Melodifestivalen 2019 has come and gone. But while we may have to wait an entire year for our next batch of Swedish national final songs, that doesn’t mean the stars of the show have stopped giving us new music to fill our playlists with.
So here’s a round-up of some of the new releases by Melfest artists past and present.
Class of 2019
While Melodifestivalen is on, we naturally primarily focus on the competing songs. However, a number of this year’s participants have also released other singles since the new year. This includes Lisa Ajax, Oscar Enestad and Bishara.
Lisa Ajax – “Off My Mind” (with Tom Ferry)
In a stark contrast to the ballad that Lisa Ajax brought to the Melfest 2019 stage, her other recent release sees her teaming up with up and coming British DJ Tom Ferry on “Off My Mind”. The track is a dynamic dance banger that’s sure to get you up and partying the night away. Believe us, after you’ve heard it once, you indeed won’t be able to get it off your mind!
Oscar Enestad – “Sign Of My Love”
He may have crashed out of the semi-finals at Melfest this year, but Oscar Enestad’s still got some delicious pop offerings for us all. He started off the year by releasing “Sign Of My Love”, and we love it, we love it, we love it, we love it, we love it. Singing to his lover, he tells her that, while he may get jealous of other people around her at times, it’s all just a sign of his love: “When you’re dancing for the world it gets too much / Never been about your trust / It’s just a sign of my / Love, Love, Love, Love”.
Bishara – “Home”
The runner-up of this year’s Melodifestivalen, Bishara has gained a legion of new fans from across Sweden and the rest of Europe. So no doubt they’ll now be checking out his debut single from the end of January, “Home”. A mid-tempo ballad, the song talks about how we all have that one special place we call home, yet it’s never too far away from us: “Home is wherever you roam / Home’s where you’re never alone / Home is that place in your heart / You are home”.
Bonus: Sarah Dawn Finer & Eric Saade – “Ljuset”
It isn’t just this year’s competitors that have been releasing new music for us. Hosts Sarah Dawn Finer and Eric Saade gave us the new single “Ljuset” (“The Light”), which they performed during the interval of semi-final four. The lyrics of the song discuss how light can flow into the dark places found across the globe. Additionally, all proceedings of the song will go to the Swedish charity Radiohjälpen. Money for the charity was also collected through the voting system at this year’s contest, which helped raise SEK 7.8 million (€740,000).
Former Melfest Stars
It’s not just this year’s Melfest stars that have been releasing new music for us. Participants from previous years have also given us some new musical delights. Here’s a look at the latest from Molly Sandén, Danny Saucedo, Boris René, ISA and YOHIO.
Molly Sandén – “Jag E (Vierge Moderne)” and “Den som e den”
Molly Sandén recently took part in a new SVT show where artists have to create an entire new song out of Swedish poetry. The “Youniverse” singer was given the poem “Vierge Moderne” by Edith Södergran to work with. In the end she produced “Jag E”, a contemporary mid-tempo ballad that fits in perfectly with the rest of her recent Swedish-language discography.
The three time Melfest participant also gave us “Den som e den” at the start of March. A foot-tapping pop tune, it once again shows that Molly has really found her stride and it’s no wonder her career is flourishing. Accompanied by a striking music video that utilises all the primary colours, the Swedish star is also now rocking a new blonde-coloured hair style – something we haven’t really seen since she first competed at Melodifestivalen in 2009.
Danny Saucedo – “Innan du väcker mig” (with SAMI)
Molly and Danny Saucedo may no longer be a couple, but thankfully their musical creativity is still thriving. Danny’s latest sees him feature on “Innan du väcker mig” (“Before you arouse me”) by SAMI. A radio-friendly hit, the song sees the two of them singing to their lovers and saying that they’ll do whatever their partners desire, as long as they’re still around when the two men wake up: “You are what I’ve been missing, baby / You are naked here next to me / Are you still here when I wake up? / Can you decide / Before you, before you, before you arouse me”.
Boris René – “What The Funk”
Two years on since his last appearance at Melfest, and Boris René is still giving us some catchy, danceable tracks to add to our playlists. At the end of February, the Congolese-born former football player released “What The Funk”. As the title suggests, it’s a funk and soul-infused song that will get you moving and unleashing your inner dancer, as Boris sings: “I got MJ in my feet / Taking control of me / It’s time to release the beast”.
ISA – “Craving”
She was on the writing team behind Malou Prytz’s direkt till final entry “I Do Me” at Melfest 2019. But ISA is still forging her own musical path, and recently satisfied our craving for a new song from her. Following on from the emotional ballad “After You” at the end of 2018, “Craving” sees the singer turn the BPM up a notch with the mid-tempo pop track. Once you’ve learned all the choreography from the official dance video below, make sure to check out the full song here.
YOHIO – “Merry Go Round”
He won the televote at Melodifestivalen 2013, but just missed out on going to Eurovision, finishing as runner-up to Robin Stjernberg. And now, YOHIO has headed to the circus for the music video of his latest track “Merry Go Round”. Musically, the song is the theatrical rock style that we’ve come to love the singer for, and the lyrics discusses how people can twist a story in order to fabricate it: “Take the blame now / You mess with our minds, telling lies to our eyes / I won’t take no part in this broken merry go round”. This track comes from his latest EP, My Nocturnal Serenade, which you can check out on Spotify here.
What do you make of these latest songs from Melfest stars? Do you want to see any of them return to the Melodifestivalen stage? Let us know in comments below!
I am a music lover and I also loved this one.
wow awesome music and super,
expecting some more music albums from you.
Thanks for sharing.
Where’s Robin Bengtsson? He dropped 2 new singles since he was last mentioned on Wiwi!