Melodifestivalen is Broken. Here's Why

Sweden might have just won Eurovision - but all is not well at their national selection, Melodifestivalen. Let's talk about why.
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[@eddiethalen4979]

Swede here. You’re on to something. Melodifestivalen is inbedded in Swedish culture, it is everywhere. Everyone has an opinion about it, positive as negative. That means that people care (as you also can see in the relativly high number of international fans watching), which is a good thing in itself. However, i think MF has became overcommeralised and in the end a victim of its own sucess. MF had a flop era right before 2002, but SVT decided to introduce the concept of heats and a tour. For Sweden, this was new. People were excited, SVT was excited. It turned out to be the right thing. MF was sucess at home. But the ESC results got worse, which bothered SVT. When Anna Bergendahl failed to qualify in 2010, she was essentally shamed by the public and indirectly SVT too. I was just a child back then, but I still remembered what a big it was. SVT however changed almost the while prosidure behind the scenes, taking much more direct control over things. Picking half the songs themselves, new voting system. And Eric Saade got third. Next year came Loreen and Euphoria, and the rest is history. Those kind of pop numbers worked. And I think SVT quickly wanted to push for this kind of music and performances. We’ve never been worse then 14th. I gotta say it worked. Sweden is a jury favorite (and yes there are times we are overrated) but 🇸🇪 been in the televoting top 10 9/12 times since 2011. That’s also a good record. The pop boys were rewarded, and it’s the kind of music swedes like. Competent but not creative. But this smiliarity amongst the songs probably made all MF entries more streamlined. Everyone knew what took to win. And we tried to recreate the same formula to win over and over again. And honestly i think MF was a show simply have become stale. Its not exciting anymore. SVT is out of ideas . The music stagnates too, favoring the same songwrites, which already now how to deal with the show. The consept is sealed and SVT will never change it as long as they think it is the most successful one. The changes they made this year…no one understands, no one is happy about. MF’s problem doesn’t lay in it’s format, it is that its crushing under overproduction and the pressure to be succesful. But one day Sweden’s time as a ESC powerhouse Will be over. Trust me, MF will not be pretty. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I was bored ok? Bye❤

[@dasmysteryman12]

Not a Swede, but I’ve noticed that ordinary Swedes don’t care if their NF has become stale. It’s still an incredibly popular show, and I think the popularity behind it is obscuring the problems it has in recent years. In turn, SVT doesn’t care about the low quality because it’s popular, and they feel there’s no need to change the system. Melfest and Sweden really is a victim of its own popularity and success, but no one would care because it works so well.

[@moreofthatracket]

@@dasmysteryman12Swede here. You’re right. Everyone complains about the quality but we all keep watching it anyway

[@maciejsychowiec139]

What puzzles me is the re-occurring argument that Swedes care more about Melfest than Eurovision. If Swedes care more about Melfest so why no to provide more national flavor with songs that Swedes like to listen to rather than songs that Swedes (svenska pop) like to send to Eurovision (pop boys). Why to put so much energy into what works for Sweden in Eurovision and to prevent a glimpse of variety? It was mentioned in the video that lack of qualification of the most popular song on Spotify to the final (regardless of its quality) means that there is something wrong.

[@elsaskiold9220]

At this point, it’s just a tradition. We know it’s gonna be a mid and we are kinda used to being disappointed. But we take our OLW chips make a cloud kladdkaka and watch MF and we kinda enjoy it. I think it’s more about the gathering than the actual show at this point. And who doesn’t love to argue

[@smultronpojke4010]

SVT's website had this short video of an expert explaining that "asking why there are recurring songwriters in Melfest is like asking why there are recurring players in the world cup". They're really doubling down in all the worst ways I'm afraid

[@florenna]

That's the worst attempt at explanation I've seen ;)

[@danielb6766]

That’s a good answer. Get me any other songwriters more successful in all the national finals 💰😉

[@adriananderstedt]

Not allowing songwriters to do as many songs as they do is the fastest way to get them to leave, which would hurt mello more than them staying.

[@maol3_]

That expert also said that when artists want to participate in Melodifestivalen, they often call these songwriters because they have a good track record in the contest. Might be one of the reasons.

[@arvinroidoatienza7082]

​​@@danielb6766yeah but they just write the same thing over and over. And as you can see the European televote don't always vibe with it.

[@johannes7389]

CALL THE POLICE 👮‍♂️

[@XSunacX]

You're disturbing my peace...😅

[@jamesjohnson8279]

CUZ YOU JUST STOLE MY HEEEAAAAAART ❤️

[@whothehellisvi]

SO EFFORTLSSS SO EFFORLESS SSOOO EFFORTTLESSSS @@jamesjohnson8279

[@FeeESC]

​@@jamesjohnson8279 SO EFFORTLESS SO EFFORTLESS SO EFFORTLESSSS

[@ziemniakmaster9520]

SOOO EFFORTLESS SOO EFFORTLESS SOOOO EFFORTLESSSS

[@linn469]

Imagine if each songwriter would only be allowed to enter one song (you know, like the artists) how good that one song would be?! Then they might actually put some effort in.

[@adriananderstedt]

Then it wouldn't be worth their time and they would move on to other things, which would hurt melodifestivalen in the long run.

[@tomislavm8789]

​@@adriananderstedtwho cares if it would bring some actually good music.

[@jaimer.6313]

@@adriananderstedt😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 thats whats SVT wants you to think

[@misdre0111]

Ironic that the winning song is called "Unforgettable" because I can't for the life of me remember the melody of that song

[@tomislavm8789]

Melody is Faithless - Salva mea.

[@jt19]

i can, the problem is you

[@JulieLambert-nx7vq]

​@@jt19 it's called an opinion learn what one is

[@jt19]

@@JulieLambert-nx7vq it's my opinion, no?

[@Mycenaea]

What an original comment.

[@Rebelgoose]

I'm Swedish, I only rly enjoyed Melfest as a kid but now a days I actually kinda "hate" it. I only like Eurovision because the entertainment is not knowing what to expect and seeing some rly goofy fun experimental songs from other cultures, not 12 songs written by the same guys that are all rly predictiable. Even the result this year was predictable. We've got so much rock and metal too yet that stuff never gets to melfest it seems like (although I havent watched seriously since like 2016)

[@HZ-fg9sf]

I would love to see some Swedish metal in Melfest! It won't ever win and get selected but would be at least something different and cool to see.

