Tonight: Sweden’s Melodifestivalen 2025 continues with the third heat!

Tonight, the third heat of Melodifestivalen 2025 takes place at the ABB Arena in Västerås, where six acts will battle it out for a spot in the grand final!

Heat 3 contestants:

1. Greczula – “Believe Me”
Text & music: Kristofer Greczula, Amanda Nordelius, John Russell

Kristofer Greczula is a 32-year-old Swedish singer and songwriter who began his musical journey as a teenager with the rock band Damn Delicious. In 2024, he embarked on a solo career under his surname, Greczula. His 2017 single “You’re Not Alone” achieved gold and platinum status and became the anthem for the mental health awareness organization Never Alone. His musical influences include legends like Prince, Queen, and David Bowie

2. Malou Prytz – “24K Gold”
Text & music: Julie “Kill J” Aagaard, Malou Prytz, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Anders Wrethov

Malou Prytz is a Swedish pop singer who first gained national attention in 2019 when she participated in Melodifestivalen with the song “I Do Me,” which advanced to the finals. Born in 2003, she has continued to build her music career with subsequent releases and returns to the Melodifestivalen stage with “24K Gold.”

3. Björn Holmgren – “Rädda Mig“
Text & music: Björn Holmgren, Jens Hult, David Lindgren Zacharias

Björn Holmgren is a Swedish singer-songwriter making his Melodifestivalen debut with the song “Rädda mig.” While specific details about his musical background are limited, his participation in this heat marks his introduction to a broader audience.

4. Dolly Style – “YIHAA”
Text & music: Caroline Aronsson, Herman Gardarfve, Patrik Jean, David Lindgren Zacharias, Mikaela Samuelsson, Melanie Wehbe

Dolly Style is a Swedish pop group known for their colorful and playful personas, each member adopting a “doll” character with pastel wigs and distinctive styles. Formed in 2014, the group has seen various lineup changes over the years. They have participated in Melodifestivalen multiple times, including entries like “Hello Hi” in 2015 and “Rollercoaster” in 2016. Their music often features catchy melodies and danceable beats.

5. Angelino – “Teardrops“
Text & music: Tusse Chiza, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt

Angelino is a Swedish singer making his debut in Melodifestivalen with the song “Teardrops.” While specific information about his musical background is scarce, his entry into the competition introduces him to the Swedish pop music scene.

6. Annika Wickihalder – “Life Again”
Text & music: Herman Gardarfve, Patrik Jean, Annika Wickihalder

Annika Wickihalder is a singer participating in Melodifestivalen for the first time with her song “Life Again.” Details about her previous musical endeavors are limited, but her performance in this heat offers her an opportunity to showcase her talent to a wider audience.

The top two entries from this semi-final will advance directly to the final, while the third-placed song will have another chance in the final qualification round after the fifth heat. This year’s format introduces changes, including the immediate release of competing songs on streaming platforms the day before their respective heats, allowing fans to familiarize themselves with the entries ahead of the broadcasts.

Full songs are now released to all platforms!

In this year’s edition SVT brings something that the fans were asking for! The release dates of the competing songs! All these years, SVT were very strict about the release of the songs prior to the contest. The viewers were only getting a few seconds of rehearsals and snippets and the finalists were not allowed to be streamed before the last heat was over. This changes for the 2025 edition. All six songs from each heat will be released to all platforms on Friday, one day before their competing heat and will be available throughout the entire competition. So here are the 6 competing songs in their full studio version!

The hosts

Melodifestivalen 2025 will be hosted by Kristina “Keyyo” Petrushina and Edvin Törnblom. Both are renowned comedians in Sweden, bringing their unique humor and charisma to the stage. Their collaboration is highly anticipated, promising an engaging and entertaining experience for viewers.

Hall of Fame

When Melodifestivalen reaches Västerås, it’s time to induct another Mello icon into the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame. Sanna Nielsen has extensive experience with the competition, having participated no less than seven times since her debut in 2001. When she finally won in 2014 with the song “Undo,” she proved that it’s never too late to hold on to the hope of winning the Songbird trophy.

The motivation reads:

“All of Sweden’s Sanna finally emerged victorious in 2014 on her seventh Mello attempt. After a series of schlager classics and the magical second-place finish with ‘Empty Room,’ Bromölla’s best polished her performance even further. La Nielsen’s formidable appearance elevated ‘Undo’ to a bronze position at Eurovision. That the beloved Sanna is being inducted into the Hall of Fame is nothing short of a singing certainty.”

Sanna Nielsen comments:

It is a great honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame because Melodifestivalen means so much to me. When I was little, I dreamed of standing on that stage one day, but I never knew it would be seven times as a contestant. I am grateful for every single year and remember them with so much joy. Melodifestivalen has helped me grow as an artist and has also opened doors to other exciting opportunities. It’s a chapter I am extremely proud of.

Special Performance

During Heat 3 in Västerås, Sanna will perform a medley with song and dance, celebrating her seven entries in the competition. The performance will include her winning song “Undo,” written by Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, and Hamed “K-One” Pirouzpanah, as well as the powerful ballad “Empty Room.”

