This weekend the Grand Final of 'Söngvakeppnin' will take place where Iceland will decide its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Two previous semi-finals and a wild card choice have determined the five acts that will perform in the Grand Final on Sunday morning (Australian time).
Ahead of 'Söngvakeppnin' 2022 12 members of the Aussievision Team have listened to the songs and voted for their top pick. Three out of the five songs received votes from the team. The results are below:
=5. Stefán Óli – 'Ljósið (The light)' (no votes)
Stefan Oli is an up and coming Icelandic singer with a smooth pop style. He is set to perform in Icelandic in the Grand Final. Stefan's performance style is raw and understated, with minimal staging, letting his voice do all the work.
=5. Amarosis - 'Don’t You Know' Wildcard Entry (no votes)
It's a family affair for brother and sister duo Amarosis. The lucky wildcard entry for the Final will be performing their song in English. Their song is about the push and pull of emotions around a bad relationship. It's always great to see instruments incorporated on to the stage and Amarosis make fun use of the piano.
3. Katla – 'Þaðan af' (2 votes)
Katla is a relatively new artist, at only 19 and fresh to the music scene, she is the youngest performer in the contest. Katla grew up watching Eurovision and jumped at the chance to have fun and perform one of her best friend's songs. She has been overwhelmed with the welcome, love and support received from the Eurovision fanbase and is so excited to perform in the Final. Katla will be performing in Icelandic.
Comments from the team
"This folklorish ballad with some “Bond” elements/English lyrics is the only entry to make the Söngvakeppnin 2022 final to straddle the line between listenable and (fairly) innovative. Whilst I don’t mind 'Then Again' and Katla’s vocal is decent, I’m perhaps more voting against the other four options rather than enthusiastically for this one." ~ Steven
"This song has real potential to do well this year. It sounds strong vocally and the staging in the Semi was really intriguing. It’s almost part ballad, part pop song which blends together brilliantly. It sounds like it would really stand out on the stage in Turin." ~ Tim
2. Sigga, Beta & Elín – 'Með hækkandi sól' (4 votes)
Another family act here for the trio of sisters Sigga, Beta & Elín. As a band they are collectively known as 'Sisy Ey' and they usually compose and perform house music together. When it comes to their solo careers the sisters take a more folk/indie approach, so their Söngvakeppnin entry is not unknown territory. Their song was originally written from the point of view from a 18th/19th century Icelandic woman who was in ‘Vistarband’. The Icelandic Vistarband was a requirement that all landless people be employed on a farm and these people did not have any real control of their lives, forced to work for others and live under rule. The song is also a message of hope, drawing on the symbolism of “með hækkandi sól” which is the time of year in December when the sun starts to come earlier and set later each day. Sigga, Beta & Elín will be performing their song in Icelandic, as they did so in their semi-final.
Comments from the team
"It’s stunning! I love the concept of the “sun getting higher each day” with the hope and potential that it brings. There is also a message of rising up, hoping for a better life.
I love the folk style. There is an honesty and lack of pizzazz here that is subtle, simple and beautiful." ~ Estelle
"Icelandic is such a beautiful language to listen to and the harmonies on this are gorgeous. The western/country theme keeps things interesting...I can see lots of potential with staging here, a really enjoyable listen." ~ Emma
"Authentic, meditative and tight. It’s staged elegantly too - I think it’s Eurovision-ready. Not sure it’s going very far but stranger things I’ve happened (Calm After the Storm, anyone?)" ~ Mark
"This country-enfused Scandi folk pop is really, really nice. Is it going to blow anyone's socks off? no... but it's a genre I love, the song is nice and they perform it really well. Their sound is reminiscent of First Aid Kit who I adore. Not sure how much of a competition song it is, but it's the only one in this list I want to go back and listen to again." ~ Dale
1. Reykjavikurdaetur – 'Turn This Around' (6 votes)
Reykjavikurdaetur (Daughters of Reykjavik) is an all female Icelandic hip hop group, founded in 2013. Most of their songs are recorded in Icelandic, but also perform some of their songs in English. Their goal as a band is to empower women and non-binary people through their music. Reykjavikurdaetur are set to perform 'Turn This Around' in a combination of Icelandic and English.
Comments from the team
"Quite simply the only song that leaves an impression on me; all the others are nice songs but just wash me by. This is not a song that I would really listen to studio cut day to day, but when I watch the performance I quite like the song. The daughters need to make sure they don't sound "shout-y", I'm not such a fan of that, but on the singing parts they can sing really well. The lack of outfit coordination makes it seem a bit disjointed, sort of like it's a bunch of soloists who just happen to be on stage. Please see G-Nation for some inspiration! Doesn't set my world on fire but the best song for Eurovision." ~ Hugo
"These ladies bring so much confidence, energy and personality to the stage - it's such a fun song and performance! I'm hoping 'Turn This Around' and their iconic moped can go all the way to Turin!" ~ Laura
"What a hot mess in the best way. While the chorus is lacking and is too repetitive, the individual raps from each member give the song a lot of personality and energy.
There’s no doubt that this would be memorable on the Eurovision stage." ~ Josh
"We are missing a song like this in the contest year. Please Iceland choose it! The whole production has all the ingredients of being a hot mess but somehow it works. I don't know how they manage to pull it off either. Eurovision needs Mopeds. That is all." ~ Fleur
"WOW!! What an entry!! It's a hot mess that needs to go to Eurovision!!! A vespa, large disco ball, and the outfits are crazy!! Tut tuttut tut tut tut tut!!!" ~ Kyriakos
"Denmark may have robbed us of Fuld Effekt, but Iceland can now save the day with this hip-hop rave banger! It's crazy without being off-putting, and I like that the song gives space for each member of the group to do a verse. I hope that the live staging elevates both at the Songvakeppnin final and, should it make it that far, in Turin. But right now, this is easily Iceland's best chance of a good result at Eurovision 2022 for me!" ~ Teddy
The 'Söngvakeppnin' 2022 Final
As with the semi-finals, Björg Magnúsdóttir, Jón Jónsson and Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir will be the hosts, coming live from RVK Studios in Reykjavík.
The five competing acts must perform in the language they intend to sing in at Eurovision should they be chosen to represent Iceland in Turin. For the first round of the final, voting will be split equally between jury and a public vote. The top two acts will then move on to compete against one another in the Super Final. One more public vote will then decide on the winning song which will become Iceland's entry at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.
There will be two very special guest performances during the show. Daði og Gagnamagnið (Iceland 2020/2021) and Tusse (Sweden 2021). Tusse will be replacing Go_A (Ukraine 2021), who sadly are not able to travel to Iceland due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
How and when to watch
The final of 'Söngvakeppnin' 2022 will take place on the Saturday night March 12, (morning of Sunday March 13 Australian time) and can be watched via the RUV website.
The show will begin at:
8:45pm, Saturday March 12, Central European Time
3:45am (WA) Sunday March 13
5:15am (NT) Sunday March 13
5:45am AEST (QLD) Sunday March 13
6:15am (SA) Sunday March 13
6:45am AEDT (ACT, NSW, TAS, VIC) Sunday March 13
The Aussievision team will be watching live. To keep updated and get all the latest 'Söngvakeppnin' 2022 news; find us @aussievisionnet!