Image Credit: Alma Bengtsson / SVT / Melodifestivalen

It’s time for the Semi-Final of Melodifestivalen 2023!

We’ve seen all the heats, and now the songs that came 2nd and 3rd in the second round of voting in their heats will compete for a second chance to reach the final.

Here’s what we can expect from the semi final, and who will be competing…

Format Changes

There has been another change to the semi-finals since last year. Up until 2021, this show was known as ‘Andra Chansen’ (second chance), but was renamed in 2022 simply to a ‘Semi-Final’.

We’ll also see a different presentation of the songs. From 2015-2021, the eight songs were placed into four duels by the producers, with the winner going through to the final. For example, 2021 saw Alvaro Estrella Vs. Lillasyster, with viewers being able to pick a winner between both songs. Alvaro won, and was then in the final of Melodifestivalen 2021, whilst Lillasyster were out of the contest. In 2022, SVT changed the system, having 2 duels instead of four, made up of four songs each. One of these duels was: Tone Sekelius vs. Alvaro Estrella vs. Danne Stråhed vs. Anna Bergendahl, with viewers once again voting for their favourites – the top 2 (Anna & Tone) going straight to the final, whilst the other two (Danne & Alvaro) were out.

This year, the producers have completely simplified the process. There are no more duels – just like in the heats, the 8 songs will all compete against each other, with the top 4 going into the final. The hosts will reveal (in random order) the current top 4 mid-way through the voting window, and then give the audience new votes in order to continue influencing the result. When the vote is closed, the results will be presented as they are in the heat – with each age group’s points being presented on screen.

The Running Order

Obviously now the format has changed, so has the running order. As the show will now run as a full 8-song battle, SVT have decided the order in which the songs will perform, which is as follows:

The Competitors

Theoz – ‘Mer Av Dig’

Opening up the semi final is Theoz with his catchy track ‘Mer Av Dig’. We know he’s a great performer, and he’s not new to the Melfest semi finals either – he ended up in them in 2022 with ‘Som Du Vill’. Since his heat, Theoz has been charting the most consistently on Sweden’s streaming platforms, remaining firmly in the top 10, and now the top 5, as the weeks have gone by. Not only that, but he also has one of the most streamed songs of the contest so far, sitting at just over 1.9 million streams at the time of writing. Theoz’s fanbase is big, and he’ll definitely be one to watch on the app vote, especially with younger groups (his target demographic). Could we be seeing Theoz once again in the Melodifestivalen final? You can see his Heat 2 performance below!

Theoz’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2022, ‘Som Du Vill’

Direct Final Qualifications: 0

Semi Final Qualifications: 2 (2022, 2023 – ‘Mer Av Dig’)

Semi Final Results: Qualified in 2nd place in Duel 2 of the 2022 Semi Final

Final Results: 7th (2022)

2023 Heat 2 – How did Theoz do?: 2nd in the second round of voting – 78 points. Lost DTF place to ‘On My Way’ by Panetoz by 6 points.

Mariette – ‘One Day’

Mariette will be competing in her first Melodifestivalen semi final, after breaking her perfect ‘direct to the final’ qualification record in Heat 4 last week. Her song ‘One Day’ is an inspirational anthem, which she delivers with great power and emotion, as we saw in her first performance. We know that Mariette is super comfortable performing at Melfest, with a commanding stage presence and confidence that just can’t be ignored. She’s also vocally reliable, and with a stellar track record to her name prior to this year, will she be back for her 5th Melodifestivalen final? You can watch her Heat 4 performance below!

Mariette’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2015, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’

Direct To Final Qualifications: 4 (2015, 2017 – ‘A Million Years’, 2018 – ‘For You’, 2020 – ‘Shout It Out’)

Semi Final Qualifications: 1 (2023 – ‘One Day’)

Final Results: 3rd (2015), 4th (2017), 5th (2018), 10th (2020)

2023 Heat 4 – How did Mariette do?: 3rd in the second round of voting – 56 points. Lost 2nd place to Kiana by 13 points, and lost DTF to ‘Six Feet Under’ by Smash Into Pieces by 23 points. Beat Axel Schylström to the semi-final place by just 1 point.

