It’s time for the fifth and final heat of Melodifestivalen 2025! Six artists will compete for the opportunity to reach next week’s grand final. Here’s how the previous heats have gone:
| Direct To Final Artists | Heat 5 ‘Finalkvalet’ |
| John Lundvik – ‘Voice Of The Silent’ | Meira Omar – ‘Hush Hush’ |
| Maja Ivarsson – ‘Kamikaze Life’ | Kaliffa – ‘Salute’ |
| Erik Segerstedt – ‘Show Me What Love Is’ | Dolly Style – ‘YIHAA’ |
| Klara Hammarström – ‘On and On and On’ | Ella Tiritello – ‘Bara du är där’ |
| Greczula – ‘Believe Me’ | |
| Annika Wickihalder – ‘Life Again’ | |
| KAJ – ‘Bara bada bastu’ | |
| MÃ¥ns Zelmerlöw – ‘Revolution’ |
This heat also includes the Finalkvalet – this is the final qualification round, which we’ll explain further in this article.
Phoenix would also like to take this opportunity to thank SVT for once again granting us accreditation to this years Melodifestivalen!
This week, we’re heading to the Husqvarna Garden in Jönköping, a city that last hosted a Melfest heat in 2007. Four of the six participants are newcomers to the contest, with two returnees. Let’s learn more about all of the artists hoping to qualify this week!
Arvingarna – Ring baby ring
Arvingarna hold the record of having competed in the most editions of Melfest, having competed seven times from the years 1993-2025. By far their most successful effort was their 1993 debut, where the group won Melfest with the song ‘Eloise’ which represented Sweden at Eurovision that year, placing 7th overall. Their last attempt was in 2021, where the group placed 9th in the final with the song ‘Tänker inte alls gÃ¥ hem’ (‘Not Going Home At All’). Arvingarna’s music has been described as mix of dansband style and Swedish pop.
The group will be performing the song ‘Ring baby ring’ which was written by Stefan Brunzell and Thomas G:son, both of whom have written Melfest-winning entries in the past. Could this be a good omen for Arvingarna? They describe the song as a “fast-paced explosion of joy” with disco elements to it. While you wait to listen to this year’s entry, check out their Eurovision classic ‘Eloise’!
Arwin – This Dream of Mine
At just 17-years-old, Arwin is the youngest competitor in Melfest this year. In 2023, he released his debut single ‘More Than Just a Feeling’ and has continued to to release singles alongside completing his studies at a high school for music. Arwin’s career breakthrough came in 2024 with the song ‘För bra för att vara sant’ (‘Too Good To Be True’) which went viral on TikTok and received considerable airplay on Swedish radio stations. In that same year, Arwin participated in the Rix FM Festival tour and conducted his own Swedish summer tour.
Arwin will be performing the song ‘This Dream of Mine’, which he wrote alongside Peter Boström, Julie “Kill J” Aagaard, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt and Anderz Wrethov, all of whom have had success at Melfest. When speaking about the song, Arwin has said it draws heavily from his own experiences:
If I were to explain the song, I would say that it is the soundtrack of my life . It is one hundred percent me, as if someone asked who I am, and I was given three minutes on stage to answer. It’s a lot about my dream in music. I’m very much into the creative side and want to create an image and tell a world on stage, connect with people and inspire. I want to make people stop and be touched. I want to add something new.
Can Arwin make it to the final? While you wait to hear ‘This Dream of Mine’, check out his viral hit ‘För bra för att vara sant’:
Saga Ludvigsson – Hate You So Much
Despite only being 19, Saga Ludvigsson has enjoyed success from an early age, reaching the final of Talang (the Swedish edition of the Got Talent series) when she was just 12-years-old. She then entered Idol in 2023, placing second to Cimberly Wanyonyi. She has been releasing her own music for the past five years, including the song ‘Hercules’ which was co-written by former Eurovision participant Anna Bergendahl.
Saga will be making her Melfest debut with the song ‘Hate You So Much’ which she wrote alongside Lisa Desmond and Herman Gardarfve, the latter of whom helped write Sweden’s Eurovision 2020 entry ‘Move’. Described by Saga as a “fast-paced country pop song”, the entry falls into the singer’s usual genre of music. Can Saga go all the way? While you wait to hear ‘Hate You So Much’, checkout her 2024 single ‘Hercules’:
Victoria Silvstedt – Love It!
