1. Greczula – “Believe me”
What do you get when you combine Queen's guitar solos, David Bowie's space-inspired sound image, and Rod Stewart's hoarseness? Well, debutant Greczula. “Believe me” has many musically different parts and shifts from slow to up-tempo and back again. This is a Mika for the 2020s, but without falsetto singing.
2. Malou Prytz – “24 k gold”
Malou Prytz is only 21 years old but has already participated three times before in Melodifestivalen. Now she's back with a mix of Zara Larsson and Lady Gaga, a modern pop-dance track with a strong beat in the verses and synth-staccato in the chorus.
3. Björn Holmgren “Rädda mig”
Björn Holmgren has been number one on Spotify in Sweden with his sensitive pop songs in Swedish. Now he's debuting in Melodifestivalen with a song about when his sister was seriously ill. The song starts with a whistling hook that returns as a hook. It's acoustic guitar in mid-tempo that will surely go warm on P3.
4. Dolly Style – “Yihaa”
Dolly Style is changing genre completely – to Beyoncé-country with Shania Twain vibes and the phrase "Let's go girls" is of course included. They sing about being a cowgirl on a rodeo while "giddy up giddy up" is repeated as a mantra. The group has gotten a fourth member in the yellow "Jolly", but whether it's enough to reach the final for the first time remains to be seen.
5. Angelino – “Teardrops”
Angelino has Tusse Chiza as one of his songwriters and it's hard not to draw parallels to the winning entry "Voices" from 2021. This is a ballad with a large sound image in the same genre as The Mamas. Angelino has a sensitive falsetto that comes out extra clearly in the end when it's alone over the drums.
6. Annika Wickihalder – “Life again”
Last year's final qualifying sensation is back with a new powerful mid-tempo track. It sounds like Adele had made a song with African choirs and drums in a gospel-inspired mix. It's similar to her "Life" from last year, without being an exact copy.
