Eurovision 2023: Loreen chosen as Swedish entry following Melodifestivalen victory with Tattoo - can 2012's Euphoria legend win again?

Loreen - the Swedish pop star best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 with Euphoria - will once again represent her home country following her victory in this year's Melodifestivalen.

The enigmatic icon entered the competition, the annual music event where the Swedish public chooses their Eurovision representative, with the orchestral and dramatic dance track Tattoo. With elements of trance and hi-NRG, it forms a fascinating cousin to Euphoria, a similarly gothic club anthem. 

While for some Loreen's victory was never in doubt - watch her cinematic performance below, complete with a moving 1.5 tonne screen and vampish nails - her direct competition was seen to be in the shape of two teenage twins brothers, Marcus & Martinus and their similarly trance-inspired track Air (between this and Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding's new single, can we confidently say trance is back now?).

But Loreen's legacy (Euphoria is considered by most to be the gold standard of the modern Eurovision entry, and seen as one of the most deserving winners in the contest's history) was perhaps too much of an obstacle for any competition to overcome.

MORE: Everything you need to know about Eurovision 2023

On Saturday night (March 11), Tattoo officially became the winning entry of Melodifestivalen 2023, sending Loreen straight to the Liverpool stage for Eurovision. 

it topped the leaderboard with a total of 177 points, taken from both jury scores, televoting and voting via the official app, far outperforming Marcus & Martinus, who settled for second place with 138 points in total.

Loreen now joins a select group of previous Eurovision winners who have returned to the competition stage - including Alexander Rybak, Dana International and Lena.

It should be noted that none of these acts could replicate their success the second time around, however. Only one act has managed to win Eurovision twice - Ireland's Johnny Logan, who succeeded in both 1980 and 1987. 

Loreen's 2012 victory with Euphoria is considered a high-point of the modern competition, and it is one of the rare Eurovision entries to replicate its win with actual chart success. Euphoria ended up peaking at Number 3 on the Official Singles Chart, one of the highest modern Eurovision peaks in the last decade until it was outdone by Sam Ryder's SPACE MAN rising to Number 2 last year.

Article Image: CHRISTINE OLSSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock