ABBA victory and more
Interesting facts about ESC host Sweden
ABBA ensured a great Swedish ESC success in 1974.
© imago images/TT
With Malmö, the Eurovision Song Contest is taking place in Sweden for the seventh time. All the exciting facts about the host country of the ESC 2024.
This week it’s again: “12 Points go to…” The 68th Eurovision Song Contest will take place from May 7th to 11th, 2024 in Malmö. Suitable for the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s ESC victory Sweden once again hosts the music competition. How often has the country won and what records did it set?
Shared records
She made history with her ESC victory: Singer Loreen (40) brought the music competition to Sweden in Liverpool in 2023. The musician took part in the Swedish preliminary round in 2011 and was finally able to convince her country to send her to Baku with her song “Euphoria” during her second participation in 2012. There she won and landed a worldwide hit with her song. After another preliminary decision in 2017, Loreen was able to convince again in 2023 with her song “Tattoo”. She went to Liverpool and took her second win. This makes her only the second person after Irish singer Johnny Logan (69) to win the ESC twice. In total, Sweden was able to win the ESC seven times, a record the country also shares with Ireland.
Breakthrough to a world career
Loreen’s probably best-known Swedish ESC predecessors are ABBA. The band made up of Agnetha Fältskog (74), Björn Ulvaeus (79), Benny Andersson (77) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (78) also didn’t make it to the competition at the first attempt. After taking part in the preliminary round in 1973, they only managed to get into the ESC in 1974. On April 6th the band finally competed at the Grand Prix in Brighton. With “Waterloo”, which they presented in glittery clothes, they stood out from the field of participants and ultimately won by a clear margin. The pop group then achieved world fame with other hits such as “Mamma Mia”, “Dancing Queen” and “The Winner Takes It All”.
Special language change
Language always played a role at the ESC. As early as 1957, some artists added words to their titles that were not in their national language. In 1965, Sweden became the first country to present a song entirely in English. The opera singer Ingvar Wixell (1931-2011) sang his title “Annorstädes vals” at the ESC in Naples in the version “Absent Friend”. In 1966 there was a rule that the songs had to be in the respective national language. The regulation was repeatedly rejected or weakened. It has no longer been valid since 1999.
Successful preliminary decision
The fact that Sweden is one of the most successful ESC countries could also be due to the preliminary round, which has existed there since 1959. It’s called “Melodifestivalen” and is one of the most popular shows on Swedish public television. For the national preliminary round there are even several preliminary rounds in which musicians have to qualify. The final, in which an international jury and the audience decide on the winner, takes place annually in the Friends Arena near Stockholm. Many artists see participation in “Melodifestivalen” as an opportunity to present themselves, whether with or without a win.
Popular venue
In 1958, Sweden took part in the song contest, which had been taking place since 1956, for the first time. Alice Babs came in fourth place. In addition to Loreen and ABBA, Herreys, Carola (57), Charlotte Nilsson (49) and Måns Zelmerlöw (37) won. Following their success, the music competition took place three times in Stockholm, once in Gothenburg and twice in Malmö before 2024. We’re going to Malmö, the third largest city in Sweden, for the third time. It is located in the historic Swedish province of Skåne and is connected to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, via the Öresund Bridge. The ESC will take place in the Malmö Arena. The competition was held in the hall in 2013. The twin brothers Marcus & Martinus are at the start for Sweden with “Unforgettable”.