Forty years after finishing second and becoming a Swedish legend, the beloved veteran singer returns to Melodifestivalen alongside an Idol favourite, a Grammy nominee, and two promising talents.
The selection season for Eurovision 2027 continues to heat up. Swedish media have recently revealed five new promising names joining the growing lineup for Melodifestivalen. The latest additions include a major Melodifestivalen and Eurovision legend, alongside four intriguing artists making their debuts on the competition’s big stage. They join an expanding cast of performers competing next year for the chance to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2027, which will take place in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Arja Saijonmaa returns to Melodifestivalen after 40 years
Leading the reports is Arja Saijonmaa, the celebrated singer and musical legend who has officially been informed of her acceptance into next year’s competition. For the 81-year-old artist, the upcoming appearance marks an especially emotional full-circle moment: it will take place exactly 40 years after her unforgettable Melodifestivalen debut in 1987.
That year, she captured Sweden’s attention with the hit “Högt över havet” (in English: “High Above the Sea”). The song finished second in the Swedish national selection, missing out on first place by just one point, and went on to become a timeless classic in Swedish competition history.
This will not be Saijonmaa’s first comeback. Her upcoming appearance will mark her fourth participation in Melodifestivalen, following previous attempts in 2005 and 2019. What makes her return even more intriguing is the team of songwriters behind her new entry. Among them is Anderz Wrethov, one of Sweden’s most successful and respected songwriters. He was part of the team behind “Bara bada bastu” (in English: “Just Sauna”), the hit by KAJ, who represented Sweden at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. The group finished fourth in the Grand Final with 321 points.
Born in Finland, Saijonmaa is one of Scandinavia’s most influential and respected cultural figures. Her impressive career includes more than 35 albums and over two million records sold worldwide, with performances in several languages. Over the years, she has built an extensive international career, including performances alongside Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. She has also undertaken significant humanitarian work as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and maintained a close friendship with former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. At Palme’s funeral, she sang at the request of his family.
Four rising artists make their Melodifestivalen debuts
Alongside Saijonmaa, four new and younger artists have been revealed as first-time participants in Melodifestivalen.
Ingrid Enckell
Twenty-four-year-old Finnish-Swedish singer Ingrid Enckell, from Helsinki, won over Swedish viewers by finishing fourth on the television talent show Idol. She will now take to the Melodifestivalen stage for the first time, hoping to build on her growing musical momentum.
Jackie Mere
Singer-songwriter Jackie Mere is the stage name of 26-year-old Jaqueline Brantsberg, considered one of the most intriguing emerging talents in Swedish music. Mere began her musical journey as a street performer in Gothenburg before going on to support pop star Veronica Maggio. She was also nominated for a Swedish Grammy in the Newcomer of the Year category.
Melvin Wid
Another newly announced participant is 23-year-old Melvin Wid, whose full name is Melvin Widiyaratne. The emerging artist creates Swedish-language pop and R&B and released his debut EP in May.
Mathilda Bohman
Completing the list of new additions is 20-year-old Mathilda Bohman. The young singer-songwriter studied at Musikmakarna, a prestigious Swedish songwriting school, and recently signed with independent label Freebird. The label has helped bring successful artists to Melodifestivalen, including Cornelia Jacobs, Robin Bengtsson, and Anna Bergendahl.
Additional Well-Known Names Already Revealed
-
Screenshot: SVT
The band EMD, consisting of Danny Saucedo and Eric Segersdest, both of whom have performed at Melodifestivalen quite recently, alongside Mattias Andreasson, who is also a past participant of Melodifestivalen 2012, where he lost to Loreen, who also won the entire Eurovision Song Contest. - Dotter, the stage name of Johanna Maria Jansson, 39, is an esteemed Swedish singer and songwriter. She is especially well-known and beloved by Eurovision fans primarily due to her four appearances as a performing artist at Melodifestivalen.
- Eva Jumatate is an 18-year-old singer who made her national selection debut last year with the emotional ballad “Selfish“, with which she advanced to the second chance round.
- Martin “E-type” Erikson has begun searching for suitable songs for Melodifestivalen. This will be the artist’s third participation in the contest.
- Veteran Melodifestivalen star Nanne Grönvall is expected to return to take part in the competition next year as a performing vocalist. Grönvall previously participated in the contest eight times as a singer and six additional times as a songwriter.
- Theodor Haraldsson, the 21-year-old singer, began his media journey in 2016 when he started uploading vlogs to his YouTube channel, where he continues sharing videos today. He has participated in Melodifestivalen twice before under his stage name Theoz.
