Melodifestivalen: Round 2

Round 2 of Melodifestivalen was held on Saturday in Linköping. Former Melodifestivalen musician and comedian, Sean Banan, treated the audience to a very, very funny rendition of 1984's Eurovision winner, "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" by Herreys. At the end, the actual Herreys reunited and performed their famous song.

The line-up:
1. "Love Trigger," J.E.M.
2. "Hallelujah," The Refreshments
3. "Glow," Manda
4. "Efter solsken," Panetoz
5. "I Am Somebody," Pink Pistols
6. "Undo," Sanna Nielsen
7. "Set Yourself Free," Little Great Things
8. "När änglarna går hem," Martin Stenmarck

The Great: Sanna Nielsen and J.E.M.

This is Sanna Nielsen's seventh attempt to represent her country at Eurovision. Sweden loves this lady, and she has always been voted into the final round of Melodifestivalen. Most of her past entries have been strictly schlager, very upbeat pop hits. "Undo" is stronger, a power ballad, and it could be her best effort so far. Yet again, she was sent directly to the final round. Will it be Sanna Nielsen's year? Watch her performance here.

J.E.M. was put together on the Swedish version of X Factor, which ran for only one season. Made up of Jeremie Yumba, Elli Flemström, and Mergime Murati, they have a fun, Black Eyed Peas vibe going on. "Love Trigger" is a great pop song, and one to watch out for. We will see J.E.M. again on the Andra Chansen (second chance) round in March. Watch their performance here.

The Good: Panetoz and Pink Pistols

Panetoz is a multi-ethnic hip hop group with members originating from Gambia, Ethiopia, Angola, and native Sweden. Formed in 2001, they first premiered on a Swedish music reality show, Hitmakers. Panetoz followed that appearance with "Dansa pausa," which became a #1 hit in 2012. Given their popularity right now, and their high-energy performance, it's really no surprise that "Efter solsken"was voted into the final round of Melodifestivalen. Watch their performance here.

Pink Pistols had a fun song with "I Am Somebody." And I give them bonus points because there are drag queens in this group. Unfortunately, they failed to make it past the semi-final.

The Worst: Little Great Things

Sweden's answer to Fall Out Boy includes two of Benny Andersson's grandchildren, Charlie and Felix Grönvall. Benny Andersson, of course, is a founding member of ABBA, thereby making him Swedish royalty. Maybe if these kiddies would have followed their grandpa a bit more, they would have had a better chance. Although, for the record, Benny did say he was very proud of his grandsons. "Set Yourself Free" did not make it to the next round, thank ABBA.

The other qualifier of the night was Martin Stenmarck, with "När änglarna går hem." Martin formerly represented Sweden in Eurovision in 2005, the same year Helena Paparizou won. (Martin, by contrast, came in 19th place.) So it will be very interesting to see them go up against each other in Andra Chansen.