Melodifestivalen 2008 was the 48th edition of the Swedish music competitionMelodifestivalen, which was organised bySveriges Television (SVT) and took place over a six-week period between 9 February and 15 March 2008. The winner of the competition wasCharlotte Perrelli with the song "Hero", who representedSweden in theEurovision 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.
Starting in2004, 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]
The first heat took place on 9 February 2008 at theScandinavium inGothenburg. 3,241,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 600,804 votes were cast, with a total ofSEK 1,383,453 collected forRadiohjälpen.[4]
The second heat took place on 16 February 2008 at theABB Arena inVästerås. 3,341,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 752,537 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,645,915 collected forRadiohjälpen.[5]
The third heat took place on 23 February 2008 at theCloetta Center inLinköping. 3,110,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 437,744 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,129,905 collected forRadiohjälpen.[6]
The fourth heat took place on 1 March 2008 at theTelenor Arena inKarlskrona. 3,410,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 701,978 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 1,606,560 collected forRadiohjälpen.[7]
The second chance round took place on 8 March 2008 at theArena Arctica inKiruna. 3,090,000 viewers watched the show live. A total of 1,464,019 votes were cast.[8]
The final took place on 15 March 2008 at theStockholm Globe Arena inStockholm. 4,046,000 viewers watched the heat live. A total of 2,410,220 votes were cast, with a total of SEK 4,521,176 collected forRadiohjälpen.[9]
