It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Melodifestivalen, Sweden's music selection process for Eurovision, starts in a few days. What this means for us is that some amazing songs and performances are headed our way.

Melodifestivalen (translation: "The Melody Festival") is an annual, televised music contest. It's sort of like a mini-Eurovision just for Sweden. Since 1958, it has been organized and broadcast by Sveriges Radio (SR) and Sveriges Television (SVT), and it decides who will represent Sweden at Eurovision. The winner is determined by a combination of call-in votes and the scrutiny from a panel of judges (whose critiques are not broadcast).

So why is Melodifestivalen so important? Most European countries have their own televised selection process, so what makes this one special? Simply put, Sweden is very good at making music. The production values of this festival are incredible. Every year, thousands of performers fight for a spot to compete at Melodifestivalen because it has proven to be the launching pad for young or undiscovered musicians. Most of the songs that debut at Melodifestivalen become a hit in Sweden, or somewhere else in the world. And more Swedes watch Melodifestivalen than Eurovision itself. Sweden has a population of just over 9 million people, and 4 million watched Melodifestivalen last year. That's almost half of the country. Since 2000, it has been the most-viewed program on Swedish television, and the audience grows larger and more international every year.

We Americans don't always realize it, but a Swedish influence can be found nearly everywhere in pop music today. Swedes are just very good at writing catchy, popular songs. There is a name for this style of music, "schlager," which is a German word for "hit." Generally, schlager has fluffy lyrics about love and is accompanied by either a slow orchestral ballad or a dance/disco beat. However, it has evolved over the years to encompass any style of music that is considered popular, including rap and rock. So for the next month, contestants at Melodifestivalen will be sending out some amazing schlager to the world. I cannot wait. I'll keep you updated on the best, and weirdest (because yes, there are definitely some weird ones), from Sweden.

From The Vault: Ich Troje

In honor of Poland's return to Eurovision later this year (after a two year absence), let's talk about one of my favorite performances, Ich Troje.

Ich Troje is one of Poland's most popular bands. The group was formed in 1996 by Michal Wisniewski, who acts as the primary songwriter and lead singer, and composer, Jacek Lagwa. The members of the group have fluctuated; the female vocalist usually changes depending on who Wisniewski is married to at the time. In 2003, after Poland's public selection process for Eurovision, they were voted to represent their country, and they did pretty well. After receiving 90 votes, they finished seventh in the final.

In 2006, they were back! And they were ready to give Poland its first ever Eurovision victory!

This performance has everything. Vocal grates! Green hair! Sign language! Demure and definitely-not-over-the-top costumes! Enlisting the rapping styles of "O-Jay" Jeglitza from 90s German Euroband, Real McCoy! Scream-singing into the belly of your pregnant wife!!!

Tragically, Ich Troje finished eleventh in the semi-final, so they were not passed onto the final. (They missed it by six points.)

Ich Troje is an entry that sticks with me because they were just so genuine. Yes, the performance is completely overdone, but they were so pumped to be at Eurovision, representing their country again. They didn't know they were being ridiculous, they were just being themselves. 2006 was my first Eurovision, and it was an amazing year. Nearly every act was either genuinely talented, or a big, silly mess.

Welcome back, Poland!

Eurovision Royalty: Helena Paparizou

An interesting thing might happen later this year. A former Eurovision winner is trying to return to the competition. But this time, she's aiming to represent a different country.

Belarus to Send "Cheesecake" To Copenhagen

Belarus held their own national selection this weekend, and TEO, with his song, "Cheesecake," was crowned the winner.

According to eurovision.tv, "Cheesecake" refers to the nickname given to TEO by his ex-girlfriend. TEO, born Juri Yashchuk, wrote the lyrics to the song himself. Will 2014 be the year for Belarussian victory? We'll just have to wait and see. But I have a feeling that "Cheesecake" will be a memorable entry this year.

From the Vault: Tajci

Before its dissolution in 1992, Yugoslavia had a long career at Eurovision. They debuted in 1961, only five years after the first Eurovision was held. Yugoslavia won the Contest for the first and only time in 1989, with a song called "Rock Me" by Riva.

The following year, they hosted the competition in Zagreb (now the capital of present-day Croatia). Their representative was Tajci, an adorable, bouncy, 19 year-old Croatian singer, and her song, "Hajde da ludujemo" (translation: "Let's Go Crazy!").

Tajci, born Tatjana Matejas, finished in seventh place. Her musical career, unfortunately, was shortened by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the resulting Yugoslav Wars. She left her home in 1992 for the United States, where she worked as an actress and singer. Tajci now lives in Cinncinati, Ohio with her husband, and focuses on spiritual music and church performances. She has written a semi-autobiographical musical, "My Perfectly Beautiful Life."