We have come to the second week of Melodifestivalen 2025, and the artists are in Gothenburg. As you should know, Melodifestivalen is the Swedish national qualification for Eurovision, and actually a bigger deal than Eurovision itself here in Sweden. There are a total of 30 artists and songs competing in five heats in the first round, ahead of the Grand Final.
This year for the first time, the full songs are released on Spotify already on the New Music Friday before Saturday’s live broadcast of the competition. The audience now has more time to familiarise themselves with the tunes, and it remains to be seen if that will have a positive effect on audience involvement.
But let’s take a look at who is in the second week’s line-up in Gothenburg…
1) Nomi Tales – Funniest Thing
Nomi Tales brings a dream-like and fantasy-inspired soundscape when she is debuting on the Melodifestivalen stage. Her staging with a path going through the forest makes her look like a fairy or maybe Ronja the Robber’s Daughter. She has previously released music with the game developer Star Stable, where she has also worked as a 3D animator.
2) Schlagerz – Don Juan
Schlagerz are a newly put-together trio of dansband singers Maria Persson (Blender), Maria Rolf (Titanix) and Sandra Estberg (Martinez). The singers have plenty of experience and are known for their great voices and live energy. The song is typical schlager or dansband fare, with storytelling elements describing how the three of them found each other because of a cheating guy.
3) Erik Segerstedt – Show Me What Love Is
Erik Segerstedt made his name first on Swedish Idol 2006, subsequently joining forces with fellow Idol alumni Mattias Andréasson and Danny Saucedo forming the boyband E.M.D. He has previously competed in Melodifestivalen with E.M.D. and along with Norway’s Tone Damli. This time he brings a heartfelt ballad and a band on stage with him, with a spurt to the crowd at the end to give it all a bit more energy.
4) Klara Hammarström – On and On and On
Klara Hammarström is back once again, for her fourth attempt at taking the crown in Melodifestivalen after participating in 2020-21-22. In 2023 she went and won Masked Singer Sweden. She has been one of the bigger favorites in speculations before any songs were heard, and she brings a bigger stage show than anybody else this week, with dancers, Ionic columns and effective graphics and lights. The song is unfortunately not giving very strong overall winner vibes regardless of the all-star writing team. But in any case, it is the most obvious qualifier from this weak week.
5) Fredrik Lundman – The Heart of a Swedish Cowboy
Country artist Fredrik Lundman from Piteå won the hearts of the Swedish people when he participated in Idol 2021. He is now making his Melfest debut with a song that is very true to his country roots. Plus he’s got country pop queen Maja Francis in his writing team! The genre has gained popularity in recent years in Sweden, so he is sure to have his crowd supporting him.
6) Kaliffa- Salute
Kaliffa is known both for his solo work and as a previous member of Hoffmaestro. His own blend of music includes influences from reggae, dancehall, hiphop and pop, and his biggest hit is Helt seriöst. The dynamic Salute brings party vibes to end the show with, and the anthemic chants and the dance number put him pretty much in the same category with last week’s Albin Johnsén and Pa, or last year’s favorites Medina.
All photos © Nina Uddin
