Vilhelm Buchaus, a 24-year-old from Sigtuna, did not advance to the final of Melodifestivalen in the fifth and last semi-final. According to Uppsala Nya Tidning, this was his second attempt in the competition, having debuted last year with the song "I'm yours" and this year performing "Hearts don't lie" with an electric guitar. The finalists from this semi-final were Lilla Al-Fadji and Sanna Nielsen.
Lilla Al-Fadji, a humor character portrayed by hip-hop artist Felipe Andres Leiva Wenger, reportedly advanced with the song "Delulu", which was co-written by Edward af Sillén and Daniel Réhn. Sanna Nielsen took the other final spot with the song "Waste your love", receiving the most votes across different age groups. The semi-final included performances such as Sarah Dawn Finer singing "Let freedom reign" and Caroline af Ugglas performing her 2009 entry "Snälla, snälla" after it was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Two more finalists were to be selected from a final qualifier round involving third-place finishers from previous semi-finals, with participants reportedly including Meira Omar and Robin Bengtsson.