“Alla får första plats, Danny en andraplats” Or so goes the song ‘Copacabanana‘ from Melodifestivalen 2013 from Melfest’s chaotic rapper (now potential Maltese songwriter), Sweden’s Sean Banan.
Ten years have passed in the meantime, but the talk is still the same; everyone gets first place, but Danny finishes second. Will Danny Saucedo fall short in his quest to go to Eurovision once more (yes, we know he made it to the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2008, keep that in mind for the Melfest Pub Quiz).
In some ways, Saucedo’s goal is more open than ever for the man who is arguably Sweden’s greatest showman. The song is highly anticipated, with songwriters from outside the Eurovision bubble—his team has previous credits on hits such as ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ by Swedish House Mafia. The fact is that this is the first Melodifestivalen since 2009 without a former winner in its lineup, and Danny Saucedo certainly is talking the talk about how he is in it to represent Sweden this year.
Last year’s second and third placers, Marcus and Martinus, and Smash Into Pieces return to the contest, but both were some distance behind Loreen in last year’s results. Medina and Liamoo came third and fourth the year before, but are they returning with something fresh or facing diminishing returns? It’s great to see names like Maria Sur, Cazzi Opeia and Clara Klingenström back with authentic numbers (as they discussed on our podcast), but making the jump from authentic tunes to winner status feels tough for these types of artists to break through in this year’s noisy competition.
In true Melodifestivalen style, there will be plenty of other acts that will steal the limelight while not necessarily gunning for victory. Danny Saucedo had the longest queues for interviews at the press event, but ‘Hollywood wife’ Gunilla Persson wasn’t far behind for media interest and will be all over the front pages whether the other artists like it or not. Watch out for multi-million streaming artist Fröken Snusk, hiding their identity with a pink balaclava, dividing opinions between young and old and taking all the publicity during heat two. Swedish Drag Race star Electra will do the same in the final heat, devouring all the attention.
On paper, it sounds like this Melodifestivalen is a touch more diverse than we might be used to, with the oh-so-Swedish-I-daren’t-explain-it EPA-dunk trend prominent alongside afrobeat and, a minor miracle, more than one rock song out of the final thirty. Don’t worry; the classic dansband, schlager, and copious amounts of the finest pop production money can buy are promised this season again.
It’s less likely that this Melodifestivalen will produce a Eurovision winner. The SVT team’s statement on winning being “the ultimate goal” has less swagger than in previous years. So what will mark it out as a success? Melodifestivalen needs to turn a page to be musically exciting and relevant, beyond families and radio listeners but to that core music-consuming generation from 15-29. Modern Eurovision trends show that authenticity and boldness matter more, and there is a question about whether the same songwriting names can offer true variety or just Melodifestivalen-lite variants (Anders Wrethov and Jimmie “Joker” Thörnfeldt have written six songs each this year, with Thomas G:Son on five tracks of the 30).
This is how I define a great edition of Melodifestivalen or not. None of the returning artists or debutants have enough star power to drive the narrative alone, but when you put them all together in a single playlist, there’s enough intrigue and potential to suggest 2024 will be a vintage year. Whether it is a new name to the Eurovision community, a beloved act getting their andra chansen to represent Sweden on home turf, or a fifth place that dominates the music scene for the next decade, there are countless ways to judge the success of Melodifestivalen 2024.
And Danny will finish second.