Christer Björkman, stalwart of the Swedish delegation each year, has admitted that there is a large number of rock songs in the pile of entries for Melodifestivalen 2007.
"There's a lot more rock 'n' roll than there used to be" said Christer to escsweden.com, as sixteen jury members prepare to sift through the huge pile of songs from the beginning of October. This could be a sign of the anticipated Lordi effect, with writers attempting to mimic the style of the winning entry of 2006 in order to catch a trend, and – hopefully – a good result the following year.
Trend-setting and trend-bucking
The Lordi effect is nothing new; in fact, it could well change its name year on year, as the attempt to follow trends in Eurovision has been happening since the contest began. Be it the Celtic wave of ethno-ballads in the 1990s or the infectious pop of the 1980, Eurovision inspires artists to follow trends in order to spot a winning niche in Europe. And – more often than not – the following year's winner will buck the trend and surprise all over again.
So – will Sweden pick a fresh new sound or plump for a fad this Melodifestivalen? Our first hint will come with the announcement of the 28 song titles later this year.
