Sweden’s Melodifestivalen 2022 continues with the last lot of seven hopefuls due to perform their songs in the fourth and final heat of Mello. So far six acts have made it to the grand final and another six will try their luck in the upcoming second-chance semi-final. But who will be the lucky four act to progress this Saturday?
Today SVT previewed studio versions of this week’s competing songs for the Mello media. Join us as we bring you our first reactions to the seven competing entries in heat four. Fans will get their first listen of the heat three entries when snippets of the songs are released on Thursday.
Melodifestivalen 2022: Heat 4 first reactions
Disclaimer: The media listening sessions involve the studio versions of the competing songs being played over a video call. This is not the same as the experience of seeing the song performed live so please keep that in mind. We will do our best to convey our first impressions of the songs.
Anna Bergendahl – “Higher Power”
Sample lyric: I was alone / I was a starving eremite without a home
“Higher Power” is a little different from Anna’s previous Melfest entries, but it’s clearly an Anna song. “Higher Power” is rich with poetic language, and the lyrics could serve as a religious tale of finding God, or just someone getting out there and communing with nature. The song has a very country sound to it and is oddly reminiscent of Stefan’s “Hope”, but — it has to be said — the country tone in Anna’s voice is really lovely. Musically things are a little predictable, but Anna will sell it.
Lillasyster – “Till Our Days Are Over”
Sample lyric: I would climb any mountain / I would fight any fire / Scream loud, breaking the silence now
“Till Our Days Are Over” goes in a different direction from last year’s entry “Pretender”. Weirdly the song sounds like it was originally written with an emo revival sound in mind, at odds with Lillasysters heavier rock stylings. The gentler verses don’t work but once the chorus kicks off, then things fall into place. But it still feels lacking, like there are still a few pieces missing to make a decent Melfest entry.
Malin Christin – “Synd om dig”
Sample lyric: För du saknar empati / kan inte känna som vi / du har ett tomrum inuti
(For you lack empathy / cannot feel like us / you have a void inside)
Malin has a gentle piano ballad, which I would file under “easy listening”. But it’s the right genre for the song, a tale of heartbreak and strength. The song is in Swedish, which might not make it the most accessible for an international audience, but Malin has the potential to transmit emotion with the staging.
Tenori – “La stella”
Sample lyric: If there’s a way to resist / It’s a will-o’-the-wisp
This — and I cannot emphasise this enough — is SO EFFING CAMP. Imagine Jacques Houdek’s “My Friend” and that Portuguese popera group that almost won FdC in 2017 and throw in some Alcazar for good measure. Just all that. “La stella” is a mix of Italian popera bits and English disco bits sung in an operatic tone. I’m not normally a fan of popera, but I love all the drama of “La stella”. It will surely be amazing live and I wouldn’t be mad if Sweden send some highly camp Italian popera to Turin.
Medina – “In i dimman”
Sample lyric: In i dimman dimman ja nu ska vi leva / Vi ska leva som ej morgondagen finns
(Into the mist the mist yes now we shall live / We must live as tomorrow does not exist)
This song has a big sound. I’m kind of struggling to pin down a genre, but in my note I’ve written reggaetón, Stromae’s “Ta fête” and brass band drums. Medina have been around for a while and are confident performers so they should be expected to absolutely bring a mighty live performance. I feel like this is going to be one of the biggest moments of this week’s show.
Angelino – “The End”
Sample lyric: I’m outside the door / You’re in the bathroom crying
This is one of the more subdued performances of this week but Angelino’s gentle ballad works. He has an emotionally expressive voice, which is well suited for a song like “The End” that is all about expressing emotional and telling a story. I feel like this will have more impact live, especially if Angelins (and the cameras) can create a feeling of intimacy.
Klara Hammarström – “Run to the Hills”
Sample lyric: Coz the pain of you / Is in my every cell / And it’s pumping through my veins
“Run to the Hills” has a heavier sound than Klara’s “Beat of Broken Hearts”. It’s an electropop tune with a very cool chorus that she delivers with lots of attitude. There’s a bit of an EDM sound, with some instrumental breaks but that never outshines Klara. While the chorus gets quite repetitive near the end, musically there is enough variation to keep things interesting. And yeah, it feels like a future Euroclub favourite.
