# Melodifestivalen 2021

Melodifestivalen 2021 was the 61st edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen. The competition was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 6 February and 13 March 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all shows of this edition took place in the Annexet in Stockholm, and without an audience. The winner of the competition was Tusse with the song "Voices", who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where he came fourteenth with 109 points.
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 P4 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 earned first and second place qualified directly to the final, while the songs that placed 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 six shows were hosted by Christer Björkman, who was joined by guest co-hosts during each show: Lena Philipsson (heat 1), Oscar Zia and Anis Don Demina (heat 2), Jason Diakité (heat 3), Per Andersson and Pernilla Wahlgren (heat 4), Shirley Clamp (Second Chance round), and Shima Niavarani and Måns Zelmerlöw (final).

## Format

Due to pandemic precautions, SVT did not hold the usual Melodifestivalen tour around six different Swedish cities during the 2021 edition. Instead, all shows were held at Stockholm's Annexet hall, one of the venues in Stockholm Globe City (in which the host venue of Eurovision 2000 and 2016, the Ericsson Globe, is located). The shows did not have a live audience.
Competition Schedule :
| Show | Date | City | Venue |
| Heat 1 | 6 February 2021 | Stockholm | Annexet |
| Heat 2 | 13 February 2021 | Stockholm | Annexet |
| Heat 3 | 20 February 2021 | Stockholm | Annexet |
| Heat 4 | 27 February 2021 | Stockholm | Annexet |
| Second Chance | 6 March 2021 | Stockholm | Annexet |
| Final | 13 March 2021 | Stockholm | Annexet |

### Presenters

On 4 January 2021, the presenters of the 61st edition of Melodifestivalen were announced. Christer Björkman, outgoing contest producer of Melodifestivalen and head of the Swedish delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest, served as the main presenter for all six shows. Björkman was joined by different guest co-hosts during each show: Lena Philipsson (heat 1), Oscar Zia and Anis Don Demina (heat 2), Jason Diakité (heat 3), Per Andersson and Pernilla Wahlgren (heat 4), Shirley Clamp (Second Chance round), Shima Niavarani and Måns Zelmerlöw (final).

## Competing entries

Broadcaster SVT revealed on 27 November 2020 that they would be releasing the acts for Melodifestivalen 2021 on a countdown, starting on 1 December.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Alvaro Estrella | "Bailá Bailá" | Anderz Wrethov, Linnea Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt |
| Anton Ewald | "New Religion" | Jonas Wallin, Joe Killington, Anton Ewald, Maja Strömstedt |
| Arvingarna | "Tänker inte alls gå hem" | Stefan Brunzell, Nanne Grönvall, Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren |
| Charlotte Perrelli | "Still Young" | Thomas G:son, Bobby Ljunggren, Erik Bernholm, Charlie Gustavsson |
| Clara Klingenström | "Behöver inte dig idag" | Clara Klingenström, Bobby Ljunggren, David Lindgren Zacharias |
| Danny Saucedo | "Dandi dansa" | Danny Saucedo, Karl-Johan Råsmark |
| Dotter | "Little Tot" | Johanna Jansson, Dino Medanhodzic |
| Efraim Leo | "Best of Me" | Efraim Leo, Cornelia Jakobsdotter, Amanda Björkegren, Herman Gardarfve |
| Elisa | "Den du är" | Bobby Ljunggren, Ingela "Pling" Forsman, Elisa Lindström |
| Emil Assergård | "Om allting skiter sig" | Emil Assergård, Jimmy Jansson, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov, Johanna Wrethov |
| Eric Saade | "Every Minute" | Eric Saade, Linnea Deb, Joy Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt |
| Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos | "Rena rama ding dong" | Göran Sparrdahl, Kalle Rydberg, Ari Lehtonen |
| Frida Green | "The Silence" | Anna Bergendahl, Bobby Ljunggren, David Lindgren Zacharias, Joy Deb |
| Jessica Andersson | "Horizon" | David Kreuger, Fredrik Kempe, Jesper Jakobsson Grand, Markus Lidén, Christian Holmström |
| Julia Alfrida | "Rich" | Julia Alfrida, Jimmy Jansson, Melanie Wehbe |
| Kadiatou | "One Touch" | Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov |
| Klara Hammarström | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | David Kreuger, Fredrik Kempe, Niklas Carson Mattson, Andreas Wijk |
| Lillasyster | "Pretender" | Isak Hallén, Jakob Redtzer, Martin Westerstrand, Ian Paolo Lira, Palle Hammarlund |
| Lovad | "Allting är precis likadant" | Mattias Andréasson, Alexander Nivek, Lova Drevstam, Albin Johnsén |
| Mustasch | "Contagious" | Ralf Gyllenhammar, David Johannesson |
| Nathalie Brydolf | "Fingerprints" | Andreas "Stone" Johansson, Etta Zelmani, Laurell Barker, Anna-Klara Folin |
| Patrik Jean | "Tears Run Dry" | Herman Gardarfve, Patrik Jean, Melanie Wehbe |
| Paul Rey | "The Missing Piece" | Fredrik Sonefors, Laurell Barker, Pauli Jokela |
| Sannex | "All Inclusive" | Greta Svensson, Hans Thorstensson |
| Tess Merkel | "Good Life" | Tony Malm, Tess Merkel, Palle Hammarlund, Mats Tärnfors |
| The Mamas | "In the Middle" | Emily Falvey, Robin Stjernberg, Jimmy Jansson |
| Tusse | "Voices" | Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov |
| Wahl feat. Sami | "90-talet" | Sami Rekik, Christopher Wahlberg, Josefin Glenmark, Jesper Welander, Andreas Larsson |

## Heats
### Heat 1

The first heat took place on 6 February 2021. 3,308,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 7,824,951 votes were cast, using 628,624 devices (which is a record for a heat).
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Place | Result |
| 1 | Kadiatou | "One Touch" | 967,331 | 29 | 6 | Out |
| 2 | Lillasyster | "Pretender" | 1,159,154 | 48 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 3 | Jessica Andersson | "Horizon" | 1,065,794 | 38 | 5 | Out |
| 4 | Paul Rey | "The Missing Piece" | 1,239,146 | 68 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 5 | Arvingarna | "Tänker inte alls gå hem" | 1,190,449 | 72 | 2 | Final |
| 6 | Nathalie Brydolf | "Fingerprints" | 825,414 | 11 | 7 | Out |
| 7 | Danny Saucedo | "Dandi dansa" | 1,377,663 | 78 | 1 | Final |
Detailed televoting results :
| Place | Song | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Tel. |
| Place | Song | 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | Tel. |
| 1 | "One Touch" | 10 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | "Pretender" | 2 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | "Horizon" | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
| 4 | "The Missing Piece" | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | "Tänker inte alls gå hem" | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 6 | "Fingerprints" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | "Dandi dansa" | 6 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 |

### Heat 2

The second heat took place on 13 February 2021. 2,972,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 7,471,451 votes were cast, using 581,410 devices.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Place | Result |
| 1 | Anton Ewald | "New Religion" | 1,218,312 | 68 | 2 | Final |
| 2 | Julia Alfrida | "Rich" | 751,337 | 11 | 7 | Out |
| 3 | Wahl feat. Sami | "90-talet" | 961,160 | 30 | 6 | Out |
| 4 | Frida Green | "The Silence" | 1,028,299 | 47 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 5 | Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos | "Rena rama ding dong" | 997,947 | 52 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 6 | Patrik Jean | "Tears Run Dry" | 1,049,434 | 44 | 5 | Out |
| 7 | Dotter | "Little Tot" | 1,464,962 | 92 | 1 | Final |
Detailed televoting results :
| Place | Song | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Tel. |
| Place | Song | 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | Tel. |
| 1 | "New Religion" | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| 2 | "Rich" | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | "90-talet" | 8 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | "The Silence" | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | "Rena rama ding dong" | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| 6 | "Tears Run Dry" | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | "Little Tot" | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 |

### Heat 3

The third heat took place on 20 February 2021. 3,188,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 8,002,967 votes were cast, using 647,000 devices, again a record for a heat.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Place | Result |
| 1 | Charlotte Perrelli | "Still Young" | 1,272,523 | 62 | 2 | Final |
| 2 | Emil Assergård | "Om allting skiter sig" | 987,458 | 34 | 5 | Out |
| 3 | Klara Hammarström | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 1,252,895 | 58 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 4 | Mustasch | "Contagious" | 763,045 | 18 | 6 | Out |
| 5 | Elisa | "Den du är" | 613,779 | 18 | 7 | Out |
| 6 | Alvaro Estrella | "Bailá Bailá" | 1,193,914 | 60 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 7 | Tusse | "Voices" | 1,919,353 | 94 | 1 | Final |
Detailed televoting results :
| Place | Song | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Tel. |
| Place | Song | 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | Tel. |
| 1 | "Still Young" | 4 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | "Om allting skiter sig" | 6 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | "Contagious" | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | "Den du är" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | "Bailá Bailá" | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 7 | "Voices" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |

### Heat 4

The fourth heat took place on 27 February 2021. 2,953,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 6,957,584 votes were cast, using 565,705 devices.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Place | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Place | Result |
| 1 | Tess Merkel | "Good Life" | 868,050 | 40 | 5 | Out |
| 2 | Lovad | "Allting är precis likadant" | 783,763 | 21 | 6 | Out |
| 3 | Efraim Leo | "Best of Me" | 1,035,821 | 52 | 3 | Second Chance |
| 4 | The Mamas | "In the Middle" | 1,550,459 | 94 | 1 | Final |
| 5 | Sannex | "All Inclusive" | 609,909 | 14 | 7 | Out |
| 6 | Clara Klingenström | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 930,002 | 51 | 4 | Second Chance |
| 7 | Eric Saade | "Every Minute" | 1,179,580 | 72 | 2 | Final |
Detailed televoting results :
| Place | Song | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Tel. |
| Place | Song | 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | Tel. |
| 1 | "Good Life" | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | "Allting är precis likadant" | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | "Best of Me" | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | "In the Middle" | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| 5 | "All Inclusive" | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 7 | "Every Minute" | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 |

