VoR
Take it or leave it
Penultimate heat time! Last week, two-time podium-finishers Medina completed a hat trick of qualifications. This week, another group of double bridesmaids hopes to do the same. But first, let's check out their competition...
Melodi #1: Cimberly - Eternity
Cimberly-Malaika Wanyonyi, David Lindgren Zacharias, Dino Medanhodzic, Melanie Wehbe
We kick off proceedings with yet another debutant from the Swedish Idol production line. This lady won in 2023, beating out eventual runner-up Saga Lundviksson, which if nothing else lays some groundwork for a nice bit of internal rivalry if she qualifies.
Her lead single Won't Be Sorry sounds like literally every other Idol winners single ever - I'm frankly amazed they still churn these out. Maybe AI just writes them now.
Unsurprisingly, it did little business, so two years on from her moment of triumph, this Melfest appearence is most likely an effort to get her career on track. She's obviously got enough TV charisma to have won one major - if geriatric - talent show, and she's got an experienced songwriting team behind her. The question is whether she'll be able to bring enough personality to shine through in this field...
Overall odds: 10th
Melodi #2: Timo Räisänen - Ingenting är efter oss
Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Andreas "Giri" Lindbergh, Lina Räisänen, Timo Räisänen, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt
On paper, your obligatory 'real music' spoiler - Timo Räisänen (his dad was Finnish) has already carved out a long and successful solo career, encompassing 10 solo albums since his solo debut way back in 2005. He hasn't really interacted with Melfest before now, and nothing about song titles such as Fear No Darkness, Promised Child and Let's Kill Ourselves a Son suggests he's a natural fit for the teatime viewer or baloon-waving tween crowds.
That said, he fairly inexplicably has the Debs and Jimmy Joker on the songwriting credits here, so perhaps he's really going for it here. He'd probably have a better shot at qualifying in a more pop-heavy semi, but he should have enough stage chops not to be considered a total write off, even if he just winds up as a protest vote.
Overall odds: 14th
Melodi #3: Meira Omar - Dooset Daram
Laurell Barker, Meira Omar, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov
Having mothered so hard that she accidentally took out the crew last year, and scored one of the breakout hits of the 2025 contest in the process, it was fairly inevitable that Meira Omar would be shimmying her way back into the mix this year as well.
She's basically got the same songwriting team from behind her last entry back together for a re-up, and the song title certainly suggests more of a double-down than an unwise foray into Swedish bluegrass music. This is likely to be 100% derivative, totally lacking in artistic merit and I will curse this Contest before all the Schlager gods if she doesn't go direkt till finalen.
Overall odds: 13th
Melodi #4: Felix Manu - Hatar att jag älskar dig
FERNAND MP, Karl Flyckt, Felix Manu och Axel Schylström
A Melfest debutant with a fairly limited pre-Contest profile as far as I can tell. If he has any other releases, I can't find them. According to his bio, he was born in Burundi, moved to Sweden in his youth and describes his music as both 'personal' and 'modern'. As opposed to anonymous and hopelessly dated, I guess.
Anyway, the songwriting team previously worked on a 2024 non-qualifiers called Controlla, which I very barely remember. Nothing about this entry screams 'sleepless nights for Smash Into Pieces', but stranger things have happened I guess.
Overall odds: 19th
Melodi #5: Erika Jonsson - Från landet
Amir Aly, Erika Jonsson och Mikael Karlsson
Another Stetson-wearing, Ystad via Nashville style country strummer - they bloody love this stuff! A cursory listen suggests this one is more latter days Kikki Danielsson than sprightly Saga Ludvigsson, and her songwriters have collectively written such classics as Visst Finns Mirakel by Suzie Tapper and Don Juan by the SCHLAGERZ.
She did have one big hit way back in 2014 with a song called Sången om värmland, which pretty much sounds exactly as I expect this entry to. Consider that 75+ televote 12 points score locked down.
Overall odds: 18th
Melodi #6: Smash Into Pieces - Hollow
Per Bergquist, Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye, Benjamin Jennebo och Philip Strand
Making their third appearance in four years, heat closers Smash Into Pieces are presumably hoping to go all the way after consecutive bronze medal positions in 2023 and 2024. A little more absence may have made the heart grow fonder, but Medina proved this weekend that the Swedes will forgive a bit of over-exposure as long as you bring the tunes (and, it seems, a penis
).
Notably, they've largely self-penned this one, after selling their rock n roll souls to the Deb/Deb/Joker triumvirate for their previous two entries. Are we about the meet the real Smash Into Pieces? Will it be remotely listenable? All will soon be revealed... aside from thesinger drummer's real face, presumably.
