One Voice- a schlager Jedward: heading for Melodifestivalen as a Webjoker

The identical twin Music Factor is not a new image. You may recall The Twins UK group were up against Jade in 'Your Country Needs You' in 2009. Then Jedward ( pop boy twin Irish duo ) sent us all crazy in UK X-Factor. The new twins sisters from Sweden are nothing like these Twins before them. They are Schlager Twins with a hint of country, The girls have a rather great song called 'Varje steg' (each step) in the run up to the final Webjoker Selection on Stv site. They are down to the final 15 entries. Another couple to watch is Engla "Don't Stop" - who looks like she will qualify & Billy -who started out as a Gyllene Tider tribute band and have a great song in the GT style called 'Tusen natter' in my option both these should do well.

Back in 2009 One Voice twins won the 'OGAE Home Composed Song Contest with 'Har kommer solen' showing the girls are no One Song Glory- In fact we like this tune even more than the new one (click on the title to hear the track)

King Magnus tops our Schlager PlayList with 'Pop Galaxy'

Here at SchlagerTunes HQ as spring has sprung in M E L B and we head into summer there is a real buzz here. So we have been listening almost non-stop to Magnus Carlsson's Pop Extravaganda double CD since it arrived by special delivery down-under.'Pop Galaxy' is a follow up to the last studio album another gem-way back then in 2007 -'Live Forever' Now 'Pop Galaxy' could just turn out to be The Swed-Pop Album of 2011...!
Back in 2007 was the last time Magnus stepped out on the Melodifestivalen stage. The song & album were a huge success in Sweden, although 'Live Forever' was short lived in the fact it missed out on making the Globen Final 07. We are very excited of the prospect of a return to Mf
from King Magnus in 2011. It has been rumoured and this new album proves in no uncertain terms to us, Magnus has the goods. As least 3 tracks from this album would have been ideal for Mf. Tracks like 'Take Me to your heart' or even 'Show Me The Way' is begging for a Melodifest chance.
These new Magnus tunes are wrote by the fantastic PitchLine team of Mathias Kallenberger & Andreas Berlin, these guys do a few Swed Dance Remixes and did the brand new version of Yazoo's 'Only You' by Amy Diamond ( the lead track on her new Greatest Hits CD)
As well as lots of Velvet singles..check out their Fabulous

PITCHLINE.SE site



-Mathias, Magnus & Andreas recording Pop Galaxy.

Melody Club- lose a Drummer because of Melodifestivalen!

Who are Melody Club?

they are a synth pop band who have been having hits in Sweden for around 10 years. Their break though hit was 'Palace station' back in 2002. Since then they have had a string of hits one of the best being 'Baby (Stand up)' and a personal fave of our 'Boys in the Girls room' I would discribe the music as, perhapes imagine The Ark- on a 80's disco trip.

This return to form for the band, and news that they will sing 'The Hunter' in Melodifestivalen. The song is said to be a fast up beat track with a strong chorus, in the vain of the group's previous hits. Then as a result of the group's desion to appear in Melodifestivalen- the drummer Andy A left the band! However the band's original drummer from back in 2000 Richard Anker stepped in to replace Andy. phew!

Melody Club are currently in the studio recording their sixth album

- fab album cover for Face the Music (2004)

Sarah Lumholdt steps out after A*Teens for Melodifestivalen 2011

When Sarah former star of the A-Teens group left the spotlight in 2006. She had enjoyed 8 years with the famous Swedish Pop band -who brough to life old Abba hits. Long before Mamma Mia -The Musical and since then Sarah has kept away from the limelight' She needed a long break from the constant Travel & hussle of the music industry.

Then suddenly this week the news broke Sarah will be in Melodifestivalen, in fact the press found Sarah at her day job at an Top advertising agency. This Agency may need a new employee

-if the song 'Enemy' leads to a new solo career for Sarah. The song is said to be very Radio freindly The song written by Niclas Lundin and Anton MalmberIf is not a ballad or up- tempo with a Rock/R & B feel.

