The Melodifestivalen 2021 circus has come to town — and more specifically to Semi-Final 1 in Stockholm. The pandemic may be gripping the world, but producers made sure the acts could still slay — albeit in a socially distant setting with no audience. Call it a job well done. Kadiatou threw it down Dua Lipa style, and Nathalie Brydolf turned her heartache into a beautiful three minutes. But in the end it was Danny Saucedo (“Dandi dansa”) and Arvingarna (“Tänker inte alls gå hem”) who won the day and will advance direkt till final, also in Stockholm. Paul Rey (“The Missing Piece”) and Lillasyster (“Pretender”) will live to sing another day in the Second Chance round Andra Chansen.
Melodifestivalen 2021: Semi-Final 1 Winners (direkt till final)
Danny Saucedo – “Dandi dansa”
He’s got a stellar track record at Melodifestivalen, having placed second twice. The man has a voice and the moves. Give him a room full of cardboard boxes and he will still turn it out. We’re being literal. For his song “Dandi dansa”, which is all about having fun after a horrible year, he threw shapes in a small room filled with cardboard boxes. Eventually he stepped out and performed more moves in the lights and centre stage — right where the Swedish public like him.
Arvingarna – “Tänker inte alls gå hem”
Y’all remember Manel Navarro’s colourful staging from Eurovision 2017? Well this takes that, throws in Guy Sebastian’s cityscape and adds in four classy dudes with rather dapper evening wear. Long story short, it’s fun and gripping and, despite not knowing a single word of Swedish, this made me smile. It was a guilt-free guilty pleasure.
Melodifestivalen 2021: Semi-Final 1 Andra Chansen
Lillasyster – “Pretender”
Rock on. They delivered a proper rock concert — and one seemingly filled with more strobe lights than people in Stockholm! From fire to screams, they had it all and helped us remember those sweaty nights walking on sticky floors before the pandemic. Rock on!
Paul Rey – “The Missing Piece”
We don’t know what’s missing in your puzzle, just please say it ain’t Paul Rey! This was among the simplest performances which made it among the most powerful. He wore a pared-back beige and white outfit and moved around between expanses of black and large orange plinths, all lit by tasteful and subtle lights. His face carried this — he felt every note and that voice was tender, sweet and all kinds of amazing.
Eliminated Acts in SF1
5. Jessica Andersson – “Horizon”
She’s known for her schlager party voice. But this year Jessica decided to dip her toe into gospel. Backed by a choir and showing off her ample vocal assets, the song had texture and emotion. She had a very large dress which was quartered to create a sort of singer-as-may-pole effect. That wasn’t particularly innovative. But the wow factor came courtesy of the digital horizon they created on the walls and floor — it literally lit things up, giving us major “Love Shine A Light” feels.
6. Kadiatou – “One Touch”
One touch is all it takes — falling in love with Kadiatou! This was the perfect opener for the show. It showed off the full scope of the stage, which turned every colour of her 80s synth rainbow. Kadiatou knows how to move and she knows how to sing. Throw in some dancers with eye-catching ponytails and you’ve got a memorable performance with shades of Dua Lipa — both sonically and in terms of that nonchalant fabulousness. Radio-friendly, current and eye-catching, she did herself proud even if Sweden did her wrong.
7. Nathalie Brydolf – “Fingerprints”
Nathalie Brydolf is a stunning diva with a beautiful voice. And that voice was more than enough to fill the entire stage in Stockholm. Standing with a mic stand and a few lights, she oozed emotion as she described the fingerprints an ex left on her heart. A highlight was when she walked toward the front of the stage as digital smoke billowed on the screen behind her. Ultimately, though, this song lacked a moment that could help it stand out in a strong field.
Wanna know why your favourite Kadiatou and Nathalie didnt make it through? Because they didnt left any impression. Arvingarna had the fun factor, Danny had the staging. What did Kadiatou have? Nothing. Did anyone remember her after she sang? Same for Nathalie. The song was good but it was a standard ballad that needs a great singer to pull it off. She wasnt it. And Jessica? She needs more than 5 metre cloth to impress us with a so so song.
Anyone else LIVING for that shoutout to Eric Saade on Danny’s set? Classic.
This was a generally enjoyable semi. With Melfest it always starts out slow and ramps up. Really enjoyed Dandi Dansa and its clever staging! But I am WAY more hype for Anton Ewald and Dotter next week.
Arvingarna till finalen ar inte riktigt en overraskning.