Overall odds: 3rd
Melodi #1: Cimberly - Eternity
Cimberly-Malaika Wanyonyi, David Lindgren Zacharias, Dino Medanhodzic, Melanie Wehbe
We kick off proceedings with yet another debutant from the Swedish Idol production line. This lady won in 2023, beating out eventual runner-up Saga Lundviksson, which if nothing else lays some groundwork for a nice bit of internal rivalry if she qualifies.
Her lead single Won't Be Sorry sounds like literally every other Idol winners single ever - I'm frankly amazed they still churn these out. Maybe AI just writes them now.
Unsurprisingly, it did little business, so two years on from her moment of triumph, this Melfest appearence is most likely an effort to get her career on track. She's obviously got enough TV charisma to have won one major - if geriatric - talent show, and she's got an experienced songwriting team behind her. The question is whether she'll be able to bring enough personality to shine through in this field...
Overall odds: 10th
Melodi #2: Timo Räisänen - Ingenting är efter oss
Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Andreas "Giri" Lindbergh, Lina Räisänen, Timo Räisänen, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt
On paper, your obligatory 'real music' spoiler - Timo Räisänen (his dad was Finnish) has already carved out a long and successful solo career, encompassing 10 solo albums since his solo debut way back in 2005. He hasn't really interacted with Melfest before now, and nothing about song titles such as Fear No Darkness, Promised Child and Let's Kill Ourselves a Son suggests he's a natural fit for the teatime viewer or baloon-waving tween crowds.
That said, he fairly inexplicably has the Debs and Jimmy Joker on the songwriting credits here, so perhaps he's really going for it here. He'd probably have a better shot at qualifying in a more pop-heavy semi, but he should have enough stage chops not to be considered a total write off, even if he just winds up as a protest vote.
Overall odds: 14th
Melodi #3: Meira Omar - Dooset Daram
Laurell Barker, Meira Omar, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov
Having mothered so hard that she accidentally took out the crew last year, and scored one of the breakout hits of the 2025 contest in the process, it was fairly inevitable that Meira Omar would be shimmying her way back into the mix this year as well.
She's basically got the same songwriting team from behind her last entry back together for a re-up, and the song title certainly suggests more of a double-down than an unwise foray into Swedish bluegrass music. This is likely to be 100% derivative, totally lacking in artistic merit and I will curse this Contest before all the Schlager gods if she doesn't go direkt till finalen.
Overall odds: 13th
Melodi #4: Felix Manu - Hatar att jag älskar dig
FERNAND MP, Karl Flyckt, Felix Manu och Axel Schylström
A Melfest debutant with a fairly limited pre-Contest profile as far as I can tell. If he has any other releases, I can't find them. According to his bio, he was born in Burundi, moved to Sweden in his youth and describes his music as both 'personal' and 'modern'. As opposed to anonymous and hopelessly dated, I guess.
Anyway, the songwriting team previously worked on a 2024 non-qualifiers called Controlla, which I very barely remember. Nothing about this entry screams 'sleepless nights for Smash Into Pieces', but stranger things have happened I guess.
Overall odds: 19th
Melodi #5: Erika Jonsson - Från landet
Amir Aly, Erika Jonsson och Mikael Karlsson
Another Stetson-wearing, Ystad via Nashville style country strummer - they bloody love this stuff! A cursory listen suggests this one is more latter days Kikki Danielsson than sprightly Saga Ludvigsson, and her songwriters have collectively written such classics as Visst Finns Mirakel by Suzie Tapper and Don Juan by the SCHLAGERZ.
She did have one big hit way back in 2014 with a song called Sången om värmland, which pretty much sounds exactly as I expect this entry to. Consider that 75+ televote 12 points score locked down.
Overall odds: 18th
Melodi #6: Smash Into Pieces - Hollow
Per Bergquist, Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye, Benjamin Jennebo och Philip Strand
Making their third appearance in four years, heat closers Smash Into Pieces are presumably hoping to go all the way after consecutive bronze medal positions in 2023 and 2024. A little more absence may have made the heart grow fonder, but Medina proved this weekend that the Swedes will forgive a bit of over-exposure as long as you bring the tunes (and, it seems, a penis
).Notably, they've largely self-penned this one, after selling their rock n roll souls to the Deb/Deb/Joker triumvirate for their previous two entries. Are we about the meet the real Smash Into Pieces? Will it be remotely listenable? All will soon be revealed... aside from the
Overall odds: 3rd
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(unless these are quite some ASPERSIONS being cast on how much work the singer's had done)
