God kväll Europa . God morgon Australien! After 5 weeks of heats and many fine performances, we’re now down to 12 acts who will tonight compete for the honour of representing Sweden ,last year’s Eurovision hosts, at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland . Now those of you who have followed our blogs of the rehearsal shows will know that our Richard can’t be with us tonight . So,instead you have me,Sarah ( you lucky people) taking the reins instead ! Please join me tonight when we bring you our LIVE BLOG of tonight’s Melodifestivalen Final, taking place at the Strawberry arena in Stockholm. Our presenters tonight will be Keyyo and Edvin Törnblom. Battling it out tonight will be …..

1. John Lundvik – “Voice of the Silent”
2. Dolly Style – “Yihaa”
3. Greczula – “Believe Me”
4. Klara Hammarström – “On and On and On”
5. Scarlet – “Sweet N’ Psycho”
6. Erik Segerstedt – “Show Me What love Is”
7. Maja Ivarsson – “Kamikaze Life”
8. Meira Omar – “Hush Hush”
9. Måns Zelmerlöw – “Revolution”
10. Saga Ludvigsson – “Hate You So Much”
11. Annika Wickihalder – “Life Again”
12. Kaj – “Bara bada bastu”

You can see the show live HERE or HERE or via SVT Play Apps on Apple or Google or if you’re in Sweden via SVT 1 . You will also be able to get commentary in English, …via SVT Play .

The winner tonight will be decided by a combined International Jury and public vote

Thise of you who regularly follow our blogs will know the drill by now , all you have to do to get our updates of the goings-on in Stockholm is…….Refresh the page !

LIVE BLOG STARTS HERE

Sadly, you’re too early , but never fear, come back at 19.00 GMT , 20.00 CET, when we’ll go live to the Strawberry arena in Stockholm for tonight’s fun and entertainment . In the meantime, as a warm -up, cast your mind back to this time last year, when Marcus and Martinus sang their way to the golden ticket to Malmö with their song “Unforgettable”.

And welcome back ! There’s still time to get your drinks and snacks ready, so if you haven’t done that already , now is the time . Just waiting now to get into the live link for the show . They are just showing a pre Melodifestivalen party at the moment , so just having a look at that!

They are just interviewing some of the acts tonight , including one of the favourites to win tonight , Kaj .

I do like Scarlet’s outfits ! :-)

Anyone getting excited yet? I know I am !

And …here we go !! And we start with Nemo performing an acoustic version of his winning song from last year . I am just wondering what is the point of the sheepskin hat ?

And we go into a recap of the last 5 weeks , the acts have now been reduced from 30 to 12. Who will go to Basel ? I have to say the atmosphere looks great in the arena !

Meet our hosts, Edvin and Kayyo . You’ll grow to love them as the night goes on .

They take us through the process for tonight .Starting with a song called I love Europe . We can’t have a contest where the hosts don’t sing at some point can we?

As they sing , tonight’s acts come onto the stage one by one . A bit like the flag parade at Eurovision Grand Final .

That was a great opener ! Edvin and Keyyo talk us through the voting procedure for tonight , the winner will be decided by a international juries and a public vote ( in Sweden).

They thank the house dancers for tonight .They ask us if we’re ready for the final……YES WE ARE !!!! First up is John Lundvik .

John Lundvik ” Voice of the Silent “

The postcards see Edvin and Kayyo interview each act . John is no stranger to Eurovision, he represented Sweden back in 2019. Coming 5th . John is dressed in red , and starts alone on stage . He then is seen singing in front of what looks like a large ball ,with flashing lights and laser beams . John’s vocals are his usual powerful standard. It’s a powerful opener , the thing that may prevent John being up there , is the fact that he is performing first and it’s a strong Melfest year ! A great start , the crowd loved it !

Dolly Style “Yihaa “

And we’re off to the Wild West with Dolly Style, dressed in cowgirl gear ! Lead singer starts off under a lit up arch and is then joined by her team mates . Staging is bright and colourful and it’s a happy, lively tune ,certainly would go down well at parties everywhere !It’s infectiously catchy ! At the end they get out coloured ropes which they swing around . The only thing is that although it’s lively, I thought it was a bit too repetitive and might cause listeners to drift away after a bit . Again, another strong performance .

