Sweden is one of the toughest competitors when it comes to Eurovision, with consistently good results over the last decade or so. Through the much-loved national final, Melodifestivalen, the group The Mamas was selected to represent Sweden this year with the song Move, but would this have continued the string of good results?
Anita (Eurovision Union)Â
Song and Vocals
Melodifestivalen is usually a treasure trove of songs, where a handful could be selected and all would do well at Eurovision. This year the competition didn’t seem as strong, paving the way for The Mamas to win the competition, and compete at Eurovision – this time, without John Lundvik. Move is another upbeat entry full of soul, which is what we expected from the trio. This is a nice song, but it’s not particularly daring.
Despite it being a ‘safe’ entry, life is injected into the song through the live performance. The vocals are spot on, even if the melodies and lyrics are a bit cliche. I would suspect that juries would enjoy this based on the vocals and the overall feel, but it also has more televote appeal than some of the previous Swedish entries.
Performance and Act
This is perhaps where I think Sweden didn’t excel this year, and that’s stage performance. It’s all too reminiscent of 2019, the black outfits and the yellow lighting. There’s nothing that inspires me about this performance at all, and although the girls have natural charisma, it’s just not…. Spectacular. When I think of Sweden, I think cutting edge staging, and although they occasionally opt for something simple, they did that last year with a very similar style of song and I think this could have used something more uplifting. I say this with the assumption that they would have kept the same staging for Eurovision, as the Swedish acts usually do coming from a Melodifestivalen win.
Next Up: 2021
We won’t be seeing The Mamas get an automatic ticket to Eurovision from the Swedish broadcaster, however it could be the case that we see the group return to Melodifestivalen next year. If so, I can’t picture the Swede’s picking the group if they didn’t have the best song, so it will take something special for us to see the Mamas return to Eurovision. Whether it’s the Mamas or not, I hope we see something a bit more daring, whether that’s song or staging.
Conclusions
This is a nice song, and The Mamas are a likable group, but Sweden just didn’t stand out for me this year. It likely would have ended up in the final, but I don’t know whether it would have reached Top 10 based on its competitors. I guess the beauty of it is that I can hypothesise, and we will never know.
Rating
6.5/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)Â
Song and Vocals
The song ‘Move’ has a good rhythm to it. The Mamas can sing, which they also proved as backings for John Lundvik. The only gospel song of the year would have given it a unique hook at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.
Was it enough for a very high result? Or qualification from the semi finals? The first probably no, the latter probably yes. That is mainly because, especially for a Swedish Eurovision song, there is not a lot happening in the composition ánd act. While normally Sweden always comes up with something special.
Performance and Act
Of course the Swedish production team of Melodifestivalen already have their work done. Like every year. The staging and act for The Mamas would have been copied nearly one-on-one for the show in Rotterdam, with some minor changes in camerawork and lighting maybe. Would it have been enough for a top-10 result? I have doubts if the Swedish entry would have stood out enough. We will never know.
Next up: 2021
I find it very hard to imagine that Sweden will drop Melodifestivalen in 2021. Their show is being watched by millions of people and is extremely popular in the country. Added up with the fact that The Mamas were not the most convincing winner in recent years, I think they will go for their winner of the next edition for Eurovision. Should they stick with The Mamas, I think they will give them something similar, a gospel-like popsong.
Conclusions
When you win Melodifestivalen, one of the biggest music competitions in the world, it is impossible to be a bad pick for another music competition. However, the way Sweden has performed in recent years at Eurovision, they might have better options for Eurovision than their original Melfest 2020 winner. And I think they will do just that.
Rating
6/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:Â
Brandon: 4.5/10
Steef:: 5/10
Joshua: 8/10
Selim: 6/10
Heath: 5/10
Kaitlin: 7/10
Average Score:Â 6/10
What do you think of Move? Follow our Eurovision 2020 reviews here.