Melodifestivalen 2026: Deltävling Three (Kristianstad)

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VoR

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On Saturday night, Sweden declared We WILL rave, actually, with Felicia and Brändsta City Slackers cruising to the finals, while Robin Bengtsson's run of qualifiers was finally broken. Let's see what's on the cards for Heat 3...

Melodi #1: Patrick Jean - Dusk Till Dawn
Joy Deb, Patrik Jean, David Lindgren Zacharias, Melanie Wehbe
Patrik_Jean_Melodifestivalen_2026.jpg

So if you listen to Melfest prognosticators, this is one of the major contenders to win this year. Patrick comes in with an impressive pedigree - he's had songwriting credits on seven Melfest entries to date, and five of them were finalists, including one winner in Move by The Mamas.

That said, his first attempt to jump from songwriting into the spotlight was less successful, with a 5th place semi-final knockout for Tears Run Dry in 2021. This new one has been compared to the past two Eurovision winners for NEMO and JJ, which suggests shrieky vocals and unconventional song structures will be the name of the game.

Personally, I wonder if Sweden might raise a collective eyebrow to anything too obviously copycat-y, and the dread MELANIE WEHBE on songwriting duties doesn't exactly inspire confidence. But there's smart money on this, so attention should be paid.

Overall odds: 6th



Melodi #2: Korslagda - King of Rock n Roll
Stefan Sjur, Kristofer Strandberg, Håkan Sörle och Andreas Werling
Korslagda_Melodifestivalen_2026.jpg

Now this group of chubby funsters might look on paper to be a classic Melfest filler act, but they've hit upon a couple of clever ways to boost their profile. First, they appeared on a popular Swedish talk show and professed their unexpected love and appreciation for Swedish national treasure [citation needed] Sanna Nielsen, which got them a few column inches. They then doubled down by placing an evidently hefty bet on themselves to win the whole contest, which was enough to place them above Greczula, A*Teens and Felicia as the unlikely current #1 in the betting odds.

It's canny stuff indeed for a band who really don't have *that* much of a profile, as evidenced by their placing in this semi. Their antics have certainly won them a bit of affection from the casuals and the media, but it only really counts if they have a song worthy of all the effort. Nothing about the song title or credits suggest they have a Hard Rock Hallelujah waiting in the wings here, but you never know. I suspect unless this is totally unlistenable, they've probably done enough to go through in some form, even if - as seems likely - it's just as likeable filler for the finale.

Overall odds: 1st



Melodi #3: Emilia Pantic - Ingenting
Fredrik Andersson , Emilia Pantić , Theodor Ström , Jakob Westerlund , Wilmer Öberg
Emilia_Panti%C4%87_Melodifestivalen_2026.jpg

With a look that could best be described as 'like a little Helen Baxendale', Emilia Pantic is another debutant, who made her name on child talent shows and graduated to a number of TV and theatre productions on her way to the Melfest stage.

She wrote this song with noll2, who failed to qualify from Semi One, but are currently sitting pretty at #1 on Swedish Spotify, which must bode well for her long-term prospects. Less so in terms of getting out of this deltävling though...

Overall odds: 16th



Melodi #4: Medina - Viva L'amour
Ali Jammali , Dino Medanhodzic , Sami Rekik , Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt , Anderz Wrethov
Medina_Melodifestivalen_2026.jpg

Regret to inform Moopy's chubby chasing community that Ozempic seems to have claimed another victim in the (formerly) fat one from Medina. :(

Continuing their streak of popping up every two years with a competitive banger, Medina scored bronze in 2022, silver in 2024 and will presumably be hoping to go all the way this time around.

They've got the usual songwriting heavyweights on board, and unless we're looking at a Samir & Viktor style disaster (unlikely) this should be the safest bet to qualify in this heat.

Overall odds: 8th



Melodi #5: Eva Jumatate - Selfish
Herman Gardarfve , Eva Jumatate , Ruth Lindegren and Marlene Strand
Eva_Jumatate_Melodifestivalen_2026.jpg


Another debutante. I'll be honest, I've got nothing on this one. Apparently her surname is Romanian?

