Melodifestivalen 2023 continues tonight and we are back with our weekly #LiveBlog – continuing with Heat 2 this evening. The second set of seven acts take to the stage in Linköping, with two progressing to the Semi Final and two to the Grand Final after tonight.

So join me, Richard, from 19:00 GMT/20:00 CET, as we discover who will progress in Sweden. You know what to do by now, refresh regularly to see what we have to say in our #LiveBlog.

Refresh here from 19:00 GMT/20:00 CET

Nu kör vi!!! We are been introduced to tonight’s acts. We are now having a tour of Linköping. Jesper and Farah have entered the stage to start tonight’s show. They are now going through the voting details.

Wiktoria – “All my life (Where have you been)”

Wiktoria is back at Melodifestivalen for the first time since 2019. She is dressed in a bejeweled pink outfit. This is a different sound from Wiktoria compared to previous entries. She is joined by four backing dancers, dressed in a darker pink. The five seem to be having the time of their life. This is hard to judge – parts of the performance seem slightly flat, while others are quite upbeat.

Eden – “Comfortable”

Eden is dressed in a white two piece and is joined by a guitarist – both perched on stalls. Eden harmonises well and is able to express her emotions through her vocals. Once up from the stall, we see an addition of a string quartet further back on the stage. A throughly good debut tonight and might be a surprise finalist.

Uje Brandelius – “Grytan” (Stew)

Uje starts his performance sat a table with a number of backing singers (potentially 3), moving around a makeshift room of a house. Orange lighting soon turns to red and reverts backs again. I’m sure there is a meaning to all of this, but as an Englishman, I simply don’t get it.

Panetoz – “On my way”

Panetoz are back at Melodifestivalen after a number of years. They haven’t aged and have certainly brought the party/festival vibes to the stage. It is as if they’ve never been away and with their west indies sounds, I’d be very surprised if they don’t progress further.

Tennessee Tears – “Now I know”

Tennessee Tears is formed of a male and female duo. He sings while playing a guitar, while she is simply a vocalist. This is very much a country number and is truly a foot stomper. They are joined at the stage by a four peice band. This feels very modern, yet genre specific. I can see this going far with their strong vocals.

Maria Sur – “Never Give Up”

Maria is from Ukraine and is residing in Sweden since the invasion. Vocals are strong and you can hear the emotions coming through. Maria looks slightly alone on stage – maybe throw in a couple of contemporary dancers? The song could be strong enough to carry Maria through to a further stage.

Theoz – “Mer av dig” (More of you)

Theoz is performing a strong Swedish entry. He is joined by four backing dancers and all five seem to be synchronised. While a modern number, is this the year a Swedish language entry finally reaches the Eurovision stage once again? Definitely a foot stomper and a crowd pleaser!

The first round of voting has started with the performance recap. The first round of voting has now closed. We now have moved on to the first entry of this year’s Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame – Thomas G:son.

The first song direct to the final is: Maria Sur – “Never Give Up”

The second round of voting is open with another recap of the songs. The dancing ‘app’ hearts are of course on-stage!

Linda Bengtzing and Magnus Carlsson have taken to the stage for a schlager-off. The second round of voting has closed.

The two songs in the semi finals are: Theoz – “Mer av dig” (More of you) & Tennessee Tears – “Now I know”

The second song direct to the final is: Panetoz – “On my way”

Let us know what you think about Melodifestivalen 2023 – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK and TWITTER pages.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: SVT