National Final Throwback: Måns Zelmerlöw – Cara Mia

Måns Zelmerlöw has become a staple in the Eurovision world thanks to his 2015 win with the song Heroes, however many fans will remember his previous attempts in the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen. Zelmerlöw first appeared at Melodifestivalen in 2007 with the song Cara Mia, a song that many Melodifestivalen fans remember fondly.

My love affair with Eurovision had only just begun when Cara Mia was performed on the Melodifestivalen stage, and my National Final knowledge was non-existent, so this is a true first impression. Will it live up to the hype?

Måns Zelmerlöw is a born performer. Even this early in his career, Måns is incredibly switched on when it comes to the camera movements. He is incredibly engaging as a performer, and a lot of that comes down to eye-contact with the cameras. Over the years, Måns has continued to perfect his stage presence, and every performance now comes across so naturally. It is certainly one of the reasons why Måns has become one of the top Swedish artists with fans across the globe.

As for the song itself, I can see why fans would love this song, but perhaps it’s more of a nostalgic thing. Even after almost a decade and a half, it’s clear to see the Swedish pop formula. Let’s face it, the Swedes know how to create earworms, and so it’s easy to see why this did well in the national final. Should it have won Melodifestivalen that year? While it was a strong entry, I don’t think it was his time yet. His vocals really developed over the years, and by 2015, he truly had the winning attributes.

It can be quite difficult to look at older songs through the 2021 lens, as we know how far music and performance styles have come, but given the time, I think Cara Mia deserves its icon status. He has performed the song over the years, and watching through those performances, it’s obvious to see that the song still has a strong connection with fans. I’m missing some of that nostalgia factor, but given the performance and song, I’m going to give it a 7/10.