The third semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2021 takes place this Saturday.
Seven more acts will compete for two spots direkt till final. Two other artists will head to Andra Chansen for a second chance to reach the final.
We’ve already seen half of this year’s songs. Now, we get our first taste of the next bunch in the form of 60-second snippets of their songs.
Melodifestivalen 2021 Semi-Final 3
Song Snippets
Click on each act to hear their snippet:
1. Charlotte Perrelli – “Still Young”
2. Emil Assergård – “Om allting skiter sig”
3. Klara Hammarström – “Beat of Broken Hearts”
4. Mustasch – “Contagious”
5. Elisa – “Den du är”
6. Alvaro Estrella – “Baila Baila”
7. Tusse – “Voices”
Clips from each act’s stage rehearsals follow later tonight. These give us our first impression of how the acts will look on Saturday night. We’ll only see the full performance and hear the full songs during the live show. In the meantime, you can also read our first thoughts of the entries.
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Melodifestivalen 2021 Semi-Final 3 Running Order
We’re in the presence of Eurovision royalty. Eurovision 1999 winner Charlotte Perrelli is back and she is “Still Young”. Arguably the biggest name in this year’s lineup, Charlotte will be hoping to improve on her most recent Melfest results — “The Girl” failed to progress from the semi-finals in 2012 and “Mitt liv” followed suit in 2017.
The unenviable task of performing after a Eurovision winner goes to Emil Assergård. Emil will be hoping to turn heads with his Swedish language entry “Om allting skiter sig”.
Klara Hammarström brought the party to Melfest 2020 with “Nobody”. She returns in 2021 with “Beat of Broken Hearts”.
Heavy metal band Mustasch were formed back in 1998, before Charlotte Perrelli had won Europe’s hearts. They will perform the song “Contagious”.
Elisa is up next, performing “Den du är”. She participated in Lilla Melodifestivalen in 2005, as well as Melodifestivalen 2014 with “Casanova”.
Melfest fans will undoubtedly be familiar with Alvaro Estrella. He competed in last year’s edition with Mendez but will perform alone this year, singing “Baila Baila”.
Closing the show is an honour bestowed upon Congolese-Swedish singer Tusse. He won Swedish Idol in 2019 and joins the long list of Swedish Idol almuni to appear in Melodifestivalen.
What do you think of this week’s snippets snippets? Can any of them compete for the win? Let us know in the comments below.
I like what I’m hearing and I’ll likely have an interesting Sunday morning (as Eesti laul semi, followed by MGP finals are in order for Saturday). On first impact, Tusse and Charlotte are DTF choices, but often full songs + performances take in another direction. I liked Emil, Klara and Elisa as well. Alvaro’s song is *so campy* it might actually work as a guilty pleasure, as long as it embraces it and doesn’t go like it’s a genuine effort of mainstream. Mustasch is really not for me, but nether was Lilasyster, and they made it, so…
why does most of the songs sounds familiar like I already hear them from a different songs before. Only “Om allting skiter sig” got me excite, well on bright side whatsoever song qualify this already gives Dotter song more appreciation.
Om allting skiter sig, Contagious and Voices are okay. Oh man, I bet Patrick from semi 2 would have qualified in this bunch.
Disappointed! Songs 1 & 2 songs are really similar (but one is Europop the other is Folk Pop) Klara has a weaker song than last year and Alvaro has a song even Spain wouldn’t want
Tusse is great! but I don’t hear Melo Winner – maybe staging will elevate
Pretty weak semi but my stand outs where Alvaro Estrella, Tusse, Charlotte, & Klara. People need to realize that when you watch the full performance you then can see who the standouts are.
Still not impressed. I think Klara has the best song from this group
Definitely not the best semi of this Melo. Indeed i don’t have a clear winner of this semi, cause i don’t see really good material in this bunch… for example i don’t understand the hype about Tusse’s song, i don’t hear nothing special on it
Charlotte Perrelli’s song doesn’t remind you all of ‘My heart is yours’ from Norway 2010?
