The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — concludes our epic saga reviewing the songs competing in the final of Melodifestivalen 2017. We finish with Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Aninia and their song “En värld full av strider (Vearelde gusnie jeenh vigkieh)”. Did the spirits move us? Read on to find out!
Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Aninia – “En värld full av strider (Vearelde gusnie jeenh vigkieh)”
About Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Aninia
Reindeer herder, traditional joik singer and Sweden’s Got Talent winner Jon Henrik previously competed at Melfest 2015, where his emotional joik song “Jag är fri (Manne leam frijje)” placed second. Newcomer Aninia joins Jon Henrik for his Melfest return.
Wiwi Jury reviews “En värld full av strider (Vearelde gusnie jeenh vigkieh)”
Josh: One word springs to mind when thinking about this entry – breathtaking. Jon Henrik was an inspired talent back in 2015 but his song lacked power and came across as repetitive. Combining his traditional Sami style with Aninia’s powerful vocal in “En värld full av strider” is such a phenomenal move. The song builds into such a strong finale that it moves me emotionally. This song is inspired. Sweden should be proud of the ethnic roots of this entry and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate diversity in Kyiv than with Jon Henrik and Aninia. Absolutely amazing.
Score: 9.5/10
William: The LED sperm that opens the show is giving me life, setting the tone for a visually arresting performance that’s other-worldly and mystical and makes good use of 3D shooting stars. And while I appreciate the spiritual feel of this, it lacks the shape, scope and melody that made Jon Henrik’s 2015 entry so captivating. This has atmosphere, but it doesn’t seem to have a story. Bonus point for Aninia’s nose plate.
Score: 7.5/10
Bernardo: To be honest I wasn’t a big fan of Jon Henrik and I would probably not like this song if Aninia wasn’t on it. She provides the powerful chorus that was missing in Jon’s first attempt in Melodifestivalen. Magic and powerful, this tune takes me to new heights.
Score: 8/10
Deban: Glitzy folk-pop lacking emotion. This duet appears to be processed through a checklist. In some respects, this is precision perfect and offers some breathtaking staging moments. However, for a duet much of this misses the “chemistry” mark – It comes off as functional instead of dreamy. Also, Aninia’s wardrobe choices seem caricature.
Score: 6/10
Chris: A sterling second effort from Jon Henrik, which truly eclipses “Jag är fri”. Introducing Aninia not only means this doesn’t look like a repeat of 2015, but elevates it even further. It creates atmosphere, even without the staging (which also works for the song). Crucially, this would probably appeal to the masses as well — but maybe not a jury out for the next “big hit”.
Score: 8/10
Edd: I love JHF. His album is an absolute masterpiece and his 2015 entry was miles better than Måns for me. That said, this song just falls flat. Jon’s parts are beautiful but the chorus is a serious mess — a weak melody shouted over by Christina Aguilera on shrooms. They could have made the production so much more exciting, with traditional instruments, native chanting, some sort of visual performance. It’s a 10/10 for Jon and a 3/10 for everything else.
Score: 6.5/10
Luis: As much as I loved Jon Henrik’s entry in 2015, I can’t really connect with this song. It’s not because of Aninia, because she breaks the monotony of joik (nothing wrong with that, I find it beautiful, but it’s a tad monotonous) and she’s vocally on point. “En värld full av strider” leaves me cold. While you watch, you just get the feel that the duo has their harmonies polished and that there’s some epic ethnic music… but that’s pretty much everything. Folk should engage the viewers as it’s a kind of music they don’t consume daily. This, however, is just distant.
Score: 3.5/10
Robyn: “En värld full av strider” feels more fleshed-out as a song than “Jag är fri”, which seems to be a deliberate move to make Jon Henrik’s joik more accessible to a wider audience. Aninia’s chorus brings even more emotional depth to the song and the whole thing creates a very Swedish type of musically spiritual musical experience. Part of me would like to see this go to Eurovision, but it’s also just great to have it in the Melfest final.
Score: 7.5/10
Our jury for Melodifestivalen 2017 contains 29 jurors, but we only have room for eight reviews. The remaining 21 scores are listed below.
