Yeah, we finally know who he is! Who will be travelling around Sweden in February and March to host the 58th Melodifestivalen edition? Via a press conference that is taking place right now, the national broadcaster SVT is making his name public. It’s the singer David Lindgren, who will be returning as host after a successful course in 2017!
Melodifestivalen 2018 has already kicked-off!
The project manager for Melodifestivalen 2018, Anette Helenius, had to say:
David is a phenomenal entertainer who shone in program hosting and won viewers’ hearts at Melodifestivalen 2017. But David has so many more great things to give. What feels stable and at the same time very exciting is that David agreed to host Melodifestivalen again.
Moreover, the director of the show, Sunil Munshi, made the following statements:
To have the honor of directing the largest entertainment program feels amazing. We will make a warm, fashionable, exuberant celebration that also raises questions and opens new perspectives. I’m extremely happy to be working with David Lindgren, and to show the audience completely new sides of him.
Once more, the broadcaster’s main target is to provide quite an enjoyable by everyone TV show, despite their background. Melodifestivalen has been very popular in the country and beyond, as it enjoys extremely high TV ratings every year. When it comes to Melodifestivalen 2017, its viewing success made it the 4th most popular edition throughout the ages.
You may watch live the press conference via SVT Nyheter.
Melodifestivalen’s agenda
The first Melodifestivalen 2018 live show will be taking place on 3 February in the city of Karlstad. The whole event is going to be completed exactly one month later in the capital Stockholm, after 4 semi-finals, one Second Chance round and of course, the Grand Final.
Here is the event’s full agenda:
- 03/02/2018: Semi-final 1 – Karlstad, Löfbergs Arena
- 10/02/2018: Semi-final 2 – Gothenburg, Scandinavium
- 17/02/2018: Semi-final 3 – Malmö, Malmö Arena
- 24/02/2018: Semi-final 4 – Örnsköldsvik, Fjällräven Center
- 03/03/2018: Andra chansen (Second chance) – Kristianstad, Kristianstad Arena
- 10/03/2018: Final – Stockholm, Friends Arena
Show tickets have gone on sale since Tuesday 31 October and they can be purchased here.
Following the closing of song submissions, SVT announced that they have received a record number of 2,771 proposed entries. Now the broadcaster is going to whittle them down and determine which 28 will take the stage in the live shows. However, the first act for Melodifestivalen has already been confirmed and it’s the singer Stiko Per Larsson, following his victory in the music contest P4 Nästa in late August.
Sweden at Eurovision 2017
As with every year, SVT hosted their annual selection show in 2017, in 6 different Swedish cities. The show presenters were Clara Henry, David Lindgren and Hasse Andersson. After an one-month trip, the final show took place on 11 March at Friends Arena in Stockholm.
12 entries battled for the coveted Eurovision ticket, but it was the 27-year singer Robin Bengtsson who finally got it, after his second Melodifestivalen attempt, with his pop dance entry I can’t go on! Robin came 1st with the international juries and 3rd with the televoting, finishing 1st overall.
At Eurovision in May, Robin came 3rd in the first semi-final and qualified to the Grand Final of Kyiv, where he eventually finished 5th with 344 points and offered his country their 4th Top 5 placing in a row.
