Sweden at Eurovision 2015: This is why Mans Zelmerlow won Sweden's sixth contest

It's not just about the song...

(DIETER NAGL | AFP | Getty Images)

Following in the footsteps of ABBA and Loreen is a daunting prospect, but Sweden's Mans Zelmerlow flew the flag high for his country at Eurovision 2015, winning a close contest to be crowned winner.

Zelmerlow's song, "Heroes", had been the bookies' favourite to win over the continent's music juries and televoters in Vienna at the final. Having cruised through the semi-final on Thursday with another great performance, it looks like there is nothing in Zelmerlow's way to achieving Song Contest glory.

The Swede’s popularity may surprise some given that the 28-year-old had a recent run-in with the LGBT community after it was claimed homosexuality was not natural. However, he later apologised and has spent a long time building bridges. Notably, that is also the slogan for this year's Eurovision.

With Russia, Italy and Australia hoping to surprise Sweden in the final, Zelmerlow triumphed. The Independent spoke with Eurovision expert Daniel Gould to discuss what made Zelmerlow tick all the right boxes:

He's a credible artist

Whereas the UK has lost its love for taking the competition seriously, Sweden has a fine recent history in the tournament, most notably winning the contest in 2012 with Loreen's "Euphoria". She rose to fame after participating in Sweden's version of Pop Idol in 2004 and Zelmerlow took part in the same programme one year later. He is a huge star in his country compared to the UK entry, Electro Velvet (who?).

Echoes of Guetta

Dust off the glitter and wipe the cava off your fake eyelashes, Eurovision is still just a song contest. And Gould argues that Sweden's song, out of all the 27 contenders, is the most likely to appeal to your typical music-buying punter. He says: "I think Sweden is the song I most likely see storm to the top of iTunes Charts around Europel. It has echoes of a few hits over recent years, including David Guetta's 'Lovers of the Sun' (indeed the resemblance is uncanny)."

He did well in the semi-finals and rehearsals

Eurovision experts and bookies watch the semi-finals and the rehearsals with eagle eyes, and Zelmerlow was impeccable throughout. Indeed, his strong showing in the semi-final on Thursday meant that the producers gave him a favourable draw in the final...

Position in the draw

Out of 27 countries, Sweden has been selected to appear tenth, a good position. Gould says that this shows Sweden polled well in the semi-final and therefore they gave Zelmerlow a favourable place in the running order to reflect what the audience wants.

Gould says: "Producers' control of where entrants sing in the draw means a song with a strong chance of winning won't be buried with a single-digit draw. Last year, Conchita and Sweden's Sanna were betting favourites drawn in the first half of a 26-runner field. Producers kindly gave them 11th and 13th respectively, so as not to hinder their chances too much. They finished first and third."

The Swede's stage performance certainly helps his chances of Eurovision glory.

He has stage interaction

This can really add some extra sparkle to a contestant's chances. Gould says of Zelmerlow, "There's a clever animation stage show that goes with the act, which means that there is interaction on stage which I think is an important for a Eurovision act to create the sense of a story.

"There’s good movement on stage which is important for an up tempo song. If you have an up tempo song and you’re static on stage, you somehow lose the interest of viewers. It’s a very deserving favourite."

iTunes chart

Gould says, "Last year, they released the songs on iTunes after the semi-finals. The top five in the final were in those kind of positions in the iTunes chart around Europe, so you had a very definite signal as to what people were buying after watching the semi-finals."

So far, "Heroes" has appeared in the top 20 selling singles on iTunes in Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Finland, Austria and Denmark.

Zelmerlow gets douze points for his looks.

He's attractive

Appearances can be everything: Lordi was scary but original; Conchita was fabulous and original. When it comes to male winners of the competition (which has only happened on eight previous occasions) they are always handsome men: Dima Bilan and Alexander Rybak for example (although the jury is still out on Toto Cutugno).

Gould adds: "With his good looks, Zelmerlow has long been popular domestically and among fans."

Sweden's selection competition is a big event

To get the chance to represent Sweden at Eurovision, Zelmerlow had to win via a televote at Melodifestivalen. Gould says this contest in itself is watched by fans across Europe in February and March. "Mans Zelmerlow won with a televote even stronger than Loreen's in 2012," Gould notes.

Eurovision Song Contest 2015, Saturday 8pm - 11:35pm, BBC One