Introduction

• Participant(s): Tusse
• Song: Voices
  
• Writer(s): Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov
• Composer(s): Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Anderz Wrethov
• Broadcaster: SVT
• Social media:   
  
• Team review: 

Sweden is one of the countries this year, who did not nominate last year’s performer. Instead The Mamas have been guaranteed a slot in the Grand Final of the Melodifestivalen. This is the most watched TV show in Sweden. Especially in these crazy corona times, people looking after entertainment and diversion. There were big names in this year’s event like Charlotte Perrelli, Danny Saucedo, Eric Saade or Arvingarna. But there was the young singer Tusse, who came and won clearly. While the international juries were not that clearly, the televoters gave 17.7% of their votes (almost 3 million) to Tusse, while the runner up Eric Saade only received 8.7%

Tusse, whose real name is Tousin Chiza was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002. As a child he had to flee, was separated from his parents, due to the bellicose situation in the country. Tusse came to Sweden without parents firstly, lived in several places and then moved in with his family in a little village called Kullsbjörken, close to Leksand in the region Dalarna.

Tusse started early to sing without instruments, loved to wear his mother’s skirts. But he also experienced mobbing and racism due to his skin colour and sexual orientation. His mother applied Tusse to take part at the TV show “Talang Sverige”, where he made it into the semi-final. A year later could with the “Idol” and became popular throughout the country. His first single “Rain” made it into the Swedish Top 100 charts. With his participation and victory of the Melodifestivalen new doors will open for Tusse getting known in other countries. Beside of all his music success, he still goes to school and has to write class works and tests. His music style is pop soul. Here are some examples of his songs:

• “Rain”
  
• “Crash”
  
• "Innan du går"

The song “Voices” is a typical pop song, which has often been heard in the Swedish pre-decision, but the message that we all have more in common than separates us, is beautiful:

Let’s make a brand new start
Can’t stop us now forget the haters
Get up and live and make it matter
There’s more to life so go ahead and sing it out
Can you hear a million voices

Tusse insisted on having coloured background singers. It will be the third Swedish entry in a row, when coloured singers have been chosen, this is a really positive sign of the Swedish society, open and tolerant.

With this year’s Swedish entry “Voices”, Tusse can be proud and reach a good position. With the strong message against racism and prejudices, this entry will be heard.


History

• Debut: 1958
• Participations: 60
• Victories: 6
• Finals: 58 (15 since 2004)
• Top 10: 41
• Chances for Top 10: 68%
• Chances for Final: 88%

This year, Sweden is celebrating its 60th anniversary in participations. Normally, it would have been 2020, but the corona pandemic has come between and that year will not be taken into consideration.

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 contemporary song “Waterloo” for that decade, the song is still played in the radios around the world. Unfortunately, the ABBA hype did not start immediately, but two years later in Sweden and Scandinavia and even beyond. ABBA made a world career, they have had many #1 songs even in the USA, Japan and Australia. The style of ABBA music has often been copied and many Swedish ESC songs sounded like ABBA and furthermore even other countries copied that style. 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, a new music genre was born: “Swedish Schlager”. Especially in Sweden there are “Schlagerkvälls” (only Swedish schlager is being played) in discotheques and bars. This is a very worthy experience for every visitor, who is interested in popular Swedish music. There is a certain enthusiasm for Eurovision in all Scandinavian countries, that’s why these countries have extensive pre-selection shows, it’s the highlight of the year.

Over the years, Sweden has become one of the most successful countries in Eurovision with six victories, right after Ireland with seven victories. Not even the winning songs became hits, also the lower ranked songs made it into European charts e.g. Frans with “If I Were Sorry”. Sweden hosted the ESC for six times, 3x in Stockholm, 2x in Malmö and 1x in Gothenburg. The Swedish entries mostly shape up very well. There is a chance of 88% to reach the Grand Final and 41 Swedish songs made it into the Top 10 so far. Since 2014 Sweden always can take home a place in the Top 10. Only one time Sweden did not qualify for the Grand Final in 2010 in Oslo, when Anna Bergendahl could not convince with “This Is My Life”.

Biggest successes

• 6x 1st place
  “Waterloo” | ABBA (Brighton 1974)
  “Diggi-loo Diggy-ley” | Herrey's (Luxembourg 1984)
  “Fångad Av En Stormvind” |Carola (Rome 1991)
  “Take Me To Your Heaven” | Charlotte Nilsson (Jerusalem 1999)
  “Euphoria” |Loreen (Baku 2012)
  “Heroes” | Måns Zelmerlöw (Vienna 2015)
• 1x 2nd place
  “Nygammal Vals Eller Hip Man Svinaherde” |Lilly Landforms & Svante Thurston (Luxembourg 1966)
• 6x 3rd place
  “Främling” |Carola Häggkvist (Munich 1983)
  “Bra Vibrationer” |Kikki Danielsson (Gothenburg 1985)
  “Se På Mej” |Jan Johansen (Dublin 1995)
  “Den Vilda” |One More Time (Oslo 1996)
  “Popular” |Eric Saade (Düsseldorf 2011)
  “Undo” |Sanna Nielsen (Copenhagen 2014)

Video Nostalgia

• “April, April” | Lill-Babs
  Rank 14, Cannes 1961
  
  
• “En Dag” | Tommy Nilsson
  Rank 18, London 1977
  
  
• “En Dag” | Tommy Nilsson
  Rank 4, Lausanne 1989