- Maria Sur, a 21-year-old Ukrainian artist who was forced to move to Sweden due to the war in Ukraine, without her father, who remained behind to fight.
- Cazzi Opeia, the stage name of Moa Carlebecker, 37, is an esteemed Swedish singer and songwriter. This will be her third time participating in the contest as a performing artist.
- Nomi Tales, the stage name of Nomi Bontegard, 29, is a Swedish singer returning to the competition for a second round. Nomi made her Melodifestivalen debut in 2025 with the song “Funniest thing”, but was eliminated in the heat rounds. Now, she returns to the grand stage with a new song aiming to reach the grand final.
- Imenella, 38, who specializes primarily in hip hop, will compete in Melodifestivalen for the first time this year. Imenella is one of Sweden’s biggest hip hop stars with a long resume full of awards and recognitions. Additionally, she made her acting debut about two years ago.
- Joanné Nugas, a 31-year-old singer and actress, is a successful musical theatre star expected to make her debut on the Melodifestivalen stage. Nugas is especially known for voicing the character of Ariel in Swedish in the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” released in 2023. The professional recognition she earned in theatre and music paved her way to receiving the coveted ticket to the contest.
- Envyyou is a young alternative rock band from Malmö consisting of four members. The band achieved modest success with their debut single “Stick around” released in 2020. Their participation in the contest represents a significant career milestone, as the Swedish national broadcaster SVT is happy to continue the tradition and provide representation for the rock genre, which enjoys great popularity and a loyal fan base in Sweden.
Melodifestivalen Format and Traditions
Once again this year, Melodifestivalen will serve as the Swedish national selection for Eurovision. This is the 64th year that the Swedish entry is chosen via this platform, through which all Swedish Eurovision representatives have been selected except for Sweden’s very first participation in Eurovision 1958, where singer Alice Babs was chosen directly, and excluding Sweden’s absences from the contest in 1964, 1970, and 1976.
Some of the interesting rules of the contest continuing into this year include SVT’s aspiration for 30% of the songs in the contest to be performed primarily in the Swedish language, and for at least 50% of the chosen songs to include female songwriters (women only, or a combination of men and women). Furthermore, an artist performing the song in Melodifestivalen that is chosen to represent Sweden at Eurovision is not guaranteed as the performer of the song at Eurovision itself, and this is subject to SVT’s discretion.
Melodifestivalen Structure from Last Year
- Heats (Deltävlingar): The competition consisted of five heats, with six songs competing in each. From each heat, the two songs receiving the most votes from viewers at home advanced directly to the grand final.
- Second Chance Round (Finalkval): The songs finishing in third place in each of the five heats were given another chance. This stage was held as a flash vote immediately following the fifth heat, from which the Swedish public chose the final two songs to complete the lineup for the final.
- The Grand Final (Final): The peak stage of the competition featured 12 songs competing for the ticket to Eurovision. The winner’s identity was determined by combining the votes of the Swedish public at home together with points awarded by international juries, split evenly at fifty percent for each side.
Will the Eurovision Powerhouse Continue the Tradition?
Sweden is considered a Eurovision powerhouse, having won seven times across 64 participations and sharing the title of “record holder for most wins” along with Ireland. Both countries have also produced the only two singers who have won two different Eurovision contests – the first singer was Johnny Logan from Ireland, who won Eurovision 1980 and Eurovision 1987, and the second singer was Loreen from Sweden, who won Eurovision 2012 and Eurovision 2023.
Sweden is considered a highly successful nation in the contest, reaching one of the top five positions no less than 28 times – finishing first seven times, second once, third six times, fourth four times, and fifth ten times. Sweden reached positions 6-10 another 17 times.
My System
SwedenFELICIA represented Sweden at Eurovision 2026 with “My System”. The entry finished 20th in the grand final with 51 points.
Sweden competed at Eurovision 65 times between 1958 and 2026. The country has won seven times, most recently in 2023 with Loreen’s “Tattoo”. In 2026, FELICIA represented Sweden with “My System”, finishing 20th in the grand final with 51 points.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-53-9514754
A writer and content creator with a strong specialization in the Eurovision scene, particularly across Eastern Europe and post-Soviet countries. His work highlights the artistry, storytelling, and cultural variety that define the contest, offering readers a deeper look into both established performers and emerging voices.
As a skilled translator and polyglot, he brings a unique linguistic and cultural understanding to his analysis and coverage..