Victor Crone – ‘Diamonds’

It seem’s like a long time since we first saw Victor Crone in Melfest 2023, as he performed all the way back in the first heat on February 11th. Victor has recently spoken to the EuroTrip Podcast, explaining that he will be making some changes to his performance at the semi final, so we can expect to see some subtle differences between his heat performance and what he does at the weekend. ‘Diamonds’ has over half a million streams at the time of writing, and his chances at qualifying are pretty 50/50 if the odds and results of the widely-used My Eurovision Scoreboard app are anything to go by. He has been to the semi-finals before in 2015, and with more performing experience under his belt since that time – including entering Eurovision for Estonia in 2019 – along with a more polished performance, could we see him sneak into the final? He also scored the most points in his heat compared to the other semi finalists, so things are looking pretty good for him in that regard. You can watch his performance in Heat 1 below!

Victor’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2015 (with Behrang Miri, ‘Det rår vi inte för’)

Direct To Final Qualifications: 1 (2020 – ‘Troubled Waters’)

Final Results: 9th (2020)

Semi Final Qualifications: 2 (2015, 2023 – ‘Diamonds’)

Semi Final Results: Lost to ‘Groupie’ by Samir & Viktor in 2015.

2023 Heat 1 – How did Victor do?: 2nd in the second round of voting – 80 points. Lost DTF place to ‘Rhythm Of My Show’ by Tone Seklius by 14 points.

Tennessee Tears – ‘Now I Know’

Country duo Tennesse Tears put on a good performance in Heat 2, that definitely resonated with older viewers and the telephone vote, getting 3 sets of 12 points in the second round of voting. We saw these age groups gravitate towards that country sound last year, with them heavily backing Anna Bergendahl’s song ‘Higher Power’ all the way to the 2022 final. Their song ‘Now I Know’ has a good build and strong vocals from both Tilda and Jonas. They’re currently 4th in the odds to qualify from the heat, which would see them appearing at the Melodifestivalen final on March 11th. Will they be bringing that Nashville vibe to Friends Arena in Stockholm next week? You can see their performance in Heat 2 below!

Tennessee Tears’ Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2023 (with ‘Now I Know’)

Direct To Final Qualifications: 0

Semi Final Qualifications: 1 (2023)

2023 Heat 2 – How did Tennesse Tears do?: 3rd in the second round of voting – 69 points. Lost 2nd place to Theoz by 9 points, and lost DTF to Panetoz by 15 points. Beat Wiktoria to the semi-final place by 22 points.

Elov & Beny – ‘Raggen Går’

Like Victor, it seems like it’s been a while since we last saw Elov & Beny in Melfest 2023. They also took part in Heat 1, with the upbeat number ‘Raggen Går’. The odds have them last to qualify, however they may be underestimating the duo’s potential. Their entry is one of this years most popular streaming wise, and up until all the songs from the DTF positions were released after Heat 4, ‘Raggen Går’ was the one streamed the most out of all the available songs. It’s currently on 1.8 million at the time of writing, slightly falling behind Theoz’s numbers, but still hugely popular. Their heat also saw them place in the top 3 with two of the age groups and the telephone vote, so will the semi-final differ from the odds and see Elov & Beny bringing the party to Stockholm in the final? You can watch their performance in Heat 1 below!

Elov & Beny’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2023 (‘Raggen Går)

Direct To Final Qualifications: 0

Semi Final Qualifications: 1 (2023)

2023 Heat 1 – How did Elov & Beny do?: 3rd in second round of voting – 43 points. Lost 2nd place to Victor Crone by 37 points, and lost DTF to Tone Sekelius by 51 points. Beat Rejhan to the semi-final place by 11 points.

Melanie Wehbe – ‘For The Show’

Heat 3 saw Melanie Wehbe go from a songwriter to the star of the show. She gave us one of the best vocals of her heat on ‘For The Show’, an empowering ballad with some pretty staging and a meaningful performance. Despite only getting to the semi-final, Melanie got a lot of love on social media for her performance, and is certainly not one to count out of qualifying from the semi final. 5 of the age groups had her song in their top 3, and if her performance is just as good as the heat we may be seeing her on stage at Friends Arena next week. You can see her performance in Heat 3 below!

