Melodifestivalen 2017 was the 57th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, which selected Sweden's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. The competition was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 4 February and 11 March 2017.

The format of the competition consisted of 6 shows: 4 heat rounds, a second chance round and a final. An initial 28 entries were selected for the competition through three methods: an open call for song submissions, direct invitations to specific artists and songwriters and a wildcard given to one of the artists that participated in the Svensktoppen nästa competition organised by Sveriges Radio P4. The 28 competing entries were divided into four heats, with seven compositions in each. From each heat, the songs that earn first and second place qualified directly to the final, while the songs that place third and fourth proceeded to the Second Chance round. The bottom three songs in each heat were eliminated from the competition. An additional four entries qualified from the Second Chance round to the final, bringing the total number of competing entries in the final to 12. All 6 shows were hosted by Clara Henry, David Lindgren and Hasse Andersson.

The winning song would compete for Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 to be held in Kyiv, Ukraine. Sweden competed in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 on 9 May and had to place within the top 10 out of the 18 in their semi-final in order to qualify and compete in the final on 13 May.

Format

Melodifestivalen 2017, organised by Sveriges Television (SVT), was the sixteenth consecutive edition of the contest in which the competition took place in different cities across Sweden.^[1] The four heats were held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg (4 February), the Malmö Arena in Malmö (11 February), the Vida Arena in Växjö (18 February) and the Skellefteå Kraft Arena in Skellefteå (25 February).^[2] The Second Chance round took place at the Saab Arena in Linköping on 4 March while the final was held at the Friends Arena in Solna on 11 March. An initial 28 entries competed in the heats, with seven entries taking part in each show. The top two entries from each heat advanced directly to the final, while the third and fourth placed entries advanced to the Second Chance round. The bottom three entries in each heat were eliminated. An additional four entries qualified for the final from the Second Chance round, bringing the total number of competing entries in the final to 12.

Christer Björkman was announced as the executive producer of the competition, while Annette Helenius was assigned as the project manager for a second consecutive year.^[3][4]

Presenters

The hosts David Lindgren, Clara Henry, and Hasse Andersson.

At a press conference on 30 September 2016, Clara Henry, David Lindgren and Hasse Andersson were announced as the hosts for all six shows of Melodifestivalen 2017.^[6] Henry previously appeared in comedic skits and hosted pre and post shows during Melodifestivalen 2014. Lindgren and Andersson previously competed as artists in the competition; Lindgren took part in 2012, 2013 and 2016, while Andersson took part in 2015.

Competing entries

Information regarding the selected entries and artists were publicised by SVT on 30 November 2016.^[1] On 28 August 2016, Les Gordons were selected as the first artists for Melodifestivalen from the competing artists that took part in the Svensktoppen nästa competition organised by Sveriges Radio P4.^[7]

Heats

As in previous years, Melodifestivalen will commence with four heats, which will determine the eight entries that will advance directly to the final and the eight entries that will qualify to the Second Chance round.^[8]

Second Chance round

Second Chance round took place on 4 March 2017 at Cloetta Center in Linköping. The duels were revealed following the fourth heat on 25 February 2017.^[9] A total of 7,223,709 votes were cast throughout the show.

Final

The Final took place on 11 March 2017 at Friends Arena in Stockholm. A record-breaking total of 13,566,778 votes were cast. Zara Larsson performed a medley of her singles I Would Like and Ain't My Fault during the interval act, whilst Melodifestivalen 2016 winner Frans performed his winning entry If I Were Sorry before the announcement of the International Jury votes.

Detailed International Jury Votes
Draw	Song												Total
1	"Wild Child"	1	2	12	2	2	6	10					35
2	"Her Kiss"	6	1			4		2	4	6	8	4	35
3	"I Don't Give A"				1				1		12	2	16
4	"I Can't Go On"	8	10	4	10	12	8	8	12	12	4	8	96
5	"En värld full av strider (Eatneme gusnie jeenh dåaroeh)"	2	8	2	8		12		2	10		12	56
6	"Kiss You Goodbye"					1	2			2	1		6
7	"A Million Years"	12	6		12	8	10	6			2	6	62
8	"Gotta Thing About You"			1		6							7
9	"Hold On"	10	4	10	4		4	12	8	4	10	10	76
10	"As I Lay Me Down"	4		8	6			4	6			1	29
11	"Good Lovin'"		12	6		10	1	1	10	8	6		54
12	"Boogieman Blues"									1			1
International Jury Spokespersons
– Iveta Mukuchyan – Stephanie Werret – Simon Proctor – Edoardo Grassi – Tali Eshkoli – Nicola Caligiore – Gordon Bonello – Anette Lauenborg Waaler – Mateusz Grzesiński – Jan Bors – Victoria Romanova

Broadcast and ratings

All six shows in the competition were televised live on SVT1 and SVT World as well as streamed online via the broadcaster's streaming service SVT Play. The shows were also broadcast via radio on Sveriges Radio P4.

References

External links

• (in Swedish) Melodifestivalen Official Site