[@fuzzybee3788]

Circus X was my favourite song this year by far, such a strong song and phenomenal performance. I was devastated that it didn't even make the finals. Another year, another mediocre pop song I guess

[@joebleasdale5557]

I gave up on Mello years ago. Just get the artists to write their own stuff. Artistic independence has made Festival da Canção one of the best NFs around for genre diversity and live performance, and it makes such a difference when an artist actually believes in what they’re singing! Even the eventual NQs are utter gold dust for music fans. There’s a reason so many international fan journalists were out in Portugal this year

[@kevincika]

My take on why people think Melodifestivalen is getting weaker and weaker is that we just grew up now. And tried to seek for other alternatives, other than Melfest that we watched in our first years of being eurofans. I dont think there’s a “drop” in quality in Melfest. It’s always been the pinnacle of generic pop songs among every other national finals. And it’s remained almost the same all the time and still loved by Swedes. While Eurovision has changed so much more in comparison with Melfest.

[@PetAnnette]

Yeah it's relative, because my friend who watched for the first time, found many favorites but I didn't because it felt like I had heard all of them already

[@jlust6660]

True, plus it being generic is probably what makes it so accessible

[@HZ-fg9sf]

I think that might explain a little bit but I still think there is a definite drop in quality. Out of curiosity got some new esc fans to watch Mello and their comments were generally, "great visuals but this song is basic" "I'm kind of bored with this one" "why do I feel like many are so similar?" "They kind of blend together for me" "I mean they are all pleasant and I would listen to it on the radio or in the background but not many stand out to me from the others" with maybe 1 or 2 songs that got more unique comments because they were a tad more distinctive. Idk...that doesn't sound like a good batting average and the overall sentiment was similar except for one pop fanatic in group that loved almost everything lol.

[@kisielmalinowy14]

My observation from watching all the national finals is that sweden is the only one that felt like nearly all the artists are dead inside and dont have a soul. If you're singing a song, even if you didn't write it yourself, an essential part of your preformance should be making it look emotional - like the lyrics mean something to you instead of just reciting random words. Somehow every single other country doesn't have a problem with this.

[@Tollkirschenkind]

There was a video from ESC hub where the melfest artists reacted to other ESC songs, and a lot was like "it's so cool and out there, and sometimes even in their own language"... Bestie, this could be you??? Someone's holding you at gunpoint that you can't compete with a song you actually like yourself?

[@MrMike855]

That’s because these artists have nothing other than Melfest. Almost non of their non Melfest songs even chart in Sweden. That’s why Froken Snusk would’ve shaken things up, though she and her music seem quite divisive among Swedes.

[@buibuich775]

From a Swedish person, I think getting caught up in Fröken Snusk and Gunilla Persson losing the second chance round is missing the forest for the trees. The anti-vote in the second chance round is pretty infamous, and we've previously lost both Carola and Loreen due to people voting explicitly against them. Fröken Snusk is hated by a lot of people due to her usual songs being perceived as misogynistic and in one case homophobic, the epadunk genre is general is pretty polarising. Gunilla Persson is famous because people hated her so much on Swedish Hollywood Wives. What I personally want is for Melodifestivalen to become less of its own seperate universe. We haven't had an artist that actually has a relevant music career outside of the contest win since the Ark back in 2007. Marcus and Martinus or Medina would not be charting at all if they released their songs without participating, now they are the most streamed songs in the country. Melodifestivalen is the only national final on the same level viewerwise as Sanremo, it feels like we are doing something wrong when Rai can attract their biggest artists while SVT just get the rejects.

[@escgabe]

All fair points!

[@Jatzki]

Pls make the three points screen with every artist a bit longer I have to pause every time lol Maybe do it so that one point is revealed at a time?

[@akmalbasyhaazis]

bracing for an absolutely vintage Gabriel Milne shredding

[@ThaGamingMisfit]

Sweden is such a cool language and they have so many awesome rock and metalbands, yet all we get is this half baked excuses for songs. Heck I think Loreen winning was ironically bad for Sweden because they now seem to think their formula of nothingburgers is actually working.

[@swedishmetalbear]

That's Swedish.. The language is Swedish.. the country is Sweden...

[@florenna]

"Loreen winning was (ironically) bad for Sweden" - well imagine how bad it was for Finland then...

[@yennik3439]

The strategy liteally is working, not just because loreen has a nice voice

[@KyrieFortune]

​@@yennik3439but for how long will it work? Another five years? Ten? Or is 2024 the year the decline starts? Some change is inevitable and should be welcome, if anything so thay the next winning power pop ballad stands out even more

[@yennik3439]

@@KyrieFortune well its not this year since sweden got top 10 again

[@sarahenchanted]

I don't know if you saw the video of the Melfest finalists reacting to some of the Eurovision 2024 songs (it's on Eurovision Hub) but almost all of them made a comment along the lines of "wow it's so cool to see them sing in their own language", notably about Norway. It REALLY makes me wonder if these artists are open to doing songs in Swedish but are being held back by the recurring songwriters. Speaking of that same video, Cazzie decided to make a snide ass remark about Ramonda not being "unique." On its own, it's fine to have that opinion but GIRL focus on your own bland ass song before you speak on Teya Dora.

[@meg5323]

Ramonda is quality lmao, sit down Cazzi

[@nocturne7371]

I so wanted Scarlet, Lia Larsson or Fröken Snusk to go to the final.

[@treverthetree]

In a EurovisionHub special video Cazzi Opeia criticised multiple 2024 songs (mostly noteably Ramonda) for having been done before or being too generic. And then she performs that?!?

[@sebastianperezpizarro6836]

Can you paste the link?

[@treverthetree]

@@sebastianperezpizarro6836 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWiyqZ95npuCjJosi=CilvVH1nSdkR2QWJ

[@treverthetree]

@@sebastianperezpizarro6836 She says it at 8:50 in the video. If link gets taken down video is called "Melodifestivalen 2024 Finalists React to Eurovision 2024" by Eurovision Hub

[@treverthetree]

@@sebastianperezpizarro6836 The link I pasted got taken down by KZbin but the video is called "Melodifestivalen 2024 Finalists React to Eurovision 2024" by Eurovision Hub. Cazzi Opeia says it at eight minutes fifty seconds.

