"Fingers crossed": Australian artist ALIUS eyes Sweden’s Melodifestivalen in Eurovision bid
Australian artist ALIUS has revealed he is being put forward for Sweden’s Melodifestivalen as he eyes a potential Eurovision bid.
This week, Melbourne singer, songwriter and producer ALIUS appeared on JOY Breakfast, Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community radio program.
During the interview, host Brett spoke to ALIUS about his latest single, Trigger Point, before the conversation turned to Eurovision.
ALIUS' Eurovision bid
Brett noted that he could hear a “Eurovision” influence in ALIUS’ latest single and asked whether representing Australia or another country at the contest was something the Eurovision fan had considered.
“I love that you picked up the Eurovision influence behind it, because that was part of the actual inspiration.
“But at the moment I’m actually with my label talking about representing Sweden.”
Brett then interjected, saying he was going to ask whether ALIUS was planning to represent Australia or another country. ALIUS revealed that he is instead pursuing a potential Swedish Eurovision bid.
“I’m going down the Swedish path, so basically they’re putting me forward to enter… Melodifestivalen. That’s where they pick who’s gonna actually represent Sweden for Eurovision. I’ve been put forward for that, so fingers crossed.”
Who is ALIUS?
ALIUS is the solo electronic pop and alternative project of Melbourne-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sebastian Ivanov.
He first launched into the music industry alongside his twin sister. They had appeared together on The Voice Australia back in 2013.
Seeking a dedicated outlet for his studio productions, Sebastian stepped forward as ALIUS, blending electronic beats with acoustic elements and organic pop sensibilities.
He signed with the Swedish label Ocean Music Group and spent time basing himself in Stockholm to collaborate and shape his sound, working with other artists and writers.
Melodifestivalen 2027
Melodifestivalen will return in February 2027, with 30 songs competing across five heats before the final takes place at Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena on 13 March.
The competition will travel around Sweden, starting in Karlstad on 6 February, with Oscar Zia and Björn Kjellman hosting the 2027 edition.
SVT received 4,077 submissions for this year’s competition, setting a new record.
While the artists and songs are yet to be revealed, we can expect the usual mix of established names, returning Mello favourites and newcomers, alongside plenty of polished pop, big productions and potentially a few surprises as Sweden searches for its Eurovision 2027 entry.
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