Melodifestivalen is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959. In the early 2000s, the competition was the most popular television program in Sweden; it is also broadcast on radio and the Internet. In 2012, the heats averaged 3.3 million viewers, and over an estimated four million people in Sweden watched the final, almost half of the Swedish population.
Carola Maria Häggkvist, commonly known simply as Carola, is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music. Her debut album, Främling (1983), sold around one million copies and remains the biggest-selling album in Swedish music history. During her career, she has recorded many top-selling albums and singles and is referred to as Sweden's most prominent female singer. Some of her biggest hits are "Främling", "Tommy tycker om mig", "Fångad av en stormvind", "All the Reasons to Live", "I Believe in Love", "Genom allt", and "Evighet". Besides Swedish, she has also released records in Dutch, German, English, Norwegian and Japanese.
Marie Eleonor Serneholt is a Swedish singer and model. She was a member of the Swedish pop band A*Teens from 1998 to 2004, and briefly pursued a solo recording career after the band dissolved.
Alcazar is a Swedish nu-disco group formed in Stockholm. The group is one of Sweden's most successful music acts, both nationally and internationally, achieving a series of hits since their debut single in 1999. Globally, Alcazar sold over 12 million records between 2001 and 2004. The group gained international recognition in 2000 with their song "Crying at the Discoteque," which charted in the USA, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and most European countries.
Anna Jenny Charlotte Perrelli, known until 2003 by her maiden name, is a Swedish singer and television host. Under her maiden name, she won the 1999 Melodifestivalen and subsequently that year's Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Take Me to Your Heaven".
Sweden has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 63 times since making its debut in 1958, missing only three contests since then. The current Swedish participant broadcaster in the contest is Sveriges Television (SVT), which select its entrant with the national competition Melodifestivalen. Sweden has hosted the contest seven times: three times in Stockholm, three times in Malmö and once in Gothenburg (1985). At the 1997 contest, Sweden was one of the first five countries to adopt televoting.
Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until the late 1990s. She also gained popularity at the US country stage during the 1980s. In 1986, she had the "Kikki i Nashville" TV show.
Linda Birgitta Bengtzing is a Swedish pop singer famous for her participation in the fourth season of Fame Factory in Sweden and for her entries at Melodifestivalen 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022.
Sanna Viktoria Nielsen is a Swedish singer, television presenter and musical theatre performer. On her seventh attempt, she won Melodifestivalen in 2014 with the song "Undo" and so represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark, finishing in 3rd place overall. Sanna was one of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 commentators for Sweden and hosted Melodifestivalen 2015 along with comedian Robin Paulsson. She was announced as the new presenter for the sing-along show Allsång på Skansen for the summer of 2016. She hosted Eurovision The Party at the Tele2 Arena for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016.
Måns Petter Albert Sahlén Zelmerlöw is a Swedish singer and television presenter. He took part in Idol 2005, eventually finishing fifth, won the first season of Let's Dance, and scored a hit with his 2007 song "Cara Mia", which was his entry in that year's Melodifestivalen. Zelmerlöw was the host of Allsång på Skansen from 2011 to 2013. He participated in Melodifestivalen in 2007, 2009 and won in 2015. Zelmerlöw represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Heroes", winning the contest with 365 points. Zelmerlöw and Petra Mede co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm.
Sarah Dawn Finer is a Swedish singer, songwriter and actress. She is also known for playing Lynda Woodruff, a character created by Edward af Sillén to be a parody spokesperson of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Brita Maret "Sofia" Jannok is a Swedish Sámi artist, singer, songwriter and radio host. Several times, she has publicly taken a stance in social media against the establishment of mines on land used by Sámi reindeer herders. Together with Mariela Idivuoma, she was hostess of the Liet-Lávlut music festival in 2006. She has also hosted the program "Mailbmi – small people great music" on Swedish Radio P2, and the Sámi children's program Unna Junná for Yle. Her music is inspired from diverse musical influences, like folk, pop, jazz and yoik. She sings mostly in Northern Sámi, but also sings and writes lyrics in Swedish and English as well.
Anna Henrietta Bergendahl is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She took part in Swedish TV4 music program Super Troupers in 2004, and in Idol 2008 where she reached the Final 5 before being eliminated.
Petra Maria Mede is a Swedish comedian, dancer, actress and television presenter. Mede is known for her several roles in comic shows and as a television presenter, and is best known outside of Sweden for hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013, 2016 and 2024, as well as co-hosting Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits in 2015.
Mariette Hansson, sometimes credited as MaryJet or simply Mariette, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Hansson participated in Sikta mot stjärnorna in 1999 imitating singer Amanda Marshall. She participated in Idol 2009 which was broadcast on TV4 and finished fourth. A year later, Hansson was announced as "homo of the year" at the QX Gaygala in Stockholm.
Anton Kim Ewald is a Swedish singer and dancer. He has participated in Melodifestivalen several times as both a background dancer and singer.
Alice Kristina Ingrid Gernandt better known by her stage name Ace Wilder, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She first received public attention while taking part in Melodifestivalen 2014.
Lisa Kristina Ajax is a Swedish-Finnish singer. She began her career after winning Idol 2014, and is also known for her five Melodifestivalen participations, having qualified to the final on four occasions.
Sweden was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "If I Were Sorry", written by Oscar Fogelström, Michael Saxell, Fredrik Andersson, and Frans Jeppsson Wall, and performed by Frans himself. The Swedish participating broadcaster, Sveriges Television (SVT), selected its entry through Melodifestivalen 2016. In addition, SVT was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, after winning the previous edition with the song "Heroes" performed by Måns Zelmerlöw.
Anna Cornelia Jakobsdotter Samuelsson, known professionally as Cornelia Jakobs, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song "Hold Me Closer", placing fourth.
