"High Expectations" in this Autumn's "Idol"

One is a country-loving new dad. Another ended up in the competition thanks to his appetite for semlor. Now the "Idol" season is rolling on in earnest with 14 hopeful talents.

» Published: October 10 2024

"High Expectations" in this Autumn's "Idol"
Photo: Christine Olsson/TT

Besides blues, Ella Ekholm, 19, from Stockholm loves semlor. So much that she was on Mauri Hermundsson's YouTube channel "Uppdrag mat", where it soon turned out that she could also sing.

Mauri woke me up at 8 am on a regular Thursday and said I should audition for "Idol". It was just a matter of getting dressed and going. I was very nervous, but it went really well, she says.

She graduated in the spring and now it's full focus on "Idol".

It's scary, of course, but super fun. I'm so excited. For me, the most important thing is that I can radiate positivity. That people will get happy and maybe start dancing.

Wants to make her son proud

She's trying not to think about her chances in the competition.

It's thrilling, but not my biggest focus. I'll just try to have as much fun as possible and not compare myself too much with the others.

For 23-year-old Robin Sohlberg from Gunnarskog outside Arvika, the competition means a major life change since he became a father just two months ago.

Now I'm trying to get into this "Idol" bubble and just focus. It's tough, but I know it's only for a limited period.

The Värmland native, who prefers to sing country, has previously performed for a few hundred people at most, but believes he has good chances of charming TV viewers.

I've gotten very nice feedback on social media, so I have pretty high expectations. The most important thing is that I make myself and my son proud.

Called "no-man"

A lot is new since last year – including Ash Pournouri, the former Avicii manager, who now takes a seat on the jury. He thinks he's already found his role on the panel.

The others call me "no-man". It's just become that I've been a bit more picky about what I'm looking for and where I think the bar should be, he says.

Pournouri has a heavy CV as a music producer and manager, but since Avicii's death in 2017, he's kept a low profile in the music industry. Meeting young artists on the show gives him a taste for more, he thinks.

We just get to sit there and give pretty short feedback, and you'd wish you had time and opportunity to help them a bit more and put more energy into making them bloom. But for some, it's already happening, which is super cool.

The weekly finals start on TV4 on Saturday at 8 pm. The final takes place on December 7.

New this year is, among other things, the changed broadcast time from Friday to Saturday, and that the program is broadcast from Filadelfiakyrkan in Stockholm, where the final also takes place. New jury members are Peg Parnevik and Ash Pournouri, who join Anders Bagge and Katia Mosally.

This year's idols:

Leon Cotter, 18, Stockholm

Ella Ekholm, 19, Stockholm

Margaux Flavet, 16, Stockholm

Robin Hörnkvist, 28, Örnsköldsvik

Victoria Grace Larsson, 24, Stockholm

Benjamin Löfquist, 27, Stockholm/Åhus

Minou Nilsson, 18, Stockholm

Joel Nordenberg, 21, Stockholm

Olivia Oyemade Merenius, 23, Haninge

Lucas Schönefeld, 19, Helsingborg

Robin Sohlberg, 23, Arvika

Lukas Söderholm, 23, Norrtälje

Paulina Velasquez Gallegos, 18, Partille

Leo Tekiel, 22, Uppsala/Luleå

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

World Champion Kajsa Bergqvist Unmasked
2 MIN READ

World Champion Kajsa Bergqvist Unmasked on Masked Singer Sweden

Police Halt Yasin's Planned Arena
1 MIN READ

Police Halt Yasin's Planned Arena Concert Over Safety Concerns

Sean Diddy Combs Faces Five
1 MIN READ

Sean Diddy Combs Faces Five New Charges Including Sex Trafficking

Russell Brand Faces Rape and
1 MIN READ

Russell Brand Faces Rape and Sexual Assault Charges in London

Sabrina Carpenter's Stockholm Show Divides
2 MIN READ

Sabrina Carpenter's Stockholm Show Divides Critics

Emma Holten Wins Sara Danius
1 MIN READ

Emma Holten Wins Sara Danius Prize for Essay on Unpaid Work

Legal Hurdles Delay Miss Snusk's
2 MIN READ

Legal Hurdles Delay Miss Snusk's Transition to New Artist

Anders Hansen Explores AI's Impact
3 MIN READ

Anders Hansen Explores AI's Impact on Society in New SVT Series

Mavis Staples to Perform at
1 MIN READ

Mavis Staples to Perform at Way Out West Festival in Gothenburg

Girls of Sthlm: Influencers Seek
2 MIN READ

Girls of Sthlm: Influencers Seek Respect Beyond Glamour

The Traitors Wins Program of
1 MIN READ

The Traitors Wins Program of the Year at Sweden's Riagalan Awards

Swedish Authors Call on Culture
1 MIN READ

Swedish Authors Call on Culture Minister to Address Meta's AI Use

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper
1 MIN READ

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper Salin Architecture Prize

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to
1 MIN READ

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to 2026 Over Organizer Concerns

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out
2 MIN READ

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out Stockholm Shows

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at
1 MIN READ

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at Danish Literature Festival

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost
1 MIN READ

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost Albums in New Box Set

Royal Library to Create National
1 MIN READ

Royal Library to Create National Digital Book Lending Standard

Drake Gains Access to Key
1 MIN READ

Drake Gains Access to Key Documents in Kendrick Lamar Legal Battle

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable
1 MIN READ

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable After Heart Attack in Rome

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Lena From Appointed Permanent Secretary at Academy of Fine Arts

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera
1 MIN READ

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera Directing with Eugene Onegin in Paris

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida
1 MIN READ

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida at Birgit Nilsson Days in Båstad

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board
1 MIN READ

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board Stays Intact Pending Court Decision

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish
2 MIN READ

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish Couples Share Joyful Updates

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to
3 MIN READ

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to Fulfill Her Desires Becomes TV Series

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson
1 MIN READ

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson Passes Away at 77

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz
1 MIN READ

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz Pop Awards Jury

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm
1 MIN READ

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm Stage 50 Years Later

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded
1 MIN READ

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded Alfvén Society Scholarship

Genre image
1 MIN READ

60s Hitmaker Johnny Tillotson Dies at 84

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted
1 MIN READ

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted Directors Nolan and Widerberg

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins
1 MIN READ

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins Prestigious Norwegian Art Prize

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions
3 MIN READ

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions at Stockholm Exhibit

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes
2 MIN READ

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes Pour in for the Iconic Actor

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land
1 MIN READ

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land on Netflix with Fincher Directing

New Films and Series: Minecraft
3 MIN READ

New Films and Series: Minecraft Movie Debuts and More This Week

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen
2 MIN READ

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen as Listeners' Summer Host on P1

Munich 1972: How Live TV
3 MIN READ

Munich 1972: How Live TV Coverage Changed Journalism Forever

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from
2 MIN READ

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from Top Gun and Batman, Dies at 65