This year's Eurovision Song Contest final takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel on May 18. For anyone unfamiliar with Eurovision, I'll provide a brief overview. Eurovision is an annual international song competition that started in 1956 in which a large number of European countries (and recently, Australia) compete to win the prestigious musical competition. Two of the biggest past winners include ABBA (1974) and Celine Dion (1988). The competition is held in the country of the prior year's winning artist, and each competing country holds a series of qualifying competitions to determine their entry into the ESC competition. In Sweden, the qualifying competition is called Melodifestivalen, an event which is quite the attraction across the country, and which results in the selection of a single winning entry into Eurovision for Sweden. Since attending the Melodifestivalen final in Stockholm back in 2005, I find myself obsessed with watching the Swedish qualifiers each year.
This year's winning Melodifestivalen entry is "Too Late For Love" by singer-songwriter John Lundvik. From the minute I heard this song in the qualifiers leading up the final, I would have bet my last dollar that this song was going to win. The powerful, uplifting, and soulful chorus on this song will surely resonate in your head after hearing this outstanding track. Written by John, Anderz Wrethov, and Andreas Johansson, "Too Late For Love" is an inspirational and motivational three minute listen that will pull you out of whatever low you might find yourself in, and get you up on your feet, singing and clapping along. I'm not the judge or jury or Eurovision 2019, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Sweden wins this year's ESC competition with this stellar song.
So, who is John Lundvik? In addition to his brilliant singing and songwriting abilities, he is a former bronze medal sprinter (with IFK Växjö), and came in third place in last year's Melodifestivalen competition with the song, "My Turn." Born in London, and adopted by Swedish parents, John grew up in the UK until the age of six before moving to Växjö, Sweden with his parents. He has composed music for movies and films, including the film Easy Money (2010) and FOX's Empire TV Series.
Check out the following ESC promotional video clip which presents John's stunning live Melodifestivalen performance of "Too Late For Love." Based on this song alone, I think the world is going to be hearing a lot more fantastic new music from this talented and emerging singer-songwriter and musician.
JOHN LUNDVIK "TOO LATE FOR LOVE" (Official Video - Eurovision 2019)
For more information about John Lundvik, visit his official website, follow him on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and listen to his music on Spotify and iTunes.