Marcus & Martinus and Smash Into Pieces are among the artists being linked with competing in Melodifestivalen 2024.
Melodifestivalen is not only Sweden’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 – which will be held on home soil in Malmö – but is one of Sweden’s biggest shows. As a result, the rumour mill is already in full swing as to who will return in this year’s competition.
This year, 30 artists will be chosen for the show, after format changes to the contest were confirmed by broadcaster SVT. Another major change is that there will be five heats instead of four, with the Second Chance round being scrapped as its own show to accommodate this.
And the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet is already reporting some of the names they expect to enter the contest, which will begin on February 3 at the Malmö Arena.
Some of the most successful Melodifestivalen acts of recent years are reportedly planning a return. This includes Marcus & Martinus, who finished in second place at this year’s competition with the song “Air”. The Norwegian duo, both 21, will be hoping to go one step further in 2024 after Loreen beat them to the victory last time out.
In fact, several artists from Melodifestivalen 2023 are expected to have another go next year. Aftonbladet reports rock band Smash Into Pieces will compete again after they reached this year’s final with “Six Feet Under”, while fellow finalist Adam Woods may compete as a solo artist after performing “Where You Are” with Arc North and Jon Henrik Fjällgren.
Cazzi Opeia, who reached the final in 2022 and won in 2023 as one of the songwriters of Loreen’s “Tattoo”, has also been linked with a return. New artists are also set to compete in Melodifestivalen for the first time as well, and one of them could be drag queen Elecktra, who finished fourth on Drag Race Sweden.
Here is the full list of 11 names currently linked with the contest:
- Marcus & Martinus
- Clara Klingenström
- Adam Woods
- Elecktra
- Cazzi Opeia
- Lisa Ajax
- Samir & Victor
- Smash Into Pieces
- Dotter
- Liamoo
- Lasse Stefanz
Whoever does earn the right to compete in Melodifestivalen 2024 will be looking to represent Sweden on home soil at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Not only that, they’ll have the chance to win Sweden’s record eighth Eurovision title. If they win, Sweden would surpass Ireland and become Eurovision’s most successful nation.
Tickets for Melodifestivalen will go on sale November 6th at 10:00 am CET. Melodifestivalen 2024 will take place across six cities in Sweden. The dates, places and host cities for the shows are:
- Heat 1: February 3 – Malmö Arena, Malmö
- Heat 2: Feburary 10 – Scandinavium, Göteborg
- Heat 3: Feburary 17 – Vida Arena, Växjö
- Heat 4: February 24 – Stiga Sports Arena, Eskilstuna
- Heat 5: March 2 – Löfbergs Arena, Karlstad
- Final: March 9 – Friends Arena, Stockholm
Image Source: SVT / Alma Bengtsson | Source: Aftonbladet
Sweden debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958 and has gone on to be one of the contest’s most successful countries. The country has won the contest seven times, the most recent being in 2023. Sweden’s first victory came in 1974 when ABBA won the contest in Brighton with “Waterloo”. Since missing out on the final in 2010, Sweden has gone on to finish 3rd twice and has won the contest three times. Only in 2013 and 2021 did the country place outside of the top 10 in the final.
