🇸🇪 Sweden: Format changes for the Melodifestivalen 2023 semi-final
SVT has announced format changes for the semifinals of Melodifestivalen 2023.
In a change to last year’s semi-finals, where the third- and fourth-placed songs from each of the four heats were split into two groups of four, with two songs qualifying from each group, the format has been simplified. The eight songs will compete against each other, with the four songs with the most points advancing to the final. Points will be awarded by age group by voters on the official Melodifestivalen app and by phone voting.
Another change is that about halfway into the semi-finals, the current voting results will be presented to the audience. Viewers will be told, in no particular order, which songs are currently in the qualifying positions and which are not. There will then be another opportunity to vote. The final result will be presented live and will also show which song was the most popular in each age category.
Melodifestivalen 2023 will take place in six cities in Sweden and will be host by Farah Abadi and Jesper Rönndahl. Dates and host cities for the shows are:
- Semi-final 1: 4 February – Gothenburg
- Semi-final 2: February 11 – Linköping
- Semifinal 3: February 18 – Lidköping
- Semi-final 4: 25 February – Malmö
- Semi-final 5: March 4 – Örnsköldsvik
- Final: March 11 – Stockholm
These cities were to host the 2022 Melodifestivalen before the tour was canceled due to concerns about the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Melodifestivalen 2022 was held between Avicii Arena and Friends Arena, both of which are located in Stockholm.
Cornelia Jakobs represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. She placed fourth in the final with “Hold Me Closer”, making it the best result for the nation since they won the competition in 2015.
Image source: EBU / Nathan Reinds | Source: The evening paper
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958 and has continued to be one of the competition’s most successful countries. The country has won the competition six times, the most recent being in 2015. Sweden’s first victory came in 1974 when ABBA won the competition in Brighton with “Waterloo”. Since missing out on the final in 2010, Sweden has finished third twice and won the competition twice, only in 2013 and 2021 did the country end up outside the top 10 in the final.