“Voices” is the obvious standout. Will go to the final easily. Those melodies kind of reminds me to some famous artists in the USA but I can’t give the names, they are on the tip of my tongue, just can’t remember righ now (maybe The Weeknd or Usher). “Baila baila” is pure plastic and the chorus damn cringy. It’s so trashy I don’t think it will qualify, even though every year this kind of songs go to the Andra Chansen. “Still Young” is pure trash too. Though it might go to the Andra just because she is who she is.… Read more »
the Weeknd?
Well I’m reserving any judgment of the whole melfest until semi final four is out, I have to say this semifinal feels like a step down. I’m not seeing the winner from this batch. I can see Charlotte and tusse go direct to final, but the rest is up in the air for me. Will have to find out on Saturday who is going direct to final, who’s going to Andra chanson, and who’s out
I can’t deny how disappointed I am with Melodifestivalen this year. It’s usually one of my favorite to follow. What’s going on here? 21 songs out and none of them doesn’t seem promising. Could easily be their non qualifying year.
You don’t even like little tot? I think that can qualify if Dotter wins melfest. However, we still have one more semifinal to go to see if it can bring the quality a bit or if it is truly an underwhelming Mel fest. It seems to be a mixed bag so far with me
Little tot was cute. But I don’t think it will make any impact or anything. I dont think anyone will remember the song
Not Alvaro rhyming desire with fire….also Voices sounds fine and stands a good chance of winning even if I prefer Little Tot.
It might be one of the songs that sounds better live
This might be the first year when I don’t buy and/nor add any of the songs from Sweden to my playlist.
Not wow, and a bit dated, but still radio freindly songs. Has Sweden lost its ooomph factor in the ESC?
It sounds to me like they did.
We don’t know that. The fourth semifinal is next week so maybe the quality will pick up there. It has been six years since their last victory so who’s the say it’s time for them to win again. Admittedly, Sweden has been relying more on jury support than televotes lately at eurovision.
What a letdown. Especially knowing the names of composers and producers way in advance, getting excited to hear what may come, given some of the bops they’ve served us in the past. By the way I was doing some research looking for a Melodifestivalen song from 00′ and it’s scary to see how long this trend of pretty much the same bunch of composers every semi final has been going. Can’t they not ask Jonas from Ace of Base for a song? Or Ulf? Or Jonas von der Burg that was working with September? Or literally anyone else as other… Read more »
Security! Please escort this person out of the premises. 😛
I don’t know why but 3rd semifinal always is the worst xd, at least Dotter still the best!
Sorry but this week I’ll skip this, MGP & UMK final will be better
Klara’s song is clearly the weakest of the bunch. Alvaro’s song is very predictable. This year I hope Sweden will send something different than usual: either a rock song or something in Swedish.
These all are sooooo soullesssssssss….
Emil and Alvaro are actually fun and good. The rest is so boring, and monotonous. Another Swedish pop which at this point is becoming soooooo used and dates. Spice it up!
Tusse will have a huge hit with this Weeknd-like song. Imo, it is better than Dotter’s entry, but I am not confident it will win the whole shabang. Should advance from this semi and finish top 3 in the final.
Charlotte’s song would have won melodifestivalen had it been released 20 years ago.
Rest are pretty meh for me, still I like this semi more than last week’s which was truly awful outside of Dotter
Charlotte’s song is not dated, but typical her type of song. Here she is also at her best.
Go Charlotte ;-))
It sounds like an Anna Bergendahl reject to me. I’m sorry, but this not exactly that kind of Schlagerpop Charlotte is known for.
The semi does not sound that weak to me. Charlotte and Elisa’s songs sound amazing so far!
I’m really disappointed with Voices. Given the track record of the song writing team, Tusse’s voice and charisma, and the hype from those who had heard the track, I had very high hopes. Perhaps the snippet doesn’t make it justice, but right now Dotter is the clear front runner.
Lmao sir Finland has arguably the best national selection of the year! Norway has KEIINO and Imerika and Raylee, Sweden so far has Dotter and thats it! So dont hate on others just because your fave is not doing well!
i dont know who has the more generic lyrics, Charlotte with her “we are invincible” or alvaro with this “lets baila baila”? This is the worst semi this year, these songs are embarrassing! Tusse and Klara have potenial but the rest are sad!