[@neconeconeco]

that stuck out to me too - I wasn't following the melfest songs until the final so I was expecting something interesting or groundbreaking from Cazziopeia.... but... like, what? she must live in a bubble

[@ESCSweden]

The thing with Melodifestivalen is that they do some things right, but so many things wrong in my opinion. One of the main problems is the lack of songwriting diversity as you mentioned. It is the same people in almost every song, every year which gives us the familiarity of earlier years. Out of 30 songs, it's insane that there are so few songs that feels new. The other thing is what you mentioned in the beginning about Melfest being bigger than Eurovision. It has become a thing of it's own. A Saturday evening entertainment for us Swedes, that is why we have artists that cater to most age groups, but then we also have the ones that are in for the shock factor. And ofcourse the same old faces that everyone knows about.. It is all about the viewership and success. Svt needs to do a major revamp, because I need us to step things up now when the rest of Europe is getting on the same level and often better nowadays. My wish for Melodifestivalen 2025 is No more AC or stuff like that. Less Semi finals, 4 with 8 entries each, I think 6 feels to short to be a Saturday show going on for 5 weeks. 3 qualifiers of each, which gives us 12 finalists. AC have given us 1 winner in history and in a year when viewers and jury wasn't agreeing on who to send.. Ditch all the novelty acts, Svt seems that it gives the competition more attention but I know for a fact that many Swedes are sick and tired of all the "joke" acts participating. And i HIGHLY doubt they were better than any of the 2000 songs that didn't get picked. Sweden is one of the biggest music exporters in the world and it is such a shame that Melfest can't show that. Ditch the age groups too! That the 65+ and 3-9 groups can have the same voting power is ridiculous. I really want to see the amount of voters in each age group, because I doubt they are distributed evenly. Sorry for if my writing doesn't make any sense if someone is reading it, I just wanted to give my own opinions on it as a huge Swedish Melfest and Eurovision fan! I really enjoyed this video so thank you!

[@hugon3263]

I agree whit everything except the point about novelty act. Most people like that everything is not to serious. I remember watching Shabannan as a kid and it was the best thing.

[@johns70]

Three easy fixes for next year. 1. Return to previous format with 4 heats and the 2nd chance/semifinal (whatever you want to call it). It wasn’t broken, so no need to fix it. 2. New rule. No songwriter can have more than 3 entries in the competition. This increases diversity and forces the incumbents to focus on their best ones, leading to better quality (there are about 2-3 thousand songs submitted every year, so not a problem to find replacements). 3. Get at least 1 established major artist that sings in Swedish and give them free reins. Something like Laleh, Viktor Leksell, Miss Li, Veronica Maggio, Darin, etc. (chances are that Sweden won’t send a Swedish entry unless the artist is famous enough).

[@heroborgswe5418]

As a swede i can agree, dis would be good chance’s for tex smash into pieces to be in esc

[@ellem8990]

Omg yes the point about Cazziopeia! I remember when she was introduced the first time and they mentioned all the kpop groups she produced for and I even some of the specific albums displayed, I was so excited and expected her to make something similiar, but each time it's been the most basic song... It's frustrating, because it's not a situation where wishing for a more interesting song is too much to ask since she clearly can do it. Plus the basic songs haven't even worked for her, so why not try something different.

[@r.j.2202]

You basically just summarized everything me and my friends were thinking during that show but couldn't find the words for because we were desperately waiting for our burgers to be delivered until the restaurant cancelled our order, which actually matched quite well with the disappointing experience that Melfest was this year. One thing about Smash Into Pieces that supports your impression: I saw them live a couple of years ago when they were on tour with Takida, another Swedish band. I didn't know them but they were alright. The thing is that they already sounded exactly like they do in their Melfest entries at this concert in, I think, 2018. Even their outfits and movements were the same. I listened to some of their other music afterwards, and while there are some songs better than others, at least their current music really is the same thing over and over again. Decent pop songs with rock visuals. It kind of upsets me when some people online try to present them as this innovative rock band that brings something new to Melfest. Their songs aren't that different from your typical Melfest songs, it's just that the artists wear different costumes.

[@tuommika]

I have been annoyed by exactly those same things for several years now. Keep up the good work!

[@rima8111]

Let's be real, melfest is only going to change if either a) the viewing figures fall off a cliff or b) Sweden don't qualify at Eurovision. Until then, they've got no need to change anything.

[@gabechacon4630]

I wonder how much Sweden hosting had to do with the bland safe selection. I don’t think Sweden wanted to be embarrassed this year. They wanted something that would deliver. I’m hoping they’ll make better choices next year.

[@beauwheeler6228]

I laughed during the announcement of the scores. Jimmy “The Joker” Thornveld got a workout running around to sit with artists that sang his songs.

[@marianmeletlidiscrap]

Imagine if Sweden sent Ghost or some other rock/metal band to Eurovision for once. I feel like that would be so much more interesting than the beige poppy ballads that they almost always go for PLEASE SWEDEN PLEASE

[@Tintelinus]

There is no way in hell you will get a band like that in melfest

[@PauloCesarLira5]

The televote is pretty fair with Sweden. They give them points when they deserve it, and don't when they don't. The thing with Sweden is jury. If the juries continue to put Sweden on a pedestal basically every year (remember 2018?), they will never change their strategy. Because the jury rewards them, they are at least ok with televote but even when they're not, jury saves them, so that's the thing for me. Diversify the jury and we'll see a change in Sweden. Keep it the way it is, they'll also keep the way it is. They are smart, it works for them, if it's not broken don't fix it. Boring? Yes. Predictable? Also yes. But it's not their fault, they are doing what's been proven to work for them :/

[@alexdoorn234]

I mean Smash Into Pieces was right there but they became third again, but I would adore if Ghost went to Eurovision. I am still rooting for SIP while they're still trying.

[@marianmeletlidiscrap]

@@PauloCesarLira5 the jury loves their formulaic pop songs I guess

[@tenebraskull1818]

This is something that frustrates me as well, because Sweden has a very strong and alive metal scene with internationally successful bands like Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy and Sabaton in addition to Ghost. It's disappointing to see they don't utilize it, especially when next to them is Finland where we have had success using our metal and rock scene. (Which ironically has taken influence from Sweden during it's history)

[@noirweiss]

UMK had my heart with their national selection. Finland's national finals was on something different this year! 🎉

[@Finnishkebab]

Pretty weak.. From Finland 😆

[@Nevolet]

yeah that's why sweden is slightly bored of our options, i seriously hope that we get to send random people with their own written songs instead.

[@tasosmosh]

I love the fact that often fans from the European North believe that Eastern and Southern Europe's national selections are riddled with favoritism and corruption, when in reality, these issues are sugarcoated in the North by an excellent production and the always omnipresent emphasis Scandinavian and northern countries put on equality. Like, the 5 songwriter domination was ALWAYS a thing in Melfest. You just gotta replace 2 or 3 household names with other of equivalent value and songwriting credits. Maybe now this circle is a little bit smaller, but ultimately, after 10 years or more in the game, it really comes down to the fact that these songwriters have simply lost their mojo on Melfest, dragging talented artists along with them and refusing to let other people with fresher ideas take the spotlight. Now, especially when it comes to 2024, I believe that the famous 5 songwriters were especially inclined to replicate their formulas, because Loreen was always supposed to win by a landslide, and in a "normal" year, Smash Into Pieces and Marcus and Martinus 2023 entries would definitely win easily and dominate. Why change a winning formula after all? Great video as always😊 hope we get to see an entry in Swedish in our lifetimes!

[@Masaim6]

To me Dotters lovesong is actually pretty interesting as it's a love letter from both the songwriters to each other as Dotter and Dino are engaged. That being said Que Sera was the only actually interesting song in the final.

[@anilatac488]

watching melfest this year i realized, this show is the europop version of kitsch. the music is well produced, the budget is high, they have skilled and experienced songwriters; basically it looks HUGE, no one could deny it, the producers really want you to feel that, yet... it's feels soulless instead. like we're watching what looks and sounds nice but there's nothing below the surface, yet we're meant to be moved by it because it's Sweden and it's The Powerhouse Eurovision Country. maybe I'm a bit too harsh because I've been watching eurovision for quite a while but only became a fan in this decade, and it's just dawning on me that i wasn't a fan for longer because back then in the '10s the contest was so... 'swedified', and that's definitely been changing recently.

[@foxforch]

Very refreshing to hear a legitimate criticism on our Melfest. Here, if you dismissively tweet that a pregnant lady sings about breakups on your TV, you’ll get a lot of crap thrown at you and force you to remove it.

[@mintysash3134]

OMG Finally, yes, this!!! Thank you Gabe, I feel a petty yet deeply satisfying sense of validation after watching this. Agreed with everything said, it's been a long time coming and I hope this message reaches the right ears for next years Mello. Stay awesome, much love 🤍💙🤍

[@venycal]

Again amazing commentary ESC Gabe! Really enjoyed all your analysis and thoughts ❤

[@antonysantiago2874]

I'm not a fan of Melfest. But I watched all performances this year. My favourite is Scarlet. All the others didn't grab my atention. Some are fine and others so prefab that became forgetable to me. I expected that I could find other musics to my esc2024 playlist. For instance, I am listening many songs of Sanremo, MGP, PZE and Benidorm. A lot of artists to explore, especially the italians.

[@snezanavujisic7368]

Your analysis is very detailed and I agree that the festival lacked variety. Also, I don't know if anyone noticed that the winning song "UNFORGETABLE" is heavily sampling the song from 1995 "SALVA MEA" by Faithless. This is especially visible in the chorus, and I'm not saying that it is plagiarized, but just it's not very original, or modern! I don't mind it much though, personally, I love Faithless and would love to hear music like theirs in the mainstream charts again! ✌️

[@vignotum132]

Well done Gabe! You put into words what I’ve been feeling for a while as a Swede. However, the Swedish public has also complained the contest has gotten worse over the years, so it’s not totally resistant to change

[@fuzzybee3788]

Circus X not even being in the final was ridiculous

[@Rockelund]

When discussing Melodifestivalen I believe an important factor is that it's so massive in Sweden. It's a big chunk of the population that votes. This in itself is fantastic, but if your looking for Sweden being experimental... It just doesn't work in Melodifestivalen. You can be a little edgy within the format, but that's it. The day after the final. 18 Songs on Top 20 on Spotify was from Melodifestivalen. This is unique and the chart success is in no way delivering a message that a change is needed. Melodifestivalen is a Swedish institution and my advice to non Swedes is that if looking for avantgarde or experimental search elsewhere. Results at Eurovision indicates that the format is actually working and every now and then it produces small masterpieces.

[@eurofansf]

The answer to your rant Gabe is ratings. As you pointed out Melfest outranks ESC in rating in Sweden hence as a TV show SVT views it as a success and not ‘broken’. As a fan you may hold the view it is uncreative and unsatisfying (which is a valid point) however SVT’s remit is satisfied (ratings are king). BTW…love your channel, passion and insights…keep ‘em coming!

[@tasosmosh]

We should also embrace the rise of a new era in Melfest, one that sees the same 4 types of songs battle the mediocrity out of each other while Maria Sur rises - small steps each year- at the level of superstardom NO Euroqueens have achieved. She could be endgame if this format stays intact

[@beatricebergqvist9737]

Hi, I'm swedish and I agree that the Melody-festival format is a bit outdated, because I haven't noticed a big difference in the competition since I was a kid, and I've been following it for a long time. the fact that almost only the biggest swedish song writers and artists make up the majority of the competition every year probably also plays a big role in the whole thing, I completely agree. At this point, Sweden has 7 wins in (ESC), exactly the same as Ireland, what I personally think SVT should do, is to scrap Björkman's old ideas, which might have been good when he came to power, some 20 years ago, and build a new (mello) from the ashes with a new identity and new ideas, just as times have changed so has the music industry. Not that I don't like mello, of course I want my country to do well in the ESC, but I think we should take a break and breathe a little, and take a step back now and let other countries in the competition have a chance to shine a little. I would like other countries in (ESC) that have never won before to be able to win, just like Portugal in 2017. I understand that Melodifestivalen is one of, if not the best national finals for the (ESC), and that many expect a lot from the competition, its songs, artists, etc. considering its great popularity, I get the feeling that its producers are constantly trying to outdo themselves every year, by making something better than the year before. which in the long run probably made the situation worse, and resulted in the competition losing the fantastic spark it once had. I remember the old days, when the structure was similar but had character and life and a spark, for example the years 2002 - 2010 which had a great variety in both songs and artists and songwriters, with great creativity in terms of song lyrics etc. There was a good balance and we could have as many good songs in English as good songs in Swedish in the final. More focus should be put on making the competition more fair both for established well-known artists and for debutants. but above all, more songs in Swedish in the competition and that we should try to think outside the box and dare to take risks in ESC again + new songwriters who are less known. Thanks, these were just a few thoughts I got after watching your video. 😀🤩🤔

[@RolyWestYT]

I am not shocked this year was not as good. It's pretty much set in stone the last year winner won't win 2 in a row very easy. I am sure most of them went into the show just for exposure and next year it will be back to a higher standard

[@escgabe]

I hope so but the songwriting rot is so deep it NEEDS a refresh

[@MangeUlvedal]

⁠​⁠@@escgabeYou are sooooo negative about Sweden its absolute incredible. I think you like the songs but you dont want to admit it🤔

[@oinnxfusion3125]

I could listen to you ramble about anything for hours❤.

