Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2020) |
Iceland | |
---|---|
Member station | RÚV |
National selection events | National final
Internal selection
|
Participation summary | |
Appearances | 33 (26 finals) |
First appearance | 1986 |
Highest placement | 2nd: 1999, 2009 |
Nul points | 1989 |
External links | |
RÚV page | |
Iceland's page at Eurovision.tv | |
For the most recent participation see Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 |
Iceland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 33 times since its debut in 1986, missing only two contests since then, in 1998 and 2002, when prevented from competing due to finishing outside qualification places the preceding years. The country's best result is two second-place finishes, with Selma in 1999 and Yohanna in 2009.
Iceland has achieved a total of seven top ten placements, with the others being Stjórnin finishing fourth (1990), Heart 2 Heart seventh (1992), Birgitta eighth (2003), Hatari tenth (2019) and Daði og Gagnamagnið fourth (2021). Since the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004, Iceland has failed to qualify for the final seven times, including four years consecutively (2015–18). As of 2021, Iceland is the only Nordic country that is yet to win the contest.
History[]
Iceland's best position at the contest is second place, which they have achieved twice: in 1999 when Selma represented Iceland with the song "All Out of Luck", and came second to Sweden's Charlotte Nilsson and in 2009 when Yohanna came second to Norway's Alexander Rybak with the ballad "Is It True?".
In contrast Iceland's worst result in a grand final is last place, which has been achieved twice to date: In 1989 when Daníel Ágúst received nul points for his entry "Það sem enginn sér" and in 2001 when Two Tricky received 3 points for their entry "Angel".
With the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, Iceland automatically qualified for the final that year due to Birgitta's 8th place the previous year. In 2008, Iceland reached the final for the first time since then, when Euroband sang "This Is My Life". Iceland qualified for the final in seven consecutive contests between 2008 and 2014; however, it failed to qualify for the final from 2015 to 2018. In 2019, Hatari brought the country back to the final for the first time since 2014, finishing tenth, which was followed by a fourth-place finish for Daði og Gagnamagnið in 2021, Iceland's joint-second best result to date.
Despite these mixed fortunes, Iceland is the second most successful country never to win the contest (behind only Malta).
Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir has participated five times (as a member of a group in 1990 and 1992, as a solo artist in 1994, and as a background vocalist in 1991 and 2006). Hera Björk has participated four times (as background vocalist in 2008, 2009 and 2015 and as solo artist in 2010). Stefán Hilmarsson has participated twice (as a member of a group in 1988 and as a member of a duo 1991), as have Selma Björnsdóttir (1999 and 2005), Eiríkur Hauksson (as a member of a group in 1986 and as a solo artist in 2007), Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson (as a solo artist in 2004 and member of a duo in 2012) and Gréta Salóme Stefánsdóttir (as member of a duo in 2012 and solo artist in 2016).
The Icelandic broadcaster for the contest is Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV).