Dotter still easily the best! #DOTTERDAM
And for anyone who wants to attack me for hating – Ive enjoyed the first two semis, and last weeks semi was really good! Melfest is my favorite nf and its such a shame that this is what it has become
Apparently, Thomas G:son has a fascination for the word “invincible”. He just can’t miss a single opportunity of using it on his lyrics.
It’s what Eurofans loves to say every year!
Funny enough most people would say it’s the weakest one..
there’s always a weak semi at melfest, and this is 2021’s. alvaro’s song sounds like a parody of spanish songs from the 00s. the songs in swedish are the weakest so far, they should’ve instead saved stronger songs in their language for this semi so that we’d have more swedish songs in the final. tusse’s song didn’t live up to the hype, it’s a very anticlimatic closer.
Tusse and Klara all the way
Based on the short snippets, I can make some predictions. However these may change after seeing the live performances. This one clearly looks like the weakest semi so far. Obviously the winner of Melfest 2021 won’t be selected from this show. I think Mustasch will go DF, because it stands out different among all songs. If it is supported with great effects, it will be easy for them to qualify. The other DF song will be Tusse’s. It sounds like it has the right formula for gathering votes. Also, we all know the last place to perform is advantageous to… Read more »
Charlotte’s song is nostalgic. My first choice.
Then Alvaro.
Swedish fans defending everything in the comments by all means is so sad, if you can’t be critical in your own excellence how can you keep succeeding anymore? I think the arrogance that swedes have will be their downfall, if this is a national feature. 🙁
Who exactly is defending? No one is more critical than Swedes, just read our newspapers. This selection is no worse than others I think. But sure, defending everything is just as sad as constantly bashing everything about Sweden which is what this site constantly does…
You took the words out of my mouth with that “No one is more critical than Swedes”. I don’t think there’s much for an open dialog when this is the effort.
It’s hard to say at the moment. In previous years, even when the heats have appeared weak, Sweden have ended up with strong finals at the end of it. This year, Anton Ewald’s song sticks out like a sore thumb but otherwise, the other three finalists are pretty strong. I think it’s going to be another good final if SF3 and SF4 can improve the quality of AC. Having Kadiatou and Patrik Jean missing out worries me that a couple of bad songs are going to find their way into the final. I’m optimistic though. Even though there hasn’t been… Read more »
If the critique only could have some real substance when comparing to other national selections! But I really can’t see it.. I know I’m not the only one.. And downfall? I think we have made pretty good results at eurovision lately. So as I said.. no substance! Can’t you be a little more objective??
Milla you do know that everything can’t be compaired to each other? Why you want to see yourself above someone..? Weird
Fans bashing Sweden because it’s Sweden is what’s really sad. And it seem to be something that’s contagious! This comment section started very positive then.. all of a sudden this is the worst Melodifestivalen in years and that we will have our downfall? Many so called fan favourites in other national selections are pretty generic if you ask me.. Swedes are not proud of every single entry in Melodifestivalen. If you read swedish tabloids. They can also be pretty harsh. But they also elevate what IS good. And they can be critical against fans bashing without real substance. And I… Read more »
1. “Many so called fan favourites in othernational selections are pretty generic” 2. “Fans bashing Sweden because it’s Sweden” 3. “This comment section started positive and then..” Here you went offtrack Milla, just because the first eager fans were positive first commenters doesn’t mean others that came later were wrong. Comparing to other national selections yet again? Let’s keep the subject in Sweden since this article is about it. Fans bashing Sweden because it’s Sweden seems irrelevant, many of us have not shown much of Straight Forwarded Hate against Sweden and only Sweden. There ae good songs in Melodifestivalen this… Read more »
To be fair calling it generic is exactly being critical without substance. Generic compared to what? Also they are critical toward Mello but almost universal praise toward other selections. Where is the nuance there? Is really every single song better somewhere else? Also by calling Sweden generic it makes it look as if Sweden is the only country that is generic while pretending other countries are more “valued”. However you can find generic songs in every selection.
