| Melodifestivalen | |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Heat1: | 9 February 2008 |
| Heat2: | 16 February 2008 |
| Heat3: | 23 February 2008 |
| Heat4: | 1 March 2008 |
| Second: | 8 March 2008 |
| Final: | 15 March 2008 |
| Presenters: | Kristian Luuk |
| Entries: | 32 |
| Finalists: | 10 |
| Vote: | Heats and Second chance: 100% public vote Final: 50% public vote, 50% jury vote |
| Winner: | "Hero" by Charlotte Perrelli |
Swedish: Melodifestivalen|i=unset 2008 was the 48th edition of the Swedish music competition Swedish: [[Melodifestivalen]]|i=unset, which was organised by Swedish: [[Sveriges Television]]|i=unset (SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 9 February and 15 March 2008. The winner of the competition was Charlotte Perrelli with the song "Hero", who represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, where she came eighteenth with 47 points.[1]
Melodifestivalen 2008 included 32 songs split up into four heats with eight participants in each. The heats were held between 9 February and 1 March 2008 and at each, the two top placing songs went to the final, while the third and fourth place songs went to the Andra Chansen (Second Chance Round). At the second chance round, held on 8 March 2008, the eight songs paired off in two rounds with the two winners at the end of the night qualifying for the final. The final was held on 15 March 2008 and included the eight songs from the heats along with the two from the Andra Chansen to make ten songs in all.
| Heat 1 | 9 February 2008 | Gothenburg | Scandinavium | |
| Heat 2 | 16 February 2008 | Västerås | ABB Arena | |
| Heat 3 | 23 February 2008 | Linköping | Cloetta Center | |
| Heat 4 | 1 March 2008 | Karlskrona | Telenor Arena | |
| Second chance | 8 March 2008 | Kiruna | Arena Arctica | |
| Final | 15 March 2008 | Stockholm | Stockholm Globe Arena |
It was hosted by Kristian Luuk, who also hosted the 2007 event. Luuk was assisted by Björn Gustafsson and Nour El-Refai.[2]
Starting in 2004, four out of the 32 participants were selected directly by the contest's producers, in order to increase musical and artistic breadth. Each artist, called "wildcard", participated in a different heat. The wildcards in 2008 were the following:[3]
| Artist | Song | Heat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Diamond | "Thank You" | Heat 1 | |
| Johnson & Häggkvist | "One Love" | Heat 2 | |
| Eskobar | "Hallelujah New World" | Heat 3 | |
| Niklas Strömstedt | "Swedish: För många ord om kärlek|i=unset" | Heat 4 |
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ainbusk | "Swedish: [[Jag saknar dig ibland]]|i=unset" | ||
| "Swedish: Den första svalan|i=unset" | |||
| Amy Diamond | "Thank You" | ||
| Andra generationen | "Kebabpizza Slivovitza" | ||
| Brandur | "Lullaby" | ||
| BWO | "Lay Your Love on Me" | ||
| Calaisa | "If I Could" | ||
| Caracola | "Smiling in Love" | ||
| Charlotte Perrelli | "Hero" | ||
| Christer Sjögren | "I Love Europe" | ||
| "Greek, Modern (1453-);: Pame|i=no" | |||
| E-Type & The Poodles | "Line of Fire" | ||
| Eskobar | "Hallelujah New World" | ||
| "Swedish: Alla gamla X|i=unset" | |||
| Frida feat. Headline | "Swedish: [[Upp o hoppa]]|i=unset" | ||
| Fronda | "Swedish: Ingen mår så bra som jag|i=unset" | ||
| Johnson & Häggkvist | "One Love" | ||
| Lasse Lindh | "Swedish: Du behöver aldrig mer vara rädd|i=unset" | Lasse Lindh | |
| Linda Bengtzing | "Swedish: [[Hur svårt kan det va?]]|i=unset" | ||
| "That's Love" | |||
| "Bosnian: Izdajice|i=unset" | Mickey Huskić | ||
| Niklas Strömstedt | "Swedish: För många ord om kärlek|i=unset" | Niklas Strömstedt | |
| Nordman | "Swedish: [[I lågornas sken]]|i=unset" | ||
| Ola | "Love in Stereo" | ||
| Patrik Isaksson & Bandet | "Swedish: [[Under mitt tunna skinn]]|i=unset" | Patrik Isaksson | |
