This Saturday, seven acts will compete in semi-final four of Melodifestivalen 2021. And today, media is getting a first listen to the studio versions of the competing tracks. Join us as we bring you our first reactions to the seven competing entries in semi-final four.
.Seven acts will compete in the fourth and final semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2021. Two acts will go directly to the grand final, while another two will get another shot in the andra chansen round. Fans will get their first listen of the semi-final one entries when 60-second snippets of the songs are released on Thursday.
Melodifestivalen 2021: Semi-final 4 first reactions
Tess Merkel – “Good Life”
Sample lyric: “You woop my honey / I’m gonna hypnotise you / I’m freaking crazy / And I will mesmerise you”
This is a disco track, but it’s modern disco not the throwback style Tess’ old group Alcazar were known for. I want to compare it with Kylie Minogue’s recent disco efforts. There are plenty of moments, including a seductive spoken word part (“Love… live… and dance!). The bridge sounds especially mighty. It’s a strong and obvious opening number for this semi-final. It seems like an obvious contender for the final! (Robyn)
Tess Merkel used to be part of the the Swedish pop group Alcazar and “Good Life” is not really that similar to a typical Alcazar song. My first thought when I was listening to this song I felt that “Good Life” sounds more like a song made for a movie or a video game rather than a song for the Melodifestivalen stage. The song begins, for example, with a voice that speaks, which returns repeatedly in the song. Something that bothers me a lot is how much autotune there is in the song and Tess’ voice sometimes sounds a bit too robotic. (Tobias)
Lovad – “Allting är precis likadant”
Sample lyric: “Har vi gått och tappat bort alltihop / Lever vi bara kvar i gamla minnen”
(“Have we gone and lost everything / We only live in old memories”)
Interestingly, the song starts off a cappella, with just Lovad and a backing choir. The song is a heartbreak ballad with Swedish lyrics. Instruments slowly join the song, but the backing remains fairly minimal. Lovad’s voice is the star of the performance, so she will absolutely have to be on-point live. If it makes an impact with viewers it could do well, but it also might be a bit too subtle. (Robyn)
Imagine a mix of the Swedish artist Miriam Bryant’s voice and a typical Molly Sandén song, that’s how I would like to describe “Allting är precis likadant”. It is a nice and harmonious ballad. It will be interesting to see the stage performance. (Tobias)
Efraim Leo – “Best of Me”
Sample lyric: “I can’t go on like this / Knew you were trouble / Ever since your first kiss”
Efraim sounds a bit like Harry Styles but “Best of Me” is more like an older One Direction track. It’s a modern pop song, but there is something quite generic about it. There’s nothing bad about this song, it’s just hard to get super enthusiastic about it. I suspect the song might get more spark and energy live, with Efraim bringing more to the performance. (Robyn)
A radio-friendly song with a touch of summer pop. “Best of Me” sounds a bit like boy band pop, which I don’t mind. The song doesn’t stand out in any way, but a good stage performance can make this very good. (Tobias)
The Mamas – “In the Middle”
Sample lyric: “But you are my sunshine in the open sky / Moonlight on my darkest nights”
It will come as no surprise to learn that this is a gospel-inspired song. The Mamas are absolutely playing to their strengths and deliver flawless vocals. The song has warm and supportive themes, all about boosting flagging spirits. But there’s the thing — it’s not quite as good as “Move”. “In the Middle” has a slower tempo and doesn’t quite have the same positivity energy as “Move”. It’s sure to end up in the grand final, but it’s harder to say how it would do there. (Robyn)
I know what you all want to know, will there be a nerve-racking replay like last year between The Mamas and Dotter? The short answer is no, it will not be a repeat of last year’s exciting final. I think that “In the middle” is a very weak song compared to The Mama’s recent songs since “Move”. It’s an OK gospel song with parts that allow hand claps, but overall it is kind of a forgettable song. (Tobias)
Sannex – “All Inclusive”
Sample lyric: “Nu så ligger vi vid poolen och allting känns så bra / Alla kidsen har vi dumpat i bollhavet hurra”
(“Now we are lying by the pool and everything feels so good / We have dumped all the kids in the ball pit, hurrah!”)
This is an unusual song. Sannex is a dansband but “All Inclusive” isn’t a traditional dansband song. The tune is an ode to all-inclusive resort holidays, which now feels like a distant memory of the before-time. Some of the song’s (Swedish) lyrics are humorous, but the song itself doesn’t have a comedy sound (say, like De Vet Du’s “Roadtrip”). It’s a fairly straight pop song, expertly sung by Sannex, so I’m wondering if it will just remind people of nice memories of holidays they took before the pandemic. (Robyn)
This is Swedish dance band music. “All Inclusive” is a song about the summer vacation with swimming, beach and all-inclusive. It’s a humorous song but I do not have very high expectations about this song. I’m sure it will be an entertaining performance but I am afraid it will be a bit too childish. (Tobias)
Clara Klingenström – “Behöver inte dig idag”
Sample lyric: “Styrkan som finns i mig / Gör att jag kan bli fri från dig”
(“The strength that is in me / Makes me free from you”)
“Behöver inte dig idag” has a folky-pop sound, a little bit Anna Bergandahl, a little bit Taylor Swift. And banjos, y’all! The chorus is especially good with a really uplifting feeling. But the song feels like a borderline qualifier and might get overshadowed by the next performance. (Robyn)
My first thought is of the Swedish group “Säkert”, it sounds very similar, in terms of song and voice. The song does not really stand out in any way and there is a risk that Clara might be overshadowed by Eric Saade (who is competing right after Clara). I think the song is quite good for being in Swedish but I have to listen to it a bit more (and that is usually not something good in Melodifestivalen, as the first impression is all that matters). (Tobias)
Eric Saade – “Every Minute”
Sample lyric: “We couldn’t sleep, so we were up all night / Making each other blush, and that’s all right”
“Every Minute” is a dark electro-pop track. It’s not a banger like “Popular” and not like the fun pop of “Sting”. It’s perhaps most reminiscent of the darker sound of Eric’s Saade EP from 2016. The lyrics sometimes sound a bit ridiculous — at worst, it’s Eric bragging about how super horny he is, but there is still plenty of sophisticated pop in there. Eric works it, and the music and song production do a lot to make lyrics like “I love it in the morning / Oh nanananana / I love it in the evening / Oh nanananana” feel palatable. All up, this just seems like a new Eric Saade track rather than a potential Eurovision winner. (Robyn)
Pop, nice beat but I was expecting a more grandiose chorus. There is no clear contrast in the melody between the verse and the chorus, which makes it fall a little flat. There is a recurring “Oh nanananana” in the chorus that is very memorable and gets stuck in your head. I do not think Eric Saade will disappoint us on the stage. “Every minute” is a good pop song but with a slightly lower energy compared to “Popular”. A definite finalist for sure. (Tobias)
What do you think? Which songs are you excited to hear on Saturday? Which entries do you think have the best shot of making it to the grand final? Tell us your thoughts below!
Like I suspected, I loved The Mamas snippet. This goes to show, y’all, that just because a reviewer doesn’t like the song, it doesn’t mean you won’t either.
Personally I do not care what The Mama’s song sounds like. They deserve to win and go to Rotterdam, as the winners of last year I feel it’s only fair.
I cannot wait to see the performances but my hopes are not really high. I don’t know what happened this year but … there is no song I really like? Nothing like this has ever happened to me with previous editions of MF, I always had an instant favourite or a grower but not now 🙁
Maybe it’s a sign they will not qualify! It happened 11 years ago, it can happen again.
I agree it’s a difficult year for Sweden. Nothing stands out.
Lol,, keep dreaming. Most songs would qualify. Whether they would do well in final is not sure but there is no doubt Sweden will qualify this year!
With the new voting system with voting in groups rather than as a whole juries dont even influence the outcome that much. Rather its the one who gets steady voting among all groups as opposed to the one who gets high votes in few groups that win. Not sure Dotter is that loved among all, we saw that last year
So the mamas have an even more languid and sterile song than last year? I didn’t think it was possible HAHAHA But seriously, I think based on song alone Dotter has the best material, followed by *surprise* Klara Hammarström
And Anton’s song is great.
I will probably get mamy votes down but Eric is such an eye candy. xD
I just listened to the “Saade” ep which Robyn said would be very similar to “Every Minute”. I have come to the conclusion that if Eric Saade has a really nice and cool staging, he will win. I’ve predicted all melodifestivalen winners since 2011 with boys with emotions as the exception. So I’m pretty confident.
Hes not winning while Dotter exists!
How can you predict the winner when you haven’t heard the song..?
its like saying I predict Estonia to win Eurovision 2029! I predict every winner since 2010! It’ll happen!
You said you born in 2005. A clever little child.
I started watching melodifestivalen when I was six, obviously I had favourites back then as well. So what’s your point?
No point, just a compliment.
Oh sorry, I confused you with another person who’s always on me.
Why did you think sweden was not going to pick the best song lol? He was robbed. He had the best and most contemporary package which was all ready to go to Eurovision. It was dark and mysterious with a nice hook to it. I thought the juries would have definitely placed it first given how smooth it was. I thought it would do a lot better than it did in the televote since everyone in Sweden basically loves him and that’s the type of music Swedish people usually go for. I think he would have done a lot better… Read more »
It’s like the American electoral system.