Christer Björkman, Honorary Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee, says:

Sanna is proof that you should never give up! On her seventh attempt, she topped her Mello journey with a victory and made history in Mello.

About the Hall of Fame

Since Melodifestivalen’s inception in 1958, countless colorful artists and melodies have made an impact on Swedish music and the national spirit. Melodifestivalen’s Hall of Fame was established in 2020 to honor and highlight exceptional achievements and unforgettable Mello memories throughout the program’s long history.

Fun Facts

Västerås – After 17 Years

• Västerås is hosting Melodifestivalen for only the second time in history. The first time was 17 years ago, during the second heat in 2008, where Sanna Nielsen’s “Empty Room” and Rongedal’s “Just a Minute” made it to the final. That year also marked the debut of Ola’s “Love in Stereo” and Andra Generationen’s “Kebabpizza Slivovitza”, as well as Johnson & Häggkvist’s “One Love”, which was praised by critics but went to Andra chansen (Second Chance).

Youngest Heat – But With the Most Returning Artists

• Three out of the four artists who have made it to the final so far are over 40 years old: John Lundvik (42), Maja Ivarsson (45), and Erik Segerstedt (41); the fourth finalist is Klara Hammarström (24). However, this week’s heat is the youngest of the year. Among this week’s contestants, only Greczula (32) and Yolly (31) from Dolly Style are over 30.
• This heat also has the most returning artists this year. Greczula and Björn Holmgren are debutants, while Malou Prytz (2019, 2020, 2022), Dolly Style (2015, 2016, 2019), Angelino (2022), and Annika Wickihalder (2024) have all competed before. Annika Wickihalder and (in Heat 5) SCARLET are the only returning artists from last year’s competition.

Tough for Debuting Songwriters

• Greczula’s entry, “Believe Me,” is entirely written by debuting songwriters, just like Adrian Macéus’s entry in Heat 1 and Vilhelm Buchau’s entry in Heat 5.
• The last time a song entirely written by Melodifestivalen debutants reached the final was Lisa Ajax’s “Torn” in 2019. Since then, debutant entries by Malin Christin, Tribe Friday, Uje Brandelius, Klaudy, and Adrian Macéus have all missed the final. However, there are exceptions: in 2017 (Nano) and 2018 (Felix Sandman), songs written entirely by debutants finished in second place in the final.
• Of the songs written solely by new songwriters between 2002 and Heat 1 of 2025, 36 have reached the final, 25 went to the Second Chance round, and 95 were eliminated in the heats. During this period, between 50% and 66% of all competing entries advanced from the heats, depending on the rules. Meanwhile, 39% of debutant entries advanced. Of the final entries, between 10% and 7.7% have won, whereas only 1 of the 36 debutant entries that made it to the final has won – “The Worrying Kind” by The Ark – which corresponds to 2.7%.

Malou Prytz Surpasses Sanna and Ann-Louise

• At 21 years old, Malou Prytz becomes the youngest artist ever to compete with four entries, surpassing Ann-Louise Hanson, who performed her fourth and fifth entries at the age of 22, and Sanna Nielsen, who performed her fourth entry at the same age. Malou Prytz is also the only artist to have competed with three entries as a teenager.
• Behind Malou Prytz’s song “24K Gold” are the songwriting trio of Julie “Kill J” Aagaard, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, and Anderz Wrethov. Their previous joint entries include “Run to the Hills” (Klara Hammarström), “Dragon” (LIAMOO), and “When I’m Gone” (Maria Sur), all of which went straight to the final.

Angelino’s Super Day

• Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt has advanced from the heats, either to the final or to the Second Chance round, with his last 19 entries. In the third heat, he’s competing not only with Malou Prytz but also with Angelino’s entry, “Teardrops.” Angelino’s song is also co-written by Tusse, who won Melodifestivalen in 2021.
• For Angelino, everything is happening on the same day this Saturday. He turns 27 years old, competes in Melodifestivalen, and also participates as a songwriter in another country’s national selection. He is competing as a songwriter in Estonia’s national selection with the song “The Last to Know,” co-written with Simon Peyron and Julie Aagaard. Additionally, the day before, he is also competing in Poland’s national selection with the song “Pray.”

Dolly Style Aims for Their First Final

• Dolly Style is celebrating ten years since the group first appeared at Melodifestivalen 2015. This year, they aim to reach the final for the first time. Of their previous three entries, two made it to the Second Chance round, and one – “Habibi” (2019), which became their most-played song afterward – was eliminated in the heat.
• Two of this week’s artists have a background in playing floorball at a high level. Molly from Dolly Style has played up to Division 1 but has since put down her stick. Meanwhile, Malou Prytz plays for Mölndals IBF in Division 2 (recently changed from Division 1 due to a series restructuring).
• Inducted into the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame among this week’s contestants are the songwriters Joy Deb and Linnea Deb, who are competing with Angelino’s entry, and Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, who is competing with entries from Malou Prytz and Angelino.

Tune in tonight to catch these diverse performances and see who advances to the next stage of the competition!
You can watch the show live at 20:00 CET via our Multi-window live feed or at svtplay.se.

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