Melodifestivalen frontrunner Maria Sur has been denied a change to her performance ahead of the competition’s final. 

Sur hoped to include a dance break in the performance of her song When I’m Gone, but Melfest rules meant her request was denied.

Click to read this story at a glance…

• Maria Sur, a frontrunner in Melodifestivalen 2024, was denied a request to include a dance break in her performance of When I’m Gone for the competition’s final
• The denial was due to the competition’s rules which dictate the maximum length of songs
• While changes mid-competition are uncommon, precedent exists for adjustments pre-competition, as seen with Browsing Collection in 2022

Speaking to The Euro Trip, Sur said: “There’s not going to be so many big changes in the final.

“I wanted to bring this idea to the final, but unfortunately we’re not allowed to do it. 

“I wanted to do a dance break. It’s not happening because of the rules. We’re not allowed to change the timing of the song. 

“We are very happy with the performance and the staging.” 

When I’m Gone clocks in at three minutes long, so the inclusion of a dance break without cutting an existing part of the song out would have pushed Sur’s performance past the three minute limit. 

This limit is in place to replicate the same rule which dictates the maximum length of songs at the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Such drastic changes to performances mid-competition are unheard of. Had Sur and her team wanted to make a change before the competition began, however, there is a precedent that might have allowed it. 

In 2022, Browsing Collection were granted permission to make changes to their song Face In The Crowd after it had been accepted into the competition by SVT, but before their initial live performance. 

Despite not being able to make a change to her song and performance, Sur remains upbeat ahead of the Melfest final on March 9. 

“It would be such an honour and such an amazing moment in my life,” Sur said on what it would be like to represent Sweden. 

Sur fled Ukraine with her mother in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. 

“I also think it would be an amazing moment for my favourite countries. It would be historic.

“I would represent Sweden as a Ukrainian. It would show so many connections between these two countries and show so much support from Sweden. It would be historic to be the face of these two countries.” 

Sur placed ninth in the Melfest final in 2023 with her song Never Give Up. She is currently fifth favourite with some bookmakers to win the competition this year.