Introduction

• Participant(s): Frans
• Song: If I Were Sorry
  
• Writer(s) / Composer(s): Frans Jeppsson Wall, Fredrik Andersson, Michael Saxell & Oscar Fogelström
• Broadcaster: SVT
• Social media: 
• Team review: 

Sweden has the honour to host the Eurovision Song Contest for the 6th time. So it makes Sweden to the second most successful ESC country right after Ireland with seven victories. Since ABBA have won the contest in 1974, the ESC has infected the Swedes with the Eurovision spirit. Every year the Swedish entry is selected in an ornate national pre-decision called “Melodifestivalen”. This year as a host country, the Melodifestivalen was filled with many great singers and songs. But there was one young guy called Frans, who just stood on stage and sang his song “If I Were Sorry”and the Swedes were touched by his performance by a storm. Even if there were many other very good songs, Frans’ song was the most persuasive. This was the best choice Sweden could make.

Frans Jeppsson-Wall was born in Ystad in 1998, his father comes from Nigeria. In the age of seven he had the chance to sing with the rock band Elias, and the song “Who’s da man”. This was an adoration of the famous Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the World Cup 2006. The performance at the Skansen Allsång has captured the Swedes by a storm. The cute little boy was singing his song in a shy but lovely way. This song became #1 in Sweden for 13 weeks! . Two years later Frans and Elias made another song for the European football championship “Fotbalfest” . Then Frans took a break, eight years later he participated at the Melodifestivalen.

The song “If I Were Sorry”is a swinging good-mood song very authentic though even if the song is about a difficult love story. The unpretentious presentation of Frans is outstanding and very sympathetic. This will animate a lot of jury members and televoters to vote for Sweden. The song has been downloaded more than four million times already and became #1 in Sweden immediately.

Of course it’s a hard job for a singer to represent the host country. Last year the Makemakes from Austria came last, despite of a very good song. The best result for Sweden as a host country could be achieved by Kikki Danielsson with “Bra Vibrationer” back in Gothenburg 1985 (3rd place). Let’s cross the fingers for Frans that he can top that!

History

• Debut: 1958
• Participations: 56
• Victories: 6
• Finals: 55
• Top 10: 37
• Chance for Top 10: 66 %

Sweden had its debut in 1958 with “Lilla Stjärna” sung by Alice Babs, which made a fabulous 4th rank in Hilversum. But the first victory took a while, in 1974 ABBA could surprise the Europeans with the very modern song “Waterloo”. Unfortunately, the hype did not start immediately, but some years later in Sweden and Scandinavia and even beyond. ABBA made a world career, they have had #1 songs even in the USA and Australia. The style of ABBA music has often been copied and many Swedish songs sounded like ABBA. Not many people know that ABBA have even tried to enter the ESC with “Ring Ring”, which only came 3rd in the Melodifestivalen 1973.

After that big success the popular Swedish music, called “Swedish Schlager” has captured the entire world. Especially in Sweden there are “Schlagerkvälls” in discotheques and bars everywhere and many ESC songs and “Melodifestivalen”- songs are played and sung with great enthusiasm of the crowd, really worth to experience.