Melodifestivalen – WelcheMusic.com

CHART SPOTLIGHT. The Swedish pop vocalist Dilba makes a welcome return to the singles chart this week with “Try Again.” The track competed in the first heat of Melodifestivalen 2011, which took place in Luleå on Jan.5^th. One can argue that Dilba never qualified to the final, but on the bright side “Try Again” is her first Top 20 hit in eight years as it bows at No.20.

Née Dilbihar Demirbag, she was born in a Kurdish family in Turkey. Growing up in Sweden, Dilba got her breakthrough in 1996 with her eponymous debut album. Her biggest hit to date is unquestionable “I’m Sorry.” The track originally charted in January 1997, finally reaching its No.3 peak in early March. Dilba had a lengthy stay on the singles tally, only finally dropping off in September after 30 weeks!

According to fellow music blog Scandipop, a remix version of the track dubbed Deejay Jay vs Dilba was issued in mid-December 2010 ahead of Melodifestivalen. It is yet appear on any charts.

Dilba’s eponymous debut sold 100,000 copies earning the singer both a Grammy and a Rockbjörnen Music Award. It spent 45 weeks on the album chart, matching the peak of “I’m Sorry” at No.3. Music blogger Swedish Stereo hopes that “Try Again” becomes an international export. WelcheMusic will let you know.

CHART REFLECTION. According to Sweden’s largest news daily Aftonbladet, pop group Love Generation might get disqualified in this year’s Melodifestivalen which leads up to the Eurovision Song Contest. Late last night, the entry “Dance Alone” leaked online. A 30 second preview was available on Amazon in the UK. The song was written by top producer RedOne of Lady Gaga fame.

The group, which consists of the four young girls Cornelia, Charly Q, Mikaela and Melanie is meant to compete on Feb.26 in Malmö. The Amazon incident might put an end to that.

At the end of November, Anders Fernette’s “Don’t Stop” was disqualified as it became available via MySpace. According to SVT’s (Swedish public service) strict rules, no entries are allowed to be played in public by no means. Fernette had to submit a new song within a few days.

This will not be the first time, Love Generation has made the headlines in the run-up to Melodifestivalen. Originally created by Korean electronics company LG Electronics, the group has been criticized for its close involvement with a company as the competition should non-commercial. Love Generaton’s eponymous debut single spent two weeks at the Swedish singles tally last June, peaking at No.45. The track was featured in the LG Viewty GT400 mobile phone commercial.

Neither Love Generation nor any representative from Melodifestivalen had commented on the story. WelcheMusic really hopes that Love Generation stays in the competition either with “Dance Alone” or another song.

Read about the launch of Love Generation in April 2010.

Etikett: Melodifestivalen

Dilba Returns with Try Again

Fingers Crossed that Love Generation Remains in the Competition