Members of the Euromix editorial team convened to vote for the competing songs in Melodifestivalen 2025. Who should represent Sweden at Eurovision according to the editorial team?
The Swedish Eurovision national selection, “Melodifestivalen 2025”, is set to take place tonight at 20:00, featuring 12 contestants. The winner of this local competition will represent Sweden at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. In anticipation of this event, Euromix editorial team members gathered to listen to the participating songs and select their favorites from the Swedish national selection.
Editorial Picks: Who Should Represent Sweden?
Avi Zaikaner: First Place – Måns Zelmerlöw – “Revolution”
I am not a fan of Måns Zelmerlöw and didn’t even vote for him in Eurovision 2015 when he won. However, Måns is returning to us in a very weak year when most of the songs are very weak. Måns has an excellent vocal performance, perfect staging, and therefore he is truly the best choice for Eurovision. Assuming he wins the national selection, he deserves to be in the top 3 in the Eurovision final based on the songs revealed so far.
Ofek Jerassi: First Place – Scarlet – “Sweet N’ Psycho”
Melodifestivalen, the “king of all national selections,” is reaching its conclusion after five exciting heats and a semi-final that indeed brought the best songs to the final! My top pick for this selection is Scarlet with their song “Sweet N’ Psycho”. The song reminds me of power metal, a genre I’m very fond of; it’s rhythmic, anthemic, and its chorus lines stick deep in your mind. Scarlet’s performance is interesting and avant-garde, the vocal execution is slightly weak, but it’s still one of the stronger performances in Melodifestivalen. Of course, they won’t be chosen after qualifying from second place in their heat, and I haven’t even mentioned the main threat, Måns Zelmerlöw, who is expected to win this year’s selection according to all predictions. But in my playlist – Scarlet will remain!
Ronnie Glik: First Place – Klara Hammarström – “On and On and On”
My top choice is the incredible Klara Hammarström, with a song that has soul and heart—not just another typical pop song as Sweden often sends. She’s charming, her performance is absolutely insane in every sense, and she is the most deserving of this victory, which, of course, won’t happen due to the participation of Mr. Måns Zelmerlöw.
Tal Dahan: First Place – Meira Omar – “Hush Hush”
I’m proud to be our Melodifestivalen correspondent in a year with such a strong final! I can count maybe on two fingers the songs from the final that I connected with less, but even those are pleasant and listenable. The song I fell in love with completely from the first listen (even from the preview!) is “Hush Hush” by Meira Omar! The singer of Afghan descent clearly gives a platform to her roots in her performance. The song is catchy and addictive, and every second of this performance is iconic from A to Z! (Even the cameraman’s fall during the performance). The song is doing very well on listening platforms in Sweden (and rightfully so), and I hope Meira will surprise everyone with a not-so-bad placement in the final. However, since Sweden wants to win this year, they will obviously choose Måns Zelmerlöw again, but in my opinion, Sweden should stop trying to win and start trying to be loved by the audience. Choosing Meira, Klara Hammarström, or Kaj, and honestly any artist other than Måns, will lead to a decrease in anti-Sweden sentiment from the audience and make them appreciate brave choices for a change.
Noy Yehoyada: First Place – Maja Ivarsson – “Kamikaze Life”
As someone who has never liked Sweden in Eurovision (sorry Tal), and probably won’t like it due to their shocking choices of annoying songs they send (and somehow win with), this time I enjoyed the Melodifestivalen season that brought quite good songs. It’s just a shame that this competition is rigged (as usual) and Måns will win with an average or below-average jury-pleasing song.
But wait, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and a spark of hope came in the form of Maja Ivarsson with “Kamikaze Life” – or as I like to call it: the moment when Sweden almost atoned for all its musical sins.
