Sweden – Swedish broadcaster SVT has revealed the running order of the four semi-finals in Melodifestivalen 2018. The first one is to be held in Karstad on 3rd February 2018, followed each week by further semi-fina in Gothenburg, Malmö and Örnsköldsvik.
SEMI-FINAL 1: KARLSTAD (3 FEBRUARY)
- 1. Sigrid Bernson – “Patrick Swayze”
- John Lundvik – “My Turn”
- Renaida – “All the Feels”
- Edward Blom – “Livet på en pinne”
- Kikki Danielsson – “Osby Tennessee”
- Kamferdrops – “Solen lever kvar hos dig”
- Benjamin Ingrosso – “Dance You Off”
SEMI-FINAL 2: GOTHENBURG (10 FEBRUARY)
- Samir & Viktor – “Shuffla”
- Ida Redig – “Allting som vi sa”
- Jonas Gardell – “Det finns en väg”
- Margaret – “In My Cabana”
- Stiko Per Larsson – “Titta vi flyger”
- Mimi Werner – “Songburning”
- LIAMOO – “Last Breath”
SEMI-FINAL 3: MALMÖ (17 FEBRUARY)
- Martin Almgren – “A Bitter Lullaby”
- Barbi Escobar – “Stark”
- Moncho – “Cuba Libre”
- Jessica Andersson – “Party Voice”
- Kalle Moraeus & Orsa Spelmän – “Min dröm”
- Dotter – “Cry”
- Méndez – “Everyday”
SEMI-FINAL 4: ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK (24 FEBRUARY 2018)
- Emmi Christensson – “Icarus”
- Elias Abbas – “Mitt paradis”
- Felicia Olsson – “Break That Chain”
- Rolandz – “Fuldans”
- Olivia Eliasson – “Never Learn”
- Felix Sandman – “Every Single Day”
- Mariette – “For You”
The annual predictable routine of MF starts yet again … :)
Good luck!
And already the betting agencies think it’s among Mariette, LIAMOO and Benjamin :)
So do I as you probably noticed!
Salvador has left the hospital! Good news!
Speedy recovery <3
Surreal semi final allocation pots for esc 2018 revealed :
https://eurovision.tv/story/all-aboard-for-eurovision-2018-semi-final-allocation-draw
Yes it makes perfect sense to put the Netherlands and Belgium in one pot with the Baltics.
Bloody Balkan voters ! :P
Well after you finish with the nordic balkan and ex soviet pots and let’s say that the pot with Greece/Cyprus/Bulgaria/Romania/Moldova kind of makes sense there isn’t much that can be done with the rest…Who else would you put the baltics with ? Maybe they thought about the high points to TCL in 2014 or Blanche to a degree this year ?
Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Israel, Malta and San Marino in one pot. Is there some logic behind this?
They probably do them drunk
There were six countries left and they had to be put somewhere. Of course it would make sense to put Austria and Switzerland together, but Switzerland is already a donor of votes to the Balkans, and there is no place for another country in that pot, so let’s pretend that Austria has some thing to do with all those other left overs.
Plus the supposedly friendly Soviet Group 3 consists of countries at war with each other…
I haven’t seen that stopping votes exchanged with the exception of the Armenia-Azerbajian deal tbh.
Thank you for the articles, hulluna! :)
It’s most wonderful time of the year!
Here’s my random Mello 18 notes of as it is on paper.
HEAT 1
Patrick Swayze / Sigrid Pernsson
Expected: Fun and uplifting season starter with great production values
Pleasant surprise: Song lives up to it’s fantastic title and ultimate svensk flicka delivers impeccably.
Osby Tennessee / Kikki Danielsson
Expected: Glammy country schlager delivered with big pink stetson for viewing pleasure of all ESC schlager hags.
Pleasant surprise: Concept actually works, Kikki looks good and grand.
Dance You Off / Benjamin Ingrosso
Expected: Extremely well cut trousers, hairy arms on display and well crafted and choreographed dance pop nodding to Michael Jackson. Playing in the malls and gyms of Helsinki during the Mello season.
Pleasant surprise: His label has sold some real estate to pay for the over the top production.
