The debuting rock band Korslagda has just arrived in Kristianstad where the third round of Melodifestivalen will be held on Saturday.
Outside the artist hotel, the roofs are covered in snow and the sky is covered in gray clouds - yet Ubbe Näslund - whose real name is Stefan Sjur - still wears his sunglasses.
It feels like a safe little bubble, he says, taking a deep breath.
Is at the top of the odds
Band member Pedro Sanchez (Håkan Sörle) stays in the background and jokes that Ubbe shouldn't "fuck up".
Everything is on your shoulders, Ubbe, that's what we're going to say before we go on stage.
Korslagda was formed in 2019 and is making its debut in Melodifestivalen with the entry "King of rock 'n' roll", which is about following your dreams and losing control.
Until recently, the band was best known by a niche group of rock enthusiasts and fans from their home region of Älvdalen.
Then something happened. In Carina Bergfeldt's talk show on SVT at the end of January, Ubbe, with tears in his eyes, spoke about the day his brother died in a traffic accident, which indirectly led to his coming into contact with Pedro Sanchez.
After the program, Korslagda climbed the betting companies' odds lists and is now at the top.
"No one has heard the song so I don't really understand it," says Ubbe, reluctantly trying to explain the low odds.
It's probably the openness and honesty. That's the advice I usually give to others: don't try to be anyone other than yourself.
Bergfeldt was nagging
So how does that fit in with hiding behind a pair of sunglasses?
"Carina Bergfeldt... I don't know how many times she came up to me and said, 'Can't you take those off?' I said, 'No, never.' Just before we were going to broadcast she continued, 'Please, please.'"
She probably wanted to see my eyes. But if Hooja had been there, they wouldn't have needed to. So I don't understand why I should do that?
Ubbe finds it easier to "lose control" when he is wearing his sunglasses. That is why he will be wearing them on Saturday, only with a little more "rhinestones". The goal is to introduce "rock'n'roll" to the Swedish people.
Otherwise, maybe they'll miss out? For us, it's a win that we've gotten to where we are now. Then it would be awesome to go to the final. Eurovision hasn't even been thought about, but what I've learned in life is that you should never say never.
Cornelia Mikaelsson/TT
Facts: Korslagda
TT
Korslagda makes its debut in Melodifestivalen 2026 with the rock song "King of Rock 'n' Roll".
The band was formed in 2019 and consists of Ubbe Näslund, Pedro Sanchez, Per Kronqvist, Carl-Johan Fogelklou and Björn Boj. The names are pseudonyms.
Two of the members are also in Mando Diao.
In the summer of 2025, the band played in front of nearly 20,000 people at the Sweden Rock Festival.
In 2024, it submitted the entry "En sån här chans får man bara en gång i livet" to Melodifestivalen, but when the entry was not included, the song was released instead.
The band was previously called Korslagda kukar, but changed its name in September 2025.
Melodifestivalen did not request the change; it was about changing from a name that was initially intended as a joke.
Source: SVT