Maybe she'll pull a Clara Klingenström, but most likely she's just here to fill out the numbers.

Good luck to this woman.

Overall odds: 17th



Melodi #6: Saga Ludvigsson - Ain't Today
Jimmy Jansson , Johanna "Daughter" Jansson , Saga Ludvigsson and Dino Medanhodzic
Saga_Ludvigsson_Melodifestivalen_2026.jpg

In this curiously competitive deltävling, the honour of closing goes to Saga Ludvigsson, who defied all expectations to win her semi final in 2025, largely on the strength of being a really charming and capable performer.

This should stand her in good stead now that she's graduated to receiving the A-list songwriter material - hello Dotter! - but in terms of pre-show hype, she doesn't really seem to be buzzing as much as Medina, Patrik and Korslagda, so far at least. Her entry last year wasn't exactly a breakout post-show smash either, so maybe this is more of a show of goodwill than an indication of a winner in waiting. But who knows?

Good luck to this woman.

Overall odds: 15th
 
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I will grant her some grace for writing Hallucination, but on the whole she's pretty much a byword for bland.

SAND!
 
Patrick Jean looking like he's swapped out the touche éclat for a fantastic skincare routine at some point in the last few years :disco:
 
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He also suggested his track is very clubby, so I'd imagine it's closer to Wasted Love than The Code.
 
Also my guess is that unless they've actually managed to get so much goodwill as to top the vote, the age category points breakdown might be quite unkind to Korslagda's ambitions.
 


Patrik Jean - Dusk till Dawn
Very dramatic opening, very previous ESC-winners.From the slow opening the song builds with some EDM tones and has a really nice drop, albeit a little short.For the second chorus the drop is longer and has a spoken word segment over it. Vocally this is really good and I know this is something Patrik won't have any problems performing.In my opinion, HUGE improvement from his last entry. This builds wonderfully and ends on a real high. Wow!
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OGAE Sweden:
Amanda:
The song opens with violins and dark tones. As we approach the first chorus, the tempo and the beat pick up, transforming the track into a euro‑disco/EDM piece. There's a hint of “Wasted Love” about it, but also a touch of the 90s. It's clear they've tried to weave in as many different elements as possible here. This isn't a classic Mello entry – it's something else entirely.

Daniel:
You simply can't avoid drawing parallels to both JJ and FELICIA here. This is a cracking Mello entry, which blends JJ's “Wasted Love” with FELICIA's “My System”. It's vocally demanding, but it doesn't feel particularly innovative. Nonetheless, it's a pretty strong opener.

William:
Reminiscent of Marcus & Martinus's “Air” with its dance‑friendly EDM drop – hopefully with lasers again. Patrik uses a lot of falsetto, clearly aiming for Vienna, but it doesn't deliver the same wow‑moment as FELICIA did last week. The spoken sections at the end feel a bit unclear and messy.
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Korslagda - King of Rock 'n' Roll
Mello-rock at its finest, in Swedish.Verses feel a little more like Korslagdas other music but this chorus is very schlager. Hard not to dance along, but it doesn't really go anywhere after the halfway point.Is it the Melfest winner? No, it is not. It will, however be a fun show and will get the Kristianstad audience on their feet.
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Emilia Pantić - Ingenting
Swedish radio pop with a very nostalgic sound, as in it invokes nostalgia, not sounding dated.Calmer verses with a more punchy chorus, and her vocals sound really good.Noll2 are back on the writing credits for this one and while I can't give all credit for two people I really liked the "Berusade Ord" lyrics and I really like these too.Pleasantly surprised, this is lovely.
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Amanda:
Emilia delivers something calm and understated in Swedish – the perfect contrast to Korslagda's rock 'n' roll and Medina's full‑on energy. There are hints of both pop and rock in the track. Still, based on how the Swedish public usually votes, this probably won't go go very far.

