Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off

Felix: Sweden at Eurovision equates to professionalism, success, raising the bar, and not leaving anything to chance. While for many people, me included, the Swedish approach comes across as mechanical and sterile, they still manage to offer diversity within their regularly top-notch participations.

If we can go by the Melodifestivalen performance of “Dance You Off”, then we will see another slick Swedish presentation in Lisbon. Perfection, however, brings along a big problem: It’s often hard to relate to Swedish performers. They often don’t appear as expressively performing artists, but rather as salesmen for a product. Which in itself isn’t wrong – songs are (also) products that need to be sold. But exclusively? Is that all? And isn’t it way too obvious that “this is all” in the case of Sweden at Eurovision?

Benjamin Ingrosso, and the creative people behind his show, are excellent salesmen. But this time it’s probably a bit too obvious that “this is all”, and that the product, the song, is rather poor. Sure, the production is crisp and sexy, has some interesting tonal timbres, and Benjamin is more likeable and relatable than his predecessors, but what a dull song this is. He will sell it though, at least enough for a ticket to the final.

Shi: Another song I can’t remember despite having heard it more than once! I do remember it does nothing for me, though, and that it lacked a lot in terms of an actual melody. But I also remember it worked visually and that he is a likable performer. An example of when the sum is larger than all the parts.

Martin: I have nothing to add to Felix’s analysis of “Sweden at ESC”, and even less to his comments on “Dance You Off”. This feels like one of the weaker iterations of the model and I get nothing from the song at all, but then falsetto disco isn’t really my style. I expect the juries will lap it up though.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv