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Tusse triumphs at Melodifestivalen with 'Voices'

13 March 2021 at 21:57 CET
Tusse wins Melodifestivalen 2021 SVT / Stina Stjernkvist
Tusse has won 'Melodifestivalen' and will represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest with 'Voices' in the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 18 May.

The grand finale of Melodifestivalen marked the last of the televised Eurovision selection shows; drawing a big sparkly curtain across the Contest’s “national final season”.

In a hotly contested year, Tusse came out on top with the track Voices and will now represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam.

The winning song was written by Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy ”Joker” Thörnfeldt and Anderz Wrethov.

Tusse describes how Voices found its way to him:

”My song happened when I was sitting in a session with Joy Deb and Linnea Deb and the rest of the group. We were writing music, but nothing felt right, and nothing felt close to the heart. But then it transpired that they had already written such a beautiful song that I got to hear. I just said: 'That's the one! That's the one we should go for.' The song is about fellowship, freedom and the importance of all voices being heard.”

Tusse at the final of Melodifestivalen 2021 SVT / Stina Stjernkvist

Melodifestivalen 2021 results:

  1. Danny Saucedo - Dandi dansa (74pts)
  2. Klara Hammarström - Beat of Broken Hearts (79pts)
  3. Anton Ewald - New Religion (25pts)
  4. The Mamas - In The Middle (106pts)
  5. Paul Rey - The Missing Piece (25pts)
  6. Charlotte Perrelli - Still Young (60pts)
  7. Tusse - Voices (175pts)
  8. Alvaro Estrella - Baila Baila (26pts)
  9. Clara Klingenström - Behöver inte dig idag (91pts)
  10. Eric Saade - Every Minute (118pts)
  11. Dotter - Little Tot (105pts)
  12. Arvingarna - Tänker inte alls gå hem (44pts)
    = Winner

This year, Swedish broadcaster SVT saw a record number of votes, with Tusse alone receiving nearly three million from the general public!

Trivia fans might note that Dotter finished just one point behind The Mamas, as she did in 2020.

About Tusse

A household name in Sweden, Tusse got his lucky break in Sweden’s Got Talent (advancing to the semi-finals) before cementing his popularity by winning Swedish Idol in 2019.

He’s already got a string of hits to his name including My Soul Is Calling You (a tribute to his mother who passed away), the ballad A Better You, and a rendition of Whitney Houston's How Will I Know. Last Spring, Tusse released Innan du går (Before You Go), his first song in Swedish.

Always the pragmatist, when asked by Måns Zelmerlöw after winning Melodifestivalen: ‘Are you excited for Eurovision now?’ Tusse replied: ‘No, on Monday I have to hand in an essay in Nature science. Which I’m very excited for.’ That's dedication!

Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest

Sweden first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958 but it would take them until 1974 to win the competition when ABBA famously took the trophy with the song Waterloo, which became a global hit and an all-time Eurovision classic.

The Swedes are on the hunt for their seventh Eurovision Song Contest victory, which would tie them with Ireland for the number of most wins.