[@Haken.Cockroachposting]

#JusticeForKlaudy sure it was a pretty standard love song, but it felt very genuine and down to earth. it wasn't written by the usual Melfest suspects, just Klaudy himself and Åke Olofsson, who is a brilliant indie musician in his own right. and it was in SWEDISH. it might not have been a Eurovision winner, but i wished it had atleast got a place in the finals, it was a great effort - especially for a newcomer. also how did Elecktra get so few points in the final heat? whenever the camera was on her during the voting/results, the crowd went wild. i'm not gonna suspect a conspiracy, but it does make you think 🤔 anyways yeah Fröken Snusk should've won, Gunilla was entertaining, but at the end of the day, BJÖRNZONE won our hearts. great video leg man 🤙

[@angelinalind9457]

Klaudy really represents what swedes listen to regularly. His song is very much what the top list looks like, and it is also all in Swedish. I loved his song, and If we would send it, it would represent Sweden as a society.

[@TimeG37]

Congrats on the 5k subscribers ❤️

[@escgabe]

Thank you!!

[@PastaSauce.]

This was my very first Melfest and I got to watch it live and had a great time!! Loved the free carrots in the audience and the family friendly audience was interesting ha. For a newbie it was fun and I didn’t see any problems.

[@nisserevs587]

I think you're missing the elephant in the room. The rule that no DTF songs can be available until the end of the last heat and all other songs can only be available after the heat in which those songs participated in is both ridicolous (because our country is the birthplace of The Pirate Bay) and counterproductive if you want to increase the music quality of the show. What should be done instead is all songs should be available a few weeks before the first heat and stay available. I should also mention that this specific rule that I am bashing is a rule that SVT invented themselves, Eurovision rules just tells you that no songs can be available before September. Making all songs available beforehand could perhaps encourage songwriters to take more risks. Imagine you're hearing a song for the first time and you're thinking this song is just weird. Than you hear it a second time and a third time and overtime you start to realize that this song is actually very creative and original and you like it more each time you hear it. With the rules we have now your song basically have to pop the minute you hear it otherwise, good luck. Also get rid of the age groups. I'm sorry but the older age groups generally tend to vote for unoriginal vanilla songs. I'm in stead suggesting regional groups where you have different codes for each area. No not one for each region each voting region can exists of several different regions(if you know what i mean) I don't hold Melodifestivalen as the pinnacle of the swedish music scene. I generally think that really good songs tend to be a lot longer than just three minutes (although there are certainly exceptions to the rule). Despite that I do think Melodifestivalen viewers deserve songs of good quality and originality. It is my belief that getting rid of the availability rule (don't know what else to call it) could help Melodifestivalen get in that direction. TL;DR SVT should allow all songs to be available weeks (maybe even months) before the first heat in order to encourage risk taking and originality.

[@JLecool]

What if, and bear with me, they are purposely trying not to win, since they already won so many times, maybe now they just want to be mid... like just have a good production + performances + staging and essentially make a great national selection show, but not so good that it would give them another win... far fetched?

[@chunneta]

I'm so happy that [I] found [you]

[@mayra3277]

Is this how almost every single German ESC entry of the 80s and 90s was written by the same guy and several bands competed two or three times (always without much success)?

[@thingybob4375]

Gabe, before you even start, before I even watch this post. this video is well overdue. Melfast HAS gone stale in recent years, focusing ever more on staging over the quality or depth of the songs in the contest.. A great Eurovision song takes you on a journey. Recent Melfest songs leave me, for the most part, still standing at the bus stop listening to a selection of homogenous radio songs, mostly written by the same handful of people. Sure, they are always good, amazingly well produced but without any special connection that makes them stand out as a competition winner. Honestly, we have heard and watched most of these songs a dozen or more times again and again/. Andere Chansen, or the equivalent , is questionable. It only serves to drag the contest on for another week with little or no impact on the final result. SVT obviously have their reasons financially - the set has already been built and it's probably a cost effective one night of TV scheduling, but in terms of the result of the contest it is a dead week. Perhaps, yes, it helps to progress the careers of lesser known artists on the Swedish music scene and, as international viewers, we may not pick up on that... Most significantly, we have now had successive years where, with Loreen and Marcus & Martinus, we have sat through two six week contests with pretty much a foregone conclusion as to the winner each time. Looking forward to the video Gabe

[@jlust6660]

Honestly I think that some people just have gotten bored with Mello, because it was just more of the same formula as it has been for years and it still is really popular. Yes, the same songwriters returning again and again is annoying, but since the songs are predictable, they are also accessible and I think that's a part of Mello's success. I wish there was some more variety or courage in the songs, but Sweden needs a couple more low scores at ESC before that will happen. Right now there is just no incentive for them to change it. Maybe the old andra chansen could have given songs that needed to grow on you the chance to do so which honestly would have been great, but in practice it didn't really do that in my opinion. I saw someone suggest that SVT dropped it in favour of a night with new songs because it wasn't as popular as the other nights, but also apparently last year's andra chansen got a record number of votes so who knows what the reason is

[@spaceflower1637]

Hey can you make a video rating eurovision stages?

[@jasondydynski]

Wow was checking and saw Singa had like a lot of the Melfest songs too 🔥

[@danielb6766]

Why is the term generic almost exclusively used on pop songs and not on ballads, rock, ethnic, indie, etc… Because there are countries that submit ethnic songs each year that sound the same… cough.. Albania …cough.. Mainstream songs are mainstream because most people like it 😅

[@PersonaNG-oo7ku]

I've actually heard the term "generic" being used to criticize nearly every genre of music. There's a ton of metal bands I love that were describe that way, even by me. Pop is just the most popular one (it's literally in the name) so it's talked about most often. Also, I think it's important to point out that a generic English-language pop song can be made in basically every country in the world, by almost anyone. You won't be able to tell if it's from Slovakia or Portugal when it's basic pop. But an ethic song, even if generic, will still stand out when compared to those from other countries. Polish folk will not sound like Greek one. And Greek folk is not the same as Norwegian, etc. Especially if the artists use their native tongue. Which means that a person from Albania can produce the same generic pop as a person from Sweden. But a person from Sweden will never be able to create a generic Albanian ethnic song. At least not an authentic one. That's the key difference in my opinion.

