Now several months on from Eurovision 2024 we’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2024 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that. We thought we’d have a deep dive into these acts and give you our opinion on What Went Wrong. Today we’re going to discuss Iceland’s Hera.
In part seven of this series, Shiloh, Daniel, and Kittens discuss what they thought went wrong with Hera.
Who is Hera?
Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir, who goes by the stage name Hera Björk has been in the music industry in Iceland for nearly 40 years. In 2008 she was a member of the group Frostrósir, before embarking on a Eurovision journey.
Hera Björk first participated in the Danish selection back in 2009 with the song “Someday, she finished second in the selection. In 2010 she competing in the Icelandic selection for Eurovision, Söngvakeppnin which this time she won with “Je ne sais quoi”. Hera placed 19th in the Eurovision final in Oslo. Later, in 2019 Hera competed in Söngvakeppnin again with the song “Moving On”, she finished in 4th place.
“Scared of Heights”, her Eurovision song was written by Ferras Alqaisi, Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir, Jaro Omar and Michael Burek. Michael also produced the song.
What are the issues with the selection?
Shiloh – I’m not entirely against the superfinal, but it did seem to invalidate the results of earlier selections and opens the door for potential vote manipulation, so maybe get rid of that. Also, minor gripe, but artists performing the song in Icelandic regardless of whether they’ll sing in English at the big contest probably impacts the results. I’m sure that a number of Icelandic entries have lost favor because of uninspiring English lyrics, and I think that competing artists should sing their entry solely in the language they would use at Eurovision.
Daniel – The Superfinal did its job when it sent Systur to Eurovision, but what is essentially a round of anti-voting is not a healthy method for a selection.
Kittens – On a more general basis, we had a very good set of songs this year, probably a bit banger heavy, but still very good. I think the main problem was that superfinal. I’d love to see that go. Admittedly with only 10 tracks, I’m not entirely sure why we’ve even got semi-finals, but that’s a rant for another time. The wrong act was chosen in my opinion – you had a more risky song and a very safe one, but you really shouldn’t be going with safe. To qualify and win, you need to stand out.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Shiloh – The song was fine–I’m aware that I’m in the minority here, but I actually liked it. Hera, on the other hand, did not do the song any favors. She made it sound more dated than it could have been otherwise.
Daniel – Absolutely not. Sounds even more dated than her 2010 entry.
Kittens – When I first heard the song I did enjoy it but I grew off it very quickly. It’s perfectly fine as a song. Perfectly fine as a performance. It’s just fine though, and fine doesn’t always qualify at Eurovision.
Did the staging complement the song and stand out?
Shiloh – It complemented the song for sure, but didn’t stand out.
Daniel – Maybe a little bit? But not meaningfully.
Kittens – I feel like it really didn’t stand out. I am at least glad that it involved some heights! But very generic on the screen and very middle of the road. I’ve literally just watched it and I can barely remember it. Very underwhelming.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made
Shiloh – Probably not. As much as I personally enjoy it, it just wasn’t a standout, especially in a year with such strong staging and more modern music.
Daniel – No.
Kittens – I kinda thought myself that this might be borderline before we started seeing staging, but the staging really plunged it into nope mode for me. So if you really pulled something out of the bag with staging, maybe? And gave it a cheeky revamp? Maybe? But it would need to be something big to make that impact.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Shiloh – Don’t send Hera Björk? No, but really. Returning artists are almost never as successful as broadcasters and year-round fans want them to be.
Daniel – Get rid of the Superfinal.
Kittens – The Icelandic are already pretty engaged with Eurovision, but I feel like there’s so much fall out from this year that I worry the whole thing will have done damage to the brand in Iceland in general, and I worry about if they participate next year what that will do to the selection. The whole selection doesn’t seem to be serving them well, and I think the whole thing just needs a back to the drawing board rethink. And despite Ásdís being one of the winning writers this year – honestly do whatever it takes to entice her back and just let her go wild, because she’s magic.
Iceland’s Eurovision Journey
Iceland made its debut on the Eurovision stage in 1986, finishing 16th with the song “Gleðibankinn” (Bank of Fun) by ICY. In their 35 appearances, Iceland has finished in top 10 an impressive 7 times. Their best result to date is second place, which they have achieved twice. The first time was in 1999, where Selma Björnsdóttir received 146 points for her performance of “All Out of Luck”. The second time was in 2009, with Yohanna singing “Is It True” and receiving 218 points.
2010 returnee Hera Björk represented Iceland with “Scared of Heights” at the 2024 contest. She placed last in the first semifinal, scoring only three points.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Iceland could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Alma Bengtsson / EBU
Tim J