# Melodifestivalen 2009

Melodifestivalen 2009 was the 49th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, which was organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 7 February and 14 March 2009. The winner of the competition was Malena Ernman with the song "La Voix", who represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, where she came twenty-first with 33 points.

## Format

For the 2009 contest a number of changes were made to this format: the first four heats now included a duel format, with the top four songs competing against each other for a place in the final - the 1st and 4th-placed songs and the 2nd and 3rd-placed songs battled against each other, with the winning songs, as decided by another public vote, qualifying to the final, while the losing songs took part in the Second Chance round.
Additionally, a maximum of eight people were allowed on stage, an increase from the previous maximum of six. Pre-recorded backing vocals were now allowed to be included on the songs' backing tracks, however the main vocals were still required to be performed on stage.
This year also marked the introduction of an "international jury". The jury consisted of 12 members, who all work within the music industry, with many of them involved in Eurovision. The international jury selected one song from each heat that did not qualify to the final, focusing their decision on their suitability for Eurovision. After the Second Chance round had finished, the jury selected their preferred song from the remaining entries, which qualified to the final, becoming the 11th finalist. The international jury also voted during the final of the contest, becoming the 12th jury, alongside the 11 regional juries of Sweden.
Competition Schedule :
| Show | Date | City | Venue |
| Heat 1 | 7 February 2009 | Gothenburg | Scandinavium |
| Heat 2 | 14 February 2009 | Skellefteå | Skellefteå Kraft Arena |
| Heat 3 | 21 February 2009 | Leksand | Ejendals Arena |
| Heat 4 | 28 February 2009 | Malmö | Malmö Arena |
| Second chance | 7 March 2009 | Norrköping | Himmelstalundshallen |
| Final | 14 March 2009 | Stockholm | Ericsson Globe |

### Stage design

The first plans of the stage were made during the summer of 2008 and was, for the third time, designed by Viktor Brattström, with the intention to provide a feeling of endlessness: "The audience will get the feeling of not knowing where the stage starts or ends, not knowing what's coming up around the corner".
The green room, where the artists rested after their performances, was altered from previous contests. Instead of competing artists and composers sitting together at tables, artists sat together on sofas beside the stage, while composers sat together in the front rows of the audience.

### Wildcards

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 2009 were the following:
| Artist | Song | Heat |
| Marie Serneholt | "Disconnect Me" | Heat 1 |
| Markoolio | "Kärlekssång från mig" | Heat 2 |
| E.M.D. | "Baby Goodbye" | Heat 3 |
| Malena Ernman | "La Voix" | Heat 4 |

## Competing entries

A record-breaking 3,440 songs were submitted to the competition, with only 28 proceeding to the next round. The final 28 songs chosen to compete in the heats were released by SVT on 14 October, along with the names of their authors.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Agnes | "Love Love Love" | Anders Hansson [sv] |
| Alcazar | "Stay the Night" | Anders HanssonAndreas LundstedtLina HedlundMårten Sandén [sv]Tess Merkel |
| Amy Diamond | "It's My Life" | Alexander BardBobby LjunggrenOscar Holter |
| Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng | "Killing Me Tenderly" | Amir AlyHenrik WikströmTobbe Petterssen |
| BWO | "You're Not Alone" | Alexander BardAnders HanssonFredrik Kempe |
| Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | Caroline af UgglasHeinz Liljedahl [sv] |
| Cookies 'N' Beans | "What If" | Amir AlyMaciel Numhauser [sv]Robin Abrahamsson [sv] |
| E.M.D. | "Baby Goodbye" | Danny SaucedoErik SegerstedtMattias AndréassonOscar Görres |
| Emilia | "You're My World" | Emilia RydbergFigge Boström |
| H.E.A.T | "1000 Miles" | David StenmarckNiklas Jarl |
| Jennifer Brown | "Never Been Here Before" | Jennifer BrownPeter Kvint [sv] |
| Jonathan Fagerlund | "Welcome to My Life" | Didrik ThottSamuel Waermö |
| Lasse Lindh och Bandet | "Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter!" | Lasse Lindh |
| Lili & Susie | "Show Me Heaven" | Calle Kindbom [sv]Nestor Geli [sv]Pär Lönn [sv]Susie PäivärintaThomas G:son |
| Maja Gullstrand [sv] | "Här för mig själv" | Marcos Ubeda [sv]Thomas G:son |
| Malena Ernman | "La Voix" | Fredrik KempeMalena Ernman |
| Måns Zelmerlöw | "Hope & Glory" | Fredrik KempeHenrik WikströmMåns Zelmerlöw |
| Marie Serneholt | "Disconnect Me" | Peter BoströmTony Nilsson |
| Markoolio | "Kärlekssång från mig" | Karl Eurén [sv]Marko LehtosaloPatrik Henzel |
| Mikael Rickfors | "Du vinner över mig!" | Thomas G:son |
| Molly Sandén | "Så vill stjärnorna" | Bobby LjunggrenIngela ForsmanMarcos Ubeda |
| Next 3 | "Esta noche" | Adam SolimanGonzalo FloresJimmy AlmgrenMichael Xavier Barraza |
| Nina Söderquist | "Tick Tock" | Johan Lyander [sv]Matti Alfonzetti |
| Rigo [sv] & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox | "I Got U" | Rodrigo PencheffTobias Karlsson |
| Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | Fredrik KempeSarah Dawn Finer |
| Scotts | "Jag tror på oss" | Ingela ForsmanLars DiedricsonMartin Hedström [sv] |
| Shirley Clamp | "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus" | Bobby LjunggrenHenrik WikströmIngela Forsman |
| Sofia | "Alla" | Dimitri StassosHenrik WikströmIrini MichasNina Karolidou |
| Star Pilots | "Higher" | Joakim UddJohan Becker [sv]Johan Fjellström [sv] |
| Susanne Alfvengren | "Du är älskad där du går" | Bobby LjunggrenHenrik WikströmIngela Forsman |
| Thorleifs | "Sweet Kissin' in the Moonlight" | Lina Eriksson [sv]Mårten Eriksson [sv] |
| Velvet | "The Queen" | Henrik JansonTony Nilsson |

## Contest overview
### Heat 1

The first heat took place on 7 February 2009 at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. 3,294,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 721,334 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,396,108 collected for Radiohjälpen.
Round 1 :
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result | Result |
| 1 | Nina Söderquist | "Tick Tock" | 28,404 | 59,122 | 87,526 | 5 | Out | Out |
| 2 | Jonathan Fagerlund | "Welcome to My Life" | 20,847 | — | 20,847 | 7 | Out | Out |
| 3 | Shirley Clamp | "Med hjärtat fyllt av ljus" | 11,542 | — | 11,542 | 8 | Out | Out |
| 4 | Scotts | "Jag tror på oss" | 39,831 | 72,455 | 112,286 | 3 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 5 | Emilia | "You're My World" | 28,960 | 60,471 | 89,431 | 4 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 6 | Alcazar | "Stay the Night" | 40,913 | 77,368 | 118,281 | 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 7 | Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | 32,839 | 84,451 | 117,290 | 2 | I.J. | Round 2 |
| 8 | Marie Serneholt | "Disconnect Me" | 23,599 | — | 23,599 | 6 | Out | Out |
Round 2 :
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Result | Result |
| I | 1 | Scotts | "Jag tror på oss" | 63,208 | Second chance | Second chance |
| I | 2 | Alcazar | "Stay the Night" | 92,630 | Final | Final |
| II | 1 | Emilia | "You're My World" | 79,496 | Final | Final |
| II | 2 | Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | 66,520 | I.J. | Second chance |

### Heat 2

The second heat took place on 14 February 2009 at the Skellefteå Kraft Arena in Skellefteå. 3,032,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 812,874 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,269,807 collected for Radiohjälpen.
Round 1 :
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result | Result |
| 1 | Lili & Susie | "Show Me Heaven" | 30,813 | 70,081 | 100,894 | 4 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 2 | Lasse Lindh och Bandet | "Jag ska slåss i dina kvarter!" | 9,084 | — | 9,084 | 8 | Out | Out |
| 3 | Jennifer Brown | "Never Been Here Before" | 9,645 | — | 9,645 | 7 | Out | Out |
| 4 | H.E.A.T | "1000 Miles" | 50,735 | 96,985 | 147,720 | 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 5 | Markoolio | "Kärlekssång från mig" | 14,704 | — | 14,704 | 6 | Out | Out |
| 6 | Amy Diamond | "It's My Life" | 43,352 | 77,571 | 120,923 | 3 | I.J. | Round 2 |
| 7 | Cookies 'N' Beans | "What If" | 33,490 | 64,613 | 98,103 | 5 | Out | Out |
| 8 | Måns Zelmerlöw | "Hope & Glory" | 74,821 | 129,621 | 204,442 | 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
Round 2 :
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Result | Result |
| I | 1 | H.E.A.T | "1000 Miles" | 89,631 | Final | Final |
| I | 2 | Amy Diamond | "It's My Life" | 69,204 | I.J. | Second chance |
| II | 1 | Måns Zelmerlöw | "Hope & Glory" | 107,523 | Final | Final |
| II | 2 | Lili & Susie | "Show Me Heaven" | 67,859 | Second chance | Second chance |

### Heat 3

The third heat took place on 21 February 2009 at the Ejendals Arena in Leksand. 2,922,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 691,238 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,053,643 collected for Radiohjälpen.
Round 1 :
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result | Result |
| 1 | Velvet | "The Queen" | 15,985 | — | 15,985 | 6 | Out | Out |
| 2 | Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox | "I Got U" | 18,515 | 38,078 | 56,593 | 4 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 3 | Molly Sandén | "Så vill stjärnorna" | 29,523 | 55,713 | 85,236 | 3 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 4 | E.M.D. | "Baby Goodbye" | 65,234 | 127,990 | 193,224 | 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 5 | Mikael Rickfors | "Du vinner över mig!" | 17,785 | 36,284 | 54,069 | 5 | Out | Out |
| 6 | Maja Gullstrand | "Här för mig själv" | 10,568 | — | 10,568 | 8 | Out | Out |
| 7 | Sofia | "Alla" | 14,782 | — | 14,782 | 7 | I.J. | Out |
| 8 | BWO | "You're Not Alone" | 41,082 | 80,414 | 121,496 | 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
Round 2 :
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Result |
| I | 1 | Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox | "I Got U" | 39,124 | Second chance |
| I | 2 | E.M.D. | "Baby Goodbye" | 116,034 | Final |
| II | 1 | BWO | "You're Not Alone" | 66,520 | Second chance |
| II | 2 | Molly Sandén | "Så vill stjärnorna" | 85,886 | Final |

### Heat 4

The fourth heat took place on 28 February 2009 at the Malmö Arena in Malmö. 3,188,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 639,928 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,122,842 collected for Radiohjälpen.
Round 1 :
| R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Votes | Votes | Place | Result | Result |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total | Place | Result | Result |
| 1 | Agnes | "Love Love Love" | 27,501 | 61,082 | 88,583 | 2 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 2 | Star Pilots | "Higher" | 28,311 | 58,751 | 87,062 | 3 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 3 | Susanne Alfvengren | "Du är älskad där du går" | 7,530 | — | 7,530 | 8 | Out | Out |
| 4 | Anna Sahlene & Maria Haukaas Storeng | "Killing Me Tenderly" | 17,240 | — | 17,240 | 7 | Out | Out |
| 5 | Thorleifs | "Sweet Kissin' in the Moonlight" | 23,830 | 48 525 | 72,355 | 5 | Out | Out |
| 6 | Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | 27,394 | 57,776 | 85,170 | 4 | I.J. | Round 2 |
| 7 | Next 3 | "Esta noche" | 21,737 | — | 21,737 | 6 | Out | Out |
| 8 | Malena Ernman | "La Voix" | 48,415 | 102,708 | 151,123 | 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
Round 2 :
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Result | Result |
| I | 1 | Star Pilots | "Higher" | 54,785 | Second chance | Second chance |
| I | 2 | Agnes | "Love Love Love" | 66,740 | Final | Final |
| II | 1 | Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | 48,526 | I.J. | Second chance |
| II | 2 | Malena Ernman | "La Voix" | 88,870 | Final | Final |

### Second chance

The second chance round took place on 7 March 2009 at the Himmelstalundshallen in Norrköping. 2,886,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 639,928 votes were cast.
Round 1 :
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Result | Result |
| I | 1 | Scotts | "Jag tror på oss" | 47,593 | Out | Out |
| I | 2 | Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | 88,739 | I.J. | Round 2 |
| II | 1 | Lili & Susie | "Show Me Heaven" | 65,405 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| II | 2 | BWO | "You're Not Alone" | 54,283 | Out | Out |
| III | 1 | Amy Diamond | "It's My Life" | 65,493 | I.J. | Out |
| III | 2 | Star Pilots | "Higher" | 84,671 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| IV | 1 | Rigo & The Topaz Sound feat. Red Fox | "I Got U" | 49,543 | Out | Out |
| IV | 2 | Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | 100,860 | I.J. | Round 2 |
Round 2 :
| Duel | R/O | Artist | Song | Votes | Result | Result |
| I | 1 | Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | 98,984 | I.J. | Final |
| I | 2 | Lili & Susie | "Show Me Heaven" | 65,217 | Out | Out |
| II | 1 | Star Pilots | "Higher" | 107,425 | Out | Out |
| II | 2 | Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | 111,009 | I.J. | Final |

#### International jury choice

The international jury had the task of selecting a song from each heat which they think was the most suitable for the Eurovision Song Contest. The jury were only able to pick songs that had not passed to the final. If they pick a song which qualifies to the final through the Second Chance round, that song became ineligible for the jury's choice. The international jury were also given the right to vote during the final of the contest, becoming the 12th jury, alongside the 11 regional juries.
| Heat | Artist | Song | Result |
| Eligible entries ||||
| 2 | Amy Diamond | "It's My Life" | Out |
| 3 | Sofia | "Alla" | Final |
| Ineligible entries that already qualified to the final ||||
| 1 | Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | — |
| 4 | Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | — |

### Final

The final took place on 14 March 2009 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. 3,592,000 viewers watched the final live. A total of 1,748,970 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 3,457,435 collected for Radiohjälpen.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Juries | Televote | Televote | Total | Place |
| R/O | Artist | Song | Juries | Votes | Points | Total | Place |
| 1 | Måns Zelmerlöw | "Hope & Glory" | 96 | 182,651 | 48 | 144 | 4 |
| 2 | Caroline af Ugglas | "Snälla, snälla" | 51 | 318,952 | 120 | 171 | 2 |
| 3 | Agnes | "Love Love Love" | 40 | 49,819 | 0 | 40 | 8 |
| 4 | H.E.A.T. | "1000 Miles" | 58 | 178,283 | 24 | 82 | 7 |
| 5 | Emilia | "You're My World" | 28 | 48,844 | 0 | 28 | 9 |
| 6 | Alcazar | "Stay the Night" | 67 | 199,014 | 72 | 139 | 5 |
| 7 | Sarah Dawn Finer | "Moving On" | 75 | 146,300 | 12 | 87 | 6 |
| 8 | E.M.D. | "Baby Goodbye" | 49 | 231,098 | 96 | 145 | 3 |
| 9 | Sofia | "Alla" | 12 | 19,885 | 0 | 12 | 10 |
| 10 | Molly Sandén | "Så vill stjärnorna" | 2 | 51,467 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| 11 | Malena Ernman | "La Voix" | 38 | 322,657 | 144 | 182 | 1 |
| R/O | Song | International Jury | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Regional Juries | Total |
| R/O | Song | International Jury | Luleå | Umeå | Sundsvall | Falun | Karlstad | Örebro | Norrköping | Gothenburg | Växjö | Malmö | Stockholm | Total |
| 1 | "Hope & Glory" | 6 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 96 |
| 2 | "Snälla, snälla" | 10 | 12 | 8 | | 4 | | | 6 | 4 | 6 | | 1 | 51 |
| 3 | "Love Love Love" | | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | | | 8 | | 6 | 10 | 40 |
| 4 | "1000 Miles" | | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 58 |
| 5 | "You're My World" | 4 | | | | 12 | | 8 | | | 4 | | | 28 |
| 6 | "Stay the Night" | | 6 | 10 | 12 | | 10 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 67 |
| 7 | "Moving On" | 12 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 75 |
| 8 | "Baby Goodbye" | | | | 10 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 6 | | | 4 | 49 |
| 9 | "Alla" | 8 | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | 12 |
| 10 | "Så vill stjärnorna" | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| 11 | "La Voix" | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | | 4 | 6 | 12 | | 2 | 2 | | 38 |
| Jury spokespersons |||||||||||||||
| International jury – Marija Šerifović Luleå – Soran Ismail Umeå – Jan Bylund [sv] Sundsvall – Tobias Persson [sv] Falun – Måns Möller Karlstad – Claudia Galli Örebro – Thomas Oredsson Norrköping – Jakob Öqvist [sv] Gothenburg – Lasse Karlsson [sv] Växjö – K.-G. Bergström [sv] Malmö – Anna Granath [sv] Stockholm – Thomas Järvheden [sv] |||||||||||||||

## Ratings

Viewing figures by show :
| Show | Air date | Viewers (millions) |
| Heat 1 | 7 February 2009 | 3.294 |
| Heat 2 | 14 February 2009 | 3.032 |
| Heat 3 | 21 February 2009 | 2.922 |
| Heat 4 | 28 February 2009 | 3.188 |
| Second chance | 7 March 2009 | 2.886 |
| Final | 14 March 2009 | 3.592 |