Melodifestivalen 2023 was the 63rd edition of the Swedish music competition
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen (; literally "the Melody Festival") is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song ...
, which was organised by
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB ("Sweden's Television Stock Company"), shortened to SVT (), is the Sweden, Swedish national public broadcasting, public television broadcaster, funded by a public service tax on personal income set by the Riksdag (national ...
(SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 4 February and 11 March 2023. The winner of the competition was
Loreen with the song "
Tattoo", who went on to win the
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 for . All shows were hosted by
Farah Abadi
Farah Abadi (; born 18 January 1988 in Västervik) is a Swedish television and radio presenter who works for Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR).
Career
Between 2012 and 2014, she was a radio presenter for the Sveriges Radio statio ...
and
Jesper Rönndahl
Jesper Rönndahl (born 27 June 1979) is a Swedish TV-host, stand-up comedian and radio personality.
Biography
Rönndahl was born and raised in Veberöd, Skåne County and began his career in stand-up comedy in 2006, before appearing regularly o ...
.
Format
After the cancellation of the traditional tour around six cities of the country (namely
Malmö,
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
,
Linköping,
Lidköping,
Örnsköldsvik and
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
) for the
previous edition due to the
COVID-19 Omicron variant, SVT subsequently announced that the six cities would host the tour in 2023 instead, with new dates.
As usual, a total of 28 entries took part in the competition, 12 of which progressed to the final.
Farah Abadi
Farah Abadi (; born 18 January 1988 in Västervik) is a Swedish television and radio presenter who works for Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR).
Career
Between 2012 and 2014, she was a radio presenter for the Sveriges Radio statio ...
and
Jesper Rönndahl
Jesper Rönndahl (born 27 June 1979) is a Swedish TV-host, stand-up comedian and radio personality.
Biography
Rönndahl was born and raised in Veberöd, Skåne County and began his career in stand-up comedy in 2006, before appearing regularly o ...
were revealed as the presenters of Melodifestivalen 2023 on 24 September 2022.
Proceeds from the voting were, like in the last three shows of the previous edition, donated to aid relief efforts during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. Starting from the second heat, proceeds were also donated to aid relief efforts in the aftermath of the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake
On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 Time in Turkey, TRT (01:17 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The epicenter was west–northwest of Gaziantep. The ear ...
.
Semi-final format changes
Changes to the format of the semi-final show were announced on 23 November 2022. As opposed to the third- and fourth-placed songs from each of the previous four heats (eight songs in total) being allotted into two separate semi-finals in the previous edition, all of those songs now compete against each other in a single semi-final, with the top four songs advancing to the final, similar to the preceding heats. Viewers are presented with the preliminary top four songs (in a random order) midway through the voting window, and are then provided with new votes in order to continue influencing the result. After the window is closed, the full breakdown of the results, including points given out by each age group, is shown on screen.
Competing entries
On 26 August 2022, SVT opened a public submission window (with the deadline on 16 September 2022) to select one half of the contestants, the other half being made up of artists specially invited by the broadcaster. Upon closing the submission period, SVT announced that over 2,800 applications had been received, to be reviewed by a professional jury chaired by producer Karin Gunnarsson.
The first half of contestants were officially announced by SVT on 29 November 2022, while the second half was revealed on the following 30 November. Several participants had previously competed at Melodifestivalen:
Axel Schylström
Axel Schylström (born 24 February 1993) is a Swedish singer. He first came to prominence in 2015 while competing on season eleven of '' Swedish Idol'', where he placed fourth. In 2017, he competed in Melodifestivalen 2017, with the song "När in ...
(
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
),
Eva Rydberg
Eva Gunilla Johansson Rydberg (born 20 June 1943) is a Swedish singer, actress, comedian, revue-artist and dancer.
Biography
Early life
Eva Rydberg was born in Malmö. She started ballet school at a young age and acted at a children's theater ...
&
Ewa Roos
Ewa Maria Roos Sevenheim (born 12 June 1949 in Borås) is a Swedish singer and actress. Roos started her career at the age of thirteen when she won a talent search by the radio show ''Landet runt''. She won a lead singer place in the orchestra Bo ...
(
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
),
Jon Henrik Fjällgren
Jon Henrik Mario Fjällgren (born 26 April 1987) is a Swedish-Sámi singer and ''jojkare'', an interpreter of Sámi joik. He was the winner of ''Talang Sverige 2014'', the Swedish version of ''Got Talent''. Upon winning the competition he relea ...
(
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, 2017, and
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
),
Loreen (
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, 2017, and winner in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
),
Loulou Lamotte (
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, and winner in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, both as part of
The Mamas
The Mamas are a Sweden, Swedish-United States, American Soul music, soul and Gospel music, gospel group. They won Melodifestivalen 2020 with their single "Move (The Mamas song), Move", which reached number one in Sweden in March 2020.
Career
Th ...
),
Mariette (2015, 2017,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, and 2020), duo
Nordman (
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
and
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
), band
Panetoz (
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
),
Paul Rey (2020 and 2021),
Theoz
Theodor "Theoz" Haraldsson (born 17 July 2005) is a Swedish singer and actor. He started his career by posting videos to Musical.ly in 2016 with the name Theoz. In 2020, he had a leading role in the movie opposite Robert Gustafsson. In 2021, he ...
