# Melodifestivalen 2005

Melodifestivalen 2005 was the 45th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, which was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a five-week period between 12 February and 12 March 2005. The winner of the competition was Martin Stenmarck with the song "Las Vegas", who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where he came nineteenth with 30 points.
Nanne Grönvall's defeat was met with consternation by many people, who felt that a gap of over 150,000 votes should be enough for victory. There were even calls for SVT to scrap the jury system altogether and simply let the televotes decide the winner. For a comparison, it was noted that Grönvall had received more votes than Lena Philipsson, the popular 2004 winner. However, SVT said that there was nothing they could do about the result. Four finalists topped the Swedish charts. Alcazar and Alcastar got to number one the week before the final, Jimmy Jansson got to the number one some weeks after that with Vi kan gunga, Martin Stenmarck's winner Las Vegas hit the top spot the week after that, while Nanne Grönvall and Håll om mig topped the charts the week after that.

## Format

The heats for Melodifestivalen 2005 began on 12 February 2005. Ten songs from these heats qualified for the final on March 12, 2005. This was the fourth year that a heat format had been used for the competition.
Competition Schedule :
| Show | Date | City | Venue | Presenters |
| Heat 1 | 12 February 2005 | Gothenburg | Scandinavium | Shan Atci [sv]Alexandra Pascalidou |
| Heat 2 | 19 February 2005 | Linköping | Cloetta Center | Erik HaagHenrik Schyffert |
| Heat 3 | 26 February 2005 | Skellefteå | Skellefteå Kraft Arena | Marko LehtosaloJohanna Westman |
| Heat 4 | 5 March 2005 | Växjö | Tipshallen | Micke Leijnegard [sv]Kayo Shekoni |
| Second chance | 6 March 2005 | Stockholm | Berns | Annika Jankell |
| Final | 12 March 2005 | Stockholm | Stockholm Globe Arena | Jill JohnsonMark Levengood |

### Wildcards

Unlike past years, where all Melodifestivalen participants were chosen by a selection jury, starting in 2004, four out of the 32 participants were selected directly by the contest's producers, in order to increase musical and artistic breadth. Each artist, called "wildcard", participated in a different heat. The wildcards in 2005 were the following:
| Artist | Song | Heat |
| Alcazar | "Alcastar" | Heat 1 |
| Sanne Salomonsen | "Higher Ground" | Heat 2 |
| K2 feat. Alannah Myles | "We Got It All" | Heat 3 |
| Nanne Grönvall | "Håll om mig" | Heat 4 |

### Heat Jury

In the first two heats, a jury was used to select two of the five songs that would proceed to the second round of voting, with the intent of giving some entries that could be slow in accumulating votes a chance. However, after heat 2, SVT dissolved the jury as it had chosen entries that were already voted by the viewers together with criticism that this reduced the people's influence in the result. The jury consisted of:
* Cia Axelsson
* Janne Schaffer
* Joakim Vogel
* Jonna Bergh Wahlström [sv]
* Josefine Sundström

