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...

Aftonbladet Exclusive Video of Bart's New Band -Gravitonas 'Kites'

At last the release of Alexander Bart's new Band 'Gravitonas' with the great new

single 'Kites' its available from i-tunes internationally today- Also see the exclusive

new video below. It certainly has a more serious coldplay-rock sound than

BWO, the previous band

of Bart who over the year's have built their sucess from various entry's in Melodifestivalen.

This is a fantastic sound new project but we are sorry to hear BWO have now taken a

break, and we know what that often means in music biz terms..could be the end of BWO.

Still Looking forward to a Gravitonas album soon..

BWO Feat. VELVET Take on the U K -LIVE & with "Right Here Right Now" single

BWO are about to take on the U K market with the
latest release from Big Science Album 'Right Her Right Now'
Then with this new Mix they have a secret weapon of the
Fun-Tasic singer Velvet doing back-up.
She brought us 'The Queen' from her
new album and in Melodifestivalen 2009.





Yet Sweden did not pick either of these great
Artists for there Melodifestivalen Final 11 at Globen !

Its been a BIG week for BWO who thanks to 'scandipop' did a

LIVE show at Borderline in LONDON Town, its been over a year since

BWO performed in the U K They sang a 9-song set to over 200

strong UK Fan base. See some great pics & report at

SCANDIPOP site

Let hope the Brits take the new single both to their

Hearts N The Charts!

Alcazar's HISTORY CHANNEL: Andreas Back in 1997 with "Driver Dagg Faller Regn" & with Stage 4

Alcazar was not infact Andreas first band he was a member of the group Stage 4.
They featured three other famous Melodifestivalen singers in Sweden; Peter Jöback, Lisa Nilsson and Lizette Pålsson.
Here is a rare clip of Stage 4 check to check back in 1989 -



Here we find Andrea's debut in Melodifestivalen 1997. With a hit ballad "Driver Dagg Faller Regn"
wrote by Alexander Bard it came 2nd with a total of 48 points...
not long afterwards Alcazar was born in Stockholm.

BWO "Rise To The Occasion" NEW Video

Has to be one of the BEST tracks from 'Big Science' album
+FaB-WO Video to boot!

Henrik Wikström: Mf Songwriter currenty working with Bard (BWO) on a new Band for 2010!

Since 1983, songwriter Henrik Wikström has written 20 entries for Melodifestivalen. It was Henrik behind Måns Zelmerlöw's hit "Cara Mia" as well as Carola's "Evighet" and BWO's "Lay your love on me"

Henrik we have seen many times sat among the songwriters in Melodifestivalen ( who can miss him! ) it has been revealed Henrik together with Alexander Bard is working on a new Electro Rock Band Gravitonas, this new group will feature the vocals of Andreas Öhrn. As a frontman Andreas is rather theatrical and have something à la Freddie Mercury (see him below). Alexander has assured us BWO will very much continue, and this is a new side project to his band.

- Henrik is a trained music teacher. During a recent interview Henry told of how he has a first idea for a song that can come to him in different ways: In fact its happened that Henrik wakes in the middle of the night with a melody in his head. Then I fly out of my bed and record it, at my home- studio. You can hear more of the new Bard/Wilkstrom collaboration on tracks "Love Came Crashing Down" & "Shoot From The Heart" from BWO's Big Science album.

Gravitonas sounds like more great sounds for 2010.

BWO "Right Here Right Now" Vid & Fantastic NEW Skyylab Mix

'Right Here Right Now'

A follow up to 'You're Not Alone' from Melodifestivalen 2009- BWO are Back..& have an excellent new album called 'Big Science'
out now and as always BWO are coming up with the goods with some terrific Songs +Dance mixes.
I like this 2nd single from the Album

BWO "You're not Alone" Vid- Fantastic Vid- the song that got away Mf 2009

Gimme Gimme Gimme a Second Chance- as Swedish votes dropped some BIG artists from the Mf final !!

