Thanks to the people at SVT, I was given accreditation to view the rehearsals. I’ll be providing my thoughts on the numbers as I saw them.

1. Liamoo – Bluffin

Songwise I think is one of the strongest numbers we have seen in recent years. It is a combination of The Weeknd with Eric Saade’s “Every Minute” but much more accessible and poppy. Liamoo sells the song well and is very charismatic. However the issue is that the staging is quite minimalistic with no backing dancers. Liamoo is left to carry the performance all by himself. This is easily the winner of tonight’s heat and should be set for top 3 in the final. Yet, I don’t think it has that winning element.

2. Niello & Lisa Ajax – ‘Tror Du Att Jag Bryr Mig’

Contrary to others I am quite a big fan of this number. The song itself is catchy and a toe-tapper. I think this is the music that Swedes listen to outside of Mello. In the rehearsal, Ajax performed excellently. The pair work well together. Although, there are concerns about Niello’s vocals but he has improved throughout the week. Ajax has made the 2nd chance 2 out of 3 times she has performed. I’m expecting this to sneak a 4th place with Ajax’s young fans coming to the rescue.

3. Samira Manners – ‘I Want To Be Loved’

This is staged quite nicely with a lovely LED backdrop. The camera angles are also great and Samira sells the song down the lens. Yet, I’m not really sure the song is strong enough. It may not connect depending on the mood of the audience or it might!

4. Alvaro Estrella – ‘Suave’

Alvaro’s entry this year is staged more slickly than his previous entries in my number. SJB has thrown in a lot of her trademarks from ESC. Despite this, I don’t think the song has improved that much. I, myself felt quite bored as we have seen it all before.

5. Browsing Collection – ‘Face In The Mirror’

The ladies sell this number very well. They are a charismatic bunch and you can tell they love performing. However, I find the number to be a bit pedestrian. It doesn’t really stand out and doesn’t fit a perfect genre.

6. John Lundvik – ‘Anglavakt’

Songwise this is by far the weakest of John’s entries. It feels like a long 3 minutes and quite flat. However, John does sell the song very well. The emotion comes across very well and the lighting is also quite nice. John is very popular in Sweden and has won a number of reality shows. It will be a tough call whether he takes the 2nd DTF slot.

7. Tone Sekelius – ‘My Way’

This is a very poor performance and feels amateurish. Tone’s vocals are ok but the backing is very heavy. The whole package almost feels like a parody to me. But, I can see Tone avoiding a last place finish due to her fanbase and the narrative of being the 1st ever trans contestant.

My prediction:

1. Liamoo
2. John Lundvik
3. Alvaro Estrella
4. Niello & Lisa Ajax
5. Browsing Collection
6. Tone Sekeliuss
7. Samira Manners

Recommended Bets:

Back Liamoo/John Lundvik to go DTF @ 2.5 (Unibet)

Back Niello & Lisa Ajax to Qualify for the SF @ 2.75 (Unibet)