Towards the end of the contribution "Revolution", Zelmerlöw looks up towards the sky or more precisely the ceiling of Malmö Arena, where the fourth semi-final of Melodifestivalen is held on Saturday.
I'm enjoying this moment so much when I just get to stop singing and take it all in. It's very rare that you get to do that during a number that's three minutes long and where you have to think about something all the time.
"Cold cave"
But it starts more gloomily. Zelmerlöw sings about "cracks that are hard to hide" in a "house of cards we've built up" and that we might only get "one last chance". At the same time, he's on stage in what he calls a cold cave.
That's how we've built up the whole song. I start in this cold cave, and then go through a struggle all the way to find the warmth, he says, and emphasizes that the goal is to convey hope.
He doesn't hold back from expressing his discontent with the newly elected president in the USA. He says that the song's theme can be applied to "all the bad things that happen in the world" and has previously mentioned Donald Trump as an example.
Has become more confident
He denies, however, that the message in the song would be political in a music competition that's explicitly supposed to be non-political.
I don't think humanity can be political. It's about a basic attitude towards how you want the world to be, how the world could be, and how it absolutely doesn't look today.
On a personal level, Zelmerlöw emphasizes that several things have become better since he won ten years ago.
I've always wondered why I get to do what I love the most and I haven't understood why I should get to do it when it's so few who are given that opportunity. I hope and believe that I'm much more confident as an artist, that I've developed vocally and that I know who I am on stage.
"No chance"
Despite being tipped as a big favorite, he doesn't think it will be enough to go all the way.
If I were to go further, I still think there's no chance that Sweden will win the European Championship. But that's not the focus. It's about being back and doing this as well as possible. It's felt like there have been such high expectations that it's impossible to fulfill them.
Måns Zelmerlöw, born 1986 in Lund, got his breakthrough in "Idol" 2005 and has since participated in Melodifestivalen on several occasions.
He participated in the music competition in 2007 with "Cara mia" and came in third place. In 2009, he participated with the song "Hope and glory" and came in fourth place.
His biggest breakthrough came in 2015 when he won both Melodifestivalen and the European Championship with "Heroes".
Besides music, Zelmerlöw has been a host for, among other things, Allsång på Skansen, Melodifestivalen, and the European Championship Song Contest.
In 2025, he's participating in Melodifestivalen again with the contribution "Revolution", which he wrote himself, along with David Lindgren Zacharias, Ola Svensson, and Sebastian Atas.
"Vicious" – Andreas Lundstedt
099-908 01 (9.90 kronor per vote, of which 9.20 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
099-208 01 (3.60 kronor per vote)
"Bara du är där" – Ella Tiritiello
099-908 02 (9.90 kronor per vote, of which 9.20 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
099-208 02 (3.60 kronor per vote)
"Yours" – Tennessee Tears
099-908 03 (9.90 kronor per vote, of which 9.20 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
099-208 03 (3.60 kronor per vote)
"Bara bada bastu" – KAJ
099-908 04 (9.90 kronor per vote, of which 9.20 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
099-208 04 (3.60 kronor per vote)
"Do good be better" – Amena
099-908 05 (9.90 kronor per vote, of which 9.20 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
099-208 05 (3.60 kronor per vote)
"Revolution" – Måns Zelmerlöw
099-908 06 (9.90 kronor per vote, of which 9.20 kronor goes to Radiohjälpen)
099-208 06 (3.60 kronor per vote)
