Well, it's all over bar the shouting. Sweden has selected opera singer Malena Ernman to represent them in Moscow this year. Although I think I would have preferred Alcazar as ambassadors for the schlager nation, I think Malena is a wise choice. It's catchy as all hell, impeccably performed and distinctive enough to stand out from 20 or so other songs. Sung in English, with a chorus in French, it has twice the chance of connecting with audiences lyrically, even if the lyrics themselves aren't exactly challenging. Most importantly though, opera aside, this song is schlager through and through.
The song was written by Fredrik Kempe, who has a strong schlager heritage, having composed and sung Finally five years ago at Melodifestivalen. Since then, he's also written Cara Mia and Hope and Glory for Måns Zelmerlöw and Hero for Charlotte Perrelli, which won last year's competition but fared poorly at Eurovision.
If you listen to La Voix though, you'll hear how closely it follows the well established schlager template: verse chorus verse chorus bridge key change chorus high note. Plus, there are camp dancers,a wind machine and even a swirly camera effect - thanks for that SVT. It's a great song and a fine ambassador for schlagerhood, let's see how it does in Moscow...
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