This Saturday night we will witness the conclusion of Melodifestivalen 2017. Our reporter Brandon McCann is in Stockholm and will follow everything that happens in the Friends Arena. Check out our final preview here.
After four semi finals and the Andra Chansen round, many big names still remain in the competition. But there are also some big hitters that did not make the cut. Among them were former Eurovision winners like Loreen and Charlotte Perrelli. In the end, 12 acts remain to win Melodifestivalen and to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.
A four horse race in Sweden tonight
According to Betfair, a gambling website where people do not bet against the office, but against each other, there are four main contenders to take the trophy tonight. These four acts are Wiktoria, Nano, Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Robin Bengtsson. Marietta and Ace Wilder are following in quite a big distant.
Below we will discuss these four acts a bit more:
Wiktoria – As I Lay Me Down
Wiktoria took part in Melodifestivalen last time, when she came fourth in the final with ‘Save Me‘. This time she appears to be the main favourite to win it all with her next song ‘As I Lay Me Down’. Competing in the same heat as Loreen, two weeks ago, she was not the clear favourite for the bookies at first, but has now climbed up to pole position.
Nano – Hold On
Nano is one of the new faces in Sweden’s biggest show of the year, but he has been one of the contenders for victory since his first snippets for the first semi was released. His odds to win Melodifestivalen are not far behind Wiktoria’s odds. ‘Hold On’ is a modern song, with very powerful camera angles and staging. Almost a certain top 10 finisher in Kiev and a worthy successor of Frans’ ‘If I Were Sorry’.
Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Aninia – En värld full av strider (Eatneme gusnie jeenh dåaroeh)
The odss for Jon Henrik Fjällgren to win Melodifestivalen are pretty interesting, considering his popularity in Sweden. He won Sweden’s Got Talent in 2014 and was the only one who got – a bit – close to Mans Zelmerlow’s televote result in 2015 in Melodifestivalen. He eventually placed second after the jury and televoting results.
Robin Bengtsson – I Can’t Go On
After taking part and doing well with ‘Constellation Prize‘ last year, Robin is back. He has a very smart act, starting backstage and having a smooth dancing routine on the treadmill. Currently he is third, when it comes to the odds of winning in Sweden. So if you think he has a chance to make it to Kiev, it is something to keep in mind.
Other contenders
There are twelve other names left. Ace Wilder, Lisa Ajax, Boris René and Mariette are of course forces to be reckoned with. But that is mostly based on their name of fame of the past. Their songs are not as strong as previous ones and will probably not be fighting for the top spot tonight. However, they all hope to be the one that books a surprise shock victory.
Anton Hagman is the guy who kept Loreen out of the final, so clearly has some support in this contest. But will he, Benjamin Ingrosso and FO&O all be fighting for the same vote from the teen girls and all end up at the bottom? Owe Thörnqvist is the oldest participant and could get votes from the older public, as Melodifestivalen truely is a family show.
The running order for the final
Of course the running order for tonight also has some influence. It makes sense that Wiktoria and Nano still have the best odds, as they are the biggest contenders to be late in the draw:
01. Ace Wilder – Wild Child
02. Boris René – Her Kiss
03. Lisa Ajax – I Don’t Give A
04. Robin Bengtsson – I Can’t Go On
05. Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Aninia – En värld full av strider
06. Anton Hagman – Kiss You Goodbye
07. Mariette – A Million Years
08. FO&O Gotta – Thing About You
09. Nano – Hold On
10. Wiktoria – As I Lay Me Down
11. Benjamin Ingrosso – Good Lovin’
12. Owe Thörnqvist – Boogieman Blues
What do you expect of tonight? Be sure to follow our live blog at ESCDaily.com and enjoy the final of Melodifestivalen with us!