What do we have here? Dirty glam-rock with a hint of punk, explosive charisma, and a chorus you can hear in the background of your car as if you’re in an action movie escaping all your troubles. But it doesn’t end with just the music – Maja runs across the entire stage during the performance, jumping, taking over every corner of the hall, and giving a real show, with bursting energy and stable singing, showing how it’s done right.
So of course, she won’t win, because why would the Swedes let a song with personality win when they can choose another safe hit, right? But at least we can say we were there when this great rock and roll moment happened.
Roy Moreno: First Place – Kaj – “Bara Bada Bastu”
Sweden, choose this! Finally, there’s a refreshing option to send, something in a slightly different style than usual! This song better represents the culture of the region, the melody is fun and addictive, the chemistry between the three band members is contagious, and it’s all presented with a performance that makes you want to be part of their sauna! After hearing all the songs in the Swedish Eurovision pre-selection final, this song is exactly what’s needed to refresh your hearing after a sequence of songs that are too similar to each other and lack character, even the good ones among them. Sweden, it’s time to think outside the box and take some risks, and you have a treasure in your hands!
Guy Solo: First Place – Kaj – “Bara Bada Bastu”
Sweden never disappoints! Both excellent songs and five excellent and well-produced heats – exactly as we’ve learned to expect from the Swedes. This year, it’s time to give the stage to an anonymous artist (sorry Måns) and therefore my choice would be the band Kaj. The band consists of singers Kevin Holmström, Jakob Norrgård, and Axel Åhman who will perform the song “Bara bada bastu” (in English: “Just Sauna”) in the Swedish pre-selection final. The band, completely anonymous, became an overnight sensation in every Swedish household. The song deals with the sauna experience, describing the pleasure and relaxation of bathing in a sauna and releasing tension while exposed to heat and steam, using words like “pressure break” and “100 degrees” to emphasize the intensity and excitement of the activity. It’s a particularly humorous and catchy song, which received the uncompromising support of Käärijä, who even filmed a special video with the band members. Sweden 2026?
Maayan Eli: First Place – Kaj – “Bara Bada Bastu”
So far and without a doubt, this is my favorite song from all the national selections. I loved everything about it – the song, the melody, the performance, the humor, and Kaj’s fun charisma. I listened to the song before I saw their performance and loved it immediately, but after watching the performance, I really feel that we need this fun at Eurovision this year. Kaj performed with lots of humor but with polished choreography and many elements that were fun to watch. It’s the kind of humor I love and doesn’t detract from the quality of the song itself. I loved the melody, the not-too-excessive polish of “Bara Bada Bastu” and of course the singing in the original language. It’s not just another generic pop song created in a template. Right now their chances aren’t great and there’s a favorite to win, but they’ve definitely entered my playlist.
Full Results
| Avi | Ofek | Ronnie | Tal | Noy | Roy | Guy | Maayan | Result | |
| Kaj | 5 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 77 |
| Klara Hammarstrom | 8 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 67 |
| Scarlet | 10 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 65 |
| Meira Omar | 2 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 48 | |
| Maja Ivarsson | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 45 |
| Mans Zelmerlow | 12 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 43 | |||
| Dolly Style | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 34 |
| Greczula | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 25 | ||
| Erik Segersdet | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 16 | |||
| Annika Wickihalder | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 16 |
| John Lundvik | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 | |||||
| Saga Ludvigsson | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
List of Contestants and Their Songs:
- John Lundvik – “Voice of the Silence“
- Maja Ivarsson – “Kamikaze Life“
- Erik Segerstedt – “Show Me What Love Is“
- Klara Hammarström – “On and On and On“
- Greczula – “Believe Me“
- Annika Wickihalder – “Life Again“
- Måns Zelmerlöw – “Revolution“
- Kaj – “Bara bada bastu“
- Saga Ludvigsson – “Hate You So Much“
- Scarlet – “Sweet N’ Psycho“
- Dolly Style – “YIHAA“
- Meira Omar – “Hush Hush“
Click on the song titles to listen!
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.
