1. Nomi Tales – “Funniest thing”
A dark fantasy-schlager is loaded. “Funniest thing” starts with dreamy piano that transitions into a catchy chorus with “ha ha ha” laughter, which according to the artist themselves is to be interpreted as a struggle with one's inner critic. 28-year-old Nomi Tales has a background as a 3D animator in the game "Star Stable" and the sound definitely has a video game-inspired feel.
2. Schlagerz – “Don Juan”
Not since Lotta Engberg was the queen of the dance floors in Malung in the 1990s has anyone shown as clearly where the dance band cabinet should stand. The three singers from Martinez, Blender, and Titanix sing about a lousy guy who has cheated – complete with an Ingmar Nordström-inspired saxophone solo and piano slide.
3. Erik Segerstedt – “Show me what love is”
Erik Segerstedt is participating for the third time with a Coldplay-scented bombastic power ballad. The intro is perhaps ripped from the OC theme song “California” but the rest of the song is more Ed Sheeran. It's "call and response" with handclapping woven into the background – made for the audience to want to sing along in their seats at the Scandinavium.
4. Klara Hammarström – “On and on and on”
After a two-year break, Klara Hammarström is back in Melodifestivalen for the fourth time. The song is a disco-dance that sounds like a modern ABBA interpretation. The surprise comes with the ompa ompa-part in the last verse where the song slows down before speeding up and culminating in an electric final.
5. Fredrik Lundman – “The heart of a Swedish cowboy”
Fredrik Lundman has been lying low since “Idol” 2021, but released a single last fall. The song starts slowly with pedal steel-slide before increasing the tempo in the chorus. This is modern P4-country where Lundman's powerful voice brings to mind Takida. “The heart of a Swedish cowboy” will probably be played in many truck cabs during the spring.
6. Kaliffa – “Salute”
The “Helt seriöst”-guy from Hoffmaestro has created a dance track with dancehall vibes and reggae swing. “Salute” wants to get the entire floor in the arena to vibrate with calls like “vamos ey” and “stand up”. And is that perhaps a key change we hear there at the end?