## Competing entries

| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Alcazar | "Alcastar" | Johan Fransson [sv]Niklas Edberger [sv]Tim LarssonTobias LundgrenAnders Hansson [sv] |
| Anne-Lie Rydé | "Så nära" | Anne-Lie RydéThomas G:son |
| Arja Saijonmaa | "Vad du än trodde så trodde du fel" | Dan SundquistÅsa Jinder |
| B-Boys feat. Paul M [sv] | "One Step Closer" | Gustav Eurén [sv]Karl Eurén [sv]Niclas Arn [sv]David SeisayPeter Thelenius |
| Bodies Without Organs | "Gone" | Anders HanssonMårten Sandén [sv] |
| Cameron Cartio | "Roma" | Cameron CartioRobin Rex |
| Camilla Brinck | "Jenny" | Camilla BrinckTobias Karlsson |
| Caroline Wennergren | "A Different Kind of Love" | Sam McCarthyJoacim Dubbelman [sv]Martin Landh |
| Cecilia Vennersten | "Var mig nära" | Calle Kindbom [sv]Robert Åhlin |
| Date | "Hörde änglarna viska ditt namn" | Fredrik JernbergJohnny ThunqvistPontus Wennerberg |
| Fredrik & Sanna | "Du och jag mot världen" | Fredrik KempeBobby LjunggrenHenrik Wikström |
| Group Avalon | "Big Up" | Djo MoupondoMarcus LandströmMohombi Moupondo |
| Jessica Folcker | "Om natten" | Johan FranssonNiklas EdbergerTim LarssonTobias Lundgren |
| Jimmy Jansson | "Vi kan gunga" | Johan FranssonNiklas EdbergerTim LarssonTobias Lundgren |
| Josef [sv] | "Rain" | Annelie MartinMartin Blix [sv]Bobby LjunggrenHenrik Wikström |
| Josefin Nilsson | "Med hjärtats egna ord" | Jonas IsakssonLotta Ahlin [sv]Tommy Lydell |
| K2 feat. Alannah Myles | "We Got It All" | Kee MarcelloMichael BlairZal |
| Katrina and the Nameless | "As If Tomorrow Will Never Come" | Thomas G:son |
| Kwanzaa | "Lovin' Your Feen" | Ayesha QuraishiJean DC |
| LaGaylia | "Nothing At All" | Lars EdvallMattias Reimer |
| Linda Bengtzing | "Alla flickor" | Johan FranssonNiklas EdbergerTim LarssonTobias Lundgren |
| Martin Stenmarck | "Las Vegas" | Johan FranssonNiklas EdbergerTim LarssonTobias Lundgren |
| Mathias Holmgren [sv] | "Långt bortom tid och rum" | Calle KindbomThomas G:son |
| NaNa | "Wherever You Go" | Larry Forsberg [sv]Lennart WastessonSven-Inge Sjöberg |
| Nanne Grönvall | "Håll om mig" | Ingela ForsmanNanne Grönvall |
| Nordman | "Ödet var min väg" | Dan Attlerud [sv]Mats Wester |
| Papa Dee | "My No. 1" | Daniel WahlgrenBobby LjunggrenMarcos Ubeda [sv] |
| Pay TV [sv] | "Refrain, Refrain" | Håkan LidboUlrika Lidbo [sv] |
| Rickard Engfors and Katarina | "Ready For Me" | Dan AttlerudLars "Dille" DiedricsonPeter Nordholm |
| Sanne Salomonsen | "Higher Ground" | Henrik JahnssonJeanette OlssonMoh Denebi |
| Shirley Clamp | "Att älska dig" | Shirley ClampSonja AldénBobby LjunggrenRobert OlaussonHenrik Wikström |
| The Wallstones | "Invisible People" | Johan BeckerKarl Martindahl |

## Contest overview
### Heat 1

The first heat took place on 12 February 2005 at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. 3,172,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 497,356 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,563,052 collected for Radiohjälpen. The heat was hosted by Shan Atci and Alexandra Pascalidou.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result |
| 1 | Alcazar | "Alcastar" | 35,976 | 43,010 | 78,986 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 2 | Cecilia Vennersten | "Var mig nära" | 5,069 | — | 5,069 | 8 | Out |
| 3 | Papa Dee | "My No. 1" | 25,446 | — | 25,446 | 6 | Out |
| 4 | Linda Bengtzing | "Alla flickor" | 33,338 | 44,503 | 77,841 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 5 | The Wallstones | "Invisible People" | 32,355 | 40,205 | 72,560 | 5 | Out |
| 6 | Pay TV | "Refrain, Refrain" | 10,792 | — | 10,792 | 7 | Out |
| 7 | Nordman | "Ödet var min väg" | 36,103 | 49,381 | 85,484 | 2 | Final |
| 8 | Shirley Clamp | "Att älska dig" | 69,785 | 77,713 | 147,498 | 1 | Final |