[@danielb6766]

@@PersonaNG-oo7ku thank you for your answer, never thought of it in that way 😊

[@rasmusj459]

I just dont understand why every eurovision fan hates popsongs? Sure it might be a bit of generic but it's still a good song that won and the people obviously liked it since it got most votes by far in televote. Does every country need to send a boring ballad or a weird/fun song like Cha Cha Cha? If everyone started sending entries like Käärijä it would become a clown show tbh, its fun with some funnier entries but you cant be mad every country does not want to send that type of songs.

[@escgabe]

I love pop songs! But unfortunately, most of these just weren’t very good pop songs.

[@euroviv]

I agree with your assessment. I have also loved Mello since childhood and that's why the current state of it makes me sad. For me, it used to have a kind of magic where it was so ahead of everyone else and now it's so similar every year that the magic is gone. But obviously Mello only needs to please Swedes and they like it so 🤷 Personally I am more inclined to spend my time following national finals with a more diverse and surprising selection instead.

[@finnsuomi1719]

So true! These Swedish songs are extremely well produced, polished, well sang, and they are often real ear worms. Why aren’t they working for me? Cause they lack one important thing : originality. They always do well at ESC but in the end you have heard these songs a hundred times before and while you might like them from the first hearing, they deliver very little in the end. So, I am not at all a fan of Sweden at ESC and I wish Europeans would be more critical all in all when it comes these Swedish songs.

[@NellaWasHere]

Not Jimmy Joker writing a faaaaar better song to Austria than his own country too.. 💀

[@vohol6158]

I wholeheartedly agree with most of the points made in this video. However, I don't at all get the critique for the pregnant woman singing about a breakup. First of all, you can absolutely write/perform a song about a subject that isn't relevant in your life at that specific moment. Second of all, breakups do definitely happen even when people are expecting. So, why on earth should you not perform a song about breaking up just because you happen to be pregnant? To me that's just silly.

[@escgabe]

Thanks for your comment - I was trying to make a light hearted comment as a way to bring up and congratulate Lisa on her upcoming arrival - apologies if it hasn’t come across that way!

[@vohol6158]

@@escgabe No problem! Thanks for clearing that up. This was the first video of yours I've watched so I don't really know your "style"

[@markov.4356]

And most of these format changes (or better said, issues) came after Bjorkman stopped being the lead show producer. Still mad at the age groups voting system tho

[@lgrcen2008]

I feel like melfest has been stagnant since 2018. Sure there has been a quite few good songs sprinkled out between and some great stagings but the music isn't evolving. I felt like when Joker and the Debs arrived on the scene they were a fresh injection into melfest. You could hear: "oh this a Deb song". But now it feels like they all have homogenised into the same formula. About the second chance round. They changed the format because a show with the rejects from the previous heats wasn't pulling in the viewing numbers. But this new system was so flawed. My suggestion is that we return to 4 heats and scrap the second chance round and have 3 songs advance to the final from every heat. One issue with getting new people onto the contest is that there is a contingent of artists that simply doesn't want to compete in music. There have been interval acts and artists in other non-competitive music shows in Sweden expressing "Nice that I can join and not have to compete"

[@Wintersincla]

The fact that at least 2 of the songs (Jay Smith and Engmans Kapell) were submitted and rejected last year is curious. One thing no one has mentioned … Christer Björkman departing and Karin Gunnarsson ascending.

[@HelloWorld-kt7jk]

i really appreciate your videos! just a small piece of advice: i think your thoughts some across as more convincing and professional when you present your opinions as opinions as opposed to facts. songs aren't 'bad' or 'worse' than last year, that's just your opinion on the matter. someone else might say the exact opposite:)

[@Tarmoherra]

Yeah it's one of the most uninteresting national finals nowdays. The final is just a few similar songs written by the same writers.

[@juliettesirkis]

This is absolutely brilliant! I fully agree with everything you said.

[@amandamadaci7797]

The way you spoke about Bulletproof, Cicciolina and Bluffin' 🥺

[@verdandi5569]

It really seems that everything about Melfest this year was overshadowed by the ESC production. The scripts and interval acts were the worst we've seen in years. That "kval" thing after heat 5 was ridicolous and it's been heavily criticised here in Sweden too. Also I'm glad to see some real constructive criticism against us. We really do deserve it. I was hoping for Medina this year, disappointed once again!

[@yennik3439]

yeah melodifestivalen is totally broken. What if one year they dont get marcus and martinus, or loreen, or cornelia, or john lundvick, or benjamin ingrosso, robin bengston or mans? then they might not make top 10 for a year??? omg its all going to hell. i guess at this point they migh as well rename it una voce per sverige

[@yennik3439]

your whole video boils down to "i dont like melodifestivalen anymore therefore it mus be broken" bruh the only relevant metrics (viewershipt and placement in eurovision) are as stable as they could be

[@mec0013]

I love this analysis! Melfest was indeed poor this year and Sweden can do way better. Cornelia Jakobs is amazing and performs her own songs. Many other Swedish acts though do seem to be props of Sweden's musical industrial complex. Authenticity in music is important to me. You're supposed to submit a unique song to Eurovision. When only five people are writing thirty songs and doing so poorly there's definitely a problem. Also it makes it difficult for actual artists to enter the festival. Professional songwriters would probably also be great accountants or lawyers. Not really a need for them in art.

[@johanjacobsen8932]

Regarding Fröken Snusk being no 1 on Spotify: the generation that listens to her music on Spotify is far and beyond people that watch and actually cares for Melodifestivalen. There’s also this whole thing that the songs that go DTF don’t get released on Spotify until every song has been performed unlike the songs that go to Andra Chansen.

[@GeroWeko]

I agree with the second chance recency bias thing, the producers even agreed that they were sus of it and gonna look into it into the upcoming year. the songwriters on the other hand. melfest has had this system of the same songwriters for a long time and my guess is that the songs just happened to be weaker. Not the songwriters fault but the choices from the... over 3000 songs that were submitted to the contest. love the video

[@kuvattelija]

i need soulfulness, and i dont find it in melfest

[@samsmales3718]

I feel as well there is a question on how does the taking over of Karin from Christer in the past few years affected Melfest, was the change towards less diversity started under Christer, or is it new for Karin's leadership.

