Melodifestivalen 2023: The Acts To Watch Out For

Last week saw the reveal of the full Melodifestivalen line-up with a mix of some new faces and some returning favourites. SVT have delivered the goods with a truly stacked collection of talents from the Swedish pop world, catering to all tastes. There are numerous names on the line-up that have us excited and are in with a strong chance of representing Sweden at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Check out our most anticipated performers below.

Marcus & Martinus

Norwegian pop talents Marcus & Martinus have featured on the site numerous times thanks to their intoxicating high energy brand of pop. After winning Swedish version of The Masked Singer, the brothers have been working with numerous creatives from the nation and are set to take the country further by storm with their Melfest entry Air penned by Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Marcus Gunnarsen, and Martinus Gunnarsen.

Melanie Wehbe

After releasing her sublime EP Bloom earlier this year, it is no surprise that the talented Melanie Wehbe has been snapped up for Melodifestivalen. The singer-songwriter is no stranger to a Eurovision selection competition with writing contributions in The Mamas’ Move and Danish Eurovision track Love Is Forever from Leonora. Melanie’s own musical output shines – just check out Like I Do and Sugarcoat – so we have no doubt she is preparing a stellar future Melfest classic.

Paul Rey

Paul Rey’s Melodifestivalen credentials speak for themselves, competing in 2020 with Talking In Your Sleep and in 2021 with The Missing Piece. Paul was also a writer on banger of epic proportions Cazzi Opeia’s I Can’t Get Enough in 2022. He competes with his song Royals which he will be hoping delivers his contest hattrick.

Laurell

The wonderful Laurell is no stranger to the world of Melodifestivalen and Eurovision writing entries for the likes of Luca Hanni, Elena Tsagrinou, Michael Rice and Sisters. She will be taking centre stage at Melodifestivalen in her own right with her track Sober which she co-writes with Anderz Wrethov, Andreas Stone Johansson, and Thomas Stengaard.

Axel Schylström

Idol star and previous Melodifestivalen contestant Axel Schylström returns with his composition Gorgeous. We are excited to see Axel back into the fold as a performer after his successful writing contribution to THEOZ’s Som du vill. Axel has cemented himself as one of Sweden’s top motivational speakers so hopefully Gorgeous will bring some emotive pop majesty to the contest.

Loreen

Eurovision royalty Loreen is set to make a powerhouse Melodifestivalen comeback with Tattoo – her fourth entry into the contest. Hoping to revisit the winning glory of Euphoria, Loreen collaborates with an all star songwriting team including  Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Jimmy Jansson, Moa ”Cazzi Opeia” Carlebecker, Peter Boström, and Thomas G:son.

Mariette

Four time Melodifestivalen finalist Mariette returns to the contest for her first time since 2020 with One Day which she co-writes with Jimmy Jansson and Thomas G:son. We are truly excited to see Mariette back in the contest with the star consistently impressing with her entries and recent musical output.

Victor Crone

Another star to have made it to the Eurovision stage is Victor Crone – who represented Estonia at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv. Also no stranger to the world of Melodifestivalen, Victor returns for his third time following Det rår vi inte för in 2015 and Troubled Waters in 2020. His latest Melfest track is Diamonds which he co-writes with David Lindgren Zacharias and Peter Kvint. It’s fantastic to see Victor’s name back in the ring as the performer always delivers a quality pop anthem with real star quality.

Tone Sekelius

Tone delivered one of last year’s rare moments of schlager at the 2022 Melodifestivalen with wall-to-wall banger My Way and we are hoping she does so again with her entry Rhythm of the Snow. The singer and television personality co-writes with Anderz Wrethov, Dino Medanhodzic and Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt and returns with high expectations after placing fifth this year.

Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Arc North feat. Adam Woods

Jon Henrik Fjällgren returns for his fourth turn at Melodifestivalen with the Swedish-Sámi singer providing some traditional variety to the pop contest. Jon Henrik Fjällgren is set to further reinvent his sound with the addition of rising musical talents Arc North and Adam Woods also taking a key role on the track. We can’t wait to hear how this one turns out.

Wiktoria

Co-writing with Herman Gardarfve, Melanie Wehbe, and Patrik Jean, Wiktoria returns to the world of Melodifestivalen for her fourth time. Reaching the final every time with standout hits such as As I Lay Me Down, expectations are high for Wiktoria’s return.

THEOZ

THEOZ was a standout of the 2022 crop of artists with his high-energy Swedish language banger Som du Vill so we are delighted to see him returning. His latest track is Mer Av Dig written by Axel Schylström, Jakob Redtzer, Peter Boström, and Thomas G:son and will hopeful recapture the magic of the previous year. THEOZ undoubtedly has the star power and charisma to help him make another final.

Tennessee Tears

We are pleased to see a little bit of Scandinavian country music in the Melodifestivalen line-up and Tennessee Tears will provide a little bit of variety to the pop-leaning line-up of 2023.