| "Just a Minute" | |||
| Sanna Nielsen | "Empty Room" | ||
| Sibel | "That Is Where I'll Go" | Christian Antblad | |
| "Swedish: Visst finns mirakel|i=unset" | |||
| "Russian: Razborka|i=unset" | |||
| "When You Need Me" | |||
| Velvet | "French: Déjà vu|i=unset" |
The first heat took place on 9 February 2008 at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. 3,241,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 600,804 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: [[Radiohjälpen]]|i=unset.[4]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E-Type & The Poodles | "Line of Fire" | 46,333 | 56,105 | 102,438 | 3 | Second chance | |
| 2 | Face-84 | "Swedish: Alla gamla X|i=unset" | 13,626 | 13,626 | 8 | Out | ||
| 3 | Velvet | "French: Déjà vu|i=unset" | 25,451 | 31,047 | 56,498 | 5 | Out | |
| 4 | Brandur | "Lullaby" | 18,727 | 18,727 | 7 | Out | ||
| 5 | Michael Michailoff | "That's Love" | 23,198 | 23,198 | 6 | Out | ||
| 6 | Amy Diamond | "Thank You" | 79,075 | 96,508 | 175,583 | 1 | Final | |
| 7 | Suzzie Tapper | "Swedish: Visst finns mirakel|i=unset" | 24,469 | 32,130 | 56,599 | 4 | Second chance | |
| 8 | Christer Sjögren | "I Love Europe" | 71,396 | 81,471 | 152,867 | 2 | Final | |
The second heat took place on 16 February 2008 at the ABB Arena in Västerås. 3,341,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 752,537 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[5]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ola | "Love in Stereo" | 39,972 | 52,615 | 92,587 | 4 | Second chance | |
| 2 | Lasse Lindh | "Swedish: Du behöver aldrig mer vara rädd|i=unset" | 15,396 | 15,396 | 6 | Out | ||
| 3 | The Nicole | "Russian: Razborka|i=unset" | 6,121 | 6,121 | 8 | Out | ||
| 4 | Alexander Schöld | "Swedish: Den första svalan|i=unset" | 13,352 | 13,352 | 7 | Out | ||
| 5 | Rongedal | "Just a Minute" | 68,121 | 94,101 | 162,222 | 2 | Final | |
| 6 | Sanna Nielsen | "Empty Room" | 102,390 | 126,356 | 228,746 | 1 | Final | |
| 7 | Andra generationen | "Kebabpizza Slivovitza" | 33,011 | 43,509 | 76,520 | 5 | Out | |
| 8 | Johnson & Häggkvist | "One Love" | 77,778 | 79,106 | 156,884 | 3 | Second chance | |
The third heat took place on 23 February 2008 at the Cloetta Center in Linköping. 3,110,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 437,744 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[6]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BWO | "Lay Your Love on Me" | 58,136 | 82,381 | 140,517 | 1 | Final | |
| 2 | Mickey Huskić | "Bosnian: Izdajice|i=unset" | 11,721 | 11,721 | 7 | Out | ||
| 3 | Frida feat. Headline | "Swedish: [[Upp o hoppa]]|i=unset" | 27,675 | 40,852 | 68,527 | 2 | Final | |
| 4 | Thérèse Andersson | "When You Need Me" | 25,034 | 33,849 | 58,883 | 4 | Second chance | |
| 5 | Patrik Isaksson & Bandet | "Swedish: [[Under mitt tunna skinn]]|i=unset" | 26,056 | 33,808 | 59,864 | 5 | Out | |
| 6 | Caracola | "Smiling in Love" | 31,652 | 35,491 | 67,143 | 3 | Second chance | |
| 7 | Ainbusk | "Swedish: [[Jag saknar dig ibland]]|i=unset" | 18,249 | 18,249 | 6 | Out | ||
| 8 | Eskobar | "Hallelujah New World" | 11,672 | 11,672 | 8 | Out | ||
The fourth heat took place on 1 March 2008 at the Telenor Arena in Karlskrona. 3,410,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 701,978 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[7]
| Artist | Song | Votes | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niklas Strömstedt | "Swedish: För många ord om kärlek|i=unset" | 13,067 | 13,067 | 8 | Out | ||
| 2 | Calaisa | "If I Could" | 30,124 | 47,846 | 77,970 | 5 | Out | |
| 3 | Daniel Mitsogiannis | "Greek, Modern (1453-);: Pame|i=no" | 20,432 | 20,432 | 7 | Out | ||
| 4 | Linda Bengtzing | "Swedish: [[Hur svårt kan det va?]]|i=unset" | 53,813 | 70,571 | 124,384 | 2 | Final | |
| 5 | Nordman | "Swedish: [[I lågornas sken]]|i=unset" | 39,019 | 58,673 | 97,782 | 4 | Second chance | |
| 6 | Sibel | "That Is Where I'll Go" | 46,289 | 59,030 | 105,319 | 3 | Second chance | |
| 7 | Fronda | "Swedish: Ingen mår så bra som jag|i=unset" | 25,234 | 25,234 | 6 | Out | ||
| 8 | Charlotte Perrelli | "Hero" | 98,666 | 137,738 | 236,404 | 1 | Final | |
The second chance round took place on 8 March 2008 at the Arena Arctica in Kiruna. 3,090,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 1,464,019 votes were cast.[8]
| I | 1 | E-Type & The Poodles | "Line of Fire" | 87,002 | Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sibel | "That Is Where I'll Go" | 103,077 | Round 2 | |
| II | 1 | Ola | "Love in Stereo" | 78,477 | Round 2 |
| 2 | Caracola | "Smiling in Love" | 51,038 | Out | |
| III | 1 | Johnson & Häggkvist | "One Love" | 202,353 | Out |
| 2 | Nordman | "Swedish: [[I lågornas sken]]|i=unset" | 316,118 | Round 2 | |
| IV | 1 | Thérèse Andersson | "When You Need Me" | 57,335 | Out |
| 2 | Suzzie Tapper | "Swedish: Visst finns mirakel|i=unset" | 73,120 | Round 2 |
| I | 1 | Sibel | "That Is Where I'll Go" | 137,065 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ola | "Love in Stereo" | 103,624 | Out | |
| II | 1 | Nordman | "Swedish: [[I lågornas sken]]|i=unset" | 166,735 | Final |
| 2 | Suzzie Tapper | "Swedish: Visst finns mirakel|i=unset" | 88,075 | Out |
The final took place on 15 March 2008 at the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm. 4,046,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 2,410,220 votes were cast, with a total of collected for Swedish: Radiohjälpen|i=unset.[9]
| Artist | Song | Juries | Televote | Total | Place | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte Perrelli | "Hero" | 114 | 397,907 | 110 | 224 | 1 | |
| 2 | Sibel | "That Is Where I'll Go" | 39 | 120,587 | 0 | 39 | 7 | |
| 3 | Rongedal | "Just a Minute" | 76 | 273,521 | 66 | 142 | 4 | |
| 4 | Linda Bengtzing | "Swedish: [[Hur svårt kan det va?]]|i=unset" | 64 | 115,321 | 0 | 64 | 5 | |
| 5 | Christer Sjögren | "I Love Europe" | 1 | 228,674 | 22 | 23 | 9 | |
| 6 | Amy Diamond | "Thank You" | 25 | 188,872 | 11 | 36 | 8 | |
| 7 | Sanna Nielsen | "Empty Room" | 74 | 449,419 | 132 | 206 | 2 | |
| 8 | Nordman | "Swedish: [[I lågornas sken]]|i=unset" | 4 | 233,467 | 44 | 48 | 6 | |
| 9 | Frida feat. Headline | "Swedish: [[Upp o hoppa]]|i=unset" | 6 | 81,691 | 0 | 6 | 10 | |
| 10 | BWO | "Lay Your Love on Me" | 70 | 320,741 | 88 | 158 | 3 | |
| 1 | "Hero" | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 114 | |
| 2 | "That Is Where I'll Go" | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 39 | |
| 3 | "Just a Minute" | 8 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 76 | ||
| 4 | "Swedish: [[Hur svårt kan det va?]]|i=unset" | 6 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 64 | ||
| 5 | "I Love Europe" | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 6 | "Thank You" | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 25 | |||
| 7 | "Empty Room" | 10 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 74 | ||
| 8 | "Swedish: [[I lågornas sken]]|i=unset" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| 9 | "Swedish: [[Upp o hoppa]]|i=unset" | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 10 | "Lay Your Love on Me" | 4 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 70 | |
| Jury spokespersons | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||
| Air date | Viewers (millions) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat 1 | 3.241 | |||
| Heat 2 | 3.341 | |||
| Heat 3 | 3.110 | |||
| Heat 4 | 3.410 | |||
| Second chance | 3.090 | |||
| Final | 4.046 |