Martin Stenmarck represented Sweden in Eurovision 2005 in Kiev. Now he takes the stage again for another shot at the Eurovision title.
In fact, the majority of tonight’s competitors are familiar faces to Melodifestivalen fans. Returning alongside Stenmarck are Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Dolly Style, Lina Hedlund and Omar Rudberg. Rudberg is the second member of the boy band FO&O to launch his solo career in this year’s competition. Former bandmate Oscar Enestad was not successful during last week’s semi-final and finished in seventh place.
Tonight’s show will stream live from Leksand on SVT’s website. Follow along with ESCDaily editor, Allie Lindo as she liveblogs the show below. The running order for tonight is as follows:
- The Lovers of Valdaro – Somebody Wants
- Dolly Style – Habibi
- Martin Stenmarck – Låt skiten brinna
- Lina Hedlund – Victorious
- Omar Rudberg – Om om och om igen
- Rebecka Karlsson – Who I Am
- Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Norrsken
Liveblog of Melodifestivalen semi-final 3. All times in Central European Time.
21:23 – Next song going to final
Lina Hedlund is the second direct finalist tonight!
21:21 – Andra Chansen songs announced
Martin Stenmarck and Rebecka Karlsson are going to Andra Chansen
21:15 – The results are in!
Here we go! The first song to the final is JON HENRIK FJÄLLGREN with Norrsken.
YES!!!
21:03 – Vi har ett resultat
The first two artists leaving tonight are The Lovers of Valdaro and Omar Rudberg. Yikes this is not a good year for the FO&O guys.
20:54 – Quick recap
Tonight was a solid night of competition. There weren’t any songs I am really questioning (okay maybe Habibi a little but that’s okay). My favorites for tonight are Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Jon Henrik Fjällgren HAHA! No really it’s JHF, Omar Rudberg, Rebecka Karlsson aaaaand I guess Dolly Style?
Fun fact: tonight’s show is the 100th show of Melodifestivalen on tour around the country.
20:50 – Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Norrsken
I’ve been waiting for this moment since the artists for this year were announced. I love Jon Henrik Fjällgren and will shamelessly hope for him to make it to the final. Of course he incorporates jojking into the song and adds some slick dance moves in front of the flames. Jon Henrik got the biggest shout from the audience in Leksand at the beginning of the show. I hope that converts into votes.
Beautiful song with some cool graphics. Loved every second of it.
20:47 – Rebecka Karlsson – Who I Am
Karlsson competed in Talang (Talent) at the tender age of 8 so she’s used to the stage. I like Rebecka Karlsson. She has a really positive energy around her and some solid vocal talent to back that up. This is a lovely song with a positive message. Not sure how the audience will take it but I’ll be sending some votes Rebecka’s way.
20:40 – Omar Rudberg – Om om och om igen
The FO&O takeover continues! Rudberg is hoping to succeed where former bandmate Oscar Enestad failed last week. He’s going for a different approach than Enestad. He is combining his first language, Spanish, with Swedish in this song. Rudberg was born in Venezuela and moved to Sweden at age 6.
Once again solid vocals in this entry. Rudberg looks more comfortable on the stage than Enestad did last week. This song may not make it to direct to the final but I can see it making it to Andra Chansen.
20:35 – Lina Hedlund – Victorious
Now this is a throwback. Of course Lina is known as a schlager queen so the tone of this song is no surprise. Lina puts in a solid performance here with Victorious. Her vocals were great especially with all the dancing she put in.
She is the second half of the family head-to-head battle. Hedlund is competing against her brother-in-law for the chance to make it to Stockholm. But who will make it? Will either of them be on the stage in a few weeks?
20:28 – Martin Stenmarck – Låt skiten brinna
Not only does this song mark the return of Martin Stenmarck, but also the beginning of a family competition. Stenmarck is married to Hanna Hedlund, sister of Lina Hedlund who is up next!
I like this song. Stenmarck is among the best singers I’ve heard so far in this competition. The backing music is a little bit dated but it’s still a solid song. This song is a message against hate and bullying culture. It strikes a nice tone. Overall, well-performed.
20:22 – Dolly Style – Habibi
This is Dolly Style’s third time competing in Melodifestivalen. In 2016, they made it to the Andra Chansen round. Tonight they compete with the song Habibi – the Arabic word meaning “my love” or “beloved”. The music also references by Arabic music.
I’m a little confused because it sounds like a mix of Arabic and Indian? I’m not an expert. Their dance moves also seem Indian-inspired but AGAIN I am not an expert on that. The song is fun but a touch too repetitive for my taste. But surely it will be a hit with Dolly Style fans tonight.
20:17 – Då kör vi with The Lovers of Valdaro
We kick things off with the band named for a couple of 6,000 year old skeletons discovered buried in each other’s arms. Quite the inspiration, no? Erik Gabriel and Adam Warhester tell the audience that when they first met, it was love at first sight.
As the song begins I am totally in love with the staging. It’s 80s inspired, a mostly white set with pops of bold color.
The music is quite fun and a change from some of the tamer entries we’ve previously heard. The vocals could be a bit better though. Eric’s voice goes slightly out of tune in small sections but he does bring it back. He’s particularly good with high notes so I’ll give points for that.
Overall a good start for the night.
20:12 – The audience love Jon Henrik
The artists have been introduced and Jon Henrik Fjällgren got the loudest reception from the audience in Leksand.
20:10 – We miss you Sarah
Sarah Dawn Finer is missing from the stage tonight but we’re sure her co-hosts are up to the task without her.
20:05 – Let’s get this show on the road
…kind of literally. The hosts are still driving around Sweden in their “husvagn”. I’ve lived in Sweden too long because I don’t remember what that’s called in English. Someone help.
We kick off the broadcast with Eric Saade singing a Melodifestivalen classic from 1973 – Åh, vilken härlig dag. Actually it’s a medley of classics from the 1970s feat. Eric Saade. It seems our hosts are keen to show the contestants what they should be aiming for. Saade’s vocals are better than most of what we’ve heard so far this year.
19: 45 – Back for another round of Mello
It’s almost time for the third semi-final of Melodifestivalen. After tonight we’ll know the majority of the faces returning to Friends Arena on March 9. So who do you think will make it through? Stay tuned to find out!