Mest intresserad av vad andra svenskar tycker? Blev det som ni gissat? Bortsett från hur ni trodde det skulle gå vad tycker ni om resultatet? Jag hade gissat på Arvingarna och Danny till finalen Till andra chansen kände jag mig säker på Paul Ray. Sedan var jag osäker. Tänkte Kadiatou om hon skulle göra bättre ifrån sig live än vad vi såg på klippet. Tänkte ev Jessica eftersom hon har så stort stöd. Förvånad att det blev lillasyster- men tänker man efter så är svenskar svaga för rock. Min favorit var Nathalie, hon låg tvåa före sändningen men tog ledningen… Read more »
Jag håller med.
Många som röstar tänker nog inte på ESC utan bara vad som känns bra.
Jag blev faktiskt lite chockad över att Nathalie inte gick vidare. Utav alla som var med i Mello del 1, hade faktiskt Nathalie men även Kadiatou (om hon gjort bättre ifrån sig live) gjort väl på ESC.
Men detta är ju bara del 1. Vi hår se vad de andra kan erbjuda.
I finalen kommer vi rösta med ESC i tankarna och rösta på den låt vi tror klarar sig bäst där. Fram till dess personligt tycke. Tror inte nån av finalisterna hamnar bra i finalen
Säg inte det. Internationella juryn kommer naturligtvis inte göra det möjligt för dessa att vinna totalt, men tror Arvingarna kommer högt när det kommer till publikfester. Jag är själv en person som gillar helt annan musik, men tror att det är feelgood-musik som kommer vinna publikens röster.
Nä, Arvingarna kan jag inte se hamna högt i finalen. Inte Danny heller. Tror inte de kommer få så många publikröster heller. Arvingarna och dansband riktar sig till en viss publik och den är inte så stor. Liknande låtar är med varje år och de får aldrig så många publikröster. Deras publik röstar fram de till final men där blir det stopp
Nä, blev inte chockad över Nathalie. Svenskar är ju extremt petiga om de ska rösta fram smäktande tunga ballader även i normala fall i grått och mörkt februari. Så många guldkorn som ratats genom åren. Tror svenskar har i bakhuvudet att en schlager måste vara ett piggt vitaminpiller. När jag lyssnade på 30 min klippet på Kadiatou tyckte jag hon saknade energi, sjöng illa och var inte övertygande och ett med texten. Noll inlevelse eller passion. Låten var bättre än henne och koreografin var inte bra. Inspelningen fick mig att gilla låten så tänkte att 30 sekunder kanske inte är… Read more »
Det kan nog stämma som du säger om Nathalie. Trodde dock att den skulle komma längre för någon anledning, jag tänkte mycket på Sanna Nielsen bidrag med Undo. Jag hade faktiskt lite högre förväntningar på Danny, då jag personligen tyckte om hans bidrag 2011 In da club och 2012 amazing. Jag kan komma låta taskig men jag tyckte att årets bidrag påminde mig om lite ”Bruno Mars”-vibbar fast i Wish version… var inte alls imponerad. Det var dock självklart att han skulle gå vidare till final, då han ha ett stort fanbase. Arvingarna är inte direkt min cup of tea… Read more »
Jag känner lite att finalisterna var mer eller mindre väntade. Enda egentliga chocken var att Lillasyster gick vidare och inte Jessica. Samtidigt tror jag att Jessica och Arvingarnas fans tillhör ungefär samma demografi vilket kanske gjorde att de tog ut varandra! I min mening var samtliga av bidragen som gick vidare utav hög kvalitet.
Jag hade Arvingarna och Danny till final, Paul Rey och Jessica Andersson till andra chansen fast jag väldigt gärna ville att Kadiatou skulle ta plats där. Blev väldigt förvånad över att Jessica inte alls gick vidare- även om jag inte alls gillade hennes låt som personligen var den sämsta hon ställt upp med. Ännu mer förvånad blev jag över lillasyster som jag var övertygad om att de skulle ta jumboplatsen.
HOW ARVINGARNA MADE IT DTF ….Natalie,Kadiatou = Robbed!
Arvingarna made it to the final because the results were based on more than just your personal taste.
whoa ok come thru confrontational
It was trash darling, so bye
As I said: a Swede loves a good schlager! Not really a surprise!
Yeah but this song is not good
The funny thing is The Eurofan favorites got eliminated, so none of the qualifying songs would even qualify at Eurovision because Sweden cant vote for themselves! Justice for Nathalie! ?
You do know eurofans dont have any say in who makes it through right? And be happy they dont
That’s the point lmao, this is the swedish selection aka what the swedes want. If we flop, that’s on us.