“Generic music is music that doesn’t do anything unique and doesn’t do the sound it’s going for in any way better than other acts.”
Here is the definition for generic, hopefully you understand!
I know what generic is. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. And you can find that sound everywhere, which is why it is generic. Even in countries such as Croatia. So again why single Sweden out for that when others are just as generic? Why pretending they have better more original songs? And even if Sweden was the only one being generic, so? Is that reason to bash it? Will that make your country better? Are you able to answer that properly instead of looking in a lexicon?Or are you suffering from reading difficulties? Or are you just a a asinine… Read more »
If generic isn’t necessarily bad, why would you get angry about people saying these songs being that? Again, we are in an article about Sweden, I’d keep it in context rather than compare other selection to this, but since you want here we go: I haven’t said Croatia had a better selection at any moment and I haven’t even praised it, so why you want to compare? Wanting to know that someone else is worse than you? You’re bashing here Croatia out of nowhere and now it’s somehow wrong if someone dislikes Sweden, but it’s okay to hate Croatia? Which… Read more »
i really thought i’d like tusse more than i do.. big letdown. definitely the weakest semi so far, dotter is the clear frontrunner still
my ranking
DTF
1. klara
2. charlotte
AC
3. tusse
4. mustasch
NQ
5. elisa
6. emil
7. alvaro (this is just soooo bad… like come on)
For me I think the pattern will continue of the songs sounding just alright in snippet form but coming alive on stage with the performances and the staging. I appreciate the work SVT does in stagings that elevates any song. I’m sure if Tusse won Idol and is given the pimp slot that he’ll sail through but that tiny listen is not enough for me to stop the competition he just won the whole thing.
Well Tusse’s snippet is the one I enjoyed the most along with Klara’s one, but her part in particular reminds me a lot of Miracle (Azerbaijan 2016), when Samra sang “mira, mira mira, cle”. And I have to say, as a Spanish speaker, that I hate the lyric “when we keep on baila baila”, it makes me cringe so much how awful it sounds
Exactly haha, I’m spanish and also gives me lots of cringe.
Nothing special, weak semi… I’ll watch the MGP-final in Norway in stead, which is super-strong this year! 😀
I feel like y’all are harsh? It’s my fave semi final this year, I really enjoyed Charlotte’s shameless schlager, Emil’s wholesomeness, Tusse’s talent
Awful semi. Dotter is still on top.
SO I listened to the snippets and here is what I think/predict in running order: 1.) Charlotte Perrelli. I quite like this, but still quite basic and it feels as if I’ve heard it a million times before. For me this also means it could end up anywhere on the scoreboard, but I predict AC 2.) Emil Assergård. I swear the first notes of Emils song feel like a continuation of Charlottes song. This feels like a fun song and in Swedish I would describe it as “trallvänlig”. Yet again a song that could end up anywhere, but I predict… Read more »
I can’t be the only one to have heard the chorus melody of “My Heart is Yours” (Norway 2010) in “Still Young”… 0:45 – 0:48
Thank you! I was wondering where I had heard it before!
I also realized There’s also something familiar about still young, but I think I realize it sounds like a Peppy sped up version of hallelujah
Now that you mention it, I can’t unhear it now. It really does sound so familiar
I do not like the songs of this semi final… but this is my top:
1) Tusse
2) Alvaro Estrella
——————————-
3) Klara Hammarström
4) Charlotte Perrelli
——————————-
5) Elisa
6) Mustasch
7) Emil Assergård
This is the weakest semi-final so far.. I don’t think I enjoyed a single song 🙁
It’s not true. I personally adore Melfest but this year I think we’ve reached a new peak in terms of generic songs, thank god we have some rock tracks to add diversity. When you compare to this year’s MGP… jeez. I hope Melfest will try something new in the future. I loved last year’s selection though. And maybe semi 4 will be a good surprise.
I really don’t get why Norway is considered to have better songs. I mean come on.. Take Monument as an example, such a cliche and really written just for one purpose. For eurovision. So calculated. And Tix.. looks like a parody! And what is so special about his song? Just staging, really.. Where is the international hit-factor of MGP:s songs? There is none.