It's been some years now since Sarah performed in A*Teens so she confessed it will be a nervous time to comeback to such a huge audience. Yet she is craving to return back to the World of Swed Pop right now.

There are rumours that Marie Serneholt is keen to return to Melodifestivalen. After her great tune 'Disconnect Me' in Mf 2009. Could this mean a head-to-head battle at Melodifestivalen of both the A*Teen girls- that could be interesting Melodifestivalen battle?

Fun times -Marie & Sarah in an A*Teens Music Clip

Sanna is finally Back in Melodifestival 2011- 8 New Songs & Artists are revealed by STv

Danny (E M D) "In The Club",

Sanna Nielsen - "I'm In Love" -wrote by Bobby Ljunggren, Thomas G: son, Irini Michas & Peter Bostrom

Sara Lumholdt - "Enemy",

Dilber - "Try Again",

Rasmus Viberg - "Social Butterfly"

Melody Club "The Hunter",

Loreen - "My Heart Is Refusing Me"

Simon Forsberg - "Tid att andas- (time to breathe)" a Fredrik Kempe song.

- interesting to note that Kempe is submitting a swedish penned song for 2nd time ever in melodifestivalen.

We will look at these artists in more details ...., but just now we are thinking STV must have some big name's still up their sleeves?

Just Made for Melodifestivalen 2011 CC & Lee

Introducing CC & LEE (Lena Ström and Cecilia Furlong) these girls are currently part of the swedish TV show 'Dansbandskampen' that has just began a new series in Sweden. Its like idol/x-factor yet for Dansbands who are making another comeback in sweden this summer. However the CC & Lee girls are no newcommers they have been touring together for a few years. The sisters began in Denmark not surprisingly in an Abba tribute band!. They have been submitted for Melodifestivalen in the last couple of years but not with the right choosen songs!

We like them alot from thier debut album, that came out last year, also this fab single 'Honey'This track is a real Abba tribute song, they also do schlager just as well- Check out the tune 'Himlen Kan Vatnta' (Heaven can wait) this song was wrote by Thomas G:son himself & recorded by CC & Lee after being another song rejected by Stv/Melodifestivalen. We hope in 2011 - CC & Lee will get finally a chance of Melodifestivalen Glory...fingers crossed.

DR Tv in Denmark reports on an Abba Scoop for Mamma Mia at the Danish Premier!

Over in Copenhagen, Denmark where a danish language version of 'Mamma Mia'

has started The first pics of this Event, held on 15th Ocober 2010 are out. Now Abba today very rarely make appearences all 4-of them together, its become the norm. Yet 2-members normally pop up together

for Abba events from time to time, but never before have just formally married couple

Agnetha & Bjorn stepped out.

It's nice to see these two arm in arm supporting each other in the name of their

old 70's pop band.

Check out this great DR news item of the Opening night-

DR tv News

+ Agnetha, is lookin at fantastic as ever...

Melodifestivalen 2011- The final song selections

Marie Serneholt hoping to be back in 2011?

Tick Tock Tick Tock...the Clock is ticking in Stockholm

Over in Melodifestivalen HQ at SVT, it will be all systems go! As the remaining 26 songs will be decided as four songs/artists have already been made public. For 2011 this process is not made by just a jury selection. The jury will selected only 15 contributions for next year song contest. The remaining songs will be selected by STV - 2 of which will be Webjokers currently being voted on via STV website by the swedish public.

So October is crunch-time as the songwriters involved who have submitted songs will find out if they are part of Melodifestivalen next year. The jury process has been fully completed yet some songwriters have only been informed of this result by email!

So we wait -as more rumours fly in the Svenska Press- and very soon more names and songwriters will be revealed. Each year traditional swedish songwriters appear each year on the final list. Writers who have brought us so many schlager hits of the past.
It just would not be Melodifestivalen without their talents. Only now New' Rules for 2011 - overseas songwriters can be part of the song contest. Just how much difference this we will make to Melodifestivalen? If you consider 'Satellite' Germany's winner in Eurovision 2010 was written by American songwriter Julie Frost with Danish songwriter John Gordon. It will be interesting to see...how Sweden do with the new rule changes.

