In Stockholm, Jan met up with Karin Björklund from the 12p podcast at a café to have a look back at what was an amazing year for Melodifestivalen in Sweden, and how KAJ might do in Basel!

Our regular listeners might already be familiar with Karin, as she recently appeared in our Week in Review series (Episode 123) and she was part of our Europod Jury last year.

In this special bonus episode of the podcast, Karin and Jan discuss how KAJ’s ‘comedic entry’ marks a departure from Sweden’s traditionally polished Eurovision selections. Bara bada bastu is Sweden’s first fully Swedish-language Eurovision entry since 1998. They debate its chances in Basel and its impact on future entries.

Karin and Jan go on to highlight Måns Zelmerlöw’s strong but unsuccessful bid with Revolution and some other standout performances from the Melfest Class of 2025.

This bonus episode also celebrates Melodifestivalen’s entertainment value, its LGBTQ+ appeal, and the evolving Eurovision landscape in response to shifting musical trends and audience preferences.

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Do you agree with Karin and Jan’s thoughts on Mello 2025? Let us know in the comments and join the conversation on social media @buildingbridgespod!