## Second Chance

The Second Chance round took place on 6 March 2021. 2,732,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 9,159,642 votes were cast, using 632,883 devices (which are both records for the Second Chance round).
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Points | Result |
| I | 1 | Alvaro Estrella | "Bailá Bailá" | 1,365,376 | 7 | Final |
| I | 2 | Lillasyster | "Pretender" | 1,163,807 | 1 | Out |
| II | 3 | Frida Green | "The Silence" | 925,473 | 1 | Out |
| II | 4 | Paul Rey | "The Missing Piece" | 1,207,581 | 7 | Final |
| III | 5 | Eva Rydberg & Ewa Roos | "Rena rama ding dong" | 1,173,492 | 3 | Out |
| III | 6 | Clara Klingenström | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 1,276,040 | 5 | Final |
| IV | 7 | Klara Hammarström | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 1,139,262 | 8 | Final |
| IV | 8 | Efraim Leo | "Best of Me" | 908,611 | 0 | Out |
Detailed televoting results :
| Duel | Place | Song | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Tel. | Total |
| Duel | Place | Song | 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | Tel. | Total |
| I | 1 | "Bailá Bailá" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| I | 2 | "Pretender" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| II | 1 | "The Silence" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| II | 2 | "The Missing Piece" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| III | 1 | "Rena rama ding dong" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| III | 2 | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| IV | 1 | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| IV | 2 | "Best of Me" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Final

The final took place on 13 March 2021. A record-breaking 16,752,439 votes were cast, using 1,159,881 devices (which is a record for a final).
| R/O | Artist | Song | Juries | Public | Total | Place |
| 1 | Danny Saucedo | "Dandi dansa" | 39 | 35 | 74 | 7 |
| 2 | Klara Hammarström | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 43 | 36 | 79 | 6 |
| 3 | Anton Ewald | "New Religion" | 9 | 16 | 25 | 11 |
| 4 | The Mamas | "In the Middle" | 50 | 56 | 106 | 3 |
| 5 | Paul Rey | "The Missing Piece" | 18 | 7 | 25 | 12 |
| 6 | Charlotte Perrelli | "Still Young" | 32 | 28 | 60 | 8 |
| 7 | Tusse | "Voices" | 79 | 96 | 175 | 1 |
| 8 | Alvaro Estrella | "Bailá Bailá" | 7 | 19 | 26 | 10 |
| 9 | Clara Klingenström | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 39 | 52 | 91 | 5 |
| 10 | Eric Saade | "Every Minute" | 69 | 49 | 118 | 2 |
| 11 | Dotter | "Little Tot" | 57 | 48 | 105 | 4 |
| 12 | Arvingarna | "Tänker inte alls gå hem" | 22 | 22 | 44 | 9 |
Detailed international jury votes :
| R/O | Song | | | | | | | | | Total |
| 1 | "Dandi dansa" | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 39 |
| 2 | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 43 |
| 3 | "New Religion" | 2 | 2 | | 2 | | 2 | | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | "In the Middle" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 50 |
| 5 | "The Missing Piece" | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | | 3 | | 6 | 18 |
| 6 | "Still Young" | 5 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 10 | | 32 |
| 7 | "Voices" | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 79 |
| 8 | "Bailá Bailá" | | | 1 | | 1 | | 5 | | 7 |
| 9 | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 10 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 2 | | 3 | 2 | 39 |
| 10 | "Every Minute" | 4 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 69 |
| 11 | "Little Tot" | 7 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 57 |
| 12 | "Tänker inte alls gå hem" | | | | | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
| International jury spokespersons |||||||||||
| – Bruno Berberes – Kleart Duraj – Felix Bergsson – Tali Eshkoli – Simon Proctor – Zibbz – Alexia Moutafidou – Lars Lourenco |||||||||||
Detailed televoting results :
| R/O | Song | Votes | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Age groups | Tel. | Total |
| R/O | Song | Votes | 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | Tel. | Total |
| 1 | "Dandi dansa" | 1,309,741 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 35 |
| 2 | "Beat of Broken Hearts" | 1,341,566 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 36 |
| 3 | "New Religion" | 1,066,340 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | | | | | 16 |
| 4 | "In the Middle" | 1,646,198 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 56 |
| 5 | "The Missing Piece" | 998,030 | 2 | 3 | 2 | | | | | | 7 |
| 6 | "Still Young" | 1,016,557 | | | | 1 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 28 |
| 7 | "Voices" | 2,964,269 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 96 |
| 8 | "Bailá Bailá" | 1,071,188 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| 9 | "Behöver inte dig idag" | 1,455,605 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 52 |
| 10 | "Every Minute" | 1,471,324 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 49 |
| 11 | "Little Tot" | 1,488,599 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 48 |
| 12 | "Tänker inte alls gå hem" | 923,022 | | | | | 1 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 22 |