The selection of the swedish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest continued tonight with a stop in the city of Östersund. The top 2 tonight, which means a place in the final, was Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Isa.
The third out of five heats that leads up to the final were held
tonight in Östersund arena. Two songs goes straight to the final while the
third and fourth placed songs are getting a place in the fifth heat. Eric Saade and Jessica Andersson qualified to the final from the first heat. Mariette and Magnus Carlsson was the top 2 in the second heat.
The songs:
1. Ellen Benediktson
– Insomnia (Music & Lyrics: Ellen Benediktson, Anderz Wrethov)
Ellen made her debut in Melodifestivalen 2014 where she surprisginly got more votes than the Eurovision winner Helena Papariozou in her semifinal and ended up 7th in the final. Tonight she performs a midtempo song which brings the thoughts slightly towards Loreens Euphoria and the russian duo t.a.T.u. On stage with Ellen are six dancers in black leather like dresses who are standing together with Ellen on a pyramid-like platform.
2. Kalle Johansson – För din skull (Music & Lyrics: Martin Eriksson, Thomas G:son, Thomas Karlsson)
Second out tonight is 17-year old Kalle who got a place in Melodifestivalen by winning the talent competition Svensktoppen nästa. Kalle starts far out in the crowd, making his way to the stage as the refrain kicks in. On stage he joins his six members strong band. Kalle performs his pop song with a great deal of energy but the song itself feels rather ordinary.
3. Andreas Weise – Bring Out the Fire (Music & Lyrics: Henrik Jansson, Thomas G:son, Anton Malmberg Hård af Segerstad)
As former participant in swedish Idol 2010 Andreas is no newcomer to the swedish audience. On stage there is a platform shaped as a start which Andreas and his six dancers perform on. Some pyrotechnics are used during the number. Andreas gives a professional impression but is this pop song strong enough to take him all the way to the final?
4. Andreas Johnson – Living To Die (Music & Lyrics: Andreas Johnson, Bobby Ljunggren, Karl-Ola Kjellholm)
Andreas Johnson is making his sixth appearance in this competition. This time he is singing a midtempo ballad. Andreas is alone on stage where he performs the song on a podium made of glass. Lasers lights up the background behind him. This is another professional performance but it feels like it’s not the strongest of his six songs.
5. Isa – Don’t Stop (Music & Lyrics: Isa Tengblad, Johan Ramström, Magnus Wallin, Gustaf Svenungsson Oscar Merner)
Soon to be 17-year old Isa Tengblad sings a pop song, a bit in the style of Taylor Swift, with an effective hook. Together with her four dancers she produces an energic show. She has already been compared to last years big surprise breakthrough Ace Wilder which indicates that this song could go far.
6. Kristin Amparo – I See You (Music & Lyrics: Kristin Amparo, Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger)
Kristin Amparo had a big summer hit in 2014. Kristin’s ballad and her whole apperance makes it impossible to not compare her with Sarah Dawn-Finer and her song I Remember Love but there are also some strong Adele vibes here. Adelen is alone on the stage and is surrounded by a warm light from spotlights behind her. Kristin has a powerful voice and on the whole it’s an impressive performance. Will song number 6 once again advance to the final just like in the two previous heats?
7. Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Jag är fri (Manne Leam Frijje) – (Music & Lyrics: Sam Arash Fahmi, Fredrik Kempe, Hamed "K-one" Pirouzpanah, David Kreuger)
Jon Henrik got a breakthrough that echoed not only over Sweden but also across the Atlantic when he won the swedish talent show Talang Sverige 2014. This is ethno music with Jon Henrik singing in "Joik" which is a traditional Sámi form of song. To the left on the stage there is a pair dancing together next to a campfire and to the right is a drummer. Both Jon Henrik and the dancers are wearing traditional sámi costumes. Three backing singers are hanging from the roof in big white dresses symbolising the northern lights that can be seen in the sky. As the song comes to an end a big cheer rises from the audience, this seems like a surefire finalist.
The show:
After a quick look back at the last weeks heat the show starts with the hosts Sanna Nielsen and Robin Paulsson presenting the people working with Melodifestivalen in a song & show number.
After the seven performances we are taken to the green room where the fictive character Filippa Bark talks with the performers, treating them with mostly awkward questions and statements.
After having the first results with the top five songs going through to the second round of voting there is an interval act with the swedish singer and fiddler Kalle Moraeus doing a song number with himself on three screens on the stage. We are then back with Filippa in the green room and the reamining five performers.
The result:
Five songs went through from the first round of voting:
Song 1: Insomnia by Ellen Benediktson
Song 3: Bring Out The Fire by Andreas Weise
Song 5: Don’t Stop by Isa
Song 6: I See You by Kristin Amparo
Song 7: Jag är fri by Jon Henrik Fjällgren
After the second round of voting ended the first finalist to be announced
was Jon Henrik Fjällgren. The second finalist was Isa. Andreas Weise and Kristin Amparo were 3rd and 4th and goes to Andra chansen (the second chance heat)
The rest of the results:
5. Insomnia by Ellen Benediktson
6. För din skull by Kalle Johansson
7. Living To Die by Andreas Johnson
(Note: who came 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th is not revealed until after the final in March).
