All seasons have an end: likewise the middle season. It’s been said before but is worth saying again.
One evening is enough.
Sorry Christer Björkman, but it’s time to slim down what you’ve built up. Sure, I understand the children’s entertainment aspect – but surely that can be solved with Lilla Melodifestivalen? As we learned tonight that it will start up again in a new version this autumn with the title Hello Mello.
So then it was settled. Now to tonight’s final, which had a significantly higher level than the sub-competitions, which goes without saying and is another argument for shortening this folk festival. Tonight the numbers were tighter, the voices sharper and a nerve rested in the air. Probably because it only now felt real.
Professional rehearsal
The final of Melodifestivalen 2024 in Friends Arena offered a go mix. Life-affirming sambatones and barefoot ballads were interspersed with energetic pop and homesick country. Everyone got something, and those on stage were professionals.
Hat off.
What speaks for several sub-competitions is that the songs have time during these weeks to dig into the head and take root. Regardless of whether they are good or bad. Around this long country, Cazzi Opeia’s “Give my heart a break” or Lisa Ajax’s “Awful liar” have certainly been hummed. More people than I think have thought about whether you would ever “pull off” panties and thigh-high boots à la Jacqline – not to mention LIAMOO’s cloak and fireball in the palm of your hand….
Yes, we know these numbers now.
No ESC winner
The winners were obvious from the start: favorites Marcus and Martinus kept up the pressure. Now Sweden is in the strange situation that a pair of Norwegian twins represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest at home in Malmö.
But will Marcus and Martinus win the whole Eurovision? Nix. Despite a neat stage number with lasers reminiscent of Benjamin Ingrosso’s participation in 2018, and two obvious charmers in the front, it cannot be ignored that “Unforgettable” is, despite the name, a fairly bland song.