Which songs are you looking forward to hearing? What do you think this week’s results will be? Sound off in the comments section below!
So annoyed they put more or less the best songs in the last semi, it is really hard to choose from these…And yet we have crap songs from other semis taking up the DF spots 🙁 I mean Robin Bengtsson have nothing on these songs, neither do Anders, Faith and the biggest waste of space John Lundvik!
OMG This could have been the final! Many hopefuls indeed!
I want my top 4 to go to the finals, too bad only two goes DF but my top are (in no particular order)
Anna, Klara, Angelino, Medina
Tenori would be quite different but just get Malena Erman vibes from them..not really my cup of tea.
I thought the same, i think these will all be in the final!!
To add, I don’t see any of the songs like super good but they are much better mix than the other three heats.
Listening on the snippets my top for whole MF is:
Wow the snippets are out and I’m impressed with this one I loved Klara Anna , Angelino and Malin while the rest aren’t bad this is probably the strongest heat by far
Malin also reminds me so much of her sister Wiktoria in a good way I hope she at least makes it the semifinal
Just heard the snippets and here’s my opinion: 1.Anna Unexpected but at the same time amazing I really liked it This song is so Anna but at the same time so country !!! I hope she goes dtf 2.Lillasyster I think it’s kinda worse than last year and it’s such a strong semi it will propably not qualify 3. Malin This would qualify in another semi but not in this one but it’s kinda cute Swedes might appreciate this but I’m afraid this will be Lancelot 2.0 4.tenori I have mixed feelings about this one Idk what to say and… Read more »
Agree with you
Well the snippets are out.
“Run to the Hills” has a heavier sound than Klara’s “Beat of Broken Hearts”
If you mean a manic sound then absolutely.
Liamoo will win this lol, I’m just not sure how social medias with cope with all the salt for Cornelia not winning. At least his song is much better than Ander’s one. International jury won’t give Anders many points anyway.
Anna looks gorgeous in that pic
I see Klara, Anders, Cornelia and Liamoo being the top 4 in the final
If Rusdia or Ukraine sing Anders song. Europe shoukd LOVE the song
If Ukraine sent Anders’ song it’d end up being their first NQ
Ander’s entry is cute, I get they appeal it has to people from Sweden but trust me, its not going to have the same appeal to non scandinavian countries.
Cornelia is a eurovision top 5 entry locked.
Sad that Anna is bringing something that ( apparently ) wont surpass her previous efforts. Klara’s review sounds quite promising tho, but I think Sweden found the person that should represent them in the first heart.
I’m surprised Klara got the 28th spot if her song apparently isn’t a winner.
Mariette got this spot with an average song, also Hanna Ferm.
Mariette was one of the most famous artists in MelFest that year, and had won OGAE second chance the year before, She was an artist a lot of ESC fans were hyped about. Hanna was given the last spot because it seemed clear that SVT were desperate for a woman to win and she seemed like the only one with enough of a domestic fanbase to pull it off, not to mention that she finished 3rd the year before.
Both are different situations to Klara.
I’m rooting for both Anna and Klara.
I hope that both of them will go DTF
Klara first and Anna second.
Same
The entry I’m most interested in is Klara’s, and I hope she delivers just to make the final more exciting! 😀
On the other hand, Angelino sounds like he could be the moment and something I could look forward to. Also, Tenori sounds like they’ll have the trainwreck entry if they don’t live up to the intrigue that surrounds them.
Intrigued by Tenori since the reveal of this Melfest’s line up, and again more now. Medina seems exciting too and I love one of the performers who competed in Melfest last year, I’m a fan so I’m excited. Angelino could surprise, moreover Sweden has rarely sent an intimate ballad in Eurovision, it could be the moment this year. Klara bringing electropop like Dotter why not, will it be enough to win, answer soon. My whish Tenori, Medina in final, Angelino and Klara in semi. But it won’t be like that at the end, it will probably be Klara and Angelino… Read more »
If Anders wins melfest, would he be the oldest singer to ever represent Sweden in Eurovision at 54?
Well if anders wins it is clear Swedes don’t understand that his song will have zero appeal to international audiences
Tho I keep reading comments about Anders winning and in afraid it will be a reality
Seriously I don’t want another melfest to be wasted
För = because
Into the mist the mist yes, we shall live now
Translations are just like usual. Just ask someone for a proper translation. Don’t use google, wiwibloggs. You could just email me for the next translation request
Do not understand how they every Year choose semi finalist – like HOW ?!?!
Why 4 and 2 semi was /looks strong and 1and3 was weak? I am pretty sure Robin, John, Faith or Anders would have complication to qualify if they would have been in this semi PERIOD … dont underand why i always got (-) when i say Anders song is bad —- like c’mon is not going to be top 12 in ESC
My heat ranking (for my taste) is like this :
Strongest to weakest:
1.heat 4 Good entries: Anna Klara Medina angelino
2.heat 3 Good entries: faith anders cazzi Lisa
3. Heat 2 Good entries: John Samira liamoo/heat 1 good entries: Malou Omar Cornelia
I LOVE that Robyn just had to get the shade in of linking back to the FdC wiwi jury of 2017 and Salvador’s song where she was on the money and so many of her fellow contributors did not know what they were talking about. 😉
Chris’s “Maybe there’s a timeless quality to it, but this wouldn’t stand out for any good reason at Eurovision” is a particularly oof moment. XD
But more importantly, is Klara’s song a potential winner? Because otherwise, we’re probably looking at Cornelia Vs. Anders and I’m not trusting Sweden to make the right choice there.
As a swede I’m sorry to say that I don’t see any chance for Cornelia, or anyone else, winning over Anders. My only hope is that the international jury gives Anders very few points. I like Anders as a person but I love cornelias song. The swedes love Anders the same way as with Tusse last year and they believe he could win Esc. I was so hoping that Cornelia would win so I’m so dissapointed.
i honestly don’t see the international jury giving much love to anders. international jurors have no idea who he is and will only see his act in the way non-swedish people see it: a man decades past his prime singing a cheesy, repetitive song that leaves little impact.
Last year they had no connection to Tusse and still he won jury vote. So don’t put to much faith on them..
It’s not that we didn’t see jury giving him many points
Still tusse was not kind of a celebrity in sweden( at least I think so)
Anders is extremely popular in Sweden
Worst case scenario is that Anders knows all of the judges personally…which automatically will give him all the 12s 🙁
Him winning Eurovision?! Cornelia actually could but his cheesy stuff could even stay in the Semi-Finals.
I totally agree with you but this is what they think, just like Tusse last year
Question is will he get young people vote?And even if he gets low jury vote people will complain that it needs to go.. Anyway, when this either fails to qualify or reaches very low in final Expressen readers will once again complain no one gets our entries and we shouldn’t bother compete. The fact that Swedes refuse to see the problem lies in the song is a issue.. My only hope is that if he wins and fails to qualify is that SVT finally sees that something is broken and fix it, like they did in 2011. Hopefully the rest… Read more »
Unfortantly my 7 year old son wants me to play his song on repeat?. But in the final he will have competition from others but still I think he will get more than Cornelia in those groups
There is a chance that Anders and John Lundvik will be favorites among the same people and will split those votes between them. They are both very lovable with amazing voices and quite simple songs. I so hope that Cornelia wins!!
My 12 year old daughter loved it and had tears in her eyes when he sang. And it’s not her kind of music otherwise.
Well Tuse song was MUCH better – especially when i was in Vanesborg in October – i heard him live 🙂
This soo sad to hear
I don’t think swedes actuelly think Anders can win ESC. I think that the swedish public doesn’t care about ESC. melfest is its own being in Sweden. Separated from ESC. I think a lot os swedes want Anders to win to show him appreciation and love. Not because they think he can win ESC. I will vote for Cornelia because I think it’s the best song so far in Melfest! I have a hard time believing anyone can change my opinion about that.
If you read the comments on youtube lots of people believe it. All swedes. But I do think you’re right about that swedish people vote more on their favourite than who would win ESC, thats why they usually vote for who they like the most also as a person.
No. But Angelino is.
Seems Cornelia should pack her bags for Turin from now
Not sure
Hopefully but not sure..
i dont think the fight is over… klara and anna could outsell her.
Klara maybe. Anna not so much. Third time with the same sound, this time even more schlager than pop. Anna is out of reach..
How is run to the hills same as nobody or beat of broken hearts? All her songs sound so different
Nobody is a break up song
Beat of broken hearts is an anthem
And run to the hills is an EDM song that gives dotter vibes
Anna deserves too but propably Anders or Klara could outsell her
No, I don’t think so. Cornelias big competition is Anders Bagge. I don’t think anyone else will be a threat to the two of them. Anders song isn’t good, but it is effective. And he sings the hell out if it. I really really hope that Cornelia will win!! And that she has been passed by Anders in the odds because it was a few weeks ago she competed. I hope people will reconnect to her song in the final!!
UNRELATED!
Why is Bulgaria 3rd in the odds?!
Werent they last in the odds like one day ago!?
because they are apparently kicking out IMP for Kristian Kostov
wait, is Bulgaria changing act? When did that happen? I though they were pretty confident about IMP..
I also keep seeing rumors about Kristian all over Twitter. BTN posted a cryptic photo saying 1503. 03 was more transparent so it’s obviously a date.
Looks like they have removed the post now…
i dont know maybe they were trying to cause some attention
they deleted all eurovision posts related to imp getting chosen though so well, who knows :/
I don’t like the Bulgarian entry this year and in my opinion, this should be a very good descision. When a country notice that their entry isn’t popular, I think it’s a wise decision to review the entry and choose to go for it or not. It would raise the quality of the Eurovision.
If indeed they are kicking out IMP in favour of another artist, that rubs me the wrong way. Like, you chose your act, it’s pretty crummy to them if you cancel their participation. Now, if they withdrew voluntarily or could no longer participate, then that’s another matter. I certainly hope it’s the latter in this situation.
Just rumors. They dont have any powers to kick anyone. IMP was chosen, because they will be paying for their expenses. Last year was the same with Viktoria. She was sponsored by ICard. BNT dont have money to pay for anything towards Eurovision.
dont wanna be suspicious but they are swapping intelligent music project for Kristian kostov and they are doing a malta 2021 and bet on themselves
Probably betting on themselves like Malta last year..
Mysterious Kristian kostov related insta posts
Turns out it was all created by a fan who had access to bnt acount
La Stella sounds like the trainwreck song of the year. Can’t wait to hear it x)
Please Klara, don’t dissapoint! ?
Im so nervous for her!!
I feel Neverous for Anna (I afraid that she would be 5th in the heat). But I have high confident for Angelino and I believe he could do a Paul Rey 2020 and with decent result.
Can’t wait for Klara’s song!!!
Very much looking forward to hear Klara’s song this year. Dimma’s as well.
Weirdly, the wiwi review of Tenori’s song has got me very curious about them also ?
If we want a good result anyone but Anders. Only Swedes seem to think that type of songs wins ESC
I did say that but never did I say it was a good thing. We should care what Europeans think since Europeans are the one’s deciding our outcome. Not caring what Europeans think is why we have gotten constantly worse every year. Swedes used to vote for who could do best at ESC, but somewhere that changed. I feel like the NQ we will get with Bagge is the wake up clock we need to shake things up.
Yes but the song meh. Swedes used to laugh at entries like that, and now we apparently think it’s spectacular. Well it will be a spectacular flop, that’s for sure. If it reaches final I say somewhere 18th-24th place.
Well, with his stagefright let’s see if he can perform in front of a bigger crowd. MF is easy, convincing Europe is harder. And I don’t see him do that unfortuntaley. Last year I knew and said Tusse wouldn’t do well despite his charm, presence and voice. I say Bagge would do even worse. And yet Swedes will say Europe don’t get it and why are we bothering to compete..
Yeah he can compete in The Voice of Sweden – Eurovision is SONG Contest … guurl
Stop talking nonsence and putting (-) in every coment when somebody say Ander song is bad or not good for ESC – you are obviously troll here …. Kind of annoying ….
tasteless lmao
Guys I’m curious who do you think will go dtf and who semi?
I would not count out 6
Also dont underestimate Medina, a very sucesfull Swedish group with a huge fanbase!
It’s hard to tell, it’s a stacked SF and it’s likely at least one of my faves stays out. But my faves to advance (either dtf or to SF5) are: Klara, Angelino, Medina and Anna
Same
Klara is definitely winning this heat I think, Anna should go DTF with her too and I’m very interested hearing Malin, Medina & Angelino too.
According to other sources this Semi is the best of them all. Appearently most of the songs in here are really good so sounds hopeful
No, Cornelia!
Anders is nice but his song sounds like a 2010 idol winner
I “love” how every comment on Benidorm Fest was very negative towards Spanish fans for obsessing over Ay Mamá and, now that Swedes are rooting for that extremely ordinary and generic song by Anders Bagge, they are told “oh, well, you like that, is ok” (which would be the normal reaction). I mean, let ALL people enjoy their songs and send whatever they feel represent them best…
I agree but I ternational fans are also mad for sweds liking Anders lol
we are pampering them prior to their second non qualification
Bagge diesnt really represent Sweden best do because that is not what Sweden sounds as..
You meen you would have preffered to dont have the jury and for Spain to send Tanxugueiras instead?
That’s what we wanted. Chanel got a tiny amount of the vote. TINY.
If they want their worst result in a decade, sure.
I am curious if Sweden will pick Bagge and his windows screen saver. A potential non qualification the year Bjorkman left wont be nice for the team but it can be a good wake up call to have more diversity
“Windows screen saver” wow, that’s literally what I thought about it! I hope it’s going to be either Cornelia or maybe Klara, depending on how her song sounds.
haha his window screen saver lmfaooo
It could be a good thing. Remember how 2010 an NQ and Sweden came back stronger than ever and Stayed in the top 5 during 2011-2015 (excluding 2013) with songs both juries and fans loved. If Anders goes south, we could be looking at another win in the near future.
I hope for the love of GOD that the juries completely destroy Anders Bagge. Swedes are the most delusional people on earth thinking Bigger than the universe is good or will do well at Eurovision.
BeAtInG lIkE a SyMpHoNy lol
It has a Fly on the Wings of Love kind of quality about it, older guy sings a slightly dated song and performs the hell out of it. I’m not sure it would be doing all that badly at Eurovision, actually.
Why are you comparing these two? Wings of Love first off was a good song. Then it had a retro sound and not dated. Then it had a simple perfomance helped by the audience. Bagge has a cheesy performance with raindeers and what. Like both camp and not camp enough. And finally Wings Of Love had nice lyrics. This one sounds like 5 year old children wrote it.. All Bagge has done is create a meme worthy song…
I personally had a similar reaction to it as to the Olsen twins. It made me smile, an endearing performance. ‘Fly on the wings of love’ is the most hackneyed and clichéd sentence ever, so no difference there.
I hate FOTWOL… It beat my favorite ESC-song of all time! “My Star” byBrainstorm.
Swedes vote for they like and feel beyond Esc. and it’s their contest and event. It’s for Sweden, not international fans.
You weren’t saying that when you ruined Benidorm Fest
How did I ruin BenidormFest?
Here locals and people loved Ay Mama and Terra so much beyond Esc. And juries and RTVE changed it.
I like any contest to belong to people regardless if I agree or not
Sorry I confuse you with someone else! I’m also Spanish!
Ay Mama ?
No pasa nada. No entiendi muy bien a que venía lo del BenidormFest la verdad. Todo bien 🙂
I can see him doing well with juries actually. Not win it but do well. It is jury friendly. Besides we put way to much trust on juries. Last year they also though tTusse was the best so..
While Bagge’s song isn’t my favourite, it is a little disheartening seeing such a negative comment get so many upvotes… Tusse wasn’t my personal favourite either last year, but in the end, its up to Sweden to chose who they would like to send to Eurovision. Besides, it isn’t as though the other great songs in Melodifestivalen suddenly stop existing. Instead of calling Sweden “delusional” and hoping juries “destroy” someone, can’t we just reframe things to be a little bit less nasty?
This appears to be the by far best heat. It’s gonna be so hard to pick a favourite, right now it seems like a dead tie between Higher power and Run to the hills
I read that angelino and medina could be the stand out acts actually.