(
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
),
Tone Sekelius
Tone Sekelius (born 16 July 1997) is a Swedish social media influencer and singer.
Career
Sekelius' song "Awakening" entered Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles' chart, at place 89 in February 2017.
In a 2021 interview with ''Aft ...
(2022),
Victor Crone (2015 and 2020) and
Wiktoria (2016, 2017, and 2019).
Heats
Heat 1
The first heat took place on 4 February 2023 in
Scandinavium,
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. 2,912,000 viewers watched the heat live.
A total of 9,852,321 votes were cast, using 525,532 devices.
Heat 2
The second heat took place on 11 February 2023 in
Saab Arena
Saab Arena, formerly named Cloetta Center between 2004–2014, is an arena in Linköping, Sweden. It opened in September 2004 and holds 8,500 people during sport events and 11,500 during concerts. On its opening, it became the new home ice for th ...
,
Linköping. 2,830,000 viewers watched the heat live.
A total of 10,108,443 votes were cast, using 527,368 devices.
Heat 3
The third heat took place on 18 February 2023 in
Sparbanken Lidköping Arena,
Lidköping. 2,598,000 viewers watched the heat live.
A total of 9,522,729 votes were cast, using 512,158 devices.
Heat 4
The fourth heat took place on 25 February 2023 in
Malmö Arena,
Malmö. 2,814,000 viewers watched the heat live.
A total of 9,932,645 votes were cast, using 542,205 devices.
During
Loreen's performance, an environmental activist invaded the stage.
Semi-final
The semi-final took place on 4 March 2023 in
Hägglunds Arena,
Örnsköldsvik. 2,315,000 viewers watched the semi-final live.
A total of 12,078,625 votes were cast (which is a record for a Second Chance round), using 541,460 devices.
Final
The final took place on 11 March 2023 in
Friends Arena
Nationalarenan, currently known as Friends Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Located next to the lake Råstasjön in Solna, just north of the City Centre, it is the biggest stadium in ...
,
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, where
Loreen won with her song "
Tattoo". 3,419,000 viewers watched the final live.
A record-breaking total of 23,521,188 votes were cast, using 936,964 devices.
Ratings
Gallery
Heat 1
File:Tone Sekelius, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, repetition fredag, 04.jpg, Tone Sekelius – "Rhythm of My Show"
File:Loulou LaMotte, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, repetition fredag, 31.jpg, Loulou Lamotte – ""
File:Rejhan, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, repetition fredag, 48.jpg, Rejhan – "Haunted"
File:Elov och Beny, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, repetition fredag, 64.jpg, Elov & Beny – ""
File:Victor Crone, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, repetition fredag, 93.jpg, Victor Crone – "Diamonds"
File:Eva Rydberg och Ewa Roos, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, repetition fredag, 07.jpg, Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos – ""
File:Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Arc North feat. Adam Woods, Melodifestivalen 2023, Göteborg, genrep lördag, 70 edited.jpg, Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Arc North Adam Woods – "Where You Are ()"
Heat 2
File:Wiktoria repetition Mello 2023 Linköping 1.jpg, Wiktoria – "All My Life (Where Have You Been)"
File:Eden repetition Mello 2023 Linköping 1.jpg, Eden – "Comfortable"
File:Uje Brandelius repetition Mello 2023 Linköping 3.jpg, Uje Brandelius – ""
File:Panetoz repetition Melodifestivalen 2023 deltvävling 2 Linköping 05.jpg, Panetoz – "On My Way"
File:Tennessee Tears repetition Melodifestivalen 2023 Linköping 05.jpg, Tennessee Tears – "Now I Know"
File:Maria Sur repetition deltävling 2 Melodifestivalen 2023 05.jpg, Maria Sur – "Never Give Up"
File:Theoz repetition Melodifestivalen 2023 Linköping 02.jpg, Theoz – ""
Heat 3
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Paul Ray 1.jpg, Paul Rey – "Royals"
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Casanovas 2.jpg, Casanovas – ""
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Melanie Wehbe 5.jpg, Melanie Wehbe – "For the Show"
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Nordman 4.jpg, Nordman – ""
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Laurell 3.jpg, Laurell – "Sober"
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Ida-Lova 5.jpg, Ida-Lova – ""
File:Melodifestivalen 2023 Lidköping Marcus & Martinus 4.jpg, Marcus & Martinus – "Air"
Heat 4
File:Kiana - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 139.jpg, Kiana – "Where Did You Go"
File:Signe & Hjördis - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 162.jpg, Signe & Hjördis – ""
File:Smash Into Pieces - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 211.jpg, Smash Into Pieces – "Six Feet Under"
File:Mariette - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 289.jpg, Mariette – "One Day"
File:Emil Henrohn - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 380.jpg, Emil Henrohn – ""
File:Axel Schylström - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 458.jpg, Axel Schylström – "Gorgeous"
File:Loreen - Melodifestivalen 2023, Malmö 542.jpg, Loreen – "Tattoo"
Notes
References
External links
Melodifestivalen Official Site
{{authority control
2023 song contests
Eurovision Song Contest 2023
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
February 2023 events in Sweden
March 2023 events in Sweden
2020s in Gothenburg
2020s in Malmö