### Heat 2

The second heat took place on 19 February 2005 at the Cloetta Center in Linköping. 3,150,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 369,946 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,326,244 collected for Radiohjälpen. The heat was hosted by Erik Haag and Henrik Schyffert.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result |
| 1 | Fredrik & Sanna | "Du och jag mot världen" | 38,642 | 65,313 | 103,955 | 1 | Final |
| 2 | Camilla Brinck | "Jenny" | 15,031 | — | 15,031 | 7 | Out |
| 3 | Group Avalon | "Big Up" | 15,032 | — | 15,032 | 6 | Out |
| 4 | Arja Saijonmaa | "Vad du än trodde så trodde du fel" | 14,118 | — | 14,118 | 8 | Out |
| 5 | Josefin Nilsson | "Med hjärtats egna ord" | 18,354 | 28,316 | 46,670 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 6 | Cameron Cartio | "Roma" | 16,232 | 27,293 | 43,525 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 7 | Bodies Without Organs | "Gone" | 16,508 | 25,796 | 42,304 | 5 | Out |
| 8 | Sanne Salomonsen | "Higher Ground" | 36,118 | 53,193 | 89,311 | 2 | Final |

### Heat 3

The third heat took place on 26 February 2005 at the Skellefteå Kraft Arena in Skellefteå. 2,942,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 456,883 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,506,077 collected for Radiohjälpen. The heat was hosted by Marko Lehtosalo and Johanna Westman.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result |
| 1 | NaNa | "Wherever You Go" | 25,053 | 38,891 | 63,944 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 2 | Kwanzaa | "Lovin' Your Feen" | 3,179 | — | 3,179 | 8 | Out |
| 3 | Jimmy Jansson | "Vi kan gunga" | 52,485 | 62,845 | 115,330 | 2 | Final |
| 4 | LaGaylia | "Nothing At All" | 20,706 | 24,753 | 45,459 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 5 | Josef | "Rain" | 23,410 | 24,597 | 48,007 | 5 | Out |
| 6 | K2 feat. Alannah Myles | "We Got It All" | 11,712 | — | 11,712 | 7 | Out |
| 7 | Jessica Folcker | "Om natten" | 19,306 | — | 19,306 | 6 | Out |
| 8 | Martin Stenmarck | "Las Vegas" | 76,508 | 73,538 | 150,046 | 1 | Final |

### Heat 4

The fourth heat took place on 5 March 2005 at the Tipshallen in Växjö. 3,102,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 411,920 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,255,983 collected for Radiohjälpen. The heat was hosted by Micke Leijnegard and Kayo Shekoni.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result |
| 1 | Anne-Lie Rydé | "Så nära" | 19,043 | 25,124 | 44,167 | 5 | Out |
| 2 | B-Boys feat. Paul M | "One Step Closer" | 16,820 | — | 16,820 | 6 | Out |
| 3 | Mathias Holmgren | "Långt bortom tid och rum" | 21,337 | 28,775 | 50,112 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 4 | Rickard Engfors and Katarina | "Ready For Me" | 9,774 | — | 9,774 | 8 | Out |
| 5 | Date | "Hörde änglarna viska ditt namn" | 14,930 | — | 14,930 | 7 | Out |
| 6 | Nanne Grönvall | "Håll om mig" | 53,726 | 67,876 | 121,602 | 1 | Final |
| 7 | Caroline Wennergren | "A Different Kind of Love" | 29,456 | 63,664 | 93,120 | 2 | Final |
| 8 | Katrina and the Nameless | "As If Tomorrow Will Never Come" | 30,632 | 30,763 | 61,125 | 3 | Second Chance |