Austria will they bring us another Song of Love- Thomas Forstner in Eurovision 1989

-its still music to our ears that Austria are back in Eurovision 2011 in Dusseldorf-

will they produce something like the super schlager-ballad ' Nur Ein Lied'

from 1989- it gave Austria 5th place in Lausanne that year. A worthy top placing from Austria

+ 12 points, for just a Perfect 80's hair-do Thomas

..its Dusseldorf -has been finally choosen as the City to host EUROVISION 2011

Bard -goes back to Schlager for Melodifestivalen 2011

STV have started early to reveal the artists & songwriters for next year's 'new' Melodifestivalen format. As is the norm we have a variety of music styles with a large helping of Schlager-cream (yum!) Just before the Webjokers hit the Net around 10th October let us have a look at what is now confirmed;

Song- Desperados

Artist: Pernilla Andersson
Composer/Lyricist: Pernilla Andersson

a complete newcomer here- a singer/songwriter who has four albums to her credit since 2004- she normally sings in english. If you loved Cookies N Beans who gave us 'What if' in 2009 expect something simular from Pernilla Andersson.

Song- E De Fel Pa Mig

Artist: Linda Bengtzing
Composer/Lyricist: Pontus Assarsson, Thomas G:son, Jörgen Ringqvist

Linda Bengtzing returns to Mf for the fourth time, so a full schlager alert! we get with this grand news. And with songwriters like Thomas G:son who has brought us many a great schlager- stomper ( +Denmark's 'In a Moment like this' in ESC 2010 ) This is gonna be a fan-favourite for sure and means schlager is alive and kickin in 2011- we are hoping it will be as good as 'Jag Ljuger Sa Bra' back in 2006

and key chances a go-go!

Song- Me & My Drum.

Artist: Swingfly
Composer/Lyricist: Teron Beal, Patrik Magnusson, Johan Ramström

Now that Mf for the first time will have foreign songwriters allowed in the competion we find

Teron Beal who wrote hits with Micheal Jackson on his last album recorded. Swingfly, are a HipHop R&B style, not in recent years seen as a real winning genre in Mf.

Song- En Blick och Nagot Hanner

Artist: Lasse Stefanz
Composer/Lyricist: Alexander Bard, Ola Håkansson, Tim Norell

This is the most exciting as a veteran dansband who have been around since the late

60s. Yet never performed before in Melodifestivalen, and turned a chance recently in 2009. The dansband are huge in sweden, norway & finland with mainly top selling albums of dansband music in a kikki country-style.

In the 80's the song-writing trio of Tim Norwell Ola Hakansson & the great Alexander Bard are considered the S.A.W. of the late 80's/90's. They certainly wrote some english popular songs for Barbados. Lili & Susie hits tracks, as well as Agnetha's hit duet with Ola in 1987 'The way you are'/'Fly like an eagle' and Andreas Lundstedt's early Mf hits. Cannot wait to hear the tunes & much more to come...

Unheilig- flying the Flag the best song in Bundesvision 2011

the Bundersvision 2011 was held this month in Berlin. In its fifth year the Nation song contest has 16 states of Germany competing & voting in typical Eurovision style. Yet the artists are more Rock based & require to sing in German. It was a brilliant show, which had a lot to offer: alot of fun, emotion and a bit crazy. Johanna Klum introduced the show, and named the winner of this year's contest. Who could hardly believe their luck. The winner was a Rock band called Unheilig (Unholy) representing North Rhine Westphalia state- with a Rock ballad called 'Unter Deiner Flagge' (see video)

In Runner-up was position was Eastern Germany band making a comeback called Silly! As well as Ich & Ich

a famous band in Germany sang for Berlin, where the Competion was held this year.

We liked much more Peter Fox winner from 2009-