He’s the ex FO&O singer who is enjoying international success from the hit Netflix series Young Royals. Now Omar Rudberg is on SVT’s wishlist for Melodifestivalen 2022. As well, Aftonbladet has named three more acts as being confirmed for Mello: Melfest 2020 singer Faith Kakembo, Idol star William Segerdahl and rapper Niello.
Will Omar Rudberg return to Melodifestivalen?
Aftonbladet reports that SVT is very keen to have Omar Rudberg as part of Melfest 2022. If he was confirmed, it would be his third time in the competition.
Omar debuted in 2017 as part of his boyband FO&O. Their song “Gotta Thing About You” made it to the grand final. Omar then made his solo debut in 2019 with “Om om och om igen”, which didn’t make it out of its semi-final. He reportedly entered a song for Melodifestivalen 2021 but did not make the cut.
But in the past year, Omar has enjoyed success with his hit Netflix series Young Royals. In it, Omar plays boarding school student Simon who begins a relationship with a troubled Swedish prince. The series — in which Omar’s character sings in the school choir — is a hit and has seen him pick up fans from around the world.
Aftonbladet‘s source says that Omar is ready and both SVT and his record company are keen for him to compete in Mello 2022. The source says there’s already been a search for songs, adding “When both SVT and the record company are so positive and want an artist to be involved, they usually also manage to find the right song in the end.”
However, another source says that the second series of Young Royals may get in the way of Melfest. The filming of the next series will take place in the early 2022 and may clash with Melodifestivalen. The source says, “It will be difficult for the record company to argue that he should be in a TV program that reaches perhaps three million TV viewers, compared to a TV series with fans all over the world.”
Faith Kakembo due to make Mello return
Faith made her Melodifestivalen debut in 2020 with the song “Crying Rivers”. It narrowly missed out on making it to the andra chansen round. Now Faith will reportedly return to Mello 2022. Aftonbladet’s source was enthusiastic, saying, “It’s great that she gets another chance, she is a fine artist.”
Faith got her break in 2019 when she made it to the finals of the radio talent show P4 Nästa. When she’s not singing, she works as a nurse anaesthetist.
Idol star William Segerdahl tipped for Melfest debut
Swedish Idol 2018 star William Segerdahl will reportedly make his Melodifestivalen debut… but the singer himself denies he’s in the contest.
While on Idol, William joined Melfest legend Mariette for a show-stopping duet of Lady Gaga’s “Shallow”. He placed third on the series and has released a number of singles including the 2019 song “Problem”. And now, according to Aftonbladet’s multiple sources, William is set to make his Melfest debut.
However, the singer himself isn’t playing along. Competing acts in Melfest are not permitted to comment on their participation until after the official announcement. However, William messaged Aftonbladet, saying “Just read your article, it would be super fun to know which song I’m in Mello with haha! Feels like you have more info than me.” This implies that he might not be part of Melodifestivalen 2022 after all.
Rapper Niello will also make Melodifestivalen debut
Another act set to debut at Melfest is the Swedish rapper Niello — otherwise known as Niklas Grahn. He is best known for his 2013 single “Legenden”, but has released a number of other singles over the years.
Niello is said to have submitted songs to Melfest in previous years, but Aftonbladet reports that this year he has finally been accepted for the contest.
Melodifestivalen 2022: What we know so far
The Melodifestivalen tour is set to return in 2022. Semi-finals are due to kick off in Malmö on 5 February 2022, with the grand final due to take place at its usual home at Friends Arena in Stockholm on 12 March. The shows — which will take place in six cities and towns around Sweden — will also have a live audience.
Melfest 2022 will be hosted by Oscar Zia. The three-time Melodifestivalen contestant and one of the 2021 hosts will be the main show host this season, however he will also be joined by other stars, still to be named.
According to Aftonbladet, we already know 18 acts for Melodifestivalen 2022. They are Robin Bengtsson, Liamoo, Klara Hammarström, Alvaro Estrella, Angelino, Lance Hedman, John Lundvik, Malou Prytz, Theoz, Cazzi Opeia, Medina, Anna Bergendhal, Linda Bengtzing, Tenori, Omar Rudberg, Faith Kakembo, William Segerdahl and Niello.
The confirmed line-up of Melodifestivalen 2022 is expected to be announced in late November.
What do you think? Which other artists would you like to see competing in Melfest 2022? Who should Sweden send to Turin? Tell us your thoughts below!
Speculate no more. This coming Friday come out the first 14 singers for melfest 2022 will be announced!
Oh dear, Whisker. You have (maybe accidentally) revealed a spoiler there about the plot of “Young Royals.” I’ll let you figure it out. 🙂
I adore Omar; he can probably do both Mello and “Young Royals” if he wanted to. All it takes is a bit of planning, and a good song of course.
Faith is so talented! I would love for her to represent ut <3
Omar should be smart and just say no to MF, he will gain nothing from it
I hope Faith has a better song next year. Because I thought Crying Rivers was boring but got a little better on the last chorus. She would probably have gone to the final 2020 if there was a little more power in the song
I LOVED Crying Rivers!!! So moody. So see. So unlike anything else in Melfest. I even loved the staging with the rolling fog and the lights. It completely captured my attention. If Adele had sang that song it would’ve been a massive worldwide hit.
I would loooooove to see Omar Rudberg back, his 2019 entry was so good !