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Part twenty-five
Introducing the 2009 entries: Sweden
Basic information
| Performer: | Malena Ernman |
| Song: | La voix (The voice) |
| Language: | English and French |
| Music: | Frederik Kempe |
| Lyrics: | Frederik Kempe, Malena Ernman |
| Draw: | 5th in the first semi final |
The song
La voix is an operatic dance song performed in English and French. The lyrics, which are obviously wittingly kept simple, are a declaration of love:
Can you make a promise?
Can you make a promise?
Stay forever true
But I'm forever yours
Je t'aime, amour // I love you, my love
Quand j'entends la voix // When I hear the voice
Je t'aime, ami // I love you, my friend
C'est jamais sans toi // It is never without you
The singer
Malena Ernman attended various music schools including the Royal Academy of Music in Sweden, the school of the Royal Swedish Orchestra and the conservatory in Orléans, France. The mezzo-soprano singer is one of the most popular opera stars in Sweden having had her breakthrough in 1998 with her performance in the show Staden. Over the years, she has appeared in operas like The marriage of figaro, The barber of Seville, Carmen and Don Giovanni.
She has also performed as a sloist on many occasions, notably at the 1999 Nobel Prize award ceremony. Malena has performed not only in Sweden but all around the globe going as far as to Japan. So far, five albums were released: My love, Cabaret songs, Songs in season, Nachtgesänge and The high mass. Recordings of Die Fledermaus, Julie and Hercules with her were also released on DVD.
In 2009, Malena Ernman entered Swedish Melodifestivalen and hence the national selection for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest with the song La voix. She could win the selection and the single entered the Swedish charts and peaked at number two to date. Although it would be the first Swedish entry not to reach the of charts since the introduction of the current Melodifestival system in 2002 if it does not manage to raise, it is the singer's first appearance in the charts and a remarkable success for the opera singer. La voix will be the first Swedish entry in the contest with a notable amount of French lyrics.
The national selection
Melodifestivalen was once again to select the Swedish song and singer in the Eurovision Song Contest. For the eighth year, for semi finals and a second chance round were held before the grand final. However, a new duel system was introduced for the voting in the semi finals as well as the addition of a wildcard qualifier chosen by an international jury. Eventually, eleven acts competed in the national final. Malena Ernman was the favourite of the televoters and could win the national final despite being only seen seventh by both the regional juries and the international jury.
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden was the second Scandinavian country to enter the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958. Since then, they took home the victory four times in 1974, 1984, 1991 and 1999. The country finished in the top ten another 25 times and is one of the most successful participating countries. It is also the only country apart from the big four that has been in the final of every Eurovision Song Contest since relegation started in 1993. However, the last two years were not very successful and marked the first time Sweden finished outside the top ten two years in a row in 20 years.
Vi önskar Sverige och Malena Ernman lycka till och ett bra resultat i Moskva!
Videos
Live in Melodifestivalen (semi final performance):
National final performance (preview version):
Malena Ernman performing in a TV show:
Other parts of this series
- France
- Portugal
- Romania
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- Cyprus
- Latvia
- Ireland
- Malta
- Armenia
- Germany
- Serbia
- Belgium
- Greece
- Croatia
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Iceland
- Moldova
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Andorra
- Ukraine
- Spain
UPD (11/4/2009): We won't have an introduction article today but we will take a look at the Montenegrin entry on Sunday.
Related polls
- Sweden decided: How much do you like This is my life?
- esctoday.com National Final Awards 2010: Best SONG not to qualify in SWEDEN?
- esctoday.com National Final Awards 2010: Best PERFORMANCE not to qualify in SWEDEN?
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Reactions
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Quite unuseful comparing Swedish and Norwegian entry this year as well as their singers. Also, the most unesuful is to call one another as a "cheap", "bad" or even worse words.
Some people like this one, some the other one .. there are pretty much people who like the both.
Personally, Fairytale is my favorite, but this one also has some style.
Operatic ones are very difficult to predict their outcome at all.
La Voix doesn't make me shiver or something, but it is ok. Personally, I had a many others favs in MF this year.
But, the most stupid outcome of this arguing is that everything stands as Fairytale-La Voix duel. Stop the duels, we've seen them a lot in MF 
i have mixed feelings about this.. sometimes i like it ..other times not that much.. but i think it will do well and deserves top 10
This is my very 1st post here and I must say that reading these - sometimes pretty bitter - comments about the "battle" between the Norwegian and Swedish entry made my day...I got a good laugh!
Is there not a better things for you folks to do than arguing about such things. As they say in Swedish "Smaken är delad som baken som man säger" - everyone is entitled to one's own opinion - whatever it might be.
Personally - coming from Finland - I must say that I dislike the Swedish entry REALLY much - it gives me headache every time I hear it - that is why I skip it every time. Malena looks scary (skrämmande, Prinsessan Engla) but admittedly she can sing.
On the other side, I LOVE Alex Rybak's song, it is my favourite together with our own and Bosnia's song. Norway is really near winning this - whether he can sing or not, I don't even go there as to be honest it is the SONG & SHOW nowadays, not if he/she has pitch problems what counts - and that would be first of their victories I would like....
What Malena's entry concerns - she will qualify, thanks to juries as whatever Sweden comes by they will qualify just because they are Sweden...*LOL* Just like poor Charlotte....
But a little hint to all of you Swedes - be innovative and please, do not give us the same song year after year after year (Invincible, Hero, Måns' song this year etc. = the same song with different lyrics).
I so would have loved to see Caroline af Ugglas in Moscow - something totally different, no matter how good/badly she would have done.