Melanie’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2023 (‘For The Show’)

Direct To Final Qualifications: 0

Semi Final Qualifications: 1 (2023)

2023 Heat 3 – How did Melanie do?: 3rd in the second round of voting – 57 points. Lost 2nd place to Nordman by 18 points, and DTF to Paul Rey by 28 points. Beat Ida-Lova to the semi final by 21 points.

Nordman – ‘Släpp alla sorger’

Nordman may have been away from Melodifestivalen for 15 years, but they really made an impression with their return this year. ‘Släpp alla sorger’ gave us that old-school, classic Melfest feel, and was at one point looking like it could be heading directly to the final – they got one set of 12 points from the 60-74 age group, as well as four sets of 10 points. Alas, they ended up back in the semi final, just like they did all the way back in 2008. This brings something different to a pop-heavy semi-final, and Nordman have a fanbase that could carry them through to join the direct finalists in the Grand Final next week. You can watch their Heat 3 performance below!

Nordman’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2005 (‘Ödet var min väg’)

Direct To Final Qualifications: 1 (2005)

Semi Final Qualifications: 2 (2008 – ‘I lågornas sken’, 2023 – ‘Släpp alla sorger’)

Semi Final Results: Beat ‘One Love’ by Johnson & Häggkvist and ‘Visst finns mirakel’ by Suzie Tapper in 2008’s Andra Chansen format.

Final Results: 9th (2005), 6th (2008)

2023 Heat 3 – How did Nordman do?: 2nd in the second round of voting – 75 points. Lost DTF place to ‘Royals’ by Paul Rey by 10 points.

Kiana – ‘Where Did You Go’

Kiana opened up heat 4 last week, and she’ll be closing the semi final this week with her polished pop number ‘Where Did You Go’. Like Nordman, Kiana also looked like she’d be heading straight to the final alongside Loreen, but was just beaten to the spot by Smash Into Pieces. Her song was a hit with the youngest age groups, and also got 10 points from the oldest age group (75+). Having such an accessible song that all ages can enjoy could work in Kiana’s favour, and we know from past editions of Melodifestivalen that audiences can be partial to an upbeat teen-pop number that is performed extremely well. With a confident energy and professional attitude to all of her rehearsals and live performances, Kiana is definitely one to watch this week, and maybe for future editions of Melodifestivalen too. You can see her Heat 4 performance below!

Kiana’s Melodifestivalen History

Debut: 2023 (‘Where Did You Go’)

Direct To Final Qualifications : 0

Semi Final Qualifications: 1 (2023)

Heat 4 2023 – How did Kiana do?: 2nd place in the second round of voting – 69 points. Lost DTF place to ‘Six Feet Under’ by Smash Into Pieces by 10 points.

The Final

Four of these artists will join the 8 artists who have qualified directly to the final already via their heats. These are:

‘Where You Are (Sávežan)’ – Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Arc North & Adam Woods (Round 1 winner, Heat 1)

‘Rhythm Of My Show’ – Tone Sekelius (Round 2 winner, Heat 1)

‘Never Give Up’ – Maria Sur (Round 1 winner, Heat 2)

‘On My Way’ – Panetoz (Round 2 winner, Heat 2)

‘Air’ – Marcus & Martinus (Round 1 winner, Heat 3)

‘Royals’ – Paul Rey (Round 2 winner, Heat 3)

‘Tattoo’ – Loreen (Round 1 winner, Heat 4)

‘Six Feet Under’ – Smash Into Pieces (Round 2 winner, Heat 4)

So there we have it! All of this weeks semi finalists. Who will qualify to the Grand Final, and who will be ending their Melodifestivalen journey here?

Melodifestivalen Heat 4 will take place on SVT live from Örnsköldsvik at 7pm GMT // 8pm CET on Saturday March 4th 2023.

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