Ahead of her participation in Söngvakeppnin with the song “Rising Up” (“Rísum Upp”), Shiloh interviews Bára Katrín!
Watch our interview with Bára Katrín here!
Shiloh spoke with Bára Katrín about her band Dóra Og Döðlurnar, the meaning behind her song “Rising Up”, her favourite Taylor Swift era, and more!
About Bára Katrín
Bára Katrín Jóhannsdóttir is a nineteen-year-old singer and songwriter. At thirteen, she co-founded the band Dóra Og Döðlurnar (Dora and the Dates), with whom she has participated in Battle of the Band competitions and even previously submitted a song to Söngvakeppnin! She has been writing her own songs since age eleven. Bára Katrín is also a multiinstrumentalist, has competed in singing competitions, and was recognized with a songwriting award for her work on her band’s song “Gatnamót”. She has previously released one solo single, “Teenage World”.
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 semi-final, scoring only three points.
Usually one of the later national finals in the calendar, Iceland’s selection Söngvakeppnin has taken place since 1981, and since 2006 has been in a format of semi finals leading towards a final. Under current competition rules, all semi-final songs must be in Icelandic, with the option there to translate the song to English should they reach the final. Since the current rules were adopted in 2015, all but two winners of the selection have chosen to do this.
What do you think of our interview with Bára Katrín? Will you be rooting for her in the semifinal? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Threads and Bluesky as we start gearing up for Eurovision 2025!
Photo Credit: Ragnar Visage
Rory Gannon 
Giwrgos Oiko