And for those who now are so pi...ed off by my comment - get a life and smell the roses..... 
I prefered alcazar to this one...
I don't like this Swedish entry at all. I usually love most of the Swedish songs, so this is a major disappointment.
She may have a great operatic voice but the song stinks. The mix of opera/pop/dance just doesn''t work for me.
As for the Sweden/Norway debate - I think Norway has the better chance this year.
@John Today:
YOU act like a child...
I like the Swedish entry this year. Just a pity that some Swedish fans are behaving like little children.
@John Today: Well it's seems I'm not the only one who thinks Malena is much better than the awful Alexander Rybak. What's YOUR problem?? You said you only added Rybak in your post only because of me?? Well, do you respect my opinion then??? No exactly, you don't. So stop telling me respect other peoples opnion when you don't do that yourself.
I just love this singer and hope she will do well, but my favourite is absolutely Alexander Rybak.
(and the only reason why I'm adding this information is that I'm getting fed up with Engla's narrow-minded praise of his/her/its own country's entry. Show some more respect, dear!)
i have mixed feelings towards this entry , not sure if i like it or not
Malena is very good singer, a classical trained voice... i remember she lived for a year in Brussels when she performed at the Brussels opera house.....
About Norway's song: His SCREECHING voice and fiddle ...
Princess Engla
Here, here... For once, I AGREE WITH YOU!!!! 
(about Norway's song, it does nothing for me
and he has SCHREECHING voice and fiddle ...
Both hurt my ears!!!!)
GO SWEDEN!!!!!
@Layla Al-Magnuna: And what is Fairytale then?? A masterpiece??? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL !
Fairytale is the most banal song I have heard in a long time. I write a song about his ex?? It's very banal. Especially when he can't express any feelings at the stage.
Malena is one of the worlds best operasingers so yes she's a first class singer. But you don't know quality it seems. For you a amateur with a awful voice and performance is better.
So before attacking the swedish entry take look at your own banal, boring, false ntry.
@Moreno Carlsson: I agree with you. I think it's a insult to Malena to even compare her with Alexander. Malena is a first class singer and performer. Alexander is a just little kid who's awful live. He hasn't any good voice and he can't show any feelings at the stage. He screams and the whole performance screaming false!
FAAAAAAIRYTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE! !!!! Gosh, I can't even listening to this. This is so FALSE!!!
@ Layla Al-Magnuna
Malena wrote the french lyrics of the song. Kempe did the english lyrics. So, they are both simple, like you pray Alexander.
And Malena is waaaaaay better live then Alexander.
Fairytaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaale OMG
@ Princess Engla
Well, I am a fan like Malena's voice, but HER song is not my personal favourite.
If her Narnia / ice queen presentation wows Europe and she qualifies from SF1 ...
Good luck to Malena in the Final!
I absolutely adore this song but am really afraid how they will get all those backingvoices (like a whole choir) in Moscow if she also wants to have dancers. Don't forget only 6 people in total allowed on stage. But good luck Sweden, for me personally the best Scandinavian entry this year, followed by Norway and Iceland.
I like Malena, I wish her the best of luck. What I don´t like is the song. Sure, it´s a step aside from the "usual Swedish entry" wich is refreshing but that doesn´t mean it´s good. Good luck to my homecountry!
Sweden will 100% qualify! No doubt. Malena deserves a Top10 in the Finale, a Top5 would be overwhelming.
In Semi1 these should qualify: Belarus, Armenia, Sweden, Turkey, Israel, Bulgaria, Iceland, Finland, Switzerland and then maybe either Andorra, Portgual or Montenegro.
Se my predictions at: http://esc2009.naturkosmetik-essenza.de
I think it all depends on how it will look and sound in Moskow. I cant say if she will qualify before that. but it needs to be good.
@Layla Al-Magnuna: Malena's voice isn't good? What about Alexander Rybak who can't sing at all??? He screams FAAAAAAAAAARIYTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AALE without no real feelings. It's very fake! But that not bother you since his from Norway, right? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!
@Whateve: I'm not interested in the entries from the past??? In this topic I'm only intrested to discuss Malena and her song. What your dear Alenka did in ESC isn't interesting. It has nothing to do with the Swedish entry.'
Day after day specatular???? SO WHAT???????? What has that to do with Sweden 2009????? I'M NOT INTERESTED AT ALL!!!!!!
I think that Malena's song is fun and is a nice change from the bunch of other songs which many sound exactly alike...
And the performance is also fun - it almost look like a parody and at some moments, she almost looks like a drag queen and quite honestly, I like it ;-)
Cheers from france
@Layla Al-Magnuna
I think its perfectly ok not to like the sound of operatic voices or Malenas in particular, i mean taste varies.
That beeing said, i think its pretty obvious to most of us who has one time or another taken singinglessons that shes a VERY good singer, 3+ octave range, nice agility, tremendous control, nice frasing, not to mention that which she does right after the keychange in "La Voix", thats just INSANELY difficult......
2 more clips i found on the tube, enjoy or not
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=uVq0kGGWpLo
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=OJdaYmjKKMc
Correction duly noted ... it's late!!!!!
The performance was SPECTACULAR of the song "Day after day".
Then, Kalomira 
followed with her SENSATIONAL performance
of Secret Combination ...
@ Princess Engla
Further to my comment ...
Since you found that La voix has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
in common with Slovenia's ESC 2007 SPLENDID entry ...
I just recalled a more recent song that may have ... influenced
Sweden's pOpera, this year:
ESC 2008: Enjoy the SPECTACULAR performance of
Azerbaijan's "Day After Day" --> http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=Tfs5ye38Hec
(ranked 8th)
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