It's debutants' night in Melodifestivalen's fourth round in Malmö.
Erika Jonsson sings about cars and flannel, Timo Räisänen offers Eurovision-ready Gothenburg pop and Meira Omar brings Bollywood back to Melodifestivalen.
"Eternity" – Cimberly
What do you get if you mix Whitney Houston and Melodifestivalen? Well, debutant Cimberly. The 21-year-old competes with a pop entry with disco elements. It starts up-tempo and continues without really taking off. Cimberly, who won "Idol" in 2023, sings like a goddess, but the entry "Eternity" may not give her the space to fully shine.
“Nothing is after us” – Timo Räisänen
This is as much Gothenburg pop as it gets. It's hardly a surprise since Timo Räisänen began his career as a guitarist and producer for Håkan Hellström. Now, when he makes his debut in Melodifestivalen as a solo artist, he does so with an arena-ready power ballad without sacrificing his identity.
"Dooset daram" - Meira Omar
Meira Omar, who debuted in Melodifestivalen with the entry "Hush hush", sticks to the same genre and offers Bollywood-style pop with phrases in Arabic, Farsi and Dari. This time, however, everything is "a little bigger", according to the artist herself, who has said that the song is a love tribute to the husband she met in "Love Is Blind".
“Hate that I love you” – Felix Manu
Debutant Felix Manu competes with a calm pop song about how difficult it is to move on from a great love. When the 24-year-old from Stockholm sings “Hatar att jag älskar dig” (I hate that I love you), it brings to mind a gentler version by Victor Leksell and previous contributions such as “Ingenting” with Emilia Pantić. Regardless of the outcome, it will certainly be played extensively on both P3 and Spotify.
“From the country” – Erika Jonsson
This entry literally smells like a car repair shop. In a classic country entry, debutant Erika Jonsson sings about boots, flannel and about tinkering since she was a little girl. It's a catchy entry and it's hard not to be drawn "to the country". Will it be a hit and a place in the final, or a flop and background music for a commercial for Biltema?
"Hollow" - Smash Into Pieces
Rock band Smash Into Pieces is taking part in Melodifestivalen for the third time, and sounds less rock-oriented than usual and more Eurovision-appropriate. But nothing really surprises; the intro still sounds like Linkin Park. The group has described the entry as an attempt to portray how we are “losing ourselves in a digitalized world”, but lyrically it sounds more like a love song.
Cornelia Mikaelsson/TT
Facts: They compete in Malmö on February 21st
TT
Cimberly with "Eternity"
099-908 01 (10 kronor per vote, of which 9.13 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
Timo Räisänen with "Nothing is after us"
099-908 02 (10 SEK per vote, of which 9.13 SEK goes to Radiohjälpen)
Meira Omar with "Dooset Daram"
099-908 03 (10 SEK per vote, of which 9.13 SEK goes to Radiohjälpen)
Felix Manu with "Hate That I Love You"
099-908 04 (10 SEK per vote, of which 9.13 SEK goes to Radiohjälpen)
Erika Jonsson with "From the Country"
099-908 05 (10 SEK per vote, of which 9.13 SEK goes to Radiohjälpen)
Smash Into Pieces with "Hollow"
099-908 06 (10 SEK per vote, of which 9.13 SEK goes to Radiohjälpen)