Angus: 7.5/10
Anthony: 9.5/10
Antony: 7/10
Antranig: 7/10
Dayana: 8/10
Erdi: 7.5/10
Forrest: 6/10
Jason: 5/10
Jordi: 9/10
Jovana: 9/10
Mikhail: 9.5/10
Natalie: 9.5/10
Patrick: 8/10
Rezo: 8/10
Ron: 9/10
Sami: 6/10
Sinan: 7/10
Steinunn: 5.5/10
Tobias: 6/10
Zakaria: 2/10
Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 2 and a high of 9.5.
I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for. You have ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
Actually would love it for this song to win
OMG I love this! This is what we need for Eurovision, drama and mysticism and a song that’s not in English. no more of these boring sub standard pop ballads, this is simply the best and I’ll be rooting for it on Saturday. I love the way they hug at the end too.
Did you guys just realized that this is the LAST national final song review of 2017!!! Norway, Iceland and Lithuania all have their finalists rated and after Saturday, there will be no national finals left for this year 🙁 Why couldn’t at least two of them be on Sunday, so we can watch more than just one…
There is no doubt this song needs to win and go to Kiev. It ticks all the boxes for me. It is mysterious, dramatic, atmospheric, culturally diverse and emotional all in one. Jon Henrik and Aninia’s joiking/vocals gel nicely together. The chemistry between them on stage is evident to see. A perfect duet!
Be brave Sweden!
Please don’t be predictable and generic. Be brave and choose Jon Henrik & Aninia on saturday for your chance for a potential 7th win at eurovision.
It’s a celebration of diversity in one song.
Antranig is finally on his medicines. Good job.
@Juuseven: If Jon and Aninia win, they may consider keeping it the way it is. But that will depend on the margin of victory at MF.
@Briekimchi: In Jon Henrik’s last appearance at MF, he was 3rd on the jury card (Måns and Mariette finished ahead of him), and only Måns was ahead of him in the televote. So, if this jury feels the same way about the entries as the juries did with the entries of the last 2 years, and they think this one is stronger than “Jag Är Fri”, he may very well win this thing. But he does have Mariette and Wiktoria to contend with, and Nano is still the ultimate wildcard.
Somebody pleeeeease tell Aninia that her part MUST REMAIN IN SWEDISH aka SVENSKA if they won Melfest!!!
She would kill the mysticism if she sang in English! 8(
This is such a good song! Aninia for me elevates it! Her voice is amazing! But Jon is also very good at what he’s doing. I read that Aninia will sing her part in English in the contest and it was a bit dissapointing for me. I think we’ll lose the magic if we don’t listen to the original song. Apart from that, it has traditional elements and it’s in their native language, which fits perfectly with the song itself. However, I fear international juries won’t get strongly behind it. And don’t forget Sweden always send a song in English… Read more »
@Tazmanian DeMoon, I read somewhere that song is in Swedish and Sami language, I think that part is in Sami.. I find lyrics (don’t know if this is correct, I’m not from Sweden, so correct me if I am wrong):
A bird comes from above, landing on me
The bird has a letter with a message
He wants to tell me the time has come, the time is now.
In a world full of battles
Of battles
There is en echoing choir
And hearts burning with life
Yes, with life
We walk together again
Because the time has come.
I respect the reviews that said it wasn’t exciting enough or doesn’t have a story, but I’ll say that it’s not meant to excite like a pop song — it’s a display of Sweden’s Sami culture through Jon Henrik’s joik style of song, and its message IS strong: “in a world full of battles/strife, there’s an echoing choir, and hearts with a passion for life” (roughly). That’s a strong and positive message that moved me when I heard it sang.
I really like this type of songs, this one isn’t an exception, but I think ‘Jag ar fri’ was far better, very emotional. Anyway, I prefer Jon Henrik over most of the finalists.
@ James – Daddy Owe sings in Swedish, plus Aninia would sing her part in English.
