Sweden SWEDEN 2023 - Loreen - Tattoo

[ESC United Mod Team]

 

[alca]

What is the point of coming back if your entry will be weaker than your winning song? I never understood previous winners trying to compete again, unless they have something groundbreaking. But at this point with MF, beggars can't be choosers fwalfhwafnaf go Loreeeeen

Yes, but let's agree that Euphoria was massive. And I mean MASSIVE! When a song wins Eurovision already in February, then I think we understand how huge it is. The song won ESC 250 10 years in a row! That said, no matter what kind of song Loreen brings, we will ALWAYS compare it to Euphoria. And to be fair, she can't top it. So I guess she should never return to MF...? Nah, I think she can win Eurovision again with Tattoo IF the stars align. The truth is that Tattoo is no Euphoria, no Fairytale, no Toy... You get it. It's not a song that screams Eurovision winner already during the NF season. But it will all come down to presentation, the other Eurovision songs etc.

A friend told me in 2017 that for Loreen, it's harder to win Melodifestivalen rather than Eurovision.

Loreen=Euphoria like Jennifer Aniston=Rachel, Matt LeBlanc=Joey etc. No matter what else they bring to us, we will always remember them for that first (huge) success. So the comparison to Euphoria is inevitable.

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Also, if anything doesn't make any sense in the review post, it's because I initially wrote it in Greek and put it in Google translator to save time. I was already running late for work so I didn't pay much attention correcting everything. Sorry.

 

[Gwendal]

nice to hear that Mariette remains bland. Consistent kwen

The saddest part of it all, tbh. When you got a gem like the one she had in 2015 and then... becoming the queen of bland semi-bops. At least, in the same category, Linda Bengtzing kept it authentic (she should have won in 2011 but that's another era)

 

[Leydan]

Let's face it, the hype for Loreen was always going to be through the roof with how adored Euphoria still is overall in the fandom (I know not everyone likes it, but it's certainly still got many people's hearts). The contest is in a different place now than it was in 2012, so I wouldn't expect a copy-paste job, but let's wait to hear it for ourselves.

Personal reviews will always be just that - personal, and while you can try and be objective, there may always be some bias that will bleed through into written critiques. That's why I'll never write any song off until I can hear it myself with my own ears in full (sure, the 1 minute snippets are good for a taster, but only when we hear the full song and see the full package can we make our own decisions on whether it is a potential winner).

No it's true. I remember a couple of pre-release reviews of Fuego were quite critical back in 2018. Imo Loreen is being massively overhyped by the community. Outside of ESC her music has been mid to poor at best tbh, some good songs but mostly not. Also i hated Statements, the flop did not surprise me. I'm excited to hear her song for sure, but I'm firmly grounded with my expectation.

 

[theditz83]

No it's true. I remember a couple of pre-release reviews of Fuego were quite critical back in 2018. Imo Loreen is being massively overhyped by the community. Outside of ESC her music has been mid to poor at best tbh, some good songs but mostly not. Also i hated Statements, the flop did not surprise me. I'm excited to hear her song for sure, but I'm firmly grounded with my expectation.

Thing is, if I remember correctly, Fuego was still largely dismissed until the first rehearsal clips started surfacing and people really valued the full package (since before that it was pretty much just the music video we had to go on). I take the point that Loreen is always hyped to the rafters, but I guess that's what comes with being Euphoria's performer in the Eurovision bubble.

We'll see what she has in store for us all, but I'm approaching it with zero expectations (it's gotta be better than the vast majority of the songs from MF 2023 so far, right?) <<insert clown emoji>>

 

[ESC_Peggy]

Let's not forget last year when the public wanted to send Anders Bagge.

(ngl low key banger)

 

[I bims]

Thing is, if I remember correctly, Fuego was still largely dismissed until the first rehearsal clips started surfacing and people really valued the full package (since before that it was pretty much just the music video we had to go on).

Yep, one big reason (at least for me) was Jana Burceska flopping HARD with "Dance Alone" the year prior. The studio version was fantastic but it completely fell apart live. And also other similar pop songs in national selections usually also flopped hard on stage.
So a lot of fans were at that point used to those songs just not holding up live, so we dismissed Fuego as probably another flop cause there was not really any exception to that rule, until Eleni flipped the script.

Loreen - Tattoo
Nice intro. It starts off loose somewhat like Euphoria in the verses and builds up until it goes into the chorus. The way she sings some parts of the verse are a bit reminiscent of "Paper light". Vocally the Loreen we all know. Amazing. It has a bridge with strings which I really like. She sings the word tattoo in a way we've heard it before, like "woo-hoo-hoo," and I can't find a similar song to show you. Hahaha. Anyway. Is it a winning song like Euphoria? No. Can it win Eurovision? Probably yes. The point is, can she win Melodifestivalen?

I try not to expect another Euphoria, but just another good song. And from what I've read, Tattoo will be exactly that. She is not competing against Euphoria in May, even when people will compare the songs.
And this year is just sooo bad, that she has good chances to win the whole contest if she just has a "good" song. We know she's a very capable performer. And after seeing M&M, I'm assured that Sweden still knows how to stage a song, despite a lot of cheap ass stagings this year.

Will she win Melfest? Who knows. That's the big question but I'm not as doubtful as others are.

 

[Datura]

What is the point of coming back if your entry will be weaker than your winning song? I never understood previous winners trying to compete again, unless they have something groundbreaking. But at this point with MF, beggars can't be choosers fwalfhwafnaf go Loreeeeen

because maybe it's not always about winning?
(i get ur point though)

 

[FilipFromSweden]

Melodifestivalen has been stale for a while now but the community at large has woken up only this year and karma is catching up with the selection lol. I don't feel like Sweden really cares, rather they've got complacent and are taking their results for granted. They need a humbling moment like 2010 soon.

