Iceland’s national final Söngvakeppnin wraps up tomorrow night, and broadcaster RÚV announced earlier this week that of the five finalists, three of them will perform their songs in Icelandic.
Icelandic vs English for Söngvakeppnin
In a blog post published for RÚV, editor Oddur Þórðarson stated that the following three artists would perform their songs in Icelandic:
- Katla – “Þaðan af”
- Stefán Óli – “Ljósið”
- Sigga, Beta and Elín – “Með hækkandi sól”
The other two finalists, Reykjavíkurdætur (“Turn This Around”) and Amarosis (“Don’t You Know”) will perform in English.
Söngvakeppnin rules state that all songs must be sung in Icelandic in the two semi-final heats. The artists may change languages in the final, but must keep this language if they earn the ticket to Eurovision.
The Söngvakeppnin final will be held tomorrow night at 7:45pm GMT (8:45pm CET) and hosted by Björg Magnúsdóttir, Jón Jónsson, and Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir. A mix of jury and public vote will determine the winner.
2021 Icelandic representatives Daði og Gagnamagnið will return to perform as the reigning Söngvakeppnin champions. Sweden’s 2021 Eurovision entry, Tusse, will also perform, following Go_A’s withdrawal due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Iceland debuted at Eurovision in 1986 with ICY and “Gleðibankinn”, which finished 16th with 19 points. Subsequently, Iceland has participated in Eurovision 33 times and earned 7 top-ten finishes. Iceland has yet to win the contest; however, they have managed two runner-up results. The first came in 1999, with Selma Björnsdóttir’s “All of Out Luck”, and the second in 2009 with Yohanna’s “Is It True?”. Daði og Gagnamagnið’s “Think About Things” was a favourite to win Eurovision before the EBU cancelled the 2020 contest.
Most recently, Daði og Gagnamagnið again represented Iceland at Eurovision 2021 with “10 Years”. They finished in fourth place with 378 points. However, they could not perform in person due to a positive COVID-19 test. Instead, Iceland used footage from its second rehearsal as their entry.
Are you excited to hear the Söngvakeppnin songs in Icelandic? Who is your favourite to win? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow THAT Eurovision Site on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: RÚV, Oddur Þórðarson
Photo Source: RÚV
Tim J 
Jazzi Dibben
[…] Söngvakeppnin returned after a one-year break and took place in the new RVK studios in Reykajevik. Björg Magnúsdóttir, Jón Jónsson, and Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir were our hosts for the evening. Five qualifying artists from the two semi–final heats performed, with three artists performing their songs in Icelandic and two in English. […]