My favorites by far, I really hope they can win on Saturday, though I’m not getting my hopes up too high. Anyway, how can a masterpiece like this get a lower score than Robin’s, Ace’s Wiktoria’s, or even Mariette’s song?
None of these Melfest acts would win in Kiev, Moonlight. Most would flop. Wiktoria, Nano and Jon Henrik are all cute top 5s though.
@Nikolay, exactly my thoughts, ”Lord of the rings” when I first hear this!
Timeless. This is magic it remembers me of The Lord Of The Rings, in other situation it can win an Oscar. And about english, only the female singer will have english, he will have sami. In this kind of duo, english is right. They are 2 persons from 2 worlds, they stay on 2 separate stages, is appropriate to have sami (he) and english (she).
Sweden, choose the only non-English song left in the final. I beg you!!!
Let us celebrate diversity!
For me the most overrated song of the final. His contribution to the song is annoying and the combination of both voices is ear-bleeding.
This needs to be in Kyiv.
Just have the feeling that the international juries will kill it.
I believe this won its semi. Their performance is very instant, and the song contains all the elements of an effective etno-schlager ballad. Jon Henrik is on top of this a very charismatic person, well beloved by the Swedish audience. I wouldn’t underestimate them on Saturday – I think it’s safe to say they will win the televote (their odds are also dropping the fastest at the moment). I also wouldn’t underestimate them in a Eurovision final, to be honest. Come on international juries – you know what to do! I know what I am going to do – make… Read more »
It’s an amazing song! Very moving and Aninia’s vocals are on point. I was really surprised and happy to see them making it directly to the final and I think they could even challenge for the win. It’s an entry that stands out.
I actually love Aninia’s costume so I’ll have to disagree with Deban, it adds to the mystical atmosphere. But I would love for her to keep her part in Swedish, I’ve seen the translated lyrics and I feel like it might not work well but who knows.
Absolutely annoying and over the top.
While I would certainly find it awesome (and highly unexpected) for Sweden to send a song in Swedish to Eurovision, NOT this one. Everything about this is calculated, so calculated that it completely lacks what it pretends to have- a soul. Their alternative/traditional clothing choices do not change that either.
OWH = Obsessed Wiktoria Hater
“First Step In Faith” is sooooo much better !!!!
Love this! So dramatic! If it see to win Aninia must keep her part in Swedish. Me thinks she studied with drag queens with those hand movements!
So, according to Wiwibloggs, Robin’s song is better than Jon’s. I would very much disagree with that. Jon and Aninia would bring something completely new and magical to the contest. If Sweden is brave enough to risk with them, they will have one of my top favorite songs of this year.
This song is magic in my ears. As I said before, for me it’s between Jon and Wiktoria, I would be very happy with any of them. Jon could give us this mystical aura that we need sometimes in Eurovision.
Aninia has a very loud backing track, so they’d possibly be in trouble if they went to Kiev.
Also, she’s said that she’d sing in English in Kiev, so I hope that’s something that’s brought to the public’s attention so they don’t feel “tricked” voting for her and Jon Henrik.
My favourite, I’m absolutely in love with his voice! But, also agree with Deban about her outfit, lol 😀
Woo the OWH are everywhere in the comments. So obsessed with Wiktoria that they’d rather talk about her than support their faves 🙂
This song is pure eargasm. Fantastic production and structure + two voices with perfect chemistry. But Aninia has said she’d sing in English at the contest, which would kill all the magic – so I’m wooting for Wiktalent’s “As I Slay Me Down”, with this one at a close 2nd place.
Moonligjt. You are evel. Wictoria, Nano or Nariette must winn. Then we can be tipp 10.
Ive just been listening to his 2015 entry – this is so much better. It has much more peaks and troughs and Aninia really is a perfect compliment to the song. I loved in an interview how she said that she is there to translate for him. I really hope Sweden sends this, even though it isn’t my favourite song. It fits perfectly with he celebrate diversity theme and JH is such a lovely, quiet guy. Wiktoria, Nano etc are great songs but theres no risk and I cant see them beating Belgium and Italy. they can either go for… Read more »
winner i hope , the most original song ever <3 , 12 points from Romania !!