Okay I literally can’t wait for Dotter. If Little tot is on the same level as « Backfire » or « New year »… we’re in for a treat
Reasons why women didn’t qualify from this semi may lie in a fact that all three had more static performances and that Swedes prefer big flashy stagings and movement. Kadiatou had low energy while performing her uptempo, while Nathalie and Jessica had ballads. It might not be a bias against women as much as a bias against slower songs. Sure, Paul’s song is also a mid-tempo with ballad-y elements, but he was dancing almost all the time. The last time a ballad won Melfest was Undo in 2014. Anna’s My Life from 2010 is the only other instance since the… Read more »
Paul was as static as Kadiatou tbh
Was this the best semi ever? NO
Will Danny or Arvingarna win the final? NO, more likely bottom 6
Do Sweden hate women? No, Kadiatou could not sing live, Natalies song was not a good ballad and Jessicas song was to bland who did not stand out at all.
Next week will be better.
Yes, exactly what most of us Swedes think. Though I doubt Danny would do worse than 5th:)
All INTERTATIONAL fans seem to dislike Danny and Arvingarna. As a swede i know that people vote for a singers who can sing LIVE: so i knew Kadiatou would never make it. I liked her song
Kadiatou is a fantastic singer wtf go watch her Idol performances. I agree she was really low energy on stage though.
I know of Kadiatou. She is great. But that was a bad performance and a weak song
When i first saw her name i thought she would be super great. She is BUT not in Melfest. I dont realy know what happened to her
I thought it was very strange to begin the evening with an upskirt shot of Lenna Philipson from under the piano. I guess the tone is set…
haha NO ONE IN Sweden have even noticed that. So i dont really now what you are watching.
I really enjoyed the show… The songs were not great… predictable and the same formula as always. Jessica Anderson was the stand out for me. I was not keen on the others. Danny’s song was a ‘Dad dancing song’ – surprised he sang it… Kadiatou was not great to live with little charisma – the song is ok as a studio version but nothing special… The group who took second place were typical Sweedish shalger fun – drink some cider and wave your hands – its for fun. on my score chart, no one gets higher than a 7. BUT…..… Read more »
Why do Swedish people hate women?
Because Sweden is the holy land of Karens, the passive aggressiveness is high here
I think me and William was listening to a different singer! Kadiatou was very very very bad vocally! It is shame because the song was really good
Two songs sung in Swedish are in the final ? That´s very unexpected.
You know when someone says something and you didn’t even realise….
As a special mention, you should also point out that in one of Danny’s boxes the word SAADE was written in a heart
Well, with all the girls eliminated I root more than ever for Dotter. I really hope she has a bop and that she will slay and show who is the queen.
Arvingarnas song = Material Girl…
Remember dansband is mostly enjoyed on the Swedish countryside. I was surprised they gave so much energy. Just what we need in Sweden. They convinced me to vote on an act that normally would be considered a guilty pleasure.
I guess some might be lost when people listen without knowing the language.
Laurel Barker should stop trolling National Finals’ really her songs are cringeworthy..
The results were not completely a shock. Only difference I would’ve thought was Kadiatou or Jessica direct to final instead of Arvingarna, with Lillasyster eliminated in round one.
In any other NF in any other country, Kadiatou and Nathalie would have thrived. But Sweden and Melfest is a completely different game. The competition is always tough. But poor Jessica…her song was not as strong this year as opposed to Party Voice. She could’ve peeped through to Andra Chansen if the package were better.
Very strong semi! Poor Jessica Andersen, much better song than party voice, which got to the final
I appreciate Lillasyster being able to go to AC because usually rock acts languish in the semi, but Arvingarna, while fun, did not deserve DTF on the basis of merit.
No they didn’t, my left foot has more originality than them.
Kadiatou – One Touch: Did she even sing herself that much? Seems like the whole song came on playback mostly. Lillasyster – Pretender: Good rock, but not great. Jessica Andersson – Horizon: In 2018 she had modern schlager song, this time the song was just plain schlager. Paul Rey – The Missing Piece: Didn’t really reach any hights, just average song. Arvingarna – Tänker inte alls gå hem: Basic danceband schlager, that’s all. Nathalie Brydolf – Fingerprints: Laurell Barker behind a song is just a kiss of mediocrity at this point, only song that was good and she was part… Read more »
I hope this is just the weakest semifinal of melfest, not the standard bearer. God, the idea of Sweden having such a bad year really rankles me.
These results are so upsetting and undeserved, but whatever. Kadiatou and Nathalie completely robbed.
Also, how interesting that all the women were eliminated. Nothing new from MaleFest.
Kadiatou had absolutely no charisma and stage presence
Correct, but the song at the level it was should have been enough to qualify for AC. especially over Lillasyster. And Nathalie should have gone DTF, everything about that song and performance was perfection.
Kadiatou was completely out of tune! Shame because it was a good song
The DTF acts were what I expected. However, I fully expected Jessica to get an AC spot ahead of Lillasyster. Got to give credit though, Lillasyster did put on a great show and it does add a bit more variety in a selection that, at times, desperately is in need of it.I thought it was a very tight heat. Nothing was bad, nothing was fantastic. Solid start to the Melodifestivalen journey.
Sweden: What more does Jessica Andersson have to do to qualify? Seriously, not cool from you. She should at least be in Andra Chansen. Also, all three non-qualifiers tonight were female solo artists. Sweden: Is this conicidence, or are solo women not liked at Melfest for some reason? About Paul Rey – I prefer “Talking in my Sleep” to “The Missing Piece.” I just feel like this year’s Paul Rey song has… something missing. The rock number was okay. So, the top two winners were a long-standing fan favourite (Arvignarna) and… a long-standing fan favourite (Danny Saucedo), and were both… Read more »
The last 5 years male artist have received 4% more votes on average. That doesn’t sound much but it has translated into 50% more men than women in the finals. Some of it has to do with men getting to perform more fun and uplifting songs in general. The bias might not be against women, but against the music women are expected to perform, if that makes sense.
That’s a good point.
Wow. Thanks, Mattias. (I have no words about such a statistic.)
The missing piece has a missing piece
sweden should release the songs a minimum of 3-5 days before the semi starts!
it is so difficult with these unclear short snippets.
grower songs (maybe fingerprints?) you must hear a few times to recognize the potencial.
only good thing from semi 1:this sweden trying now metal too thing gets another chance.
bad thing(s): a lot!
hopefully the real dotter gets next week a better chance (growersongs you know).
Lillasyster wasn’t bad, I just wish Sweden had caught the metal/rock bug a couple of years ago when Pagan Fury was competing. Now THAT was an entry that deserved to go to the finals or AC
Well that was an interesting semi. I must have awful taste because kadiatou and Nathalie were my favourites by far, I though at the voting it must have changed format and they were the winners and the rest were fighting it out for second chance lol! But soon I realised I was very wrong haha. Danny I’ve been very on the fence, but tonight he was very very charismatic, performed the song well and it did start grow on me, but still I don’t think it will pose much of a threat in the final. Same with arvingara. Like many… Read more »
Imagine the rage in the comments if Dotter NQ. International eurofans love Dotter more than QAnon loves trump
I mean, can you blame us? Dotter is our Melo Queen ;P
Yes because people complained when Dotter NQ’d in 2018….if Little Tot doesn’t live up to Bulletproof chances are people won’t embrace her. Moreover even if she had the best song, a lot of fans would still support The Mamas (understandably) as they would feel that the trio are entitled to the 2021 ticket to Rotterdam.
I am happy with the results. Danny and Arvingarna were my favourites, sorry. Exactly what a lot of people need right now. It’s not great that all of the female performers were knocked out tonight, but we can take some consolation in the fact that Nanne was one of the writers of Arvingarna’s song and she is very happy.
That is a silver lining. Imagining happy Nanne is probably the best thing about this SF for me, apart from the fact that both of the top songs are in Swedish, which is nice—I thought it was a pretty underwhelming Melfest opener, sorry to say.
I agree you with Danny, when I heard the song before the full stage performance, I didn’t like it so much, but after the performance I really liked it.
Is it just me, or do I get the vibe that this will be the weakest Melodifestivalen since 2018? Hopefully Dotter will save it all and win it.
2018 had really bad songs alongside no masterpieces. We didn’t have the latter in this semi, but we were also spared the former.
I think there were 4 bad songs in this semi, and this is really mildly put.
Really weak semi but it was great to see the only two songs in Swedish go direct to the finale. I am happy for Lillasyster too and I voted for their song. Paul Rey was really bland, I don’t know why he went through instead of Kadiatou. For anyone who doesn’t understand the appeal of Arvingarna: They are a famous band in Sweden and while their song was nothing special, they are good performers and make their listeners happy. They went through on their charisma, their household names, people are in the mood for fun and catchy songs during these… Read more »
How do you like that? Two songs that are actually in Swedish went straight to the final!
Also: Sweden…we all saw what happened with the Roop tonight. Give the Mamas the same break!
Let’s hope they have a strong song too. Of the four 2020 competitors back then NFS, one down (Lithuania), Three to go. All the rest, I can see uku possibly winning again, can’t really comment on the mama since we haven’t heard their song yet, but I don’t think Aksel is going to win again. I could be wrong, but there’s two entries that are outclassing him, Teflon brothers x Pandora and black channel.
