Växjö, 17th Fabruary 2024
Tonight marked the third heat of Sweden’s national selection Melodifestivalen. Organised by Swedish state broadcaster SVT, the Melodifestivalen contest will choose the act to represent Sweden at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmö. As defending champions and hosts, Sweden have earned a pass to the finale on 11 May 2024, with their act getting to skip semifinals.
Melodifestivalen, which has been a prestigious music festival since 1966 and has functioned as Sweden’s selection method since, is held in venues all over the country. The first live show took place in Malmö, at the same Malmö Arena that will host the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest.
The show which was hosted by Carina Berg, and supported by Carolina Gynning and Christine Meltzer, saw the following artists compete for a spot in the Melodifestivalen Final on 9 March 2024:
1. Jacquline – Effortless
2. Clara Klingenstrom – Aldrig Mer
3. Kim Cesarion – Take my Breath Away
4. Klaudy – For Dig
5. Gunilla Persson – I Won’t Shake
6. Cazzi Opeia – Give My Heart a Break
The songs that place 1st and 2nd at the end of the night will advance to the final. In a departure from recent editions, Melodifestivalen no longer has a proper Second Chance Round (refered to by fans as “Andra Chansen” although that name had been discontinued since 2022). Instead, it will hold a “run-off vote” between the 3rd and 4th placers in the other semifinals after the results of the fifth heat have been made public, picking the last two finalists. The songs that finish in 5th and 6th place are eliminated from the process with no chance at redemption.
At the end of the first round of voting, Jaqcline was declared Direkt Til Finalen: She had won the televote in the first round, earning her a spot in the final with her song “Effortless”.
After her reprise, a second round of voting opened to determine the second finalist: Cazzi Opeia won with 92 points from the different app vote categories, while Klaudy (59 points) and Gunilla Persson (56 points) finished 3rd and 4th respectively.
That means that Cazzi Opeia is the second finalist, while Klaudy and Gunilla Persson get a second chance in the run-off vote (to be held at the fifth heat). Clara Klingenström and Kim Cesarion were eliminated.
Do #YOU agree with the Swedish choices? Which acts would #YOU have advanced to the final? Let us know in the comments, or join the discussion on our Forum or in our Discord!
