What is Melodifestivalen?
We have a winner! The winner of this year’s Melodifestival, and the song representing Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade is Charlotte Perrelli, and the song ”Hero”.
And what does Charlotte Perrelli think about her competitors in Belgrade, now that all the other countries have picked their songs? She told Radio Sweden’s Kris Boswell that she is both happy and sad about the standard of the other countries’ songs.
What programme gets Swedes gathered round their TV-sets all Spring and dominates the front pages of the newspapers for weeks on end?
Political debates?
Football?
Ice Hockey?
Big Brother?
No. Here in Sweden the show that dominates the media for 6 weeks each Spring is the Swedish Song Contest, known locally as Melodifestivalen.
Its main aim is to select the song that will represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest each year, but it has become much bigger than that. Most of the songs that take part end up in the Swedish charts, some of Sweden’s biggest singers see it as a chance to give their careers a boost, and the newspapers frenzy in all the behind the scenes gossip and scandals. But not everyone loves it, for some, it’s hell on Earth. All the glitter, glamour and key-changes, you either love it or you hate it.
Over the next few weeks Radio Sweden will keep you updated on all you need to know about the contest, in the fight to represent Sweden in Belgrade in May.
But what is the Melodifestival? Listen to the first part of our mini-series, where you’ll find all you need to know... and then some!
We’re now 3 weeks into the marathon that is the Swedish Song Contest, the Melodifestival. A whopping 6 Saturdays are dominated by the contest, which so far this year has been full of surprises. In the second of our 3 part mini-series, Kris Boswell takes a look at this year’s contest so far.
