April A-Z Challenge - Melodifestivalen

I know what you're thinking. I already did Eurovision, so why do I need to do Mello too? The answer is going to knock your metaphorical socks off.

I'm doing a separate entry for Mello because - wait for it - it's better than Eurovision. Now, take a deep breath. I'm not saying that I love Melfest better than Eurovision, because there are very few non-living things I love as much as Eurovision. However, the sad reality of Eurovision is that some countries *cough* UK *cough* I did not just say UK, I swear *cough* just don't take Eurovision as seriously as they could. Eurovision can also be very political, what with the voting blocs and Russia writing Ukraine creepy love songs every year like, yeah, one day you will be mine and join me, da and the musical travesty that was Get You.

Mello is different. For a full six weeks, some of the best singers in Sweden take us on a wild roller-coaster ride of ups and downs and semis and second chances and lovably annoying interns and light shows and fireworks and actual fire and kissing! Mello is just pure fun. And, yeah, Eurovision is a ton of fun, too, but the two contests have very different hearts and souls and Melodifestivalen just has a certain je ne sais quoi about it that Eurovision lacks.

Perhaps the best way I can think to explain the difference between the two is this: Eurovision is this great, big beast of a contest that has absolutely everything you could ever wish for in a song contest, from eardrum-shattering vampires to beautiful bearded ladies to songs about cake (and who doesn't love cake?) but Mello is... Well, it's Swedish, which is a word listed in the thesaurus under 'better than almost anything else.'

And on that bombshell, goodnight Europe!

Melodifestivalen Final Results

So, Måns Zelmerlöw won Melodifestivalen. Am I happy for him? Ja, very. Do I think Sweden picked the best song for Eurovision? Ultimately, and honestly... Ja.

But I wanted Jon Henrik or Eric Saade or Linus Svenning or Magnus Carlsson to win so badly! Linus would have done amazing in Vienna, and I loved Jon's joik. Am, yeah, maybe I'm bitter. You let me down, Sverige.

Please excuse me while I repaint my castle in the colors of #TeamNorge.

Melodifestivalen Countdown: Three Hours Left

There's only three hours left until Mello, and things are getting exciting. I can hardly stand the excitement.

Melodifestivalen Countdown: Five Hours to Go

With only five hours to go until the final of Melodifestivalen, I've already had fika and hung my Swedish flag on the banister. Måns Zelmerlöw is the heavy, heavy favorite, but I'm still rooting for Jon Henrik. Between the international juries and the televote from Luleå to Malmö, I think it's anyone's game at this point. May my favorite the best song win.

Melfest Review: Magnus Carlsson - Möt mig i Gamla Stan

Let's end this thing with a bang and dive straight into what makes this song so dang awesome.


Things I Like about Möt mig i Gamla Stan:

• The song. All of it. Beginning to end. It's just great.
• Magnus' stage presence. He is there, and you know it.. 
• The dancers. Super hip.
• The light show. Awesome, but not dizzyingly so. Dazzling, but not seizure-inducing. 

Things I Don't Like about Möt mig i Gamla Stan:

• What's not to love?

Verdict: 9/10 - I love it, but I think we all know it's not going to win. 

Vad tycker du? Who's your Mello winner 2015? Tell me in the comments!

Melfest Review: Hasse Andersson - Guld Och Gröna Skogar

I like this folksy little number. I think it has about as much chance of winning Eurovision as the UK does every year, but I like it. (Sorry, Britain.) I love the dancers, I love the stage set-up, and I love the way he's got that fun-morfar thing going for him. I also love Violin Girl in the background, and her cool little instrument. In one of the Balkan countries, he'd have a great shot of winning, but Sweden takes Eurovision far too seriously to send him to Vienna.

Sorry, Hasse. You might not be Popular, but I think you're super cool anyway.


Verdict: 7.5/10

Melfest Review: Jessica Andersson - Can't Hurt Me Now

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this song. It starts out pretty terribly, gets slightly better, and finishes with a decent ending. The beginning reminds me of Sanna's Empty Room, except with poorer vocals and worse lyrics, and there's very little that I actually like about the song. Let's break it down.

Things I Like About Can't Hurt Me Now:

• The lighting. Honestly, it's the best part of the performance.
• "All by myself, I'm letting go. I have to find strength in what I know." Best lyric in the song.

Things I Don't Like About Can't Hurt Me Now:

• The beginning. 
• Jessica's stage presence. She sort of just stands there and rocks back and forth while waving her arms about. 
• The dress. That slit is way too high, and what is it with the capes this year? Seriously. 
• The rest of the song. 

Overall verdict? 3/10. It could have been better. A lot better. 

What do you think? Tell me in the comments!

Melfest Review: Mariette - Don't Stop Believing

I don't particularly like this song, but I like its message. I'm also rather fond of her dancers and the light show behind her. Even her cape dress has grown on me since the first semi-final of Mello.

That being said, I don't see a Top 5 placing in her future. There are much better songs in Melfest this year.

Verdict: 6/10

Melfest Review: Linus Svenning - Forever Starts Today

Linus, Linus, Linus. I love this song. From the first few opening chords to the explosive chorus and the fiery drums to the uplifting ending, I am in love with this song. I've been playing it on repeat since he released the official audio of it, which you can listen to right here:

I'm probably a little bit biased, because I've loved Linus since he first sang Bröder in last year's final. I've listened to all the covers and original songs on his channel (which I highly recommend, by the way) and I love the way his voice has evolved over the years.

Unfortunately, I don't think Linus is going to win Mello this year. He's way down in the odds, and there are a lot of other good entries as well. I do hope he tries again, though, and I hope he sets his sights on releasing an album sometime soon.

Let the world know, never let you go... To the end of days, forever starts today.


Verdict: 10/10. I love you, Linus.

Melfest Review: Dinah Nah - Make Me La La La

Please don't Make Me listen to this song again. But, hey, it's not all bad, right?


Things I Like About Make Me

• Dinah's hair. Pink is so her color. 
• The electro beginning, and the first few lines. 
• The dancers are pretty cool too.

Things I Don't Like About Make Me

• The rest of the song.
• "Make me la la la." La la la-ing isn't a proper verb. Does this dude make her sing? Does he remind her of Cyprus with La La Love? Does he inspire her to utter random syllables?
• "Like a plane in the sky, you bring me so high." I really hate height/plane/highness references in songs. They just feel lazy, you know? Why can't someone be as high as a spaceship for once? Like a starship in space, you are my light... (Hey, I never claimed to be a good songwriter either!)
• Those flashing lights should come with a seizure warning.

Verdict: 5/10. I will probably be pushing the mute button when Dinah comes on in the final. Sorry, love.

Melfest Review: Samir och Viktor - Groupie

This song kind of reminds me a little of a new song by those two Dutch twins who competed in JESC a year or two back.

Back to Mello. The song is kinda catchy, and kinda annoying. I have a very vague idea of what it means, and perhaps I'd like it better if I understood Swedish, but as it stands now, Groupie just is not my cup of tea. It's one thing to take selfies and 'groupies' with those ridiculous sticks; it's another thing to sing an entire three minute and twelve second song about it. I like the rhythm, and the dancing too, I guess, but that's about it. I also don't think it has a shot of winning, but maybe that's just me.

Verdict: 2/10

Vad tycker du? Leave a comment with your verdict!

Melfest Review: Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes

I love this song. I love the way it begins. I love the staging. I love the chorus. I love the light screen behind him, and I love the little light dude he fist-bumps. I love the message of the song.

But I don't want it to win Melfest. It'd earn Sweden a top 5 placing for sure, but there's just something about it that I can't quite place my finger on that makes me unhappy it's the bookie's favorite. Perhaps it's just too far-reaching for my taste. We are the heroes? Whose heroes? Certainly not the millions that die of starvation every year. Surely not the billion people who don't have access to clean water. Yes, the world is changing for the better, but I think it's a bit too much to say we're 'heroes.' And on that note, who are the heroes? Am I a hero? Is Sweden a hero? Is Europe a hero? Is everyone a hero? This sounds more like a theme song for the EU than a winning Mello entry.

Overall, I'd give this a solid 7 out of 10 - a great song, but just not a winner for me.

Melfest Review: JTR - Building Up

There isn't much I can say about this song. It's polished, catchy, and very pop. JTR has a great stage presence and I don't doubt they'd do well in Vienna.

But, Sverige, for the love of God, please don't send a boyband to Eurovision.

Verdict: 7/10 - It's a great song, but it's a boyband.

Edit: I just listened to the song all the way through and hated the few seconds of rap. This'll be reflected in my final verdict. 

Final Verdict: 5/10 - A decent song plus boybands and rap does not a winning entry make, at least in my book.

Vad tycker du? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Melfest Review: ISA - Don't Stop

I personally think ISA is going to be the Ace Wilder of last year - a newcomer upstaged by more popular, second-, third-, or seventh-time performers. Let's talk about the highs and lows of this song.


Things I Like About Don't Stop:

• This song is very catchy, very hip, and very pop. I think that's going to work in her favor. 
• She's only 16, which I think is another thing that's going to work in her favor. 
• The chorus.

Things I Don't Like About Don't Stop: 

• The rest of the song. This just isn't my style of music. I prefer slow, sad ballads like Kuula or Eg a Lif. 
• She's only 16, and her performance and outfit are both very sexualized. Those skin-tight jeans and hip movements may go over well in the lady-loving community, but she's only 16. 
• "Don't you ever stop." This just seems excessive, if you ask me. 

Verdict: 5/10. I can see her coming in top 5 because a lot of people like this style of music, but it's just not to my taste. 

Melfest Review: Jon Henrik Fjällgren- Jag är fri

Before we begin, I'd like to say I'm probably a bit biased when it comes to this song. I love the yoik style of singing; in fact it's my favorite musical genre. I'll try my best to be objective, though, and not just end my review here with a perfect 10.

Things I like about Jag är fri:

• The opening sequence. You know how you hear a song up on the stage and within the first few chords you think to yourself, "This is gonna win?" Yeah. That's how the start of this song makes me think. 
• The two Sami dancers. My mum is an anthropologist and my MorMor is a bit of an expert on the indigenous peoples of my country. You don't grow up in an environment like that without developing a massive appreciation and respect for the cultures of the world, and I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I was when I discovered that there would be Sami contenders in both Finland and Sweden. I love Sami culture, and I would love, love, love to see it represented in Vienna to such a huge audience. 
• The tree branches at the edge of the stage. I know it's a small detail, but native peoples who have been allowed to hold onto their traditional ways share a closer connection with nature than most of us, and I like how Jon Henrik chose to incorporate this into his staging. 
• The song itself. It's a great song, and like I said earlier, I love yoiks. 

Things I Don't Like about Jag är fri: 

• This isn't a thing I don't like so much as 'a thing I think will work to its disadvantage in Vienna if it does win,' and it's the language. I love the fact that he is singing in his native language, but a non-English entry hasn't won Eurovision in quite a while, and I'd love to see Sweden win. 
• The three ladies in the background. They kind of remind me of ghosts, and ghosts freak me out, but that's just a personal thing and they're actually pretty awesome from an objective point of view. 

Verdict: 9.5/10. I sort of want to give it a ten, but I did promise that I'd be objective. 

What do you think? Tell me in the comments!

Melfest Review: Eric Saade - Sting

First of all, let me say that I love Eric Saade. I have two of his albums in my iTunes library, I have a huge man-crush on him, and I even cut my hair to model his hairstyle a few years back. In my eyes, he'll always be the King of Scandipop because he is just that cool.

That being said, I don't love Sting. In fact, the more I listen to it, the more it's "driving me mad," and not in a good way. His number does have so good points, though, so let's go through some of them before we dive into everything that's wrong with Sting.

Things I Like About Sting

• The staging. Eric and his dancers have moves. 
• "Damn that was a rough night."
• The rhythm. If I didn't understand the lyrics, I might even like this song. 
• His suit. Even though it kinda reminds me of Lucifer from Supernatural, he totally rocks that all-white suit. 
• The flying stage. I actually squealed when it came on-screen. 
• The gold glitter confetti. In the first semi, Eric was acting like he'd already won before the results even came in, and I think that's going to work to his advantage. 
• The fact that it's Eric Saade singing it. Not only is he super Popular, just like he predicted back in 2011, but he's got a great voice and a huge fan base. If I were Swedish, I'd vote for him even though I don't like his song. That's loyalty, and that's also going to work in his favor. 

Things I Really Don't Like About Sting

• The song. 
• "I knew you before you were a cool kid, so screw you." Really? We knew you before you were Popular, Eric. We knew you when you were just a Man Boy. Give the dude you're singing about a break.
• "She's drop dead hot amazing, a little crazy." This just sounds awkward. 
• The chorus. How many times do you have to repeat "it's gonna sting so bad, it'll drive you mad." I don't even know where you got 'sting' from. You're not a bumble bee. 

I'm honestly starting to reconsider my prediction that this number is going to win Melfest. I think it would do fairly well in Vienna just on the grounds that most of the songs I've heard so far are pants and even Sting is better than 'I'm Still in Love with You' (Sorry, Britannia.) There are just too many other strong entries this year. If Eric does win, it's going to be by a very narrow margin. 

Verdict: 4 out of 10, if I'm being generous, which I am. This is a song contest after all, and if the song sucks, the performance can only redeem it so far. 

Vad tycker du? Tell me in the comments!