Participation overview[]
1
|
Winner |
2
|
Second place |
3
|
Third place |
◁
|
Last place |
X
|
Entry selected but did not compete |
†
|
Upcoming |
Year | Entrant | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ICY | "Gleðibankinn" | Icelandic | 16 | 19 | No semi-finals | ||
Halla Margrét | "Hægt og hljótt" | Icelandic | 16 | 28 | |||
Beathoven | "Þú og þeir (Sókrates)" | Icelandic | 16 | 20 | |||
Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson | "Það sem enginn sér" | Icelandic | 22 ◁ | 0 | |||
Stjórnin | "Eitt lag enn" | Icelandic | 4 | 124 | |||
Stefán and Eyfi | "Nína" | Icelandic | 15 | 26 | |||
Heart 2 Heart | "Nei eða já" | Icelandic | 7 | 80 | |||
Inga | "Þá veistu svarið" | Icelandic | 13 | 42 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet | ||
1994
|
Sigga | "Nætur" | Icelandic | 12 | 49 | No semi-finals | |
Bo Halldórsson | "Núna" | Icelandic | 15 | 31 | |||
Anna Mjöll | "Sjúbídú" | Icelandic | 13 | 51 | 10 | 59 | |
Paul Oscar | "Minn hinsti dans" | Icelandic | 20 | 18 | No semi-finals | ||
Selma | "All Out of Luck" | English | 2 | 146 | |||
2000
|
August and Telma | "Tell Me!" | English | 12 | 45 | ||
2001
|
Two Tricky | "Angel" | English | 22 ◁ | 3 | ||
2003
|
Birgitta | "Open Your Heart" | English | 8 | 81 | ||
2004
|
Jónsi | "Heaven" | English | 19 | 16 | Top 11 previous year[a] | |
2005
|
Selma | "If I Had Your Love" | English | Failed to qualify | 16 | 52 | |
2006
|
Silvía Night | "Congratulations" | English | 13 | 62 | ||
2007
|
Eiríkur Hauksson | "Valentine Lost" | English | 13 | 77 | ||
2008
|
Euroband | "This Is My Life" | English | 14 | 64 | 8 | 68 |
2009
|
Yohanna | "Is It True?" | English | 2 | 218 | 1 | 174 |
2010
|
Hera Björk | "Je ne sais quoi" | English, French | 19 | 41 | 3 | 123 |
2011
|
Sjonni's Friends | "Coming Home" | English | 20 | 61 | 4 | 100 |
2012
|
Greta Salóme and Jónsi | "Never Forget" | English | 20 | 46 | 8 | 75 |
2013
|
Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson | "Ég á líf" | Icelandic | 17 | 47 | 6 | 72 |
2014
|
Pollapönk | "No Prejudice" | English | 15 | 58 | 8 | 61 |
2015
|
María Ólafsdóttir | "Unbroken" | English | Failed to qualify | 15 | 14 | |
2016
|
Greta Salóme | "Hear Them Calling" | English | 14 | 51 | ||
2017
|
Svala | "Paper" | English | 15 | 60 | ||
2018
|
Ari Ólafsson | "Our Choice" | English | 19 ◁ | 15 | ||
2019
|
Hatari | "Hatrið mun sigra" | Icelandic | 10 | 232 | 3 | 221 |
2020
|
Daði og Gagnamagnið | "Think About Things" | English | Contest cancelled[b] X | |||
2021
|
Daði og Gagnamagnið | "10 Years" | English | 4 | 378 | 2 | 288 |
2022
|
TBD 12 March 2022 †[1] | Upcoming † |
Related involvement[]
Conductors[]
Year | Conductor[c] | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Gunnar Þórðarson | [d] | [2] |
1987 | Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson | ||
1988 | No conductor | ||
1989 | |||
1990 | Jon Kjell Seljeseth | [e] | |
1991 | Jón Ólafsson | ||
1992 | Nigel Wright | [f] | |
1993 | Jon Kjell Seljeseth | ||
1994 | Frank McNamara | ||
1995 | |||
1996 | Ólafur Gaukur | ||
1997 | Szymon Kuran |
Heads of delegation[]
Year | Head of delegation | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2018–2021 | Felix Bergsson |
Commentators and spokespersons[]
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2020) |
Iceland has broadcast the show since 1970. The first to be broadcast live was the 1983 edition after the plan to broadcast the 1982 contest failed. Since 1985, RÚV has broadcast the contest on the radio using same commentator for TV and radio and the Internet broadcast since early 2000s.