Greczula “Believe me”

This is this man’s first time in Melodifestivalen and you can’t do better than get to the final on the first try .He starts off sat at a piano, which is raised into the ceiling of the arena . He then comes onto the stage , dressed in white and metal stud jacket and white trousers. There’s fire effects in the back ground . We then get pyros as he walks onto the top of the piano. I agree with Richard’s views that this has Freddie Mercury/Queen vibes about it . Good performance, but in my view perhaps not strong enough to be among the top contenders tonight.

Klara Hammarström – “On and On and On”

Here comes one of the favourites tonight. Klara is no stranger to Melodi festivalen and I would like to see her do well tonight . Klara starts off the performance laid down on a podium on stage ,with props on stage which resemble something out of the Roman era !Klara is in an all white outfit . She’s joined by her backing dancers, who perform a routine around her , with Klara interacting with them. She then lies on stage with LED flooring resembling a clock . It’s a strong performance and after some concerns in rehearsals that her vocals were a bit off, she has nailed it tonight, in my view. In any other year, I would have her as a winner but it’s a strong line up this year .

We have a short clip with Edvin and his papa making a journey to Basel .It’s quite a fun little film to watch . The Basel citizens look quite amused. I have to say I have been to Basel ( many years ago !) and it is a nice little city .

And we’re back in the arena. Next up is Scarlet .

Scarlet – “Sweet N’ Psycho”

No, it’s not Halloween night ! This is Scarlet’s stage make up , as suggested by the word “psycho ” in the song title . They start off on a podium , attached to chains . It is kind of Lordi meets Hatari but the female versions .It’s sultry , scary, there’s pyros galore , the audience are loving it !Again another song that wouldn’t look out of place at Eurovision .The swedes are spoilt for choice tonight . That was fun !

Erik Segerstedt – “Show Me What love Is”

And we’re back down to earth with Erik .he’s sat at a piano , with a drummer and two guitarists joining him. Stage backdrop is kind of red , blue and black waves .He’s joined towards the end by backing singers on stage .Now, this is a pleasant enough song but for me, it lacks something , which I can’t put my finger on . Being stuck between Scarlet and Maja Ivarsson,two strong songs won’t help Erik either . I can’t see him troubling the top of the scoreboard tonight, but then again what do I know ? ( in the words of the late , great Terry Wogan !).

Maja Ivarsson – “Kamikaze Life”

Dressed in black leather , and alone on a stage platform , Maja belts out Kamikaze life. Those of us old enough to remember the 1980’s may compare her to Kim Wilde and the electro vibes in the song certainly remind me of Kim Wilde’s songs.This does sound like ” Kids in America ” She doesn’t look unlike Kim in her younger days either. She certainly uses the stage to full effect . Great reception from the audience but this may appeal more to younger voters or those sentimental voters who remember the 80s .

Meira Omar – “Hush Hush”

“Every way that I can……” Oops, sorry, wrong song and year !! We get a flavour of the east now with Meira .With a pink, oriental style staging, Meira and her backing dancers dressed in belly dancing gear ,it is very like Sertab Erener and Every way that I can from 2003 in the way the girls perform the choreography . We get a backdrop of pyros towards the end of the song . Not a bad performance but would the Swedes go for something like this ? Strange things can happen .

Måns Zelmerlöw – “Revolution”

And this man needs no introduction. He’s a hero ( pardon the pun!) in Sweden , having won Eurovision 2015 for them with his song Heroes . He’s back tonight for another try to represent his country probably inspired by Loreen’s second win at Eurovision two years ago . He starts the song surrounded by props which he breaks as he walks though . Lighting goes from dark to light , with flashing images as the stage effects give images of broken pieces . Now many think it’s similar to Heroes,with regards the stage effects and I wouldn’t disagree . The performance is faultless as expected , but…..will Sweden go with what they know, or will they go for something completely different, which comes later ?

Saga Ludvigsson – “Hate You So Much”

Coming after Mäns is always going to be tough , let’s see if Saga is up to the challenge. And we’re off to the Wild West again , but this is a more refined version than Dolly Style. Not quite as in your face as Dolly Style either. Saga is dressed in a spangly all in one suit . the staging resembles a Wild West film set. There’s pyros for full effect . It’s ok, but I feel more a radio song , than one for Eurovision.

