Iceland

Iceland: Söngvakeppnin will start tonight

Tonight the Icelandic national final Söngvakeppnin will start. You are able to watch the first of two semifinals. Two songs will be selected, two others next week. In the end, a wildcard will be given to a 5th song. The show will start at 20:45 CET and you can watch it here. The songs in tonight show will all be sung in Icelandic. For the final, however, artists have the right to sing their song in English. These are tonights titles: Bragi sings “Stundum snýst heimurinn þér” Móa sings “Glötuð ást” Benedikt sings “Þora” Celebs sing “Dómsdagsdans” Diljá sings “Lifandi inni í mér” None of tonights singers had previously participated in any national final before.

Systur

©EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts MembersSigríður EyþórsdóttirElísabet EyþórsdóttirElín Eyþórsdóttir Founded2017 Nationality🇮🇸 Icelandic National SelectionSöngvakeppnin 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongMeð hækkandi sól (2022) Biography Systur is an Icelandic folk trio consisting of the three sisters Sigríður, Elísabet and Elín Eyþórsdóttir, shortly Sigga, Beta and Elin. They come from a musical family. Their parents, singer Ellen Kristjánsdóttir and mezzoforte keyboardist Eyþór Gunnarsson — as well as her uncle Kristján Kristjánsson — are well-known musicians in Iceland. The three performed solo, but they also made a name for themselves as Sísý Ey — a band they formed in 2011 with DJ Oculus. In 2013 the band released their first single “Ain’t Got Nobody”, which reached number 1 spot in the Icelandic charts. They performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2016. In 2017, the siters released their first single as a trio, entitled “Bounce from the Bottom”. They performed under the name of Tripolia. Under the names of Sigga, Beta and Elin, they won Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, in 2022. For the Eurovision Song Contest, they changed their names into Systur. The song they sang was in Icelandic. Systur were, during the international final in Turin, accompanied on drums by their brother Eyþór Ingi Eyþórsson. Outside of music, they are trans rights activists, particularly for transgender children. One of the sisters is the mother of a transgender son. Entries Með hækkandi sól Country🇮🇸 Iceland Year2022 LanguageIcelandic LyricsLovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir MusicLovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir BackingsZoe-Ruth ErwinGísli Gunnar Didrikssen GuðmundssonEyþór Ingi Eyþórsson (drums) Results Semi Points: 103Position: 10Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 20Position: 23Running order: 18 https://youtu.be/G71c48O3j-s

And this is what we know about the following order

Tonight, during the winners’ press conference, every artist had to draw a ballot for the final. Will they perform in the 1st or in the 2nd half? Last week, the Big 5 already had their draw. However, there is one exception. The organizing country, in this case Italy, had already drawn for the 9th place on an earlier stage. As you notice, most of the countries drew a place in the first half. That means, next Thursday there will be a lot of places available in the 2nd half. 1st half: Armenia France Germany Italy (9th place) Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland The Netherlands Ukraine 2nd half: Iceland Lithuania Moldova United Kingdom

Day 6: Bananas, raincoats, a circus and a rodeo rider

The storm around the still sun finally seems to have subsided a bit. This is not a weather forecast, but it is all about the Eurovision Song Contest. Now that everyone knows what really matters with the non-spinning sun, we can move on. And so we do. With ten countries from the 1st and 2nd semi, as well as the Big Five (more about that later), there is certainly something to look forward to. ICELAND: It is no surprise that the foursome (the girls’ brother is also there) can sing. The clothing and the setting are slightly reminiscent of “Little House on the Prairie”, for those who still know what that is. However, the whole thing seems a bit static. It’s not a done deal for the Icelanders. NORWAY: It ís a done deal for the Norwegians. They will make it to the final. Subwoolfer puts on a dazzling act. It is one of the kind that you either love or hate. Eurovision.tv notes that there is no change to the costumes. To be honest, we would also have been surprised if the gentlemen would suddenly wear something different. ARMENIA: She is the last one in the first semifinal. While she may not be the festival’s best singer, Rosa Linn does a good job. She walks around a bedroom covered with Post-Its. When she pulls it off the wall, for example, the title of the song appears, but also, yes, a Eurovision heart! FINLAND: The 2nd semifinal opens with the festival’s biggest stars: The Rasmus. The raincoats are now appropriate: the weather is not good. It also rains in Turin. Although the act is solid, there is something to be said for the vocals of Lauri Ylönen. We have heard better singing in the last few days…. ISRAEL: If we’re talking about song and dance, the Israelis do put down something. Michael Ben David never gets out of breath from all the dancing. He reaches the high notes effortlessly. The bookmakers’ expectations when it comes to Israel are not too high, but they could be completely wrong this time. SERBIA: No changes in the act of Serbia, which by the way is partially subtitled. The hands that are washed are also reflected in the graphics. Whether it is all sung very well, you can question that. Fun fact: for the second time in Eurovision history, someone from the British royal family is being sung: after Princess Diana in 1986 (“Européennes”, for France) it is now Megan Markle’s turn. AZERBAIJAN: Do you remember “Hold me”, Azerbaijan’s 2013 entry? It certainly wasn’t the strongest song that year, but thanks to the act it became second. We now see a similar act, but with a grandstand instead of a glass box. Big difference: Nadir is a very good singer. Because of the act and the good vocals this could end up higher than we all might expect. GEORGIA: “Lock me in” the members of Circus Mircus sing. And a circus it is, with flying goggles and a decorated beard. You may wonder whether the song is something that the televoter or the jury is going for. It just might become the least understood entry of 2022. MALTA: Few changes in the act. What we had not learned during the first rehearsals is that Emma not only sits behind the piano, but also stands on it. The moving and dancing seems to have an effect on Emma’s voice. SAN MARINO: The extravagant Achille Lauro jumps, dances, runs, rides rodeo: it won’t be three quiet minutes. Behind him are two musicians in cages. In addition, there are three guitarists. Achille Lauro’s agility does not benefit the vocals at all. It was all so wild that the rodeo seems to be broken by now. Hey wait…. I hear you thinking: and what about the Big 5!? Well, they will have their first rehearsals, without any press allowed. However, we will keep you updated about them later today.