While Victoria Silvstedt is making her Melfest debut, she will undoubtedly be a familiar face to Swedish audiences. Victoria has had a successful modelling career, placing second in Miss Sweden in 1993 and reaching the top 10 of Miss World that same year. This then led to Victoria being signed to an agency in Paris where she modelled for various high fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior and Armani. In the late 90s, Victoria was named Playmate of the Month in 1996 and then Playmate of the Year the following year before being chosen as the spokesmodel for jeans company Guess? Victoria has also worked as an actress, starring in various film and television productions, including the 90s hit TV show Melrose Place.
Victoria has released four singles from 1999-2010, with her 1999 album ‘Girl on the Run’ going gold in Sweden, although up until now Victoria has described music as her hobby rather than a serious career pursuit. However, after appearances in The Masked Singer in 2021 and making a comeback at a Swedish festival celebrating 90s music in 2023, Victoria has decided that her chance to represent Sweden at Eurovision is “now or never”. She will be competing with the song ‘Love It!’ which was written by Thomas G:son and Jimmy Jansson, both of whom helped to write Sweden’s 2023 Eurovision-winning entry ‘Tattoo’. Will we be seeing Victoria in Stockholm next week? While you wait to hear ‘Love It!’ check out Victoria’s 1999 debut single ‘Hello Hey’ which reached 7th in the Swedish music charts and remained in the charts for 12 weeks.
Vilhelm Buchaus – I’m Yours
Vilhelm Buchaus is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter who got his first big break in 2013 competing in the junior edition of Melfest Lilla Melodifestivalen, which ran from 2002-2014. Following this, Vilhelm became a member of the boy band Skyscraper who again competed in the 2014 edition of Lilla Melodifestivalen, performing together until 2016. Since then, Vilhelm has been embarking on a solo career, releasing his debut single ‘First Cut’ in 2023 and the EP ‘Quiet Rooms’ in 2024. Vilhelm cites Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and John Mayer as musical influences.
Making his Melfest debut, Vilhelm will be performing the song ‘I’m Yours’ which he explains is about “being seen, appreciated and loved despite your flaws.” It was written alongside Elias Edman, Jonatan Lahti and Simon Alexander Ward, all of whom are making their Melfest debut as songwriters. This makes ‘I’m Yours’ one of only three songs to be written entirely by debutants this year, alongside ‘VÃ¥r första gÃ¥ng’ by Adrian Macéus and ‘Believe Me’ by Greczula. Could Vilhelm be joining Greczula in the final? While you wait to find out, check out Vilhelm’s 2023 single ‘Take Me To the Moon’ which has over 400,000 streams on Spotify at the time of writing.
SCARLET – Sweet N’ Psycho
SCARLET are a metal pop duo consisting of Scarlet Hunts and Thirsty. The pair have been performing together since 2018, playing at various rock festivals and supporting former Melfest act Smash Into Pieces on their European tour in 2022. They released their debut album ‘Obey the Queen’ in 2020. However, SCARLET will be best known to Melfest fans for their stint in last year’s contest where they narrowly missed out on a spot in the final with the song ‘Circus X’.
Hoping for a spot in the final, SCARLET are back with the song ‘Sweet N’ Psycho’ which the duo wrote alongside Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt andÂ
Anderz Wrethov. The song is about embracing your extremes and breaking norms with Thirsty describing it as “an in your face song. It’s energy, intensity, power. It’s pulse! It’s fun. We’ve pulled in some of the elements from ‘Circus X’ that we know were appreciated and expanded.” While you wait to hear ‘Sweet N’ Psycho’, why not remind yourself of ‘Circus X’ by clicking below?
Finalkvalet: How Has It Changed?
Finalkvalet was introduced last year as an alternative to the andra chansen format last seen in 2022. In 2024, the third and fourth placing acts from each heat had the chance to earn a spot in the final, with two acts ultimately qualifying. However, following criticism of this format, which saw the two Heat 5 competitors go directly to the final, further changes have been made to finalkvalet this year.
Only the third placing act from each heat has qualified for the final, meaning five acts will compete for the two spots instead of ten. Additionally, at the beginning of finalkvalet it will be announced which of the five artists received the most votes in their heat and this act will subsequently go directly to the final. Following this, the audience will see a recap (which will be longer than in previous years) of the remaining four entries and will then vote for these. A combination of the acts’ score from their heat and from finalkvalet will then determine the result, with the highest scorer going to the final. In the event of a tie, the acts’ heat results will take priority.
Melodifestivalen Heat 5 takes place on March 2nd 2024 at 20:00 CET // 19:00 GMT Live on SVT – click here to watch live.
Who’s your Melfest Heat 5 favourite? Leave a comment below to let us know!
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