Daniel:
A classic Melodifestivalen ballad. noll2's songwriting doesn't change the fact that this type of song has appeared in Mello roughly three times a year since 2016.

William:
A very pretty but somewhat slow Swedish pop song. Emilia has a soft, airy voice, but whether this will land with TV viewers is doubtful. However, it does smell like a Spotify hit. After noll2's success on Sweden's Spotify Top 50 despite being eliminated in their heat, we might see something similar with “Ingenting”.
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Medina - Viva l'amour
A slow, calm piano opening isn't what I expected - but by the second verse half and prechorus we're back to the Medina we know and love.The lyrics really highlight love, freedom and unity.As a song this feels like "Que Sera" but with a stronger message, more melodical but a little less party. Definitely still a contender but I can't say it wins for sure.
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Amanda:
It starts calmer than usual, but fear not: the energy arrives quickly. Last time it was Spanish influences; now we get French slogans in this battle‑anthem that genuinely sounds like an official football song for a Euros or World Cup hosted in France. Kids will love it. Kids will dance to it.

Is it stronger than their last entry? Not really.
Will Medina deliver a massive show? Absolutely?
Will they go straight to the final? Most likely.

Daniel:
After a slow intro, we're right back to the Medina we know and love. It's a bit more melodic than their previous entries, so it'll demand a stronger vocal performance. Is it a winner? Hard to say. “Que Sera” barely scraped through to the final with the age groups, so unless they win the heat outright, we may see Medina again in Sundsvall rather than Stockholm.
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Eva Jumatate - Selfish
Slow-midtempo-esque ballad, with a piano throughout.A very Melfest ballad for sure, sung beautifully but doesn't deliver much in terms of new.Pretty melody and good vocal, but I can't see this getting out of the heat whatsoever.
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Amanda:
It's a gentle ballad that grows slightly as it goes on, but otherwise stays on the same musical line throughout. The lyrics are truly lovely, though.

Daniel:
There isn’t much new to say about the second ballad of the week. The producers' decision to include essentially the same song twice in one heat, with the only real difference being the language, is puzzling. But who knows – maybe one of them will arrive with a glitter‑covered stage show and more pyro than Brandsta City Släckers. If not, the journey probably ends here.

William:
Eva Jumatate is this year's youngest artist, yet her voice really stands out. Her vocals are placed front and centre – and they don't disappoint. It's a classic ballad filled with high notes and maybe… fabric on stage? I'm not sure. It's tricky: the voice is there, but this type of song rarely performs well in Mello.
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Saga Ludvigsson - Ain't Today
The classic follow-up entry, it's a natural progression from the previous entry. Hard not to dance along to this pop-country song, it's very nice.Big upgrade over last year with a strong chorus and strong vocals. Much more accessible if you're not a country fan.Given how we've not had two country songs per heat this year this is a welcome sound and I really enjoy this.
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Amanda:
If Saga offered pure country last year, this time she brings a more classic Mello entry with country elements. You can clearly hear the touch of Jimmy Jansson, Dotter and Dino Medanhodzic – the chorus is catchy and instantly memorable. This one feels destined for commercial radio all summer.

Daniel:
Without a doubt, the strongest entry of the week closes the show in Kristianstad. Saga leans more into mature pop with “Ain't Today” while still keeping a hint of country. The result is pitch‑perfect countrypop that appeals even to those who don't normally like country. Straight to the final seems certain – and it's probably the winner of the heat, too.

William:
Ain't Today” is very similar to last year's “Hate You So Much”. It's not unlikely we'll get a repeat: qualifying to the final (either directly or via Finalkvalet) followed by a lower placement in Stockholm. Even with a key change at the end, it feels a bit flat, unfortunately.
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And of course his work with Annika and The Mamas omg :disco: :disco:
 
Patrick Jean - Not hearing The Code/Wasted Love here - If anything, it's more Strobe Lights/Dizzy. This could either be excellent or atrocious but I'm cautiously erring towards the former.

