Melodifestivalen: Heat 3

Melodifestivalen continued in Östersund yesterday, which marks the half-way point through the competition.

The line-up:
1. "Insomnia," Ellen Benediktson
2. "För din skull," Kalle Johansson
3. "Bring Out the Fire," Andreas Weise
4. "Living To Die," Andreas Johnson
5. "Don't Stop," Isa
6. "I See You," Kristin Amparo
7. "Jag är fri (Manne Liem Frije)," Jon Henrik Fjällgren


The Great: Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Andreas Weise

Jon Henrik is a favorite to win. He was born in Colombia, South America and adopted by a Laplander family of reindeer herders. So he moved to Northern Sweden and started learning traditional Sami music, all the while being bullied by the other kids in his village for having dark skin. But then the KING AND QUEEN OF SWEDEN heard him sing and loved him so much and brought him national exposure.

So when you're thinking about who to send to an international contest: it doesn't get much better than this.

"Jag är fri (Manne Liem Frije)" (translation: "I Am Free") was sent direct to the final. It's very obvious the Swedes love Jon Henrik and his story, and this could go all the way to Eurovision. Plus, those girl ghosts are pretty cool. Watch his performance here.

Thank you, Andreas Weise, for bringing the fire to this week's competition. In a rather dull line-up, Andreas was full of energy, pyrotechnics, and choreo. The song, "Bring Out the Fire," isn't that great, but Tiny Woody Harrelson made up for it with enthusiasm and a catchy hook, which is why he's going to the Andra Chansen round.

The Good: Kristin Amparo and Isa

Kristin Amparo is a newcomer to Melodifestivalen, but "I See You" has the polish of an experienced performer. This was voted to Andra Chansen, and I think we may see her in the final.

Isa Tengblad, a Bratz doll that made a wish and came to life*, made her Melodifestivalen debut with "Don't Stop." This is just a fun, little poppy number, maybe a little reminiscent of Taylor Swift. And it's well executed, which is why Isa was voted direct to the final. Although I am nervous about the weight of her hair and makeup crushing her tiny body. Watch her performance here.

The Boring: Everyone Else

The competition this week was pretty underwhelming. Ellen Benediktson, who was a finalist last year, was expected to do well. But she seemed uncomfortable with her sexy, edgy new look, and "Insomnia" was just awkward. Kalle Johansson is supposedly popular among teens, but "För din skull" (translation: "For Your Sake") didn't capture the audience's attention. Maybe he'll be ready in a few years. Andreas Johnson has competed at Melodifestivalen many times, but "Living to Die" is tired, and even he seemed over it during the competition. (Here's a video of him from five years ago doing basically the same song and staging.)

Next week is the last of the semi-finals, and they usually save some amazing acts for last. So look forward to that.


*unconfirmed at time of publication