Loreen and Dead by April Advance from the First Melodifestivalen Semi-Final 5

by Wiwi Bloggs • Sweden • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

It wasn’t a surprise when Loreen advanced from the first Melodifestivalen 2012 semi-final. But it was definitely a shock when pop rock band Dead by April made the cut.

Singing ‘Euphoria,’ Loreen writhed around on the floor like she was a crazy ho in a straight jacket. We seriously wanted to pass her some anti-depressants through the computer screen. But  ca n’etait pas possible! Loreen rightly advanced with her powerful vocals and effective staging. The camera stayed close on her face throughout and you could really feel the emotion. You go girl!

In an interview with SVT broadcast afterwards she said she didn’t expect to advance. ‘I didn’t listen or watch TV in advance,’ she said, explaining she had no idea she was a favorite. ‘But friends told me everyone thought it was a strong song.’ She said that she loves the refrain of her song, and that she needs to thanks so many people who have supported her.

Dead by April also spoke with SVT. Their seriously hot lead singer–who kindly shaved his armpits ahead of tonight’s show–said that their sound is more ‘pop metal’ than ‘rock.’ Excuse us! The host also asked the really annoying back-up singer who screams and growls how his voice handles it and he said, ‘I’ve trained a lot and it’s always held up.’ Shockingly, he doesn’t have a voice coach….

Complete results:

Advancing: Loreen and Dead by April

Second Chance: Sean Banan and Thorsten Flinck

5. Afro-Dite with ‘The Boy Can Dance’

6. Marie Serneholt with ‘Salt and Pepper’

7. Abalone Dots with ‘Pa Vag’

8. The Moniker with ‘I Want to Be Like Chris Isaak’