Sanna Nielsen is back: “So damn happy that Mello exists”

During the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 it was ten mild degrees in Copenhagen. It is significantly warmer in the arena. Before melody number 13, Sanna Nielsen stands in the wings and, as she herself says, is very nervous. She has her partner with her who is doing his best to contain her worries.

“Now you’re just eleven-year-old Sanna, standing in her girls’ room and singing,” he says reassuringly.

But unfortunately he continues:

– You’ve dreamed of this all your life. So don’t think that 200 million are watching you.

He realizes with horror that the words do not have the calming effect he had hoped for. But exactly then it is time for the song “Undo”, and so Sanna Nielsen enters a small podium alone in the middle of the big stage. It is kept in the true ballad spirit, free from other scenography. The song begins, but she can’t hear the strings or herself.

She is far away from the girls’ room.

As she looks across the arena, she realizes that it’s the audience that matters. They drown out the sympathy by standing up and singing along. Suddenly she is back in the girls’ room. She comes third and wins the jury’s votes.

When she looks back now At this event, something sparkling appears in her eyes. After this seventh and triumphant entry, she decided she was done and satisfied with the competition.

– I won Melodifestivalen and got to represent Sweden with a song that I still love. Everything was so beautiful that I had the feeling: “Now I have to do this and move on in life.”

That’s exactly what she did for 12 years, including becoming a mother and running Allsång på Skansen. But also through her return to Melodifestivalen in the role of the legend in a “Hall of Fame” medley during the 2025 competition, where she performed a Sanna Nielsen potpourri.

Nielsen orders a pot of green tea for the table in the café where we are sitting. She takes a sip and tells us that the middle act broke her last self-control and that after that it was no longer possible to stay away from the competition.

– “God, will we never do this again?” “I remember thinking,” she says, smiling.

Because 2026 additionally As it marks her 30th anniversary as a music artist, she admits that the decision to break the twelve-year promise was relatively easy for her. The song she does it with is called “Waste your love”. An uptempo, soulful song about showing love to yourself and the people around you. Like a motherly pat on the back for those who do their best.

– Everyone works and struggles, I myself am a mother of small children and constantly struggle to be able to achieve enough.

She explains that as a mother of small children, she has a badass child at home in February. As we leave the café, she wraps herself in a very large scarf, one of her many measures to avoid having her Mello performance canceled.

Is there tough competition for your son’s favor?

– Yes, he has his favorites, like Junior, Timo, Medina, Brandsta and Smash Into Pieces. He hasn’t heard all of their songs, but he doesn’t care. But he said he wanted to make a sign that said “Hey Mom.” I get so little support.

How do you compare to the other competitors?

– I think I’ll be friendly to everyone and make sure they actually have fun on the trip. So my box is open to anyone who wants to come by, she says and adds:

– Except for half an hour before I go on stage. Then I don’t want to hang out with a single person. Then everything has to be on and no one can nudge me or ask me anything.

So you won’t be cured of your nervousness in thirty years?

– If I hadn’t gotten nervous, I would have been worried. If you’re nervous, it still shows that it means something. So I get nervous, but it’s welcome.

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