It’s considered the biggest and best of all national finals, and now Swedish broadcaster SVT has released the details for entering Melodifestivalen 2017. It’s the first step in the journey that will see one act win the coveted Great Songbird trophy and go on to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2017 in Ukraine.
The format is much the same as Melfest has used in recent years. The entry period will again run from 1 to 16 September, with the selected artists discovering their fate sometime in October or November.
The competition will again have 28 entries. Fourteen will come from the general entries and 14 will be established artists who receive a special invitation from SVT. One of the invited 14 will be a selected finalist (not necessarily the winner) of the Svensktoppen Nästa 2016 competition, due to be held on 28 August in Linköping.
All Swedish citizens and residents are able to enter, while entrants from outside Sweden can only enter if they do so in conjunction with a Swedish songwriter.
As with previous years, SVT are aiming to have 30% of the songs performed in Swedish, and 50% of the songs written by at least one female songwriter.
And as always, the clause is there reminding entrants that songs cannot have previously been made publicly available — something SVT will be especially mindful of after the shock disqualification of Anna Book’s song “Himmel för två” when it was discovered to have been entered in Moldova’s national final two years prior.
Interested songwriters will have two months to get their song ready before the entry period opens on 1 September. Sweden still has their eyes on a seventh Eurovision win, so now it’s up to the singers and songwriters of Sweden to bring their A game!
Who would you like to see in Melodifestivalen 2017? Which Melfest stars should make a comeback? And who should make their debut? Share your thoughts below!
First, sorry for my bad english, i’m french 🙂
I love a lot of swedish artist like Tove Lo, Loreen, Zara Larsson, Sabina Ddumba but i don’t think that it will be a good thing ro her to participate in melodifestivalen …
So i would like to see Ace Wilder, Alcazar, Molly Sanden, Eric Saade ! 😀
I would love to see Danny Saucedo again ! 🙂
…and Sara Dawn Finer of course. But I think she will try her luck in the UK selection!
ABBA of Cource! ; )
No, Darin, Loreen, Salem al Fakir, Björn Skifs, Tommy Körberg.
Some better songs this year, please… less focus on the staging and more on the music
It would be alot better if they scrap the female songwriter rule, cause its about music, the song itself and not if the writer is male or female. If they really want to keep it fair then they gotta change the AC round so you don’t get the best 2 songs singing against each other (all cause of money > votes).
I really hope Mariette Hansson, Erik Munther and Molly PH return to melfest, but if they would invite Tove lo… 99,9% chanche for another win.
Oscar Zia! He deserves to win! 😀
I would love to have Oscar Zia and Molly PH in Melfest next year….two really great artists who deserve to be known all over europe.
I’m burnt out with all the Swedish songs at Eurovision. We need to see other countries rise in the ranks.
To my knowledge there is actually no official rule that a Swedish song must be translated into English, but many do it either-way. But no Swedish language entry would win anyway, it’s dead in Melodifestival. I also wonder why they stick to that 30% rule seeing how most of the Swedish language songs were eliminated last year, further proof that Swedish language in fact is dead in MF. But since the rule is there expect a few traditional shclager songs in there who will be eliminated in their semi-final. I would expect some from this year to return next year.… Read more »
oh, and I want Laleh, Slussen, and Margaret (yes, the Polish one) to make their debuts
would love for Molly Pettersson-Hammar to return for the 3rd consecutive time. Also, Dinah Nah; Molly Sanden, Danny Saucedo, Boris Rene and Lisa Ajax.
I think there’s a rule that if a Swedish-language song wins, it’ll be translated to English for Eurovision, so don’t expect to see one. I want to see Wiktoria and Lisa Ajax back next year, and maybe debuts from Sabina Ddumba and Peg Parnevik.
Helena Paparizou, Ace Wilder,Molly Sanden ,Molly PH and Isa
I’d like Ace Wilder, Dinah Nah, Molly Sandén, Charlotte Perrelli and Isa return.
I’d love to see Ida LaFontaine competing neyt year. 😉
It will never be a Swedish language winner, that much I know. We have realised it will get us nowhere.
Though we will definitely have a top 10 spot, probably even top 5 like every year.
This is Ace! (See what I did there?!)
I’m very happy Sweden is concerned about their national language. I think every country should have a quota of non-English songs in their selection.
I’m bored to see Malta and Belarus having only songs in English in their selections.
I see another top 10 place at Eurovision next year for Sweden. I hope it’s a Sweedish language entry!
Ace Ace Ace