The first heat of Melodifestivalen 2025, Sweden’s Eurovision national selection, begins tonight at 20:00 CET. Two songs will secure spots in the final, while one will advance to the Second Chance round. Which Eurovision artists will perform as an interval act? A viewing link is provided.
Europe’s largest and most beloved Eurovision national selection, Melodifestivalen 2025, kicks off tonight with its first heat! The event will take place at the Coop Norrbotten Arena in Luleå.
Six songs will compete on the Melodifestivalen stage tonight. The two songs receiving the most votes will advance directly to the grand final, scheduled for March 8 in Stockholm. The third-place song from each heat will qualify to a “Second Chance” round at the end of the fifth heat on March 1, a week before the final, for another opportunity to reach the grand final.
The winner of the final will represent Sweden in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025, to be held on May 13 in Basel, Switzerland.
The heat will begin at 20:00 CET.
To watch the fist heat of Melodifestivalen 2025, click here!
First Heat Contestants and Songs:
- Albin Jonhsen Feat Pa – “Upp i luften“
- Maja Ivarrson – “Kamikaze Life“
- John Lundvik – “Voice Of The Silent“
- Meira Omar – “Hush Hush“
- Adrian Maceus – “Vår första gång“
- Linnea Henriksson – “Den känslan“
Click on the song’s name in order to listen!
Familiar Names From The First Heat:
John Lundvik began his Eurovision journey in 2014 when he composed the song “Natural,” performed by Anton Ewald, which advanced directly to the final of Sweden’s national selection. Lundvik debuted as a singer in Melodifestivalen in 2018 with the song “My Turn.” The following year, he made a triumphant return, winning the competition with “Too Late for Love” and representing Sweden at Eurovision, where he placed fifth in the grand final with 334 points!
In 2022, Lundvik returned to Melodifestivalen, this time with a Swedish-language song, “Änglavakt.” Notably, every time Lundvik has competed in Melodifestivalen, he has qualified directly for the final. He was also one of the co-writers of “Bigger than Us,” the song that represented the United Kingdom at Eurovision 2019, which finished in last place.
Albin Johnsén, 35, is set to compete in Melodifestivalen with “a Swedish party song featuring carnival drums.” He rose to prominence in 2014 with the Swedish hit “Din Soldat” (“Your Soldier”) and has previously competed in the contest twice: in 2016 with “Rik” (“Rich”) and in 2020 with “Livet börjar nu” (“Life Begins Now”), but he did not advance to the finals on either occasion. He will perform alongside Pa Modou, a member of the band Panetoz. Albin has also appeared on the show “Tror du jag ljuger?” (“Do You Think I’m Lying?”).
Interval Acts During the Heat
In this heat, Käärijä, the artist who finished second in Eurovision 2023 with “Cha Cha Cha,” will perform as an interval act alongside the Swedish duo Hooja, with whom he released the song “San Francisco Boy” – the song they will perform in this heat.
According to reports, an impersonator of the Netherlands’ Eurovision 2024 representative, Joost Klein, who was disqualified just before the final, is expected to be in the green room during the heat. Afterwards, he will push the photographer (as suspected in Eurovision 2024, which led to his disqualification) and be disqualified from the contest.
Melodifestivalen 2025 – What We Know So Far
Full List of Cities and Dates for Melodifestivalen 2025
- Semi-Final 1: February 1, Coop Norrbotten Arena, Luleå
- Semi-Final 2: February 8, Scandinavium, Gothenburg
- Semi-Final 3: February 15, ABB Arena, Västerås
- Semi-Final 4: February 22, Malmö Arena, Malmö
- Semi-Final 5 & Second Chance Round: March 1, Husqvarna Garden, Jönköping
- Grand Final: March 8, Friends Arena, Stockholm
Song Submission and Selection
The song submission window for Melodifestivalen 2025 opened on August 23 and closed on September 13. According to official information from SVT, a record 2,794 songs were submitted. Out of these, 30 songs were selected to compete in the contest, with one ultimately chosen to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2025, to be held in Basel, Switzerland.
Changes to the Competition Format
This year, the production team introduced several changes to the Melodifestivalen format:
- Qualification to the Final:
The format remains largely unchanged, with the top two songs from each of the five semi-finals advancing directly to the final. However, this year, only the third-place songs in each semi-final will compete for the final two spots in the grand final. - Voting Updates:
The song that receives the highest number of votes across all semi-finals will automatically qualify for the grand final. Following this, an additional voting round will open for the four remaining third-place songs, from which one more song will secure a spot in the final. - Grand Final Structure:
As in previous years, the grand final will feature 12 songs. The winner will be determined through a combination of public voting (50%) and jury voting (50%).
Earlier Release of Songs
Another significant change concerns the timing of song releases. Previously, songs that advanced to the final were not released on streaming platforms until after the last semi-final, while songs that were eliminated were made available immediately after their respective heats.
This year, SVT announced that all competing songs in each semi-final will be released one day before the show. This allows fans to listen in advance, form opinions, and enjoy their favorite tracks earlier.
Ticket sales for Melodifestivalen 2025 have opened on November 6. The hosts for the event will be Kristina “Keyyo” Petrushina and Edvin Tornblom.
Sweden in Eurovision 2024
“Unforgettable” is the name of the song performed by the duo Marcus & Martinus in the grand final of Eurovision 2024. The duo was chosen to represent Sweden at Eurovision after winning the Swedish pre-selection, Melodifestivalen. Sweden finished ninth in the final with 174 points.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Sweden’s 63rd participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Sweden joined the competition in 1958 and has won it seven times over the years. Sweden’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2023 with the song “Tattoo,” performed by the singer Loreen.
Source: Aftonbladet.