HEAT 2
Shuffla / Viktor & Samir
Expected: Three minutes of fun and rant with my favorite puppies. I would shuffla with these boys anytime anywhere
Pleasant surprise: Some of you sour faces would actually remember how does it feel to be young or actually were young once and surrender to this lovely non sense.
Det finns en väg / Jonas Gardell
Expected: Stylish old fashioned slow schlager with excellent lyrics.
Pleasant surprise: It’s actually as stunning as Rikard Wolf’s En förlorad sommar. Tänk på det!
In my Cabana / Margaret
Expected: Descapito in my cabana in Havana.
Pleasant surprise: Wow! This could actually be Selena Gomez’ next big single!
Last Breath / LIAMOO
Expected: Current, trendy and moody number with serious urban twist wrapped with great hook.
Pleasant surprise: The only current, trendy and moody thing about this is handsome man boy LIAMOO himself.
HEAT 3
A Bitter Lullaby / Martin Almgren
Expected: Schmaltzy ballad with mid brow artsiness whisked in.
Pleasant surprise: Big boy is fishing on Carl Espen’s fjord.
Stark / Barbi Escobar
Expected: Another flight to Havana with budget airline.
Pleasant surprise: It’s actualiy produced by Emilio Estefan and it’s performed by Barbi Escobar Miami Sound Machine.
Cuba Libre / Moncho
Expected: We won’t get totally pissed with Cuba Libres in Havana.
Pleasant surprise: You can do latin in so many wonderful ways and this is one of them.
Party Voice / Jessica Andersson
Expected: Both Kempe and Jessica are trying too hard for their own good. Dated with weird added contemporary elements.
Pleasant surprise: There won’t be.
Cry / Dotter
Expected: Cheesy Undo with eternal acrobatics cryyyyyyyyyyiiiyyy howls in chorus.
Pleasant surprise: It’d a #metoo empowerment anthem and instant gay bar classic.
HEAT 4
Icarus / Emmi Christensson
Expected: Emmi will make Lena Ph so proud with her old fashioned Swedish power schlager.
Pleasant surprise: Don’t judge a song by it’s title.
For you / Mariette
Expected: For you is song they send back to Jörgensson long time ago from A&R departments of American record companies. After couple of modification the song got one more opprtunity.
Pleasant surprise: Cry Kelly, your new Stronger is here.
Mello, what’s not to love? 😃
!!!! And with LIAMOO it’s of course unpleasant surprise 😃 !!!!
Let’s see if your expectations will be met. :)
We’ll see how my blind date goes 😃
And what about Kamferdrops – “Solen lever kvar hos dig”, one of my “blind” faves!? :D
Expected: Dreamy synth anthem channeling classic uplifting schlagers set in psychedelic pop explosion.
Pleasant surprise: I’m happy to hum it and sing it until autumn when it will be awarded with place in my Mello Hall of Fame playlist.
Ohohohoho better than expected! You have passed the test! :P
LOL
Lol, only after reading this did I realise there are so many “latin”-influenced entries in MF this year. They’re all trying to be the new “Despacito”…
There’s also a latin entry in Latvia and a song called “Puerto Rico” in Armenia. :P
Bandwagon!
There might be even more. LIAMOO is potential J Balvin impersonator doing urban latin. Not necessarily bad move as ESC is not any kind of trend setter in popular music, quite opposite. This time we are talking about surprisingly current trend. Latin music hasn’t been this big in mainstream since heydays of Ricky Martin and J-Lo. Timing might be just right if these hopefuls deliver. It’s very difficult genre. Easily messed up with production and ending up sounding cheesy cabaret number. Swedes are crazy and shameless about trends, and that’s one of their key success factors in many different areas. Can’t wait, come rain or shine 😃
Where are you? We are watching the french semi :)
I just came home from dinner with a friend, had four vodka martinis and bed is now the only option 😃
I’ll catch you up tomorrow!