Annika Wickihalder – “Life Again”

Blimey, we’re at the penultimate song already. That’s gone quick ! Annika made an impressive debut at Melfest last year with “Lights” and made it to the Grand Final. She’s back for another go this year.She’s in a long , all white dress , alone on stage , under what looks like an over sized net curtain ! There’s smoke effects on stage and backing vocalists behind her who then join Annika and perform contemporary dance moves around her. Annika has a great voice and again , in any other year, this would have been one to beat but the strong line up may be a problem for her . A shame as I would love to see Annika at Eurovision one day.

Kaj – “Bara bada bastu

Here we go…….these are the big favourites to win tonight !They have had over 3 million hits on the internet since performing in the heats . I am not surprised they were rostered as last to perform , to give an up beat close to the show . They start off with a forest effects , with a burning fire on stage and wooden props . Accordion playing . It’s certainly infectious and catchy , they have now stripped off to their Sauna towels and there’s smoke effects on stage. the crowd absolutely love it and they get a big cheer at the end. Question is ……will Sweden have the courage to break away from their traditionally poppy type entries and go for this ? I can’t wait for the voting !

And that’s it, you’ve heard them all ! And we get a recap . Who did you like best tonight ? I have to say that this is the strongest line up in a Melfest final that I have seen tonight . For me , any one of these acts could go to Eurovision !

She’s back !!!!! I’m talking about Petra Mede .Stalked by two fans ( part of script ) She has hosted Eurovision three times and is probably the equivalent of a Goddess in Sweden.

We now get a performance from her . A rendition of the Swedish version of Roger Pontare’s 2000 entry for Sweden , performed together with Edvin and backing dancers .

You can always rely on Petra to entertain .!

Looks like we’re getting the jury votes now . First up Lithuania .

8 to John Lundvig

10 to Dolly style

12 to Annika Wickihalder

Italy -12 to Bara bada bastu

Switzerland – 8 to John Lundvik , 10to Saga , 12 to Mans

Ireland -8-Erik , 10 to Meira , 12 to Kaj

France -8-Klara , 10 to Kaj 12 to Mans

Norway -Klara 8 points 10 to Mans 12 to Kaj

Have to say I didn’t think Kaj would do as well with the juries as they are doing .

Greece -8 to Dolly Style 10 to MANS 12 to Kaj !

Serbia 8 to Scarlet 10 to Greczula 12 to Mans

How it stands after the Jury vote .Just two points between Mäns and Kaj . But…….we still have the public vote and that can change everything !

We get another recap of the songs before the public vote .Who have the Swedish public gone for ? Will they go for the safe option with Måns or go for something completely different in Kaj? I am surprised that Klara and Annika haven’t done so well with the juries .

And the public vote has closed !

The iconic “Genom eld och vatten ” ( through Fire and Water )from 2003 is inducted into the Hall of Fame for Melodifestivalen. Last year’s runners up , Medina , perform their take on it .

I have to say it’s been a terrific show tonight, no matter who wins ! Sweden certainly know how to do Eurovision, it’s little wonder they have won so many times, this could actually be mistaken for the real Eurovision tonight.

And finally …the moment of truth ! We have the public vote ! There will be some nervous people in the green room now . This is so tense ! As with Eurovision, they start with the act with the least Jury votes .

Maja -30 points

Saga 10 points

Erik 27

Meira -24

Scarlet -33

Klara -43

Annika 18

Greczula -56

Dolly Style 27

John Lundvik-25

It’s between Mans ,Greczula or Kaj

Kaj …this will be a big one ! 90 points! Is it enough to beat Mans ? This is tense !

And Kaj win !!!

So Kaj will go on to represent Sweden in Basel . Can they bring Sweden another victory ?

And here we’ll leave the blog as they do the reprise . Thank you for joining me tonight, it’s been fun . For those of you who fancy a late night, we have FDC going on in Portugal now and John will be taking you through the proceedings for that tonight .

Goodnight Europe , Good day Australia .

Author : Sarah Rudman

Source : SVT