SVT revealed the next five acts to be confirmed for Melodifestivalen 2009, the national Eurovision Song Contest selection programme. As widely reported yesterday, Maria Haukaas Storeng, who took Norway to fifth place at the 2008 competition, will perform a duet with Anna Sahlene. The Scotts, who were announced as participants three weeks ago were also unveiled at the press conference today.

The six acts confirmed for Melodifestivalen today are:

• Susanne Alfvengren – Du är älskad där du går
• The Scotts – Jag tror på oss
• Anna Sahlene and Maria Haukass Storeng – Killing me tenderly
• Thorleifs – Sweet kissin' in the moonlight
• Nina Söderquist – Tick Tock
• Cookies 'n Beans – What If

Susanne Alfvengren is 49 years old and has hadone hit in Sweden in 1984 with a song called När vi rör varann. She has released seven albums in Sweden and another is expected in 2009.

The Scotts are currently competing in Swedish television show, Dancebandkampen, a form of Pop Idol / The X Factor for Dancebands. This form of music is similar to Country and highly popular in Sweden. The band have reached the final and will be aiming to win the show this weekend.

Anna Sahlene and Maria Haukaas Storeng team up with a strong Eurovision Song Contest pedigree. Anna reached joint third place in 2002 when representing Estonia in Tallinn. Maria took fifth place in Belgrade this year for her native Norway. Both have had hits in Sweden, and Anna has competed in Melodifestivalen twice as a solo artist, the last time in 2006 when heavily pregnant.

Thorleifs are another highly popular Swedish schlager or danceband with decades of success and a string of hits in Scandinavia with countless top 10 hits. They have also charted in Germany and Switzerland. They have been performing since 1962.

Nina Söderquist is becoming known as an international stage star. She won a television show in Sweden in 2007 to capture the lead role in London west end hit show, Spamalot – the stage adaptation of the international smash hit film Monty Python The Holy Grail.

Cookies 'n Beans are a female country band seen as one of Swedens's rising stars in the music industry. The trio are Charlotte Centervall, Linda Ström and Frida Öhrn and they have been performing for five years, going on their first European tour this summer.