[@florenna]

TBH, I've always wondered why is Melodifestivalen rated so high (among ESC fans), as everything in it just sounds so plastic & so utterly generic, nothing in it just doesn't seem autenthic at all... I've just assumed that's the way some ESC fans like it, sadly, and also the way Swedes like it, and ok to me if the latter, but then it really shouldn't be rated as "best NF" in any way, simple as that. I've long felt Sweden was very much on the wane as any kind of "Eurovision powerhouse" and its domination years gone, but sadly last year its soulless excuse for music still managed to steal our very deserved victory, thank to juries only. As a Finn that really takes the cake... That should never have been allowed to happen, period. And even worse that Sweden STILL goes on & on with the same soulless pop...

[@EmVee.]

A lot of words to just say you are salty that Finland lost last years. Nothing got stolen from you, you know the rules in advance and had months to prepare for a scenario like this.

[@jijitters]

@@EmVee. Booooo you may be content eating your grey slop but that doesn't mean you get to get on a high horse and claim everyone should love and be thankful for your grey slop.

[@simonedeblom]

Yeah it feels like most Swedes wanted Finland to win and I’m a Swede too, I mean it’s not fun winning when most people didn’t want you to win, it feels so unfair

[@RITA-gc2dv]

As a Swede/Finn living in Sweden, which I consider to be my first country as I’m born in Sweden but family is born in Finland. I have only one thing to say… The difference between Sweden & Finland is very well described in your comment. Firstly, Sweden & Swedes don’t give a sh*t about the opinions of others. That’s one of Sweden’s absolute best characteristics and the reason why they’ve been successful in a lot of stuff. They always do what they believe in. And they’re their biggest critics themselves. Secondly, their neighbours don’t live rent free in their brains. In fact, they’re very supportive of their neighbours. If Sweden don’t win, then Scandinavia/Nordic should win. They’re happy for the success of their brothers & sisters. Thirdly, they don’t make excuses & have small mentality. If they don’t win, they accept being beaten, clap the winner and congratulate them. Then they’re self critical and start question themselves & what they need to improve. Lastly, Sweden is the world’s second music exporter due to pop music and is behind a huge amount of global hits in the 2000’s from artists like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga etc. Eurovision is about unite Europe and letting all countries music cultures be shown and meet during this contest. Pop music & the Billboard list IS Swedish music culture. And I’m sure Finnish people would start crying if the Swedish people started to interfere in your music culture and be perceived as arrogant & disrespectful. Me & my family are never ashamed to be Finnish in Sweden, but after last year’s Eurovision, we were. Because of your childish behaviour, loser mentality and being so disrespectful towards Loreen. Luckily, Käärija himself was something to be proud of and how he acted after the ESC. The Swedes can’t even banter you without you getting offended, but you’re interfering in everything they do because they’re living so rent free in your brains. And that you care so much about Sweden’s NATIONAL competition tells it all. Finland always competes against Sweden, while Sweden competes against Sweden. That’s the difference.

[@esc-happyness10]

My unpopular opinion: ''Unoriginal'' pop-song aren't bad. If someone is good it's good, it doesn't need to be music-industry breaking

[@ikaunieksplay]

Christ, this. So tired of eurofans currently losing their marbles when a song dares to be in english and not some unholy frankenstein mutant of genres with wacky vocals and optional very goofy staging like Cha Cha Cha, Ulveham, No Rules, Rim Tim Tagi Dim, etc...

[@jijitters]

I mean, on the radio, yes, but that really isn't in the spirit of Eurovision to send exactly what's on the radio.

[@SHAUUNZERS]

What a fantastic analysis and video. We need to hear more of this criticism in a world which constantly suppresses honest and unpopular opinions. Great job Gabe.

[@escgabe]

Thank you!

[@PetAnnette]

1. Give a reason to change it. 2. Make it interesting so that other artists want to participate. 3. Choose different songs and artists. 4. Make better and more meaningful songs. 5. Maybe try Swedish. 6. Release studio versions before semifinals. 7. Ditch the age groups. 8. Have fun and don’t be afraid of failure!! Great video, I agreed on everything which I knew already before I even saw it. Also, great conversation starter, glad to read so many constructive comments from swedes. Here are my more detailed comments: 1. Clearly SVT and most of the Swedish audience don’t want to change something that “works”. So, decline in viewers, NQ at Eurovision or more critique from the Swedes. 2. Why would an artist from different genre, promising debut artist or already popular (not mello popular) artists want to participate if you won’t even qualify to the final because you’re not Danny Saucedo. Show it as a possibility to win whole Sweden’s heart and have an international career if you go to Eurovision. 3. I would like to see less songs, maybe 20, and more quality but since that is not what Sweden wants, why don’t you use the 30 slots better? There’s room for couple of the same faces, someone the kids love, someone the 60+ like, some polished Swedish pop… Like someone mentioned, use the rest to show what Sweden really listens to!! With diversity you could get a more diverse audience, so maybe different kind of song could also win. 4. I’ve been wondering what my problem with Melodifestivalen the last 3-4 years has been (why I keep watching, I don’t know….) It’s because it’s the SAME SONG over and over again. And no, I don’t mean “oh they’re same type of music so they sound similar.” Heroes are calling and Six feet under, like Gabe said. And someone pointed out soullessness: what a difference when Hold me closer clearly meant something to Cornelia. Get a songwriter that understands the artist or let the artist write their own songs and trust that the artists’ skills and presence and quality song is enough, and you don’t need the same boring formula. 5. There’s been songs in Finnish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Serbian, Italian and French in top5 recent years, and televote second in Romanian (Moldova), and this year you can most likely add Dutch to the list, so there’s really no reason why you couldn’t send Swedish. And is understanding “you better know she’s dangerous, she is unforgettable” the key to enjoy one’s show? 6. Release the studio versions on Monday of each week of the semifinals and this way the more complex songs stand a chance because people can listen to them couple of times. I get that by not releasing them before tries to create the situation where a casual viewer only watches the Eurovision GF but would still try this. 7. No need to explain this. 8. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, so why not have fun while doing it!! Try something different, it can pay off well - or not, but would it be so terrifying to NQ once in 20 years. Anyway, this was my thesis on Melodifestivalen. I don’t have anyone in real life who would let me ramble past point one, and maybe not here either but I appreciate if someone read this far. If I seem like a total nerd here it’s because I am 😊 Sorry if I sounded too harsh, but Melfest has been my pre-Eurovision treat so many years and I know Sweden has lot more to give. Marcus & Martinus will start or at least warm up for the party in May, so it was a nice choice. Greetings from Finnish Mello fan, who's (im)patiently waiting point 1 to happen