This weekend we saw Sweden's 'Andra Chansen' heading towards the final 11 songs now confirmed for Globen Finale on 14 th March 2009- This has seen some of the Mf favourite Artists and songs go forward to the final, in the past and been a great way of capturing the best of the songs that just missed out. However this year a lot of real excellent songs missed out. Two of my favourites BWO & Lili & Sussie lost out, this could be down to them both been drawn together in the same dual. If these acts came up with less than average songs, it would be a little understandable. "Show me Heaven" & "You're not alone" are both equally worthy of the final
and BWO have spoken how their act was perfectly put together for a Moscow audience.
I think the band are right on the money, if anyone else they know how to sway in the Eastern vote in ESC. They have had huge success with some of their early songs over in Russia and beyond. Lets see how the singles go in sales chart after Mf, this often shows a different story. Meanwhile as Sweden strides to be different and comeback on the Eurovision stage. They have already dropped some of the most promising songs and acts in Mf. Another one is Velvet's "The Queen" I could see this track qualifing easily in the Eurovision Semi Final. Oh well someone has to lose.
The winning songs that went through to the final were "Moving On" Sarah Dawn Finer with Caroline Af Ugglas "Snalla snalla" ( 'please please'- send me to globen!! ) these songs along with International jury choice Sofia. Out of the whole line-up for 2nd chance I personally would have picked these as the bottom 3. Lets see what happens in Globen, its still gonna be very
schlager-tastic!

EMD look set to go all the way Direct to Globen?

Well Melodifestivalen semi final in Leksand is about to begin, the one song this week I have a great feeling about is EMD's 'Baby Goodbye'. It really is a step in a different direction for Erik Danny & Mattias. With the added Top hat & tails of their performance I think they may get the 1st one way ticket to Globen. 

For the nights other winner its a tough one to pick out. Now I luv BWOs music and I do admit that only one or two of their ballads have really impressed me, perhapes 'We could be heroes' being the exception. I am sorry cus 'You are not alone' is not up to that songs standard for me, so we may see BWO in second chance in the fantastic company of her highness Miss Velvet. 

Leaving the big swedish ballad  "Sa vill stjarnorna" from Molly Sanden, could this be the one going direct to Globen.  It certainly has been a popular tune from the rehearsal reports in Leksand, along with Velvet's 'The Queen' lets see what happens. The outcome is all written, 

in the stars......

Big Frocks & Big Ballads in Disneyland- Leksand!

The first reports are coming out of Leksand from Melodifestivalen 3rd semi final rehearsals. We have already reached the half way mark! Saturday's show looks like real battle of the ballads. Which I think may not be to Sweden's advantage to send another ballad to Moscow. It began with Jade's 'My Time' last month, since Sir Andrew L Webber's Epic, a flood of entry's have come in for ESC 2009 as big ballads.

BWO have a electro ballad with a massive chorus, a bit different for them- this already looks set to be the favourite to qualify this week. I have my glow-stick ready to wave for BWO as they can do no wrong.

Another big ballad is from Molly Sanden, she is looking to fill the gap left in Mf without Sonja Sanna & Shirley Clamp already out. Written by Bobby Ljunggren they are calling this tune- a credible Disney ballad . On the subject of Disney, our Velvet has a upbeat dance song thats fantastic-with an added advantage of biggest Disney-style Dress ever- Well the song is called 'The Queen' . (see STV Clip below)

Lets not forget the idol Boys EMD they are very popular in sweden, their song 'Baby Goodbye' is said to be more of a Musical style... But not a ballad thankfully, its up beat. Finally the 'Velvet' name has been pinched by the Spice Girlies in Norway & it seems over in Oslo's MGP Final they may have to change to become 'Velvet Inc' instead. Just as long as Alexander Rybak does not change a thing- he gets our Norsk vote.

FLASHBACK VID' Bard's Going back to Electronic Basics With 'Big Science'

Here is Alexander 

Bard's previous band, 

in 1996 Vacuum - They

featured singer Mattias Lindblom 

& had a big hit with this electro ballad 'I breathe'

BWO's new song for Mf is 'You're not alone' from New BWO album

due out next month 'Big Science' it is said to be a return

the electronic basics for the band- Sounds Fantastic

Check out a new look - i-pod style BWO site

BWO "Lay love your on Me" Vid from Mf 2008 - What gem will this FABulous group bring us next year?