Most votes is also nonsense the way it is now. Fifteen million votes, but a population of only ten million – there’s no way of actually knowing which song is the most popular unless people are only allowed to vote once…or at least only once for each song.
Based on the reviews I think that instead of The Mamas vs Dotter we will get a Dotter vs Tusse. They both have decent songs and they are both deserved winners, but I think it is more fair for Dotter to seize the trophy. I mean it is her 3rd time in Melfest and last year she lost for just one point. I think she deserves more to be the winner this year. Tusse can come back with an even better song and win it all in the coming years. This is why I am pro Dotter. However if semi… Read more »
Because Dotter has been in the competition three times she should win ? I thought it was about the song.?
I agree. I also like the fact that Dotter wrote her song (along with her fiance). Tusse has an equally great song but it wasn’t his creation (it came from the work of others, including the Debs). Tusse is a young man (only 19?) with a lot of talent and I do want him to sing at eurovision but I personally feel like this one should be Dotter’s. Her song is just as great as is. That, coupled with the reasons you mentioned is a totally valid and acceptable reason to want Dotter to win. I don’t see it as… Read more »
Tusse won’t win
I really like both of the songs and I want Dotter to win as well and for a specific reason, I think that Tusse’s vocal it’s bad, while listening to it in the last Saturday I felt that his vocal was weak and the lyrics are kinda bad, but the song is great and performance too. I think that the juries are voting more for Dotter, but the public will be balanced, probably
The fact that The Mamas weren’t given a closing spot in any of the semis seemed like an indication SVT weren’t confident in their song…
I think its just coz their song is called “In the middle”, theyre in the last semi atleast
That’s a good point! But I think the last spot in any semi is better than being 1-6 in the last one. Maybe if they were given the last spot in the second one that would work – they’d be 14th of 28 songs, as close to the middle as you’d get with an even number of songs.
Guys, it’s the Swedish people voting. Shouldn’t it be obvious to, maybe, look at what the Swedish press is saying? They’re all saying that Eric Saade is a contender for the win and to be an international hit.
But will the international juries match the sentiment of average Swedes? No one doubts he’ll go DTF from this semi (unless the song is abysmal) but he’s not exactly jury friendly.
Well I want to wait until I can listen to the song snippets myself so I can make my own judgment, these early reviews don’t exactly encourage me. This might be one of the weaker melfest all around
I hate how everyone is automatically assuming that Dotter or Tusse will win just because Robyn doesn’t like The Mamas and Eric. Let’s just wait and see . Judge a song once you’ve heard it for yourself is all I’m saying
I don’t get how songs can dissapoint when you haven’t even heard them yet. Just tell me the reasons for that? Actually.. what Robyn says doesn’t quite always reflect with others opinion. In swedish press many think Eric’s song is strong, but it’s not a Manboy or Popular or Sting. Perhaps better than all of them. A development. But we’ll see..
So true omg . If Robyn was ranking mgp songs and we couldn’t listen to them then Keiino would’ve got a similar review saying it’s disappointing! Yet this opinion is a minority Just because she says this about Eric and the mamas it doesn’t mean you have to have the same opinion once the songs are out! Just wait and listen ffs
Do you guys at Wiwi get to listen to full songs or just snippets?
They get to listen to the full songs, twice.
Hi Jamie! Each Wednesday we get to listen to the full versions of the songs two times. And on every Thursdays we get to watch their full performances on stage.
That’s awesome! Also thanks for answering 🙂
It’s quite possibly the best job in the world.
a “night/right” rhyme as eric saade’s sample… yikes ! he’s way overhyped, he’s past his prime. disappointed that the mamas’ song isn’t considered winning material, i was rooting for them. excited for tess tho !
Don’t be disappointed before listening to the song, though! We all know that sometimes Robyn’s opinions don’t match with the majority’s. 😉
Thank you Robyn and Tobias (and whoever else) for your reviews this season. They have been entertaining. 🙂
I look forward to Saturday.
So its Dotter vs Tusse? My heart wants Dotter but my money and head says Tusse will win. And not even by close..
While I am currently anticipating Tusse could very well win, I COULD see a 2017 situation where Nano won the popular vote but the jury pushed Robin Bengtsson through to first place. Tusse has the voice but Dotter admittedly has a munch more compelling staging (in my personal opinion). Either way, we won’t know until another 2 and a half weeks. Until then I am VERY excited to hear all the songs come out this weekend! 🙂
Thing is, Dotter would easily have the best result for the Swedes in the televote at Eurovision itself, but I feel like actual Swedes would prefer Tusse, Eric or Danny?