Day 2: Another eight rehearsals

The second day of rehearsals: For now, there seems to be no solution in sight regarding the kinetic sun on stage. Meanwhile, the second group of semifinalists made their appearance for rehearsals. We still get little information. We do not know how the participants sing. What we get is mainly the picture. What you can do best, is read this article and follow Kal’s Italian journey on Youtube, Instagram and TikTok PORTUGAL: “Saudade” is one such word that occurs in only one language. It’s what MARO sings about. MARO is on the back podium, close to the green room. She and her backing vocals form a circle, MARO in purple in the spotlight. The graphics are kept simple: some indefinable figures in different colors. Before we forget: the smoke machine is working. CROATIA: Is Croatia your guilty pleasure this year by any chance? Mia is wearing a pink-red dress, with at least one leg clearly visible. The three dancers are wearing less bright colors. They tell a story with their movements. DENMARK: The Reddi girls wear orange, green, red and checkered purple suits. They all have an instrument in their hands that makes you wonder if they can play it at all. Retro 70s, that’s what we see. The graphics consist of checkered neon colors. AUSTRIA: LUM!X and Pia Maria stand in a kind of illuminated circle, in which we see the colors of the Austrian flag. There is a lot of movement and dancing on the stage. Bright lights and pyrotechnics are not lacking in this act either. ICELAND: “Með Hækkandi Sól” is the name of Systur’s song. The ladies are dressed in retro 70s outfits. One of the three is wearing an imposing hat. The graphics consist of glitter. According to Eurovision.tv, that gives the whole thing something magical. The show seems to end in bright orange light. GREECE: Amanda wears a long silver-white dress. She is alone on stage. Around her, in blue light, chairs stand and lie in a circle. Eurovision.tv reports an echo on the vocal, but what they exactly mean by that is not clear. NORWAY: For those who have been following Subwoolfer for a while, the Norwegian performance will contain few surprises. Keith and Jim, who we still don’t know who they really are, wear their yellow wolf heads. They are assisted by three dancers, also completely wrapped in yellow. All wear sunglasses. Behind them DJ Astronaut is standing on a platform, he is completely dressed in gold. ARMENIA: Rosa Linn from Armenia performs in a special setting: a complete bedroom! The furniture and walls seem to be made entirely of scrap paper. Rosa Linn sits in the midst of it all with her guitar, playing her song.

A Month After Rotterdam

It’s been exactly one month after the Grand Final of The Eurovision Song Contest 2021! A lot of rumors, new information has been going around since then, but what are the 2021 artists doing? Måneskin The rock band from Italy, which won this years contest, are touring all over Europe at this moment! They have quite a few things on their schedule. Three days ago they were in Amsterdam, yesterday in Gothenburg and right now they are in Copenhagen! And this is only for interviews or to perform a few songs, not even for their music tour. Barbara Pravi Barbara is having a blast with her career right now! She’s slaying on Time Square, performing at Roland Garros and selling out her European tour. In two days she will release her new song “Le Jour Se Lève”. Gjon’s Tears The third placer Gjon is enjoying his success of Tout l’Univers. At the begin of June he performed his song on Albanian television. Besides this, he won the ESC Radio Awards 2021 for best male artist and best song yesterday! TIX While placing 18th at the song contest, TIX is doing well in Norway. Two weeks ago he performed at his first gig since covid and he is planning even more gigs now! Go_A Shum was everything they needed for their career to spark this bright! The Ukrainian song is still 4th in the USA Viral charts and they are having some gigs in Ukraine (of course). They have also announced that they will be playing in Amsterdam at Het Grote Songfestivalfeest in December. Tusse Since the Eurovision Song Contest Tusse from Sweden has been doing a lot of things. He had his 2021 prom party, he graduated from high school and he has also got his tonsils taken out. Right now he has to rest because of that, maybe reading this article will help him to get rid of his boredom. Daði Freyr He just missed out on top 3 but that’s not holding him back from releasing music! Daði has released his LP “Welcome” the night before the Grand Final but he is still profiting from it! He even made a music video for his new song “Somebody Else Now”. What have you been doing since The Eurovision Song Contest 2021? We have for sure been listening to the songs of the artists. photo credits: EBU

