Welcome back to ESCBubble’s coverage for Eurovision 2021! Rehearsals at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam have kicked off this morning with the seven countries performing in the first half of Semi Final One set to have their 30 minute first rehearsals today.
As always, you can check out our ongoing coverage through both our Live Rehearsal Blog and also rolling daily updates on our Twitter Account.
If you are avoiding potential rehearsal spoilers then don’t read any further! Semi Final One will take place at 21.00 CET on Tuesday 18th May 2021 with sixteen countries competing for ten qualifying spots for the final.
The fourth and final country to rehearse this morning is… Sweden!
First Rehearsal
Sweden usually rely on upscaling their Melodifestivalen performances, which in fairness are mostly always incredibly slick! Tusse’s rehearsal isn’t much different to the Melodifestivalen performance, however notably the arms on his red suit have been cut off at the shoulders and instead he has some pretty glam glove accessories on.
The stage is notably dark for the entirety of the performance, with a backdrop that serves rainy day vibes, looking like a puddle of being underwater. From the first chorus onwards he is joined by the four backing dancers, and then in to the second chorus the backdrop changes to a row of people lined up to give Tusse their support. The backing vocal support on the final chorus is pretty astonishing however it definitely works with the theme of a million voices. The lights come on a little more at the end of the performance, but all in all quite a dark stage which may work against Sweden if past dark performances are anything to go by.
Before Eurovision
Last year The Mamas were chosen to represent Sweden after winning national selection Melodifestivalen 2020 with “Move”. Whilst the trio were, who were also John Lundvik’s backing singers for his 2019 Eurovision performance of “Too Late For Love”. Swedish broadcaster SVT confirmed that they would be invited to return to Melodifestivalen, however they would need to compete again.
Fast forward a year, and whilst The Mamas performed the wonderful “In The Middle” they only secured third place with Sweden’s 2011 representative Eric Saade placing second. Instead, newcomer and recent Swedish Idol winner Tusse won the contest on his debut with “Voices”. Not only did Tusse cruise to victory, he also secured the maximum possible public vote points by winning the televote in every single age group. Can he replicate this success in Rotterdam? Check out his Melodifestivalen winning performance here: