972 in Uppsala, Andreas was already making TV appearances at age 15 as part of Stage Four. By 1996, Andreas had entered his first Melodifestivalen with âDriver dagg faller regnâ, coming 2nd. He returned a year later, placing 7th with âJag saknar dig, jag saknar digâ.
In 1998, Andreas joined Alcazar with original members Tess Merkel and Annika KjĂŠrgaard. The group had their breakthrough with âCrying At The Discotequeâ and released their first album âCasinoâ in 2000. Magnus Carlsson joined the group in 2002, leading to Melodifestivalen 2003 – with the now iconic âNot A Sinner, Nor A Saintâ placing 3rd in the competition. They returned again in 2005, again coming 3rd with âAlcastarâ. They then went on a break, with Lundstedt representing Switzerland as a member of six4one at Eurovision 2006, and entering Melfest once again solo with âMoveâ in 2007, which didnât make it out of the heat. Alcazar reunited at Melodifestivalen 2009 (âStay The Nightâ) and 2010 (âHeadlinesâ), before splitting up officially. We last saw Andreas solo in Melfest in 2012, again remaining in the heat with âAldrig, aldrigâ, and 11 years ago when Alcazargot back together, with âBlame It On The Discoâ coming 3rd.
Now back for his 10th attempt, Andreas returns with âViciousâ, written by himself, Laurell Barker, LIAMOO and Dino Medanhodzvic. Itâs a song about sexual freedom and being âa little mischievous and naughtyâ, describing it as âDua Lipa Discoâ. As we anticipate the release of his song, you can hear his last Melfest attempt below!
Ella Tiritiello – âBara du Ă€r dĂ€râ
From a Melfest veteran to a debutee, Ella Tiritiello wasnât even born when Andreas Lundstedt first took part! Born in 2006 and raised in Kristianstad, now living in Stockholm, 18 year old Ella first gained recognition in 2021 when she performed âFor A Better Dayâ on the roof of Avicii Arena, before collaborating with Zara Larsson on the song during the Avicii tribute show later that year. Her performance gained attention from Nile Rodgers, who put Ella in touch with Billie Eilishâs team – leading to her two EPâs âYoungerâ and âThe Youth, Emotions & Everything In Betweenâ. In 2024 she made her acting debut in Somartider.
âBara du Ă€r dĂ€râ is Ellaâs first song in Swedish, written by a team consisting of David Björk, Rymdpojken and Eurovision 2012 and 2023 winner Loreen. Ella described the song as ballad-like, and calls it a new chapter for her. Whilst we wait for her song, you can hear one of her latest releases below!
Tennessee Tears – âYoursâ
Our second heat 4 returnee is country music duo Tennessee Tears. Made up of members Jonas Hermansson and Tilda Feuk, the pair began working together 11 years ago in Nashville and are now based in à seda. They work with some of the biggest names behind hits from other country music artists such as Keith Urban and Lady A, and frequently travel back to the USA to continue their musical journey. We first saw them in Melfest 2023 with âNow I Knowâ, which reached place 5th in the Andra Chansen round – just one place away from reaching the final.
This year, they compete with âYoursâ written by themselves, Gavin Jones and PĂ€r Westerlund. Tilda and Jonas have both described the song as âflirtyâ, with Jonas also adding that itâs âhappy and uptempoâ. Weâll hear the song on Friday, so for now you can listen to their 2023 song below!
KAJ – âBara Bada Bastuâ
Kevin Holmström, Axel Ă hman and Jakob NorrgĂ„rd make up KAJ, a Finnish humour group who formed in VörĂ„ in 2009. With 7 albums to their name and 2 musicals, KAJ are known to sing in their Swedish-Finnish dialect – which member Jakob has said is âcentral to what we doâ, and Axel adding that their dialect, plus their comedic approach to music, is âour thingâ. They have been watching and dreaming of taking part in Melodifestivalen for years, now making that dream come true with âBara Bada Bastuâ.
The song is written by the group along with Robert Skowronski, Kristofer Strandberg and Anderz Wrethov. Jakob says the song is a âsteaming hot pop songâ, or âsauna popâ. You can hear their entry on Friday – so in the meantime, you can listen to one of their latest singles!
AmenA – âDo Good Be Betterâ
23-year-old AmenA (Amena Alsameai) was born in Sanaa in Yemen, fleeing during the war to Saudi Arabia and Turkey before settling in Vimmerby, Sweden 5 years ago. She began singing aged 11, but paused her dreams of a music career during the war. In 2021 she competed in Idol, and performed at the Tillsammans för VĂ€rldens Barn gala. Last year, AmenA released her first album âGuidebookâ.
Her entry for Melodifestivalen is called âDo Good Be Betterâ, written by herself, Sandra Bjurman and Stefan Ărn. Describing the meaning of her song, she said:
The song has a very deep and strong message that is important right now, I think. I want everyone to listen to themselves and choose their own path. The song is about how we can sometimes feel suffocated by structures in a society where the intention may be good, but sometimes it becomes a source of harm instead of helping. Often this leads us to believe that there is something wrong with us, when in fact it is society that needs to change and become better. But I also think that everyone should be able to interpret the song in their own way.
AmenA, Mellopedia
MĂ„ns Zelmerlöw – âRevolutionâ
Guess whoâs back? MĂ„ns Zelmerlöw, winner of Eurovision 2015, returns 10 years later for another go at Melodifestivalen – hoping to do exactly what Loreen did in 2023 and win both this and Eurovision for the second time. The star from Lund got his breakthrough into the industry by participating in Idol in 2005, continuing his career by winning Letâs Dance a year later. In 2007, he made his debut in Melodifestivalen with âCara Miaâ – coming 3rd in the final and becoming his lead single from his debut, platinum selling album âStand By ForâŠâ. He returned to the show in 2009 with âHope & Gloryâ winning the jury but ultimately ending 4th overall – leading to the release of his second album MZW later that year. He hosted Melodifestivalen 2010, and in 2013 was a songwriter for âHello Goodbyeâ by Tone Damli & Erik Segerstedt (who will compete in this years Melfest final, after winning Heat 2).
It was in 2015 that MĂ„ns made his long-awaited return as a lead artist, entering that year with âHeroesâ. Using innovative, interactive staging thanks to the affectionately named âBalloon Boyâ projection, âHeroesâ went on to win not just Melodifestivalen, but Eurovision too. Of the 2009-2015 system, MĂ„ns holds the 3rd highest-scoring Eurovision winner, with the song amassing over 160 million streams. Post his win, MĂ„ns has appeared in some capacity in almost every Eurovision since 2015, has hosted the UKâs national final, the 2021 Melodifestivalen Final and the BBCâs 2023 Podcast for the contest. Outside of Eurovision, MĂ„ns has released two more albums and is a judge on Swedenâs The Masked Singer. Now, in what is one of the years most anticipated entries into any of the national finals, he takes on Heat 4 with âRevolutionâ.
âRevolutionâ is written by himself, Ola Svensson, Sebastian Atas and David Lindgren Zacharias. Whilst the song initially was written about the current âenvironmental struggleâ, MĂ„ns told SVT that it can also be applied to other things, such as humanity, saving the world, wars and the general world in which we live in. He also says itâs anthemic, and hopes it leaves you with the same impression âHeroesâ did – which you can remind yourself of below before âRevolutionâ is released!
Melodifestivalen Heat 4 takes place on February 22nd 2025 at 20:00 CET // 19:00 GMT Live on SVT â click here to watch live.
Whoâs your Melfest Heat 4 favourite? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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