Year | Commentator | Spokesperson | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | No commentator | Did not participate | |
1971 | Unknown | ||
1972 | Björn Matthíasson | ||
1973 | Jón O. Edwald | ||
1974 | Unknown | ||
1975 | Dóra Hafsteinsdóttir | ||
1976 | Jón Skaptason | ||
1977 | No commentator | ||
1978 | Ragna Ragnars | ||
1979 | Unknown | ||
1980 | |||
1981 | |||
1982 | |||
1983 | |||
1984 | |||
1985 | Hinrik Bjarnason | ||
1986 | Þorgeir Ástvaldsson | Guðrún Skúladóttir | |
1987 | Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir | ||
1988 | Hermann Gunnarsson | ||
1989 | Arthúr Björgvin Bollason | Erla Björk Skúladóttir | |
1990 | Árni Snævarr | ||
1991 | Guðríður Ólafsdóttir | ||
1992 | Árni Snævarr | Guðrún Skúladóttir | |
1993 | Jakob Frímann Magnússon | ||
1994 | Sigríður Arnardóttir | ||
1995 | Áslaug Dóra Eyjólfsdóttir | ||
1996 | Svanhildur Konráðsdóttir | ||
1997 | |||
1998 | Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson | Did not participate | |
1999 | Gísli Marteinn Baldursson | Áslaug Dóra Eyjólfsdóttir | |
2000 | Ragnheiður Elín Clausen | ||
2001 | Eva María Jónsdóttir | ||
2002 | Logi Bergmann Eiðsson | Did not participate | |
2003 | Gísli Marteinn Baldursson | Eva María Jónsdóttir | |
2004 | Sigrún Ósk Kristjánsdóttir | ||
2005 | Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir | ||
2006 | Sigmar Guðmundsson | ||
2007 | |||
2008 | Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir | ||
2009 | Þóra Tómasdóttir | ||
2010 | Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir | ||
2011 | Hrafnhildur Halldórsdóttir | Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir | |
2012 | Matthías Matthíasson | ||
2013 | Felix Bergsson | María Sigrún Hilmarsdóttir | |
2014 | Benedikt Valsson | ||
2015 | Sigríður Halldórsdóttir | ||
2016 | Gísli Marteinn Baldursson | Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson | |
2017 | Björgvin Halldórsson | ||
2018 | Edda Sif Pálsdóttir | ||
2019 | Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson | ||
2021 | Hannes Óli Ágústsson |
Other shows[]
Show | Commentator | Channel | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Songs of Europe | No commentator | RÚV | |
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest | Gísli Marteinn Baldursson | ||
Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits | No commentator | ||
Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light | Felix Bergsson |
Gallery[]
Eiríkur Hauksson in Helsinki (2007)
Euroband in Belgrade (2008)
Yohanna in Moscow (2009)
Hera Björk in Oslo (2010)
Greta Salóme and Jónsi in Baku (2012)
Eythor Ingi in Malmö (2013)
Pollapönk in Copenhagen (2014)
María Ólafs in Vienna (2015)
Greta Salóme in Stockholm (2016)
Svala in Kyiv (2017)
Ari Ólafsson in Lisbon (2018)
Hatari in Tel Aviv (2019)
In popular culture[]
The 2020 Netflix comedy film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga depicted Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a fictional duo from Iceland competing in Eurovision.
Notes[]
- ^ According to the then-Eurovision rules, the top ten non-Big Four countries from the previous year along with the Big Four automatically qualified for the Grand Final without having to compete in semi-finals. For example, if Germany and France placed inside the top ten, the 11th and 12th spots were advanced to next year's Grand Final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
- ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ^ All conductors are of Icelandic nationality unless otherwise noted.
- ^ Conducted by Þórir Baldursson at the national final.
- ^ Conducted by Vilhjálmur Guðjónsson in the national final.
- ^ Conducted by Jón Ólafsson in the national final.
References[]
- ^ "Söngvakeppninni á RÚV frestað um eina viku" [Söngvakeppnin on RÚV postponed by one week]. RÚV (in Icelandic). 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (8 April 2018). "Iceland: Netta Barzilai Tops Alla leið Show One". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (3 May 2019). "Iceland: "Cannot Take Qualification For Granted" – Felix Bergsson". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (14 May 2016). "ESC'16: 41 Spokespersons Revealed For Tonight". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (4 May 2017). "Iceland: Bo Halldórsson To Announce Jury Votes". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (29 April 2018). "Iceland: Edda Sif Pálsdóttir Revealed as Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (24 April 2019). "Iceland: Gísli Marteinn Baldursson Returns To Commentary Booth For Tenth Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (17 May 2019). "Iceland: Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson Announced as Spokesperson". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Wærhaug, Sølvi (24. august 1981). «Nesten krise …». VG. s. 36.
- ^ Wærhaug, Sølvi (18. august 1981). «Fire verdensdeler følger Momarkedet». VG. s. 37.
- Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
- Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest