Melodifestivalen 2017
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 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 semi-final 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 semi-finals, with seven compositions in each. From each semi-final, 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 semi-final 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 Kiev, Ukraine. Sweden competed in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 on the 9th of 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, was the sixteenth consecutive edition of the contest in which the competition took place in different cities across Sweden. The four semi-finals were held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, the Malmö Arena in Malmö, the Vida Arena in Växjö and the Skellefteå Kraft Arena in Skellefteå. 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 semi-finals, with seven entries taking part in each show. The top two entries from each semi-final advanced directly to the final, while the third and fourth placed entries advanced to the Second Chance round. The bottom three entries in each semi-final 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.
Entry selection
Entries for the 2017 competition were selected through three methods:- 14 entries were chosen by a selection panel from submissions received by SVT through an open call for songs.
- 13 entries were selected by SVT via special invitations to artists and songwriters.
- 1 entry was provided by the selected artist from the competition Svensktoppen nästa organised by Sveriges Radio P4.
Following the conclusion of the submission periods, SVT received 2,478 entries—an increase of 28 entries from the previous year. 2,116 of the entries were entered into the Regular contest, while 362 entries were entered into the Public contest. SVT created a shortlist of entries from the received submissions and formed a selection panel that was tasked to select fourteen entries for the competition. Only five entries from the Public contest were under consideration with no guarantee that one would be selected to compete in Melodifestivalen.
Presenters
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. 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. 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.| Artist | Song | Songwriter |
| Ace Wilder | "Wild Child" | Peter Boström,, Ace Wilder |
| Adrijana | "Amare" | Adrijana Krasniqi, Martin Tjärnberg |
| Alice | "Running with Lions" | Anderz Wrethov, Andreas ”Stone” Johansson, Denniz Jamm, Alice Svensson |
| Allyawan | "Vart har du vart" | Masse Salazar, Samuel Nazari |
| Anton Hagman | "Kiss You Goodbye" | Christian Fast, Tim Schou, Henrik Nordenback |
| Axel Schylström | "När ingen ser" | Behshad Ashnai, Axel Schylström, David Strääf |
| Bella & Filippa | "Crucified" | Peter Hägerås, Mats Frisell, Jakob Stadell, Filippa Frisell, Isabella Snihs |
| Benjamin Ingrosso | "Good Lovin'" | Benjamin Ingrosso, Louis Schoorl, Matt Pardon, MAG |
| Boris René | "Her Kiss" | Tim Larsson, Tobias Lundgren |
| Charlotte Perrelli | "Mitt liv" | Charlotte Perrelli, Lars Hägglund |
| De Vet Du | "Road Trip" | Johan Gunterberg, Christopher Martland |
| Dinah Nah | "One More Night" | Thomas G:son, Jimmy Jansson, Dinah Nah, Dr. Alban |
| Dismissed | "Hearts Align" | Ola Salo, Peter Kvint |
| Etzia | "Up" | Johnny Sanchez, Hanif Sabzevari, Simon Gribbe, Erica Haylett |
| FO&O | "Gotta Thing About You" | Robert "Mutt" Lange, Tony Nilsson |
| Jasmine Kara | "Gravity" | Anderz Wrethov, Jasmine Kara |
| Jon Henrik Fjällgren feat. Aninia | "En värld full av strider " | Jon Henrik Fjällgren, Sara Biglert, Christian Schneider, Andreas Hedlund |
| Krista Siegfrids | "Snurra min jord" | Krista Siegfrids, Gustaf Svenungsson, Magnus Wallin, Gabriel Alares |
| Les Gordons | "Bound to Fall" | Jonatan Renström, Albert Björliden, Andreas Persson, Carl Ragnemyr, David Runebjörk, Jimmy Jansson |
| Lisa Ajax | "I Don't Give A" | Ola Svensson, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb, Anton Hård af Segerstad |
| Loreen | "Statements" | Lorine Talhaoui, Anton Hård af Segerstad, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb |
| Mariette | "A Million Years" | Thomas G:son, Johanna Jansson, Peter Boström, Mariette Hansson, Jenny Hansson |
| Nano | "Hold On" | Nano Omar, Gino Yonan, Ayak, Carl Rydén, Christoffer Belaieff, Rikard de Bruin, David Francis Jackson |
| Owe Thörnqvist | "Boogieman Blues" | Owe Thörnqvist |
| Robin Bengtsson | "I Can't Go On" | David Kreuger, Hamed ”K-One” Pirouzpanah, Robin Stjernberg |
| Roger Pontare | "Himmel och hav" | Thomas G:son, Alexzandra Wickman |
| Sara Varga & Juha Mulari | "Du får inte ändra på mig" | Sara Varga, Lars Hägglund |
| Wiktoria | "As I Lay Me Down" | Justin Forrest, Jonas Wallin, Lauren Dyson |
Semi-finals
As in previous years, Melodifestivalen will commence with four semi-finals, 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.Semi-final 1
The first semi-final took place on 4 February 2017 at the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg. A total of 5,706,113 votes were cast throughout the show.Semi-final 2
The second semi-final took place on 11 February 2017 at Malmö Arena in Malmö. A total of 5,395,695 votes were cast throughout the show.Semi-final 3
The third semi-final took place on 18 February 2017 at Vida Arena in Växjö. A total of 5,756,071 votes were cast throughout the show.Semi-final 4
The fourth semi-final took place on 25 February 2017 at Skellefteå Kraft Arena in Skellefteå. A total of 4,951,648 votes were cast throughout the show.Second Chance round
Second Chance round took place on 4 March 2017 at Cloetta Center in Linköping. The duels were revealed following the fourth semi-final on 25 February 2017. A total of 7,223,709 votes were cast throughout the show.| Duel | Draw | Artist | Song | Votes | % | Result |
| I | 1 | FO&O | "Gotta Thing About You" | 970,831 | 53,02% | [|Final] |
| I | 2 | De Vet Du | "Road Trip" | 860,182 | 46,98% | Out |
| II | 1 | Axel Schylström | "När ingen ser" | 926,610 | 49,85% | Out |
| II | 2 | Lisa Ajax | "I Don't Give A" | 932,362 | 50,15% | Final |
| III | 1 | Boris René | "Her Kiss" | 1,061,289 | 63,71% | Final |
| III | 2 | Dismissed | "Hearts Align" | 607,015 | 36,29% | Out |
| IV | 1 | Anton Hagman | "Kiss You Goodbye" | 975,547 | 52,30% | Final |
| IV | 2 | Loreen | "Statements" | 889,873 | 47,70% | Out |
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.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.| Show | Date | Viewers |
| Semi-final 1 | 4 February 2017 | 3,244,000 |
| Semi-final 2 | 11 February 2017 | 3,094,000 |
| Semi-final 3 | 18 February 2017 | 3,210,000 |
| Semi-final 4 | 25 February 2017 | 3,407,000 |
| Second Chance | 4 March 2017 | 3,097,000 |
| Final | 11 March 2017 | 3,794,000 |