Margaret is competing for a second chance at the Melodifestivalen crown. She takes the stage as the final contestant tonight. Competing alongside her is Andreas Johnson who is trying for the seventh time.
Johnson previously took the stage in 2006, 2007, 2008 (with Carola Häggkvist), 2010, 2012, and 2015.
Tonight features a mix of more familiar faces and some new ones. The show begins tonight at 20:00 CET and will stream live on SVT’s website. The starting order for tonight is:
- Andreas Johnson – Army of Us
- Malou Prytz – I Do Me
- Oscar Ernestad – I Love It
- Jan Malmsjö – Leva livet
- Vlad Reiser – Nakna i regnet
- Hanna Ferm & LIAMOO – Hold You
- Margaret – Tempo
Follow along below as our editor Allie Lindo as she provides commentary on the show as it happens.
Liveblog for Melodifestivalen 2019 – Semifinal 2
21:28 – Shock results
This means Polish superstar Margaret is eliminated. Read more here:
Shock in Sweden: Margaret eliminated, Andreas Johnson to Andra Chansen
21:22 – Hanna and LIAMOO are through!
They are the final performers going through to the final from tonight’s show.
21:22 – Songs going through to Andra Chansen
Vlad Reiser and Andreas Johnson have survived to fight another day and will compete in Andra Chansen.
21:14 – First song to the final tonight
Malou Prytz is the first through to the final in Friends Arena.
21:10 – Once again I want to vote for the mellanakt
Välkommen till Mello indeed! Eric Saade takes us through the meaning and history of Mello with a fun little number. Of course a few familiar Melodifestivalen faces pop up to help the song along.
I wanna vote for this instead…of course.
21:00 – Vi har ett resultat!
SVT never wastes any time do they? Aaaaand my guesses below are already off haha. Oscar Ernestad and Jan Malmsjö are the first two knocked out. Oscar had the least amount of votes tonight, which means his young fanbase wasn’t enough to keep him going tonight.
This puts Vlad Reiser in a position to go forward tonight. Potentially to Andra Chansen?
20:55 – So who goes to the final in Stockholm’s Friends Arena?
Right now my top picks for the final are Hanna Ferm & LIAMOO, and Oscar Ernestad.
My picks for Andra Chansen are Margaret and Malou Prytz.
I’ll be very surprised if Vlad Reiser moves on in anyway tonight (don’t block me, Vlad!)
20:50 – Margaret – Tempo
She’s back! This is Margaret’s second straight year in Melodifestivalen. There are elements from last year’s In My Cabana in Tempo. It’s a similar feel but, for me, less annoying than the lyrics of In My Cabana. I can safely say this song will be on my post-Melodifestivalen playlist. A decent entry from Margaret tonight.
And that’s it for performances tonight! Now it’s up to the public to decide who goes to the final, who competes again in Andra Chansen, and who goes home at the end of the night.
20:44 – Hanna Ferm & LIAMOO – Hold You
So far this song has the best vocals of the night. Hanna and LIAMOO have clearly taken the time to make this duet work. Both are in black outfits but have white cloth flowing behind them onstage. It creates a great contrast.
I love LIAMOO but I feel like I’d like to hear what Hanna Ferm can do on her own. She’s got a great voice. She did come second in Idol back in 2017 after all. My feeling is this song should have been entirely Hanna’s. She has the stage presence and vocal power to do it on her own. I feel like LIAMOO was holding her back here, not just holding her.
20:38 – Vlad Reiser – Nakna i regnet
Vlad Reiser is better known as one of Sweden’s top YouTubers. He’s one of the biggest influencers in the country, and now here he is on the stage singing.
This is a pretty decent song…and it would be better if someone else was singing it. Vlad isn’t a bad singer. He’s definitely doing better than me, but he could use a little more vocal coaching. His voice is a little rough at times, especially during the low notes.
No matter what happens tonight, Vlad will have his faithful YouTube subscribers to go back to, including me.
20: 33 – Jan Malmsjö – Leva livet
So he shaved? A freshly shaved Jan Malmsjö takes the stage. He’s also got a haircut. Looking fresh Jan!
He is joined onstage be a single dancer who, quite frankly, should have her own show. Love it! As the song nears it’s end, she is joined onstage by other dancers.
Overall, this song is cute. I can’t call it one of my favorites this year, but there’s something about Jan that makes you want to join him singing. The crowd clearly love him as he even gets a standing ovation…from Swedes…this is impressive.
That was some enthusiastic singing for a man close to his 90s.
20:26 – Oscar Ernestad – I Love It
The last time Oscar took the Melfest stage, he was part of the boy band FO&O. He is the second band member to launch a solo career on the same stage. Last year, Felix Sandman finished second at Friend’s Arena.
For those of you who followed my blogs last year, you’ll know I was a big fan of Felix. This year I’m hoping Oscar will give me another guilty pleasure to enjoy. I’m not feeling it though. The staging is cool, with Oscar standing in a cube made of neon lights. Confetti, or maybe rose petals, fall as he sings.
The crowd didn’t really seem to love this, as he gets a rather weak applause at the end of the song. Still, this was a decent performance, even if Oscar didn’t seem totally comfortable on the stage.
20:21 – Malou Prytz – I Do Me
As they introduce Malou, Sarah and Marika mention that everyone involved in the creation of this song are women. That’s pretty cool.
As she begins singing, Malou’s voice wavers a few times. This song definitely has a different energy from Johnson’s. The theme is yellow for this one – from the lights to the clothes Malou and her backup dancers are wearing.
This song has a future in the club circuit. Malou has a lovely voice but she seems to be out of breath from all of her dance moves. Perhaps she’s taken on too much for this performance?
20:15 – Andreas Johnson’s Army of Us
The stage and audience are lit up with colorful lights. The audience has also been gifted a bunch of colorful balloons to add to the atmosphere.
This song definitely has a positive tone. But as Andreas whisper-sings into the microphone, I can’t help but think this is a little flat. I also can’t stop starting at the cowboy hats his backing singers and band are wearing. Decent opening, but I don’t see this going through to the final. But we shall see!
20:12 – Då kör vi!
And the words have been spoken. Andreas Johnson is first up tonight with his song Army of Us. Andreas is from Skåne so he gets a big round of applause from the crowd in Malmö Arena. Of course this isn’t his first time on the stage so the crowd is familiar with him.
20:07 – Rap battle featuring your Melfest hosts
Because Malmö is the coolest city in Sweden (I’m not at all biased), we’re treated to a rap battle between Sarah Dawn Finer and Marika Carlsson. It’s Stockholm vs Malmö! Marika doesn’t disappoint by incorporating some classic Skånska lines into her lyrics. I guess we’ll have to forgive her for defecting to Stockholm. #stillskånsk
20:02 – Some fun with the hosts before we begin
We kick tonight off with a little fun with the hosts. They are on their way to Malmö (woot!) but their bus has broken down. Whoops. Sarah and Marika are able to hitch a ride though. Eric and Kodjo are left to fend for themselves.
And with that we’re finally brought inside Malmö Arena. I’m gonna assume there will be lots of fun tonight with Skånska, the regional dialect around here. There usually is whenever the show is in Malmö.
19: 48 – Getting ready for the show!
Less than 15 minutes left before the show starts. Tonight should be an interesting mix of songs and talents. I’m very curious about these performances so sit tight for the fun to begin!