Melodifestivalen 2019: Sweden announces hopefuls for Tel Aviv ticket

With Melodifestivalen 2019 starting on the 2nd of February, the announced artists will battle for a spot in the national final on the 9th of March. The winner will go on to represent Sweden at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in May.

Over the course of two months, four semi-finals will be held throughout Sweden. In each show, seven acts will perform, two of whom will go through to the final. From each semi-final, the audience will also pick two artists that get a second chance by performing in Andra Chansen (Second Round) in Nyköping on the 2nd of March.  From the eight acts performing in Andra Chansen, four will go through to the final.

On the 9th of March, 12 acts will battle for the ticket to Tel Aviv in the much anticipated spectacle, traditionally to be hosted in Stockholm.

Semi-final 1

2 February 2019 in Göteborg

• Anna Bergendahl - Anna makes her comeback after winning Melodifestivalen in 2010 and reaching the 11th place in the 2nd Semi-Final of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest.
• Nano - Nano came 2nd in 2017 with Hold On, while Robin Bengtsson won and went on to represent Sweden at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest (finishing 5th in the Grand Final).
• Mohombi - His Melodifestivalen debut took place in 2005, and rose to international fame in 2010 with the worldwide hit Bumpy Ride, produced by RedOne.
• Zeana feat. Anis Don Demina - Zeana is known from Swedish Idol 2016 and YouTuber Anis already appeared on stage during Samir & Viktor's Melodifestivalen performance in 2018. 
• Arja Saijonmaa - The 73-year-old Finnish-Swedish singer finished 2nd in Melodifestivalen 1987 and returns after a long and diverse career. 
• High15 - This girl group met at a camp for young artists and competed in the semi final in Sweden’s Got Talent 2017.
• Wiktoria - She is back after finishing 4th in the final of 2016 and 6th in 2017.

Semi-final 2

9 February 2019 in Malmö

• Andreas Johnson - This veteran is in for the 7th time, after last competing in 2015. Andreas reached international fame in 1999, with his hit single Glorious.
• Hanna Ferm & LIAMOO - LIAMOO returns straight from his 6th place in the 2018 final, now with Hanna, runner-up in Swedish Idol 2017.
• Malou Prytz - This 15-year-old makes her debut on the big stage after winning several talent hunts. Former participant Isa Tengblad is one of the songwriters.
• Oscar Enestad - Former FO&O member (Melodifestivalen 2017) goes solo, following up his 2018 debut single Heaven on My Skin. The song is about daring to love whoever you want.
• Jan Malmsjö - This 86-year-old legend has done it all in Swedish show business, including finishing as the runner-up in Melodifestivalen 1969 with Hej clown.
• Vlad Reiser - Vlad is a sensation at Swedish YouTube with 400,000 subscribers. He moved to Sweden from Belarus at 9 years of age.
• Margaret - The Polish Cool Me Down star is back after her 7th place in Melodifestivalen 2018 with In My Cabana.

Semi-final 3

16 February 2019 in Leksand

• Dolly Style - The doll trio is back after reaching the Second Chance in 2015 and 2016 with “Hello Hi” and “Rollercoaster”. Their new song Habibi is about including everyone.
• Martin Stenmarck - The 2005 winner, finishing 19th in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, is back for the 4th time. The song is written by former participant Uno Svenningsson.
• Jon Henrik Fjällgren - The Sami joik singer won Sweden’s Got Talent in 2014 and finished as the runner-up in Melodifestivalen 2015, only defeated by later Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw. He returned in 2017, finishing 3rd. 
• Omar - The former FO&O member (Melodifestivalen 2017) goes solo, following up his 2018 solo debut. 2013 Eurovision Song Contest participant Robin Stjernberg is one of the songwriters.
• The Lovers of Valdaro - This duo made their debut with the synth anthem Lost Forever in 2018. They earned their place in Melodifestivalen because they participated in the talent contest P4 Nästa. One of the participants was the blonde backup dancer in Moldova's 2018 Eurovision Song Contest entry My Lucky Day by DoReDoS.
• Lina Hedlund - The Alcazar member is back for her 6th Melodifestivalen, performing solo for the first time since 2003. Former Melodifestivalen participant Johanna "Dotter" Jansson is one of the songwriters.
• Rebecka Karlsson - The 18-year-old Rebecka has already been the runner-up in Swedish Idol 2016 and performed the official anthem for several Pride festivals in Sweden.

Semi-final 4

23 February 2019 in Lidköping

• Arvingarna - The 1993 Melodifestivalen winners, finishing 7th in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, are back for a 5th time. Melodifestivalen legend Nanne Grönvall is one of the songwriters.
• Anton Hagman - Anton particpated in Melodifestivalen 2017, where he was chosen over Loreen in a Second Chance duel. His participating song is in Swedish.
• Ann-Louise Hansson - Ann-Louise extends her previous record-breaking list of 13 participations.
• Bishara - 15-year-old Bishara has recently become popular for his vocal performances on Instagram, and now he is ready for the big stage. 2018 Eurovision Song Contest participant Benjamin Ingrosso is one of the songwriters.
• Pagan Fury - The Folk Metal band, led by singer Arven Latour, has been appointed as the official rock band for the computer game Crusader Kings.
• John Lundvik - The London-born Swede had his big break in 2018, finishing 3rd in the final. John is a former athletics sprinter, winning the Swedish Championships 8 times.
• Lisa Ajax - Lisa was the youngest winner of Swedish Idol ever in 2014. Now she is back after reaching the Melodifestivalen final in both 2016 and 2017.

Who are you rooting for out of the 28 announced Melodifestivalen 2019 acts? Let us know in the comments!