### Second chance

The second chance round took place on 6 March 2005 at the Berns in Stockholm. 1,497,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 440,156 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,067,715 collected for Radiohjälpen. The show was hosted by Annika Jankell.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result |
| 1 | Alcazar | "Alcastar" | 47,762 | 63,533 | 111,925 | 1 | Final |
| 2 | Linda Bengtzing | "Alla flickor" | 38,861 | 54,253 | 93,114 | 2 | Final |
| 3 | Josefin Nilsson | "Med hjärtats egna ord" | 20,537 | — | 20,537 | 7 | Out |
| 4 | Cameron Cartio | "Roma" | 18,945 | — | 18,945 | 8 | Out |
| 5 | NaNa | "Wherever You Go" | 28,510 | 38,254 | 66,764 | 4 | Out |
| 6 | LaGaylia | "Nothing At All" | 27,547 | 53,126 | 80,673 | 3 | Out |
| 7 | Mathias Holmgren | "Långt bortom tid och rum" | 25,472 | — | 25,472 | 5 | Out |
| 8 | Katrina and the Nameless | "As If Tomorrow Will Never Come" | 24,489 | — | 24,489 | 6 | Out |

### Final

The final took place on 12 March 2005 at the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm. 4,054,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 1,519,997 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 4,105,936 collected for Radiohjälpen. The show was hosted by Jill Johnson and Mark Levengood.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Juries | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Juries | Votes | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Martin Stenmarck | "Las Vegas" | 102 | 208,716 | 110 | 212 | 1 |
| 2 | Linda Bengtzing | "Alla flickor" | 15 | 95,532 | 0 | 15 | 10 |
| 3 | Nordman | "Ödet var min väg" | 4 | 111,684 | 11 | 15 | 9 |
| 4 | Shirley Clamp | "Att älska dig" | 86 | 153,923 | 44 | 130 | 4 |
| 5 | Sanne Salomonsen | "Higher Ground" | 35 | 36,219 | 0 | 35 | 7 |
| 6 | Caroline Wennergren | "A Different Kind of Love" | 28 | 204,040 | 88 | 116 | 5 |
| 7 | Alcazar | "Alcastar" | 69 | 165,497 | 66 | 135 | 3 |
| 8 | Jimmy Jansson | "Vi kan gunga" | 27 | 130,021 | 22 | 49 | 6 |
| 9 | Fredrik Kempe & Sanna Nielsen | "Du och jag mot världen" | 30 | 40,437 | 0 | 30 | 8 |
| 10 | Nanne Grönvall | "Håll om mig" | 77 | 373,928 | 132 | 209 | 2 |
Detailed jury votes :
| R/O | Song | Luleå | Umeå | Sundsvall | Falun | Karlstad | Örebro | Norrköping | Gothenburg | Växjö | Malmö | Stockholm | Total |
| 1 | "Las Vegas" | 12 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 102 |
| 2 | "Alla flickor" | | | 10 | | | | | 2 | 2 | | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | "Ödet var min väg" | | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | 4 |
| 4 | "Att älska dig" | | 10 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 86 |
| 5 | "Higher Ground" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 35 |
| 6 | "A Different Kind of Love" | 4 | 4 | 8 | | 2 | 8 | 2 | | | | | 28 |
| 7 | "Alcastar" | 8 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 69 |
| 8 | "Vi kan gunga" | 10 | | | 8 | 8 | | | | 1 | | | 27 |
| 9 | "Du och jag mot världen" | 2 | 6 | | | | 6 | 6 | 4 | | 4 | 2 | 30 |
| 10 | "Håll om mig" | 6 | 2 | 12 | 12 | | 4 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 77 |
| Jury spokespersons ||||||||||||||
| Luleå – Roger Pontare Umeå – Micke Leijnegard Sundsvall – Kayo Shekoni Falun – Annika Jankell Karlstad – Markoolio Örebro – Alexandra Pascalidou Norrköping – Shan Atci Gothenburg – Lasse Kronér Växjö – Johanna Westman Malmö – Kattis Ahlström Stockholm – Ulf Elfving ||||||||||||||

## Ratings

Viewing figures by show :
| Show | Air date | Viewers (millions) |
| Heat 1 | 12 February 2005 | 3.172 |
| Heat 2 | 19 February 2005 | 3.150 |
| Heat 3 | 26 February 2005 | 2.942 |
| Heat 4 | 5 March 2005 | 3.105 |
| Second chance | 6 March 2005 | 1.497 |
| Final | 12 March 2005 | 4.054 |