Korslagda - The guitars have betrayed me :( This is just rotten, I'm afraid.

Emilia Pantic - Pleasant in a Vanessa Carlton sort of way, but leaves not the slightest indent on the brain. I've listened to it three times and I forget it the very second it ends.

Medina - Not as instant as their first two efforts, but when it kicks in it kicks the fuck in :disco:. Should absolutely flounce through to the final against this competition.

Eva Jumatate - I actually really like this one but you've more chance of getting a facial expression out of Charlotte Perrelli than you have of this qualifying.

Saga - Melodifestivalen 'country' songs are a genre all their own, aren't they? They're literally just Swedish pop wearing a Stetson. I'm assuming this qualifies in some capacity.
 
I’m guessing when people compared Patrik’s to a previous Eurovision winner they meant this one:

 
01 - Patrik Jean - oh thank god for some MORE ludicrous clubby nonsense :disco: Cannot WAIT to play this approximately 4,000 times between now and andra chansen, after which point I will never listen to it again

02 - Saga 'Holidays' Ludvigsson - choosing to interpret this as the fourth chapter of the Anna Bergendahl saga, but with a younger hotter model that doesn't terrify everyone aged under 40

03 - Medina - look I usually love a 'one more heave!' entry that absolutely nobody normal can bring themselves to be particularly enthusiastic for, but I'm trying to pass as normal these days

04 - Emilia Pantić - so BREAKAAAAAWAYYYYYYY

05 - Eva Jumatate - this kind of Roxen coded entry is the kind of drudge that has always stopped me from being able to bring myself to engage fully with the Lithuanian national final

06 - Korslagda - marking myself SAFE from this qualifying on Facebook
 
Patrik is very 'if Tom Aspaul went for UK (en route to the most easily predictable null points public shaming imaginable)' to me.
 
This week feels relatively predictable to call now they're all out, with the only open question being whether goodwill is enough to nudge Korslagda into AC over Patrik Jean throwing everything at a package that tries to impress the Swedish public into submission long enough to vote for it
 
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Penelope said:
This week feels relatively predictable to call, with the only open question being whether goodwill is enough to nudge Korslagda into AC over Patrik Jean throwing everything at a package that tries to impress the Swedish public into submission long enough to vote for it
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Do you think Saga’s going direkt? I wasn’t sure - I feel like she may get the Malou trajectory.
 
ButterTart said:
Do you think Saga’s going direkt? I wasn’t sure - I feel like she may get the Malou trajectory.
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Malou switched musical genres with each new entry whereas Saga seems to be going down the same path as last year plus she was given the best slot, so I think she's pretty safe here.

I would send her to the final alongside Patrik Jean whose song sounds promising, and I would go as far as adding that "Tears Run Dry" was a ROBBED BOP!

The two ballads sound very pretty and emotional, and sadly uncompetitive.

The other guys would be in my personal bottom 2. Overall a weaker heat than the previous ones to my ears.
 
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As much as Dusk Till Dawn sounds like just the tonic from the clip, it is quite an appealing subplot if he's going into this believing he's a Eurovision winner in waiting only to crash out in 4th.
 
Pingu said:
As much as Dusk Till Dawn sounds like just the tonic from the clip, it is quite an appealing subplot if he's going into this believing he's a Eurovision winner in waiting only to crash out in 4th.
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the touche éclat flying, Mel Wehbe trying to hold him back - that dressing room is going to get annihilated :disco:
 
That’s probably Medina’s best effort yet! What a fucking BOP
 
Medina's song seems strong and a little less chanty than previous efforts, though I expect that won't be as noticeable live.

Saga's song is definitely better than Hate You So Much, though I don't think it is quite as much of an upgrade as I hoped. I do think it will grow. She's a confident performer though and sailed through last time.

Dusk Till Dawn definitely exceeds expectations. There is definitely hot mess potential on some of those big notes but the intense spoken bits :disco:
 
There are several moments in Patrik’s song where saying “MY SYSTEM” really fits. Everyone try it.
 
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