Eurovision scores make star of 'hot' runner up

Sweden’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest might have disappeared without trace in last week’s competition, but now a runner-up is belatedly rescuing Swedish pride by becoming a European sensation - thanks to a one-minute appearance during the music jamboree.

• Five Swedish songs that never made Eurovision (3 Feb 12)
• Swedes gear up for Melodifestivalen mania (2 Feb 12)
• Saade success renews Swedish Eurovision faith (15 May 11)

Eric Saade, 19, saw his song ‘Manboy’ beaten by Anna Bergendahl in Sweden’s Melodifestivalen. But his brief, confident appearance to give the results of the country’s telephone voting has won him fans across the continent - and reassured Sweden’s tabloids that the country can still produce Eurovision magic after Bergendahl’s ejection in the semi-final.

While Saade was confident, fluent and jocular during his appearance, other factors seem to have caused his popularity:

A Facebook group entitled ‘The Swedish guy from Eurovision 2010 was so hot’ had by Monday evening attracted over 6,000 members, with the number rising rapidly. Anna Bergendahl’s official page on the site had just 3,500 fans. Newspaper Aftonbladet said his smile “had charmed the whole of Europe.”

Scores of foreign - mainly female - visitors found their way to his website, where they were leaving adoring messages for the young star. His performance of Manboy has now been seen over over a million times on Youtube.

The comments on Saade’s website showed viewers had fallen both for his looks and his music. ‘Isabel’ from Germany wrote:

“I saw you in the TV at the Eurovision Song Contest and I have to say: You look amazing!
Today, I listened to your music and I really, really like it.”

Speaking to Aftonbladet on Monday, Saade said he was taken aback by the reaction:

“I knew I had just a minute to read the votes, and all the others were so boring. I’m a bit of a joker by nature, so I just went for it.”

The rising star is now hoping the attention will enable him to release ‘Manboy’ abroad:

“It’s always been a dream to release something in England, but the rest of Europe would be fun too,” he said.