Monument is one of the weakest songs in the MGP final, but you’re not allowed to say that because everybody will downvote you.
Ehm I’m Swedish though so no, this is not just a “ESC fan” trying to belittle Melodifestivalen out of jealousy (or whatever you mean by this), it’s me being disappointed after watching it for the past 25 years and realising how the quality has steadily and continuously gone downhill with each passing year. We might have the biggest selection but it’s far from the best. It’s always the same songwriters writing songs for the same artists so in the end everything sounds the same and it’s just downright boring.
The only song I like is Tusse – “Voices”
Overall it looks that this is one of the worst quality Melodifestivalen of the last few years
Yeah right.. we hear that every year.
We hear that every year cause it is indeed worse and worse.
Haha.. compared to what exactly? Well, based on your username it seems like the songs is not your cup of tea? La voix was one of the worst songs ever to win Melodifestivalen 🙂
omg yes La Voix was awful
Haha well, this nickname stayed with me through the ages somehow. 🙂 Nonetheless, that song would be a masterpiece among these still lol. Not saying it would be my winner of ESC 2009 (Rändajad, Et s’il fallait le faire…), maybe I would even prefer Caroline af Ugglas. But I am pretty sure those editions were a bit more varied, a bit more interesting, a bit more creative, a bit more soulful. I think NRK MGP this year is doing better job in a sort of storytelling, it is more believable, they don’t hide information, whereas Mello feels to me every… Read more »
Last year was great
You don’t have the same music. Find me any song in this bunch that has the same traits as I can’t escape, Witch woods, Hero or even Monument. Those songs all have their originality spark. In Sweden this year it’s hard to find something really different from the pack.
The only ‘originality’ in Monument is the joik, but Pages did that much better.
omg no! I don’t like the hype of Keiino. I hope Raylee or Imika or Tyx wins. But generally I fed up listening the same songs on and on and on. And believe I love Swedish artists. Robyn (queen), Lykke Li (another queen), Fever Ray, Knife, Radio Dept. Pete Bjorn, Kleerup
Emil and Mustasch don’t sound as if they’re for me but otherwise, nothing bad here. I don’t find a winning song in here either though. Tusse’s song sounds ok but there’s talk about it being a favourite. It wouldn’t be on that level in previous Melfests.
Surprisingly, the most promising snippet is probably Klara’s. It seems to have the best songwriting.
Hero is my FAVORITE MELO SONG ever! So I got goosebumps with Still Young! It sounds great!!!!
What a weak semi 🙁 Tusse is miles ahead of the other ones (that post-chorus is dope!) but I don’t see it winning Melfest. Those « ESC experts » who wrote that it could win Eurovision (SchlagerProfilerna I think?) should retire. I see it ending in Melfest’s top 5 though! I surprisingly love Mustasch :)) hope it will DTF The other okay song is Klara’s, even if I prefered « Nobody else », what a banger that was lol. The other songs… meh. Alvaro’s lyrics are a joke, and Charlotte’s song is really outdated. And the two entries in Swedish are clear fillers, I’d be… Read more »
Why does Tusse’s ‘voices’ kinda make me think about the ya ya ya I am Lorde song from southpark
https://youtu.be/enSDiaZJzEM
Okay Tusse screams WINNER! I think from all the songs we heard so far, this is the song with the biggest winning chances. Sorry Dotter (still love “Little Tot”). For me this is the weakest semi so far for me. Mustasch not my type of music. “Baila Baila” weak lyrics and weak voice…. Elisa sorry, Sonja did it much better. For me it´s a clear top 4 this week. 1 Tusse Voices 10 2 Emil Assergard Om Allting Skiter Sig 9 3 Charlotte Perrelli Still Young 8 4 Klara Hammarström Beat Of Broken Hearts 7 5 Elisa Den Du Är… Read more »
Yes! So far I can see Tusse, Charlotte and Dotter as winning candidates. I’m most excited to see Tusse’s whole song and performance this weekend 🙂
Charlotte and Klara undoubtedly.