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

Tonight, the third heat of Melodifestivalen 2026 takes place at Kristianstad Arena in Kristianstad, where six acts will compete for a spot in the final!

Heat 3 contestants:

1. Patrik Jean – “Dusk Till Dawn“
Text & music: David Lindgren Zacharias, Joy Deb, Melanie Wehbe, Patrik Jean

Patrik Jean is making a comeback in Melodifestivalen 2026 with the song “Dusk Till Dawn” written together with David Lindgren Zacharias, Joy Deb and Melanie Wehbe. With 80 million streams as an artist and over 400 million streams as a songwriter, he has established himself as a leading pop creator. He has written winning songs in Idol in 2017 and 2019, was behind the Melodifestivalen-winning song “Move” with The Mamas, and has had Eurovision entries in Denmark and Malta. As an artist, he is known for “Lean on Me”, “Prosecco”, and “The Talk”.

2. Korslagda – “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll“
Text & music: Andreas Werling, Håkan Sörle, Kristofer Strandberg, Stefan Sjur

Korslagda, fronted by Älvdalen native Ubbe Näslund, is making its debut in Melodifestivalen 2026 with the rock song “King of Rock ’n’ Roll”. The band was formed in 2019 and has quickly gone from the rehearsal space to filling venues across Sweden. With a rock’n’roll niche somewhere between AC/DC, Turbonegro, Eddie Meduza and early Vikingarna, they appeal to punks, greasers, young people and pensioners alike. Korslagda has released the albums “Den Korslagda Lärarn” and “Boulder Dash” and consists of Ubbe Näslund, Pedro Sanchez, Per Kronqvist, Carl-Johan Fogelklou and Björn Boj.

3. Emilia Pantić – “Ingenting“
Text & music: Emilia Pantić, Fredrik Andersson, Jakob Westerlund, Theodor Ström, Wilmer Öberg

Emilia Pantić has established herself as a new voice on the Swedish pop scene and become known for her unfiltered and personal lyrics about relationships and loneliness. She grew up in Gothenburg and, since her debut in 2022 with the single “Roadkill”, she has released several singles as well as her debut EP “Hatar att du lät oss gå”. Emilia has toured with RIX FM, been a supporting act for Thomas Stenström and is now on her way to establishing herself as one of Sweden’s future pop artists. In 2023, she released the single “Oklar”, the same year she made her TV debut on Nyhetsmorgon on TV4. Now, she is stepping onto the Melodifestivalen stage for the first time with “Ingenting”, a ballad with a slight rock edge.

4. Medina – “Viva L’Amor“
Text & music: Ali Jammali, Anderz Wrethov, Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy “Joker” Thörnfeldt, Sami Rekik

Medina, the duo Sami Rekik and Ali Jammali, had their breakthrough in Melodifestivalen 2022 with “In i dimman”, an energetic song that took them to the final and a third-place finish. In 2024, they returned with “Que Sera” and claimed second place, while also winning the audience’s hearts with their laid-back joy and genuine warmth. The following year, they performed the interval act “Genom eld och vatten” in the final and filled the arena with a singalong. In 2026, they are back in the competition with “Viva L’Amor”, bringing a celebration of party, friendship and love.

Eva Jumatate / Magnus Liam Karlsson – SVT

5. Eva Jumatate – “Selfish“
Text & music: Eva Jumatate, Herman Gardarfve, Marlene Strand, Ruth Lindegren

Eva Jumatate, 18, from Kristianstad, is making her debut in Melodifestivalen 2026. At the age of ten, she took her first steps onto the TV stage in Talang, where she went all the way to the final and finished in the top three. Her performance was spread internationally via Global Got Talent and Kids Got Talent. Since then, Eva Jumatate has combined music and acting with roles such as Matilda in the musical Matilda the Musical and participation in Tosca at Malmö Opera. She has also had the lead role in the SVT series KÄR and has appeared in Klassen.

Brandsta City Släckers / Janne Danielsson – SVT

6. Saga Ludvigsson – “Ain’t Today“
Text & music: Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy Jansson, Johanna “Dotter” Jansson, Saga Ludvigsson

Saga Ludvigsson had her breakthrough at the age of twelve when she reached the final of Talang 2019, and a few years later she made it to the final of Idol 2023, where she finished second. After reaching the final of Melodifestivalen 2025 with “Hate You So Much”, followed by a summer of tours, festivals and new music, she is now back in the competition in 2026 with “Ain’t Today”, written together with Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy Jansson and Johanna Dotter Jansson. Saga Ludvigsson has a distinct expression within pop-country music and, despite her young age, extensive live performance experience and an ability to create a strong connection with the audience.

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!