Credit: Stina Stjernkvist/SVTMelodifestivalen winners KAJ
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition in Sweden that serves as the country’s selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Organized by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR), the competition features a series of live shows and a grand final where the winning song and artist are determined.
The selection process involves music industry experts and public juries narrowing thousands of entries down to 30 finalists who perform in cities across Sweden over six consecutive Saturdays.
Last weekend, Warner-signed act KAJ won the event with their track Bara Bada Bastu and will represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest, marking the country’s first local language entry since 1998.
KAJ actually hails from Vörå, Finland, but are part of the country’s Swedish-speaking minority that makes up approximately 5% of Finland’s population.
(Sweden has won the Song Contest seven times – tying with Ireland – and secured an 26 Top Five finishes).
This year’s Melodifestivalen song contest, which concluded last Saturday (March 8), had a noticeable impact on Sweden’s charts.
Last week, all of the Top 10 tracks on Sweden’s Official Singles Chart were from Melodifestivalen, with 19 ‘Mello’ songs in the Top 50.
On Spotify, on the day of the finals, 27 out of the Top 50 tracks came from Mello, while the domestic skew of the Spotify Top 200 also jumped from its annual average of 51% to 69% last week.
Speaking with MBW after the event Mark Fry, President, Warner Music Nordics, told us that “Mello really drives the Swedish music market for the first quarter”.
He added: “You can’t escape Mello!”
“Artists, songwriters, record labels and publishing companies really lean into Melodifestivalen.”
Mark Fry, Warner Music Nordics
Commenting further on the event’s impact on the market, Fry explains: “Melodifestivalen is an institution in Sweden. It’s been held nearly every year since 1958, dominates the music business for the first couple of months of the year, and is one of the biggest platforms for Swedish artists. The excitement around Melodifestivalen goes year round, and within days of the Eurovision final we start work on the songs for next year.”
Added Fry: “Artists, songwriters, record labels and publishing companies really lean into Melodifestivalen, with some of the biggest names in music taking part in the competition. We work hard in the run-up to the shows to help refine the songs, and the performances so that they connect with the viewers and listeners.”
Warner Music Sweden had seven songs in Melodifestivalen, with five making the final. A further seven entries were distributed through ADA, WMG’s independent distribution and label services arm.
KAJ’s Bara Bada Bastu has been No.1 on Spotify’s Viral Global Chart for seven days and hit the No.1 spot on Spotify’s Viral Chart in 10 markets including the UK and Germany.
It is officially the most-streamed Swedish-language song ever in a single day on Spotify, and it’s enjoyed the second-biggest streaming day ever in Sweden, behind only Avicii’s SOS.
KAJ remains the outright favorite to win Eurovision, leading the odds with an increased 25% chance of victory, according to the bookmakers.
On YouTube, Bara Bada Bastu has surpassed 11 million combined views, and on TikTok, it’s racked up 90 million sound views and 14million plays on Instagram.
Held annually since 1956 (with the exception of 2020, due to the pandemic), the Eurovision Song Contest attracts approximately 180 million viewers worldwide and has become a significant platform for labels to showcase talent.
This year’s contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland. The Grand Final will be held on May 17 following the Semi-Finals on May 13 and May 15.
“This year Warner Music ended up with the top three songs in the final, with an amazing overall winner in KAJ, who achieved a cut through I have never seen before.”
Camilla Bjering von Zweigbergk, Warner Music Nordics
Last year, Swiss rapper and singer Nemo won the Eurovision with his song The Code. The event was held in Malmö, Sweden, with TikTokserving as the official entertainment partner for the third year running.
