Last night in Malmö, the Swedish public decided on their third and fourth finalists yesterday. Magnus Carlsson and Mariette joined Eric Saade and Jessica Andersson for the final on the 14 March 2015 in Stockholm. The second semi-final was an exciting glittery evening that kept the momentum going from Gothenburg.
Linus Svenning – Forever Starts Today – Advances to the second chance
After his second attempt, Linus Svenning has managed to advance to the second chance for second year in a year. Svenning won his ticket to the final last year during the second chance placing fifth in the final with “Bröder”. Svenning was back with this drum sliding number than was more upbeat than his first attempt. The song is pretty solid and sounds very familiar which isn’t a bad thing. Svenning’s vocal was sketchy in places but the overall performance was strong.
Emelie Irewald – Där och då med dig – Eliminated (6th place)
This ballad starts off strong with beautiful staging and a beautiful singer in a gorgeous revealing gown. Although that’s where the positives stopped. The song doesn’t go anywhere and stays in a monotone frequency with no build or interest to continue listening. It was my most disappointing performance of the evening.
Samir & Viktor – Groupie – Advances to the second chance
This novelty song is a play on words of the “selfie” craze which wants listeners to take more “Groupie”s instead. The performance and staging of this number is actually impressive. You can tell this duo aren’t natural singers but the young lads are easy on the eye and surly won votes on their style rather than the substance of the song.
Neverstore – If I Was God For One Day – Eliminated (5th place)
This established rock band have several albums under their belt and have entered Melodifestivalen for the first time probably on the back on the popularity of State of Drama. Their song is fairly similar to State of Drama’s entries and has potential. The only thing missing was that killer hook or dramatic climax which would of taken the song to the next level. Neverstore’s performance was positive and this very clean-cut rock band would of progressed with that little extra something.
Marie Bergman & Sanne Salomonsen – Nonetheless – Eliminated (7th place)
This duo on paper look like they could be unstoppable. Marie Bergman has represented Sweden three times, tying Carola for the most times in Sweden, and Sanne Salomonsen, the Danish superstar, qualified directly to the final with “Higher Ground” in 2005. The song is a country inspired number very much in the vain of last year’s Netherlands entry “Calm After the Storm”. The main issue was it lacked the emotion the song needs. The staging of this number was always going to be difficult but a leather sofa wasn’t the way to leaving the audience fairly cold.
Magnus Carlsson – Möt mig i Gamla stan – Advances direct to the final
This disco laced number feels much more like an Alcazar style dance number than Mangus Carlsson’s previous solo entries. His third solo attempt and eight attempt including Barbados and Alcazar didn’t disappoint and was absolute schlager. It was typical Swedish pop with dramatic drum beats and line dancing with an unmissable hip trust. The staging could of been better just lacked the glitter the rest of the song and performance had but Magnus didn’t disappoint.
Mariette – Don’t Stop Believing – Advances direct to the final
This atmospheric number reminds me of “Europhia” in its styling and staging. It was the most visually appealing performance of the evening without a doubt. The song was like a haunting anthem that feels like a classic chart topper. The mixture of all these positives create a song that easily qualifies for the final.
What do you think of the results?
