7 March 2025

Melodifestivalen 2025 will see 12 songs fight for the right to represent Sweden in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel in May, and it’s shaping up to be a case of whether a previous Eurovision winner can win Melfest and then Eurovision again, just like Loreen did with Tattoo in 2023. Måns Zelmerlöw will be the one trying to emulate that feat after winning Eurovision 2015 with Heroes. He faces a very strong field and will perform a song that actually isn’t that great. Good luck! Mind you, Heroes wasn’t that great, and relied on a novel and innovative stage presentation to really elevate it. This year, Måns doesn’t have that luxury.

Organisers of Melfest updated the format to edge ever so closer to dumping the second chance round, or the repechage, as it’s now called. Five heats of 6 songs with the top two progressing to the final and the third song to the repechage, with the repechage conducted immediately after heat 5. Last year, the fourth placed song also progressed to the repechage. The votes from the heats are used to decide the first finalist, and then votes from a final round of voting are added to the heat votes to decide the second finalist. Unlike last year where both finalists from the repechage emerged from heat 5, neither Dolly Style or Meira Omar did this year. While the organisers obviously resolved that flaw and made the entire process quite smooth, personally, it still feels an unnecessary addition just to eliminate 3 songs. A final of 15 (top 3 from each heat) won’t detract from the overall show, or simply return Melfest to 10 finalists if organisers are really worried about diluting the quality too much.

There no hard luck stories from the heats, and the only song worth spotlighting was a literal blast from the past: Love It by former Playboy Playmate of the Year, Victoria Silvstedt. Upon seeing the entries, I presumed it was someone sharing the same name because her Playboy exploits were over 25 years ago, with her Playmate title coming in 1997. To my further surprise, Victoria is only 50 years old. I figured she’d be closer to 60. Her singing career is fairly lightweight with just a few singles over the years, with her last one in 2010. While her Melfest entry is similarly lightweight and obviously was written to not require demanding vocals, I got another blast from her with an energetic performance and addictive song. She can perform! While she finished last in heat 5, clearly she was in it for fun and a sense of personal achievement, with her saying “So much fun” at the end of the performance.

My Top 12

12 Dolly Style – Yihaa
11 Saga Ludvigsson – Hate You So Much
10 Meira Omar – Hush Hush
09 Kaj – Bara bada bastu
08 Erik Segerstedt – Show Me What Love Is
07 Annika Wickihalder – Life Again

Dolly Style, the first finalist from the repechage, is fun the first time. I found Saga Ludvigsson one of the weaker songs from heat 5 and would have taken Victoria Silvstedt any day. Meira Omar, the other finalist from the repechage, is at least different with its Middle Eastern rhythms. Kaj, who a Finnish comedy group singing a song about saunas in Swedish (they are Swedish Finns), is one of those classic fun songs we often see at Melfest. They seem one of the more popular entries, so a solid result will not surprise. I can’t see the international jury voting for them in huge numbers while the Swedish public sending them straight to the final was probably their token of appreciation. Both Erik Segerstedt and Annika Wickihalder present enjoyable and engaging songs, even if they will likely get lost among the more distinctive entries.

06 Måns Zelmerlöw – Revolution

There’s a definite hint of Heroes from 2015 to Revolution of 2025. Probably a stronger chorus and better song overall now, albeit, staging not revolutionary, unlike Heroes.

05 John Lundvik – Voice Of The Silent

The Melfest winner in 2019 presents another quality entry with a strong finale.

04 Scarlet – Sweet N’ Psycho

The very final song performed in the heats, which means it is one generally regarded highly by the organisers. An addictive gothic pop/rock mix, and obviously very distinctive.

03 Klara Hammarström – On And On And On

So, Klara is the typical gorgeous blonde Swedish babe. Check! She also presents a quality, intoxicating and powerful song. Check! Not sure if it’s a winner. Glad to see her grace the stage anyway.

02 Greczula – Believe Me

Starts on a piano, stands on the piano, and finishes on the piano. With Greczula’s raspy voice and a song with a feel of an anthem, this one really stood out for me, and I still keep returning to it.

01 Maja Ivarsson – Kamikaze Life

Emerging from the first heat, Maja’s energetic and solo performance gave me a sense of Suzi Quatro from the 1970s. Strong vocals, an excellent stage presence, and the song has an unrelenting drive. The classic rock chick! I especially loved the later section that looked like an intimate gig setting. Kamikaze Life still feels fresh and all these weeks later. I love it!

All performances from the heats are on the Melfest Youtube channel

Running Order

01 John Lundvik – Voice Of The Silent
02 Dolly Style – Yihaa
03 Greczula – Believe Me
04 Klara Hammarström – On And On And On
05 Scarlet – Sweet N’ Psycho
06 Erik Segerstedt – Show Me What Love Is
07 Maja Ivarsson – Kamikaze Life
08 Meira Omar – Hush Hush
09 Måns Zelmerlöw – Revolution
10 Saga Ludvigsson – Hate You So Much
11 Annika Wickihalder – Life Again
12 Kaj – Bara bada bastu

Prediction

Who the hell knows! While Måns Zelmerlöw is the hot favourite, and is placed well in the running order (late at 9 with two of the weakest songs after him and one before him), I’m hoping the Swedish public, and especially the international jury, can act on sanity and look beyond the pretty boy and previous winner for something more distinct. That’s not to say Revolution isn’t a quality entry; I just dread a repeat coronation at Eurovision that we saw for Loreen, and there’s simply better, more interesting options! Kaj is actually second in the betting (and performs last), and then Greczula. Why not? Especially Greczula! I can’t see Sweden sending a Finnish novelty act to Eurovision, so Greczula might attract the non-Måns vote. Of course, if Sweden wants to send something distinctly Swedish to Eurovision, look no further than Klara Hammarström, who is fourth in the betting.

The final of Melodifestivalen 2025 will be broadcast with an English commentary option again. It takes play on Saturday 8 March 2025 at 20:00 local time.

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