[@PetAnnette]

One more thing, Sweden does amazing stagings, but I see a pattern there as well with all the led screens and lazers. But Klaudy’s För dig tries something different, starts really great and I love that atmosphere but then it’s ruined with wider camera angles to show off the stage and Klaudy’s little island gets lost and looks like it’s in a wrong place. 😟

[@Gfynbcyiokbg8710]

​@@PetAnnetteThey're on a big LED stage so of course most of the artists would use it. Plus staging that is reliant on props just typically looks more cheap. And lasers? I don't think any of the winners have used lasers and only one or two finalists every year use them.

[@PetAnnette]

@@Gfynbcyiokbg8710 Yeah you're propably right about the lazers, it was just an example what they're good at 😊 Of course they should use that cool stage if it's available, my point was that it doesn't always fit if there's more down to earth, indie song which needs more intimate athmosphere. And in Klaudy's case they didn't really use it, rather than just film the big stage and that made the prop look too simple. Anyway I don't know if all the artists have the same production and staging teams or not, and he wouldn't have won nevertheless... Just an observation and discussion for fun 😄

[@annasundback6696]

As a Swedish-finn we usually follow it every Saturday on SVT and we are so over Mello.

[@JamieJooESC]

I think only for this year, since every host country doesn't want to do back to back hosting, they went a little lacklustre as a result this year. I fully expect a decent strong year next time around

[@smultronpojke4010]

That would be all well and good if not for the fact that Melfest's project leader literally said the express goal is to secure a consecutive victory for Sweden

[@ethanwoolley7570]

I'm still crying over the fact Jacqline didn't win.

[@Aenea-de9vy]

You’re spot on! 👍

[@amasialinda]

Thanks for saying this!

[@PetAnnette]

I really like this comment section, so many good suggestions how to make melodifestivalen bättre! You all should become the official development team of mello and we'd have an interesting show 🎉

[@Andre_stats_0111]

Like you, I was shocked by the result of the second chance voting round. Fröken Snusk and Scarlet were by far the best two songs in that round and should have progressed to the final. As for the final, I enjoyed the interval act more than most of the songs. If that's not a clear sign something is wrong with your show... Anyway, the best package won imo, but again the final result shocked me. Maria Sur and Jacqline so low? Dotter last? The result perhaps is a clear reflection that on the one hand the songs are too generic, written by the same songwriters over and over again, but on the other hand also a clear sign the Swedish voters presumably don't want anything to change. BTW: you didn't mention the weird voting system in the semis where voters were split into age groups. As if that would fix all of the problems. If anything, it just highlighted these problems. Anyway, a lot to think about by producers of Melfest. But like you, I doubt this will result in big changes next year.

[@franzcohenfan3619]

Every year I used to buy the cd - I would love almost 3 quarters of the songs - now I don't bother - I'm lucky to like 3 or 4 songs

[@owendy274]

The thing as well this was the best year for Sweden to do something out there and original, they were already qualified for the the final and they have a safe bet every year of getting top 10, anyways I hope that we get a Tusse situation and it flops 😬

[@Crannofonix]

Honestly imo even the early jury song selection out of the 1,000 submitted songs is broken

[@zipj]

Lmao I agree with you 100%. I really like the generic Swedish pop songs and most of the song writers that wrote about 20 songs each this year, but it would be enough with 3 of those songs. It would be much more fun if the other 27/25 songs were of different genres and were actually good. I'm still sad that Jacqline got so little votes tho.. she was my favorite by far

[@abrielrobertsson4160]

As a Swede, I definitely agree with everything. MF has become a monopoly of the same producers and songwriters. Take a look at how many songs Jimmy Joker composed this year for e.g. We have literally never sent anything unique and daring in EV, but the same usual overproduced pop songs. Listen to Sweden in 2011 and then listen to Sweden in 2021. How much difference do you notice really? Almost none. Honestly, I don't think we'll win this contest ever again if we continue with this strategy.

[@topherwolf1113]

This is just a case of remembering the first years you experienced as the golden age. I started following MF back in 2003 and the 2003 - 2008 will always be my golden years.

[@logi-a]

The fact that Jaqueline was so low is not only unforgivable but also unforgettable (😏) sorry for that joke. But yeah I would’ve do much rather see Jaqueline or even Maria go out rather then M&M

[@user-zo4mj8oo1t]

Gosh... if Sweden continues to mess up the song selections for Eurovision, I would never thought about one day...

[@NarutoUzumakiofficial]

Cazzi Opeia i honestly loved her song, loved her vibe. I mean she did write Tattoo, and Wonderland both winners of Eurovision and American Song Contest. this song just felt different though. Unforgettable won because it was sung by them. I don't hate the song but idk it's just like 'Shake you Off" or that song from 2017 forgettable for me. Middle of the pack. Sorry Sverige zero points from USA (and San Marino)

[@that_cat21]

melfest this year (this was my first nf season) was obviously higher quality than everything else but the songs were just *so* boring????? apart from medina (my winner) it was all very forgettable

[@saskiamckenna2925]

cant get over the fact that smash into pieces song has almost the exact same melody as Karma by Ryan Hili

[@escgabe]

GOING TO LISTEN TO CHECK THIS RIGHT NOW

[@escgabe]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

[@TheNashNetwork]

Froken Snusk and Jon Henrik Fjallgren collab in Swedish to save Melfest 2025

[@pogodziej]

I loved Melina Borglowe and it was suuuuch a bummer to just see her disappear just as fast as she appeared in the first Heat.

[@veronikanachbar6747]

I already thought if Jedward would sing "She's unforgettable" that would be totally on brand for them - and then you put Marcus and Martinus as "the norwegian jedward" in your video 😂😂

[@Tintelinus]

Tbh I think Sweden will adapt. This just seems to be the cycle of Sweden in Eurovision. Be strong but also be really fucking slow at getting out of their old niche. We saw that at the end of the 00s aswell.

[@richmlvcable]

so if Melodifestivalan is a total mess what does that make the UK right now?