Sweet dreams :)
😃
News on Norway’s MGP:
Morten Thomassen,president ofOGAE Norway has listened to the finalists and here are his impressions.He says it’s a very up-tempo line-up:
Melody 1 – Delicious Floating Travel
Melody 2 – Exotic Rhythms Deluxe
Melody 3 – Funky swinging rhythms
Melody 4 – Speedy danceable rhythms
Melody 5 – Folk-catching
happy melody 6 – Guitar-driven happy rhythms
Melody 7 – Dance with attitude
Melody 8 – Dramatically composed song
Melody 9 – Fasting, though dimmed
Melody 10 – Disco-rhymes de luxe
According to him,Norway has the potential to do really well this year.
This is poor promo. They have to consult PJ :D
The OGAE guy who wrote this knows obviouosly next to nothing of music. Or writing 😃
This year’s Euroclub is the club “Lust in Rio”:
Is that in Lisbon?
I read that it is next to Cais do Sodré. :)
Had never heard of it… Thank you.
Cais do Sodré always reminds me of one of my favourites novels: ‘A ordem natural das coisas’ <3 <3 <3 … and of the ferry to Cacilhas, which I take everytime I am in Lisbon. :)
You read Lobo Antunes in Portuguese?
Only some passages, those that interest me most from the perspective of a historian of literature after reading the German text. It’s mainly for an analysis of sound and grammar which are of course totally different in German. At least they get most of the imagery right on most occasions. A whole novel in Portuguese is too much for me. Whenever I read Portuguese literature, I buy the original and a German translation. They make nice couples on my shelves. LOL
OK, OK… LOL
lol!That’s what they say.
It’s probably a new place… I’m not familiar with the nightlife… :)
It’s in English and in Portuguese (everyone can read it):
https://www.lisbonlux.com/lisbon-clubs/lust-in-rio.html
Are you a regular? :)
No, I am not. :)
Move over Belarus, Malta and Switzerland. The big boy is in da house … :)
Who?
LOL
More of the same, I’m sure. Good luck, Sweden!
Hola a todos! so out of the loop these days..sighs! :-( well Sweden is Sweden I guess and is always a big event, am guessing whatever they choose will be in top 5 in ESC as always, also news re Spain ESC, ESC 2018 song will be chosen Monday January 29th in a special show of Operación Triunfo 2017/8 where the final top 5 singers will sing a song, something like that, I don’t know as I really have no idea about that show these days, I know the “favourite” to win got knocked out via a pretty boy with no talent so am guessing it will pretty much along those lines…:-( btw, I’m going to…….Oporto! very soon will be my first time, it’s part of a dear friend’s birthday deal, any recommendations are welcome!!
Ukrainian NF news:
Really? I liked ‘Kvitka’. What will she choose now?
The tweet mentions a brand new up-tempo song.
Yes, I noticed; I was just bracing myself for a hurricane of sorts. :D
a hurricane of thoughts for 2018? am still with you as always!
Thoughts and songs. :)
exactly! though I fear I will get lost along the way with you at this point and end up via Portuguese point would be etc etc
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :(
I hope the new one will be great, maybe even better! :)
Marko will be in tears. Let’s hope that he likes the new song too. :)
MeLovin seems to be back as well.Let’s hope not with another bland song.
Last time she forgot her dress, now she forgot to check the calendar. Girl! Get a grip 😃
She’s persistent,though.
Look who was a guest at the GN show tonight:
Wow and as gorgeous as ever! Love those tight pants and how beautifully they incorporated him to show bare chested 😃
Hmmm not too excited on paper about the Malmo semi tbh..We’ll see.
Armenian songs will be released in 4 batches starting on Monday and concluding the reveal on Thursday.
indeed,Spanish songs will be revealed on January 29th via TVE operacion Triunfo, via 5 songs/via singer :-(
When your favorite song is losing to another one in a NF:
cock sure!
Best of Belarussian auditions from my favourite ESC blog (those who can read German will understand the reasons. He is so funny.)
http://www.aufrechtgehn.de/2018/01/perlen-der-vorentscheidung-die-nacht-der-kurzen-messer/#more-32924
Czech Republic: I really love “Fly”, the instrumentals and her voice work really well. “Lie to me” is super catchy. I expect “Lie to Me” to win easily.
Switzerland:Not really crazy about any of them but I guess I’d go for “redlights” or “stones”
Belarus: “Forever” is really the only decent one. I think a bilingual version would’ve worked better. I like it though!