Not sure that applies this year. 2017 still had the old voting system. Now we have the new system with votes in age groups and jury voting plays less impact to the outcome. I think to have a spot of winning you must have steady voting in all age groups rather than few high votes in select groups. Not sure Dotter is that all loved among all..
Just as I expected, this year will be exactly like MF 2018 where there really was no song that felt like a winner even in MF, sure Ingrosso had an impressive stageperformance but the song itself was average
You missed “according to my opinion”
Ah yes According to my opinion
Well no because if it was ONLY his opinion then he would have received more than 21 televote points LOL
I love your work in wiwiblogggs Robyn, thank for that ?
Tusse is clearly the winner it seems. Both Eric and Danny Disappointed me. Dotter overrated with an average song, Mamas sounds to be the same.
Have you even heard Eric Saades song yet?
How can you be disappointed if you haven’t heard the song yet?
Because it’s not a banger like popular. Which I was hoping for. Mostly will be just another song he came to promote.
But that wasn’t my question. My question was if you’ve already heard the song? If so, please give us the link so we can hear it too.
I’m from Sweden and SVT hasn’t released the song yet, so tell me, where did you hear the song?
What is your opinion based on? On Robyn and Tobias opinion??
I’m so tired off people judging things so quickly, especially when they haven’t heard the song yet…… SMH
Just because its not a banger doesnt mean its a disappoinment. Its different from “Popular” yes but it also means it can be better than Popular. What is with eurofans always wanting former participants to sound the same like they did 10 years ago?
Cause Danny sounded 10 years back than ahead after In Da Club with his new song… And since I know Eric’s previous music styles I can know how it will sound, thanks but I can judge the song myself don’t need someone else’s help. 🙂 My opinion Tusse will win.
You cannot judge the song yourself because you never heard it…Stop talking nonsense please.
Yeah like all Victoria’s songs from Bulgaria are different blablabla 🙂 to me it’s all the same and boring that’s how I judge it.
Tess doing disco, The Mamas doing gospel and Eric having a nice song but with ridiculous lyrics (not my words but I agree). Nothing new then.
I think Tusse will win the MF but I’d prefer Dotter. Her song is catchier. I love Tusse but he deserves to come back with a song that matches his talent.
So Dotter to Rotterdam
Is is too early to say that we won’t see a Swedish victory this year?
Thank god! In the best-case scenario every country would get to host the competition ONCE IN 40 YEARS and Sweden not having a great song doesn’t bother me at all.
They should focus on sending something original for once.
So what in ESC is original? Was Duncan original when he won? Or Denmark in 2013? Conchita?
I thought it was about having the best song, nothing more
Doesn’t sound like a Eurovision winner.. All I really want to know is if the song/songs feels like something the person would listen to. Then it’s good enough. If a song is a eurovision winner is too far ahead of things and really a matter of taste and the song and the performance needs to be liked by many. But when it comes to Sweden that’s what fans are looking for at first hand, so I’m not surprised.
Looks like Tusse will be the winner this year
I don’t get why, like the song is good but really nothing special and the chorus kidna lacks.
He sells it really good tho I wish Little Tot wins
Well, let’s just wait and see what happens in the final. Just because someone is leading in the betting odds doesn’t mean they will win melo (for ex: Dotter last year, Nano in 2017, etc).
We certainly learned that last week with Norway.
Haha you can say that again!
Yes please… There’s nothing else interesting maybe Anton Ewald but he lacks vocals. Dotter is the most overrated act I’ve seen.
We lowkey might be getting Dotterdam, huh. I’m not opposed to it.
Am i not understanding well, or it seems the best option in this semifinal is Tess?
Well, others have said that Eric’s song is current and fresh. It could become an international hit and perhaps win Melodifestivalen, but it depends on staging and so on.. But Tusse and Dotter are favourites for now. I don’t agree that there is no clear winner, it’s really about those two at the moment. It will be interesting to see if someone tops it. I’m glad The Mamas seem to have a song with less winning potential. I don’t want them to win again.
Who do you think wins between Dotter and Tusse?
So its all about Tusse or the Mamas then …..
I feel like there is no clear winner in this year’s Melodifestivalen, based on Robyn’s reviews.
@Robyn, if you read this, who do you think is going to win Melodifestivalen 2021?
If I can give my opinion, based on what Sweden has sent the 5 previous years I think Tusse will win.
I think I’ll love Eric’s song. And Clara’s as well.
otherwise I think Dotter should win.
Personally I am rooting for Dotter as well but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sweden elects to send Tusse in the end.
Can’t wait for this.. Up til now Dotter is my front runner but I guess everyone is hoping for a battle between The Mama’s and Dotter, I just have a feeling In the middle is gonna be meh instead of ookurrrrr.. We’ll see