NEW YORK -   “Nordic Rox,” a new program debuting April 30 on U.S.-based Sirius Satellite Radio, will be produced under the creative guidance of Per Gessle, one of the world’s most successful songwriters, producers and musicians. As a member of the band Roxette and other performing bands, Gessle has sold 45 million albums worldwide and written dozens of songs that have been blockbusters on European and American radio, including “It Must Have Been Love,” which has been aired more than 4 million times on US radio, according to BMI, and is one of Roxette’s four #1 US singles.

  The program will be hosted and programmed by Radio Stockholm on-air personality Viktor Petrovski, a prominent figure in the Swedish music scene. Also contributing to the program will be the lead singer of The Hives, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, and highly respected ABBA historian Carl Magnus Palm (on behalf of ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus).

  The first episode of Nordic Rox will be broadcast on Sirius channel 18 this Sunday, April 30 from 8 pm to 11 pm EST.

  “The wave of high-quality bands coming out of Sweden today rivals anything since the big UK music movements,” said Scott Greenstein of Sirius. “The launch of Nordic Rox, together with our recent addition of BBC’s Radio 1 channel, further establishes Sirius as the leader in discovery of new popular music around the world.”

  Gessle said, “I’m very honored to be part of presenting Swedish and Scandinavian music outside our borders. The music scene in Sweden is certainly very creative and it will be a pleasure to present the best of it to the listeners of Sirius Satellite Radio. Pump up the volume!”

  Nordic Rox will place a spotlight on the quality and depth of Scandinavian artists and music, which have never been exposed in this manner in the US. The show will also be the first place in the US to hear exciting new music emanating from Sweden and Scandinavian countries.

  Historically, Sweden is the third largest exporter of music, after the US and Great Britain. It is a creative hotbed for musicians, songwriters, producers and technicians that, since the 1970s, have significantly contributed to the global pop music community. The success of the blockbuster musical Mamma Mia! has proven the enduring popularity of Swedish hitmakers ABBA’s music. Scandinavian music producers Max Martin (Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson), Anders Bagge (Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson) and Tore Johansson (The Cardigans, Franz Ferdinand), among others, are responsible for many US hits, as well as the worldwide “Crazy Frog” phenomenon.

  Nordic Rox will expand upon this success by showcasing established as well as up-and-coming Swedish and Scandinavian artists, ranging from ABBA, Roxette, Ace of Base, and Cardigans to The Hives and other current artists such as The Ark, Whyte Seeds, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, The Sounds, Turbonegro, Sahara Hotnights, The Hellacopters, Madrugada, H.I.M. and many others.

• Sirius