Icelandic broadcaster: COVID infection among Daði og Gagnamagnið (UPDATE)

One of the members of the Icelandic group Daði og Gagnamagnið, Jóhann Sigurður Jóhannsson, has been tested positive on COVID19. Icelandic head of press Rúnar Freyr Gíslason stated this on the website of Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. The positive test makes it unlikely that the Icelandic team will perform today at the rehearsals. It is also unlikely that the group will perform in the live show tomorrow. It is, according to Gíslasson, not sure whether Daði og Gagnamagnið will perform on Saturday if they reach the final. It is likely that one of the recordings of previous rehearsals will be used for the live broadcasts where the group can’t take the stage in person. A statement by EBU has not been made yet. To be continued…. UPDATE: A statement from the EBU says the following: “In close collaboration with the EBU and the host broadcaster, Daði og Gagnamagnið have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from performing in this year’s live Eurovision Song Contest shows, as they only want to perform together as a group. Their song will remain in the competition and we will broadcast their rehearsal performance, recorded on the stage on 13 May.” photo credits: EBU

News about Poland, Iceland, Malta and Romania

Today, the EBU came up with a new statement about the four delegations that couldn’t attend the Turquoise Carpet Event yesterday. “Following the positive COVID-19 test in the Polish delegation on Saturday 15 May all other members of the delegation undertook a PCR test, in accordance with the health and safety protocol of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, and we’re pleased to report that all these PCR tests returned negative results. As a precaution the Polish delegation will remain in quarantine until being retested ahead of dress rehearsals for Semi Final 2, in which Poland perform, on Wednesday. Following a positive COVID-19 test within the Icelandic delegation yesterday (Sunday 16 May), they too have had PCR tests for which we are awaiting the results today and will remain in quarantine. They will also have further testing ahead of the same dress rehearsals in which they are also due to perform. All accredited individuals, including artists, have to test negative for COVID-19 before they can re-join the production. The delegations from Malta and Romania have not tested positive for COVID-19 and are not quarantining but, due to the fact they are staying in the same hotel as Poland and Iceland, did not take part in the Turquoise Carpet event and were also PCR tested as a safety precaution. Both these delegations will be welcomed to the arena today for rehearsals following negative results from the routine test this morning, as is normal procedure. Throughout the whole process, all decisions taken by the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest are based on the expert medical advice of the event’s medical team and the Erasmus Medical Centre.” In cooperation with Eurovision Artists

Road to Rotterdam: Iceland

As early as 2017, Daði Freyr took part in Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic heat of the Eurovision Song Contest. And even then he wore his signature green sweater. In 2020 he won the national final. Hardly anything else could happen, because the clip of his song “Think about things” had gone viral worldwide. After the Eurovision song contest was canceled, a number of alternative contests were held online. Almost all of them selected Iceland as the winner.There was some uncertainty as to whether Daði og Gagnamagnið would participate again: in the end they said yes and came up with this song, “10 years”, which Daði wrote about the 10-year anniversary with his wife.

Daði & Gagnamagnið

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts Group membersDaði Freyr PéturssonÁrný Fjóla ÁsmundsdóttirSigrún Birna PétursdóttirHulda Kristín KolbrúnardóttirStefán HannessonJóhann Sigurður Jóhannsson Established2017 Nationality🇮🇸 Icelandic National SelectionSöngvakeppnin 2017, 2020 In Eurovision2021 Rotterdam2020 Rotterdam (cancelled) Song10 years (2021)Think about things (2020) Biography Daði Freyr Pétursson (born in 1992) is an Icelandic musician living in Berlin, Germany. Daði was born in Reykjavík but grew up in Denmark until the age of nine, when his family moved to Iceland. He began his musical career with the Orchestra of Few. Later he joined a band called RetRoBot. They released one album, “Blackout”, a year later.In 2014, Daði Freyr moved to Berlin where he began recording. He started playing under the name Mixophrygian and a year later he released the album “Forever”.In 2017, Daði participated in Söngvakeppnin, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Hvað með það?” (“Is This Love?”), which he performed with his wife Árnýja Fjóla Ásmundsdóttir and the band Gagnamagnið. They reached the secont place. Daði Freyr and his band Gagnamagnið were chosen to represent Iceland in the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Think about things”. Unfortunately, due to the corona crisis, that didn’t happen. Daði was asked to do the job again in 2021 and wrote the song “10 years” for the occasion. Unfortunately, due to a corona infection of one of the band members, they couldn’t perform live on stage during the contest. However, a video of one of the rehearsals was shown, so they could participate anyway. Iceland became 4th. Entries 10 years Country Iceland Year2021 LanguageEnglish Lyrics and musicDaði Freyr Backings– Results Semi Points: 288Position: 2Running order: 8 Results Finals Points: 378Position: 4Running order: 12 https://youtu.be/YSMhu-PrLME Think about things Country🇮🇸 Iceland Year2020 LanguageEnglish Lyrics and musicDaði Freyr Backings– Results Semi Points: –Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/1HU7ocv3S2o