People love to say this, but when was the big difference in quality then? 2007-2010 when we got shit results? People really love to whine about our selection but the mission is to send just one strong entry, which we usually manage to if you only consider scores.

 

[randajad]

Melodifestivalen has been stale for a while now but the community at large has woken up only this year and karma is catching up with the selection lol. I don't feel like Sweden really cares, rather they've got complacent and are taking their results for granted. They need a humbling moment like 2010 soon.

I am usually in a leave MF alone camp, but it has been years since I was passionate about a single song in this show. I am tired of the same (no) names and copy-paste songs that all sound the same, and same props and same everything. Something should be done about the whole concept including lineup selection process and the format of the show itself. It's kinda sad really, it's the first year in ages I haven't watched a single MF semi, and I wasn't even interested to watch a recap to see what I have missed.

 

[ArmpitOfEurope]

What is the point of coming back if your entry will be weaker than your winning song? I never understood previous winners trying to compete again, unless they have something groundbreaking. But at this point with MF, beggars can't be choosers fwalfhwafnaf go Loreeeeen

I dont get your point at all tbh. Loreen isn't competing againt her old song, she is competing against the other Melfest contestants this year. If she has the best package compared to them, that's enough.
Its like saying that LDV should have stopped painting after Mona Lisa, or that the creators of Game of thrones should never do a tv program again because they will never top the success of Game of thrones.

 

[Gera11]

I dont get your point at all tbh. Loreen isn't competing againt her old song, she is competing against the other Melfest contestants this year. If she has the best package compared to them, that's enough.
Its like saying that LDV should have stopped painting after Mona Lisa, or that the creators of Game of thrones should never do a tv program again because they will never top the success of Game of thrones.

I generally don't like winners coming back, there are plenty other artists who can have their moment of glory. That's clearly not happening in Melodifestivalen 2023 though, so I guess it's fair game. Loreen WILL compete against her old song in a way, everybody will compare it to Euphoria, like it or not.
and the creators of GOT should never do a tv program again after the final season disaster flkwabfwaf

 

[MopManMoss]

I feel like Im the only one that finds the voice of Marcus and Martinus incredibly annoying, they sound like an even more annoying version of Eric Saade to me. Hopefully Tattoo delivers

 

[FilipFromSweden]

What is the point of coming back if your entry will be weaker than your winning song? I never understood previous winners trying to compete again, unless they have something groundbreaking. But at this point with MF, beggars can't be choosers fwalfhwafnaf go Loreeeeen

Melodifestivalen is huge in Sweden (which you already know). Having a succesful run on Melfest, even if you don't win, can guarantee you a good income for a whole year if you play the game right afterwards. Loreen as an artist isn't about winning (go watch her reaction to winning 2012, she's very happy but she isn't going crazy or anything), she wants to showcase her art on a platform where people love her, only makes sense.

 

[alca]

Melodifestivalen is huge in Sweden (which you already know). Having a succesful run on Melfest, even if you don't win, can guarantee you a good income for a whole year if you play the game right afterwards. Loreen as an artist isn't about winning (go watch her reaction to winning 2012, she's very happy but she isn't going crazy or anything), she wants to showcase her art on a platform where people love her, only makes sense.

Yeah and for me Loreen is the definition of an artist. She doesn't give a sh!t about mainstream stuff and trends. She just does whatever she feels like. "You like it? Awesome! You don't? I don't care! I do my music." Apart from that, to go back to "the definition of an artist", even as a person she's kinda "weird" (in a good way!). Like she's in her own world or something. All big artists had some kind of craziness, flaws etc. They see the world in a different way and that's it.

That said, could she have been a major star after 2012? Yeah. Did she make wrong moves regarding her career? Yeah. But at the end of the day, that's the path she wanted to follow and we have no say in this.

Besides, she has given us some awesome tracks over the years. "Crying out your name" and "Sober" from the album "Heal". I will never understand why she revamped the already perfect "My heart is refusing me" and ruined it but ok. Then we got "Paper light", "Body" (what a banger!) and the most recent "Neon lights".

 

[HarryUK]

When are Sweden going to accept Jessica Andersson supremacy and just select her. We stan a woman on the cusp of 50 acting 20 years her junior. Yes I'm a big Charlotte Perrelli fan too

I'm bored of the same stuff. Select a bloody milf!!!!

 

[alca]

When are Sweden going to accept Jessica Andersson supremacy and just select her. We stan a woman on the cusp of 50 acting 20 years her junior. Yes I'm a big Charlotte Perrelli fan too

I'm bored of the same stuff. Select a bloody milf!!!!

GEM!

 

[HarryUK]

GEM!

YES
She looks STUNNING here as well. Our queen sung through that cold she had too so effortlessly (albeit with A LOT of help) but I was so proud of her

& btw, I'm all in favour of an Alcazar return. They were robbed in 2009 and 2014!

 

[FilipFromSweden]

"My heart is refusing me"

Yeah I always have to go to YouTube to listen to the old version! Not that I dislike the new version but it's just a bit overproduced while the original is perfect

 

[FilipFromSweden]

Before we hear the songs tomorrow I want to share what is my favorite Melodifestivalen moment ever: the audience screaming out their love to Loreen, on the finale night before she had won, at 0:30 while she is building up to the refrain. I've never seen anything like it in Melfest/ESC

 

[Bellw]

Can we hear the songs tomorrow?