Eurovision 2023: Loreen wins Melodifestivalen as Liverpool contest line-up is completed

Former Eurovision victor Loreen, whose opus Euphoria won the opus contention successful 2012, volition correspond Sweden again this twelvemonth successful Liverpool.

To correspond her country, archetypal she had to triumph Melodifestivalen (also known arsenic Melfest), 1 of Sweden's biggest TV shows, which she did connected Saturday night.

She told the BBC Eurovisioncast podcast she needed a batch of convincing to instrumentality portion again, aft initially declining.

"They popped the question, the reply was 'it's not gonna happen'", she said.

"It took maine 4 weeks [to decide]. It was much like, 'what tin I accidental successful this? Do I person thing to springiness again?

"I deliberation I'm a small spot much chillax present truthful I'm going to person much amusive with it."

Sweden and Portugal some chose their acts connected Saturday, completing this year's line-up. A afloat database of each 37 participants can beryllium recovered here.

"I'm starting to recognize the gravity of it," Muller told Eurovisioncast. "Sam Ryder astir apt made it little of little a scary determination due to the fact that there's truthful overmuch positivity astir it. But adjacent without that, I deliberation conscionable the acquisition unsocial is conscionable truthful incredible."

One of her favourite things truthful acold successful her acquisition is the fandom that comes with Eurovision.

"What is truly evident to maine is it's specified a diverse, inclusive, immense radical of people," she said. I emotion that they each person this 1 one happening successful common, and they each are avid euphony lovers, and it's conscionable truly bully to see."

There volition beryllium 37 countries represented successful Liverpool this May, aft three countries withdrew pursuing an accrued introduction fee.

Choosing a Eurovision introduction is typically done successful 2 ways: an interior enactment - an enactment chosen down the scenes - oregon a nationalist enactment - a TV amusement with the victor getting to alert their country's emblem astatine the contest.

About 160 cardinal ticker the contention annually but seats wrong the arena are constricted to astir 6,000 this twelvemonth for each show.

All the build-up, insights and investigation is explored each week connected a caller BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.