The Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – is taking Sweden by storm. Today we threw on our best post-apocalypse chic and listened to Linus Svenning and his entry ‘ Forever Starts Today’. Did he melt our hearts or just push us past the breaking point? Read on to find out!
Linus Svenning with ‘Forever Starts Today”
http://youtu.be/tmyoAeZKe5g
Billy: “Forever Starts Today” for Linus. Not for me, though. The eastern sounds are really out-of-date, and so are the lyrics of the song. I liked “Broder” much more, even though it was in Swedish! This year, he fills the stage with drums and fireballs, attracting attention and adding even more flare. Meh, this is not good.
Score: 5/10
Deban: I can’t help but compare this to “Broder” which was a masterpiece. “Forever Starts Today” is a good composition. However, just like his fans and stage-director, it would appear that Linus Svenning doesn’t believe in his message. It’s middling, badly staged and “expected”. This won’t win. This won’t even do better than last year. Mr Svenning knows that too, and it shows.
Score: 5/10
Robyn: I like the drama of the performance (fire!) but I’m not so taken with the song itself. I can appreciate it for being an uplifting anthem, but there’s nothing about it that sticks with me. As likeable as Linus is, this song just isn’t doing it.
Score: 5/10
Bogdan: I was surprised that Linus went to Second Chance instead of DTF, especially considering the competition in his heat. His song is a mix of One Direction (no shade!), Emmelie de Forest and Sistem (Romania 2005). It’s very Eurovision-y and, sadly, this could also be its downfall: the composition is a bit too predictable and unengaging. We’ve heard and seen it all before. Speaking of, in contrast to the very different song that was “Broder”, Linus looks exactly like last year, which is lazy — time to hire/fire a stylist, honey.
Score: 6/10
Padraig: It’s all a bit of a mess. The piano intro, Linus’ vocals, the tribal beats, the dystopian staging – nothing gels. Bits of other songs seem to have been picked up from the cutting room floor, and cobbled together to create Melfest’s very own Frankstein style monster. After “Broder” in 2014, this really is a dud.
Score: 4.5/10
Denise: It’s such a shame that his voice is so bad. The song is good and the staging is amazing. Imagine Mans singing this song instead of Linus and it would have been great, now it’s just good. Come back next year with a song like Broder, which was so emotional and touching and suited Linus way better.
Score: 6,5/10
Angus: Hollow and disappointing. ‘Forever Starts Today’ has an entirely superficial appeal and nothing to do with the fact Linus is singing it. The voice lacks the power, rawness and emotion that we saw in 2014. The song doesn’t convince me to embark on eternity with Linus and judging by his commitment to the performance it doesn’t persuade him either.
Score: 3/10
Ron: This song is great and I love the fire – but the meat is not well-done, it’s just medium-rare. The problem here is… Linus. He sure tries to deliever the song, but I don’t feel it as I should and what the hell is he wearing?! Linus is just nor the right kind of guy to suit that kind of song. Still, the song is really good and fun to listen to.
Score: 7.5/10
Sami: I liked it very much on the first listen, but now this really bores me. I really wanted Andreas to make it to the final from Andra Chansen instead of Linus, just because Andreas was much better performer. Linus’ voice isn’t really any good, or at least it isn’t fitting this song. The staging is amazing, but the song just isn’t strong enough.
Score: 6/10
William: Linus gave me goosebumps with Bröder but he is putting me to sleep with this. He is better in Swedish. I don’t think he believes in this English-language entry and it almost feels like he is dreading “forever.” Thankfully his time at #melfest will end in just three minutes.
Score: 4.5/10
Wiwi Jury Verdict: 5.3/10
That is ridiculously underrated. This song is so beautiful. <3
I’m pretty sure that it’s not going to win in the competition, but I really like the song. It’s also a lot of fun to sing the refrain in the car
IS MY FAVORITE TO WIN I LOVE THE CHORUS, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER SONGS ARE STRONG COMPETITORS, GOOD LOOK SVENING
I like him and all but Broder was a stronger song than Forever Starts Today.
I have a feeling he won’t have the same success as last year.
My second favourite of this year’s Melodifestivalen entries, which goes to show how bad this year has been. This isn’t a terrible song at all, but in a stronger year I’d consider it average rather than great, so it’s a good thing this isn’t a strong year.
I still think it’s the best of the Melfest entries, but indeed it’s probably not 100% genuine for Linus to be singing a phrase like “the pain is gone” after his brother just got in a really bad car accident (though last I checked he was expected to make a full recovery from the accident). I mean, there’s not much he can do about that, though – the accident obviously happened after the song was submitted. Sometimes you have to tell yourself messages like “forever starts today,” though, to push through the hard times, and that’s what makes this song… Read more »
I can’t say I agree much with the reviews… For me, his song is one of the best in this year’s Melodifestivalen. I really like his voice, and it’s a well written pop anthem that sticks with me. The performance is a bit messy, but it doesn’t bother me that much. I also liked “Bröder”, but “Forever Starts Today” is the stronger one for me.
@ Exactly Ron…Well written review..
Its my no1 most favorite song in the whole Melodifestivalen 2015..
4 me its one of the best songs in the whole preselection season 2015 4 The Diamond Vision..
But as i already stated the song does not fit & match his type and personal image…Linus is too serious to sing a pop uptempo song like that..
10 / 10
This Melodifestivalen 2015: meh.