Tonight: Sweden’s Melodifestivalen 2026 continues with the second heat!

Tonight, the second heat of Melodifestivalen 2026 takes place at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, where six acts will compete for a spot in the final!

Heat 2 contestants:

1. Arwin – “Glitter“
Text & music: Arwin Ismail, Axel Schylström, Dino Medanhodzic, Melanie Wehbe, Robert Skowronski

Arwin rose to prominence with the hit “För bra för att vara sant”, which went viral on TikTok and received extensive radio play across Sweden in 2024. He also joined the Rix FM Festival tour and embarked on his own summer tour around the country. Arwin’s music blends disco, pop, and electronic influences. In Melodifestivalen 2025, he competed with the autobiographical song “This Dream of Mine”, reaching the final qualification round, and later that summer he toured Sweden as part of the Diggiloo ensemble. In Melodifestivalen 2026, Arwin returns with “Glitter” — an upbeat Swedish-language pop track with strong 1980s influences and a more personal tone.

Laila Adèle / Magnus Liam Karlsson – SVT

2. Laila Adèle – “Oxygen“
Text & music: Jonas Thander, Laila Adèle, Marcus Winther-John

Laila Adèle was born in Fez, Morocco, and raised in Sweden, moving effortlessly between soul, jazz, gospel, and musical theater. She competed in Melodifestivalen in 2006 with “Don’t Try to Stop Me” and has released several albums since. On stage, she has taken on leading roles in major productions such as Hairspray, Jekyll & Hyde, and the long-running success From Broadway to Duvemåla. Laila Adèle also performed the Swedish main theme “En värld full av liv” for The Lion King and is currently starring as Effie in Dreamgirls at the China Theater.

Robin Bengtsson / Magnus Liam Karlsson – SVT

3. Robin Bengtsson – “Honey Honey“
Text & music: Gavin Jones, Pär Westerlund, Petter Tarland, Robin Bengtsson

Robin Bengtsson has built a successful career with more than 120 million streams to date. He won Melodifestivalen in 2017 with the song “I Can’t Go On”. In 2024, he made a move into the country music scene, releasing several singles and performing live at country festivals across Sweden. In 2025, Bengtsson traveled to Nashville to write music for upcoming projects. Back home, he later wrote “Honey Honey”, a song he immediately felt was the right one to bring back to Melodifestivalen—returning to the competition ten years after his debut in 2016.

4. FELICIA – “My System“
Text & music: Audun Agnar, Emily Harbakk, FELICIA, Julie Bergan, Theresa Rex

FELICIA—formerly known as F and previously as Fröken Snusk—has quickly taken Sweden by storm with her distinctive voice, charisma, and powerful stage presence. She has topped Spotify charts, performed more than 300 live shows, and won Masked Singer. She competed in Melodifestivalen 2024 with the song “Unga och Fria”, advancing to the Final Qualification round. In autumn 2025, FELICIA released her debut single under her own name, “Black Widow”. The track rapidly climbed to No. 3 on Spotify’s Top 50 chart and received widespread support from Swedish radio and media.

5. Klara Almström – “Där hela världen väntar“
Text & music: Fredrik Sonefors, Jimmy Jansson, Klara Almström

Klara Almström broke through in Idol 2022, where she finished in third place. She now makes her Melodifestivalen debut with “Där hela världen väntar”, co-written with Fredrik Sonefors and Jimmy Jansson, a song about overcoming self-doubt and daring to believe in yourself again. Inspired by jazz, folk traditions, and Swedish pop, Klara Almström has built a large following on TikTok through interpretations and original songs, including the duet “Hittat hem” with Björn Holmgren.

Brandsta City Släckers / Magnus Liam Kalrsson – SVT

6. Brandsta City Släckers – “Rakt in i elden“
Text & music: Anderz Wrethov, Elin Wrethov, Kristofer Strandberg, Robert Skowronski

Brandsta City Släckers—made up of Glenn Borgkvist, Mats Nilsson, Ulf Johansson, Olle Östberg, and Tom Börjesson—are a beloved band known for blending firefighter uniforms, rock music, and humor. Formed in 1994, they broke through in Melodifestivalen 2002 with “Kom och ta mig”, followed by “15 minuter” the year after. Their signature “Brandstaklapp” turned them into cult favorites and earned them a spot in the Melodifestivalen Hall of Fame in 2020. After a widely talked-about interval act with Edvin Törnblom in 2025, they return to the competition in 2026 with the song “Rakt in i elden”.

The hosts

Gina Dirawi and Hampus Nessvold will host Melodifestivalen 2026. Two stage-savvy comedians with a great sense of timing. One veteran and one debutant. It will be Gina’s fourth time, which means she now holds the female record for the role. For Hampus, it will be his first time on the Mello stage.

**Gina Dirawi** and **Hampus Nessvold** / Janne Danielsson – SVT

Full songs are now released to all platforms!

Since last 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 changed 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 first competing songs in their full studio version!