This Saturday, during the second semifinal of Melodifestivalen 2017 in Malmö, seven more acts will fight for two places in the grand final and two places in the Andra Chansen round. We have to wait until tomorrow to hear a single note of the songs — oh, the agony! But today SVT has revealed the lyrics and performance details of the competing songs.
The rehearsals start tomorrow — February 9 at 14:00 CET. One-minute snippets of each song will be available on svt.se at 14:30CET. As you count down the minutes, let’s open Melfest’s book of secrets, which includes bungee cords, mannequins, wind machines and more…
Melodifestivalen 2017: deltävling 2, Malmö
Mariette with “A Million Years”
Memorable lyrics: “I know you need a little time to wipe your fears away but baby I’ll wait forever”
Unlike her debut performance in 2015, when she stood mostly alone, with dancers hidden to the darkness, Mariette will have four dancers with her to add dynamism and tell a story. She’s going uptempo and the performance props include four bungee jumping ropes. No fear. Pure slayage.
Read the “A Million Years” lyrics
Roger Pontare with “Himmel och hav”
Memorable lyrics: “Now crackles fire in the bright evening, now I play for the sky and the sea”
Roger Pontare has two choreographers, but no dancers. That suggests he’ll have a routine of his own. With a song called “Sea and Sky”, we’d expect wind machines and maybe some gently crashing LED waves.
Read the “Himmel och hav” lyrics
Etzia with “Up”
Memorable lyrics: “Are you ready, my love for you is steady, so come mash di club tonight”
Four dancers will join Etzia on the stage and they’ll all be on roller skates. Hopefully this will be a matter of Let’s roll! rather than a wheel-on-wheel collision. We’re optimistic.
Allyawan with “Vart har du vart”
Memorable lyrics: “Never mind, you are here with me now, focus on the joy girl”
Rapper Allyawan will be joined by two female dancers and a series of mannequins on the stage. His songwriter Masse Salazar is a legend in Swedish hip hop. And while Swedish hip hop isn’t legendary, we trust Allyawan will do his best to take it to another level. He previously told SVT that the song is true to Salazar’s vision: “The song is not adapted for the festival, but it feels as if the festival has adapted to the song.”
Read the “Vart har du vart” lyrics
Dismissed with “Hearts Align”
Memorable lyrics: “Cause if we go in all alone we’re gonna blow away like feathers, only a wing can catch the wind and fly wherever”
Dismissed will create a complete band setting on the stage with drums, guitar and bass. Next to the group there will be three dancers. There will also be some LED lights and red flags. As ever, their androgynous realness will also take centre stage.
Read the “Hearts Align” lyrics
Read our interview with Dismissed
Lisa Ajax with “I Don’t Give A”
Memorable lyrics: “I know your love will kill me, do your thing and heal me”
Lisa Ajax will take the stage alone — and we know that won’t intimidate this former Swedish Idol winner. One of her songwriters, Linnea Deb, will serve as a backing singer, but won’t appear on the stage. The song is described as sitting between mid-tempo and ballad — so let that emotion flow! If you haven’t read her lyrics, be warned: She drops the F-bomb 10 times.
Read the “I Don’t Give A” lyrics
Benjamin Ingrosso with “Good Lovin'”
Memorable lyrics: “You know I’ve been bleeding ever since we hit the wall”
Benjamin will be joined by four dancers. Gabriel Alares, who had two songs at Eurovision 2016 (Norway and Moldova), will serve as a backing vocalist. The props include five microphone stands, a silver ball and pyrotechnics. Balls on fire, y’all!
Which of the semi-final two acts are you most excited about? Vote in our poll here!
Decent semi.
Some of those lyrics… yikes! Mariette’s remind me of her other entry, and Lisa’s are completely uninspired and embarrassing. I’m more hyped for Benny Ingrosso even though he gives me Frans 2.0 vibes (hopefully with decent vocals this time).
don’t stop believing: “from today you’ll stand up straight and wipe those tears away”
a million years: “I know you need a little time to wipe your fears away but baby I’ll wait forever”
could be a little more original with the songwriting mariette :///
Benjamin Ingrosso is SO winning this semi and most likely the whole competition.
About Lisa Ajax, I read the lyrics and I feel like half the song (maybe more) is “I don’t give a…” again and again. Great inspiration!
As for the others, I can’t say I’m impressed by the lyrics, but we have to listen to the songs.
Never have I read more wonderful poetry than in the Lisa Ajax song.
Do swedes not care about all these F bombs? I noticed at semi 1 how the presenters said TWICE ‘Melodi – fuckingFestivalen’
Lisa Ajax reminds me too much to Isa. Young cute girl doing well in her debut but struggling in her second attempt with a slow song, passing by Andra and failing there to qualify. Just paralelisms.
I’m sure Lisa will have to change the lyrics if she wins.
most of these “memorable lyrics” are terrible, and will only be memorable to people too stupid to understand the rest of the song
I hope the hype about Mariette is true. I can see her running away with it and then Lisa Ajax/Benjamin Ingrosso battling out for the other direkt til final spot.
Mariette and 4 bungy jump ropes.. I wonder what they are for or who they will be attached to. Mariette or the dancers? Or both.
Mariette had 4 female dancer at MF 2015.