Medina came in third place the first time they participated in Melodifestivalen in 2022. Two years later they came in second place. Now they are hoping for a "third time lucky" and say they "would love" to win the entire competition and represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest.
"It would be such a wonderful fairy tale," says Ali Jammali, referring to that.
Not just a party
The duo has had a great run in this year's competition so far. SVT has placed their entry "Viva l'amor" in the third round, which coincides with Valentine's Day.
"If you listen to the message in the song, it's about hearts and love. It's wonderful. We celebrate Valentine's Day with a love song."
The duo says the entry is a tribute to love, which permeates the entire performance. On stage, they have a giant heart that Sami sets on fire, red heart-shaped confetti and dancers forming their hands into hearts at the end of the song.
The common thread is what distinguishes the song from previous entries, says Ali Jammali.
"Then we have a message that is not just a party. We also have a lot of different beats that we haven't used before. We have a calmer intro than usual and the song is not as melancholic. We are happier," he says, "to which Sami Rekik points out that there is certainly melancholy in the song."
"But not throughout. We've made the chorus a little bigger. It's almost operatic, but we don't want to stray too far from our sound that we think people like."
Stumbled into a wall
It's not only joy that has surrounded the duo, who have become known for spreading a festive atmosphere during Melodifestivalen.
At the end of January, Sami Rekik took a break due to physical and mental exhaustion, but his participation in Melodifestivalen was "absolutely not" in danger. So how is he doing now?
"I wouldn't say I was burnt out and hit a wall. It was more like stumbling into a wall," says Sami Rekik, who admits he got "a little worried."
"I checked in with the doctor. All I needed to do was get a lot of sleep, take responsibility, and not stress about what was coming."
Enjoying the moment and not stressing is also something they remind each other of before the competition.
– "Before, everything was new and then everything was even more nerve-wracking. Now we feel that we can trust the process more, stop and take it all in. Just being here is a privilege for a few."
Cornelia Mikaelsson/TT
Facts: Medina
TT
The hip hop duo Medina, formed in 2002, consists of Ali Jammali and Sami Rekik.
They call their genre "hafflamusic", which is described as a mix of reggaeton, hip hop, rai, house, pop and dancehall.
Haffla means party in Arabic.
The duo has since had great success with songs like "Där palmerna bor" and "Sista minuten".
They have previously participated in Melodifestivalen with the entries "In i dimman" and "Que sera".
This year they are participating with the entry "Viva l'amor", written by Ali Jammali, Dino Medanhodzic, Sami Rekik, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, and Anderz Wrethov.
Source: SVT
