Sweden: Here are the hosts of Melodifestivalen 2019

Eric Saade, Sarah Dawn Finer, Marika Carlsson and Kodjo Akolor has just been announced as hosts for Melodifestivalen 2019.

Marika Carlsson is new in Melodifestivalen, but an experienced talk show host on the radio. She has been named "Female Comics of the Year" twice. With her own performances and the great Diggiloo tour of the summer, she has made Sweden laugh. Recently Marika has been in the TV show "Bäst i test" on SVT.

Kodjo Akolor is also new to Melodifestivalen. He is a comedian and a experienced and award-winning radio host. On TV, he has participated in the show "Bäst i test", as well as last in the "Det stora racet" ("The Big Race") at SVT. He has also been the host of Musikhjälpen for many years. In the mornings he's currently on the morning show on Swedish Radio's P3.

Eric Saade participated in Melodifestivalen 2010 with the song "Manboy" when he made all the way to final and finished third. The following year, Eric won the Melodifestivalen with the song "Popular" and represented Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest 2011, where he finally placed himself in an honorably third place in the final.

Sarah Dawn Finer has both competed in and been the host of Melodifestivalen several times and in 2012 she was SVT's Christmas host. At the beginning of the year, Sarah was able to lead SVT's "Så ska det låta", and this autumn she is currently in the SVT show "Sarah’s sound of musicals". Sarah sung for around 200 million viewers during the Eurovision 2013 final in Malmö and in Stockholm in 2016.

Melodifestivalen 2019

• 2 February: Deltävling 1 (Gothenburg)
• 9 February: Deltävling 2 (Malmö)
• 16 February: Deltävling 3 (Leksand)
• 23 February: Deltävling 4 (Lidköping)
• 2 March: Second Chance (Nyköping)
• 9 March: Final (Stockholm)

The format for Melodifestivalen 2019 is the same as last year: Each of the 4 heats qualifies 2 songs directly to the final Each of the 4 heats qualifies 2 songs to the "second chance"-show. In the "second chance" 4 songs will be selected for the final.

Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest

Since 1958 Sweden has participated 58 times in Eurovision Song Contest with great succes. They have won the contest 6 times:

• 1974: Abba - "Waterloo"
• 1984: Herreys - "Diggi-loo Diggy-ley"
• 1991: Carola - "Fångad Av En Stormvind"
• 1999: Charlotte Nilsson - "Take Me To Your Heaven"
• 2012: Loreen - "Euphoria"
• 2015: Måns Zelmerlöw - "Heroes"

They came last two times (1963 and 1977), and since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004 Sweden managed to qualify for the Grand Final 14 out of 15 times! (only skipped the qualification in 2010).