I completely agree—if the Mamas deliver a worthy performance, they deserve that kind of support from the juries and public.
I love Kadiatou’s voice! One of the coolest voices to come from swedish Idol. She isn’t a bad singer. BUT! ”One Touch” was not the song for her 🙁 She is much more fitting in a rnb-context. Not club-banger. Hope this won’t affect her, still young, career negatively! 🙂
I was actually positively surprised by Danny Saucedo’s song. It makes me happy during these hard times!
I’m not too happy with Arvingarna qualifying. Thought Paul Rey, Nathalie and Lyllasyster were much better.
Hyped for Dotter. Is she on next week already?
Oh by the way: I was not bothered at all that they are holding it in a smaller venue with no audience. Very well produced in my opinion :). Great job, SVT.
No one’s gonna talk about Arvingarnas theft of Material girl (Madonna)
I heard: “Feel it” by The Tamperer feat. Maya (1998)
My cousin heard: “Tragedy” by Steps (1998)
Funny how those were both in the same year!
Very disappointing semifinal, but Melodifestivalen always evokes pleasant feelings on me and helps me discover catchy music. Makes me happy.
I can already feel voters this year want to dance and have fun, instead of gloomy melancholic ballads. We need uptempo.
Btw, Norway’s MGP is being “my Melodifestivalen” this year, so many hits going straight to my playlist!
I hope Dotter lives up to the expectations next week
ok noted…
Won´t there be any youtube uplodas of the places 3-7 at the melodifestivalen youtube chanel ?
I was wondering as well, usually they upload them right away to the channel
It’s up to the artists to upload them, not SVT (regarding the studio cuts)
Cant believe that Nathalie ended last I expected her to qualify easily, same I loved One Touch. I didnt expect Arvingarna to do well, because the song is outdated for me and something like 2008 lol
I’m glad Lillasyster made Andra chansen, but Kadiatou was ROBBBBBBEEEEDDD!!!
This is the one time you want the BBC to actually get a Swedish song for the UK
Nah, the live vocals weren’t there unfortunately. The studio version is a banger though!
One Touch would have been a perfect song for the UK but she really let herself down in that performance. It wasn’t great :/
Speaking of BBC, do you know which British singer with a touch of Svenska would perfectly suit One Touch? Mabel.
Wait, ur so right. Mabel would serve with One Touch.
If only, that would be a dream match!
Nice!! I’m happy for Lillasyster! They just rock! Great results overall and deserved finalists.
This was the poorest Melodifestivalen sami ever. Even Lena and Christopher were quite bad. Bring Lynda Woodruff back on board ?
Oh my god I agree so much. Lena was getting on my nerves so bad!
I know eurofans are disappointed but I actually think Danny’s song is better than most reports of Eurovision would have you believe. Can it win Eurovision? Absolutely not. It probably can’t even win Mello. But I have to say it makes me extra happy to see 2 Swedish songs advanced to the final from one semi. When was the last time something like that happened?!?! Has it ever happened in a modern Mello? Also, this Danny song is very much in keeping with the music he does now in Sweden and I’m sure he’ll get plenty of airplay and Spotify… Read more »
2007 was the last time
Shocked by the elimination of Jessica, but, i must confess that the results are quite logical. Even though Danny’s song is pure crap, the staging was amazing, Arvingarna had the most “swedish performance and song”, Lillasister were amazing, and Paul Rey touching…. also loved Nathalie’s performance even when i felt that something was missing out, about Kadiatou, i have to say that she had one of the best songs and the staging was good, but oh my God, i really can’t understand why she won Idol, that girl can’t sing at all… i sing much better when I’m totally drunk
A semifinal to forget.
Agree, it was underwhelming, from the musical approach to the performances.
Indeed
My Top 3 was eliminated lmao
Great, I hate Jessica and my 2 favorites songs are qualify for the final. Even if the Arvingarna’s song is not better that their 1993’s entry. For Danny Saucedo, no comment everybody knew that he will be qualified.
Biggest surprise of the day is two Swedish-language songs advancing straight to the final of modern Melfest.
someone please explain how the polls were absolutely wrong here, i mean- literally the exact opposite happened…
1 swedish viewers/society has a different taste than eurofans
2 Swedish people have less of a bias towards pop divas than eurofans
3 we judged on one minute of song and 30 seconds of video instead of the full performance.
Love One Touch, but not sure if Kadiatou made it justice. Would have loved to see for example Agnes sing it.
Agnes would have sold it, indeed
She really missed her opportunity tonight