Iceland is the nation with arguably the biggest appetite for Eurovision. Together with Icelandic experts, Callum Rowe investigates why its unmatched enthusiasm hasn’t translated into unparalleled success.
Iceland is a tiny rock in the North Atlantic, hundreds of miles away from mainland Europe and any other country that competes in Eurovision. It stands on its own two feet and it does things its own way. Perhaps because of that, its record at Eurovision isn’t the most gleaming. In the last 10 editions, it has only made the Grand Final five times, and placed in the top 10 just twice. But does it matter when just about everybody in the country watches the show?
When Iceland debuted in Eurovision back in 1986, it was shackled by the polarising language rule which dictated each competing nation present a song in its native language until 1998. When Iceland came back to the contest in 1999 after one year away – thanks to its relegation in 1998 due to its previous poor results – it immediately started to send songs in English. Iceland was continuously represented by English-language songs until Eythor Ingi broke the mould in 2013 when he won the newly renamed Söngvakeppnin and went on to perform his huge ballad Ég Á Líf in Icelandic at Eurovision. Ingi’s result of 17th in the Grand Final wasn’t a standout, but it wasn’t a failure either.
In 2014, Iceland was represented by its first “quirky” or “out-of-the-box” act of the decade. Pollapönk are a child-friendly rock band, with its members notable for wearing brightly coloured suits. It’s an act that would be unlikely to represent other nations in Eurovision. “We’re not trying to be a Eurovision powerhouse, so we feel like we have to do something different to stand out,” Iceland’s Eurovision commentator, Gísli Marteinn, says. Indeed, Pollapönk didn’t secure a result of a so-called powerhouse, coming home in 15th.
“During those years, there were better pop songs with solo singers than what we sent.”
Siggi Gunnars
Ahead of Söngvakeppnin 2015, broadcaster RÚV implemented a rule stipulating that participants must sing in Icelandic in the semi-final, before deciding on the language they would present at Eurovision. The winners of the show that year and for the following three years were all soloists singing in English. “During those years, there were better pop songs with solo singers than what we sent,” Söngvakeppnin host Siggi Gunnars says. “We were just unlucky with the mix of songs and who we were competing against.” In 2015, Maria Olafs placed 15th behind five other female soloists. In 2016, Greta Salóme placed 14th behind six other female soloists. In 2017, Svala placed 15th behind eight other female soloists. And in 2018, Ari Ólafsson finished last behind six other male soloists.
There is little to no regret in Iceland about those results. “We don’t choose a song solely based on it having the best chance of getting to the Grand Final, we choose the song that we like the most,” Marteinn says. This is all part of Iceland’s unwavering support of its Eurovision acts. Icelanders are proud of their country and proud to shout about their achievements. When Iceland appears on the Eurovision stage alongside the superpowers of the continent, it’s a huge moment. “You never see critical articles in the tabloids about Eurovision in Iceland. We are all always supportive of our acts no matter what,” Gunnars says.
2019 was a gear change for Iceland. “We started inviting artists in 2019 and the quality has really improved since then,” Iceland’s Head of Delegation, Felix Bergsson, says. One of the acts invited and selected for the show was Hatari. The self-confessed anti-capitalism band entered the competition with the industrial punk rock song Hatrið Mun Sigra. “Some people on the conservative end of the political spectrum sensed Hatari’s political undertone before Söngvakeppnin so supported other acts instead,” Marteinn says. “After they won Söngvakeppnin, they had the full support of the country,” he adds. Hatari took Eurovision by storm, and took Iceland back to the top 10 of the Grand Final for the first time since 2009. Their result gave Iceland an identity at the contest.
“Song.” That’s what Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe tweeted on February 19, 2020. It was an out-of-the-blue seal of approval for Daði og Gagnamagnið who were gearing up for the final of Söngvakeppnin. The band – fronted by Daði Freyr – didn’t know at the time it would be the start of an absolute media frenzy which would turn their song Think About Things into a worldwide phenomenon. The song is almost undefinable, but could be labelled as electronic, 8-bit synthpop.
After Eurovision was cancelled due to the pandemic, broadcasters from across Europe organised their own de facto contests to determine what could or would have been the winner in 2020. Think About Things won Der Kleine Song Contest, Sveriges 12:a, ESC: Norge Bestemmer, Eurovision 2020: Big Night In!, and Eurojury, sealing what almost certainly would’ve been Iceland’s genuine Eurovision fate. Should Eurovision have gone ahead and Iceland had won, would much have changed? “I can’t see that a win would have made Eurovision more popular than it already is,” Marteinn says. That’s the level of enthusiasm Icelanders have for the competition nationally.
Daði og Gagnamagnið were invited back by RÚV to represent the country in 2021, and Freyr had written another song in his unique genre. 10 Years was every bit as fun as Think About Things. The performance featured a dance routine just as marvellous as the one that swept across the globe 12 months prior, and the band’s performance in Rotterdam saw Iceland finish 4th in the Eurovision Grand Final. 99.9% of everyone in Iceland watching television that night was watching Eurovision. It’s a remarkable stat, but hardly that surprising if you know that every year since 2014 Grand Finals have been watched by more than 95% of Iceland’s television audience.
It is music like Freyr’s and what Hatari’s that Icelanders believe should be representing the country at the contest. “Quirky and eccentric is what I think we should go for,” Marteinn believes. “Out-of-the-box is what wins Eurovision. Middle of the road is the worst because it means you get no points,” Bergsson adds. And who can blame them? Iceland’s best results of the last decade and more came from Daði og Gagnamagnið and Hatari. So if it is the will of Icelanders who want quirkiness at Eurovision, and that individualism is rewarded by Eurovision audiences, why go for anything different?
In 2022, Iceland didn’t go for anything out-of-the-box, but instead went for something authentic. Three-piece folk band Systur won Söngvakeppnin with Með Hækkandi Sól. The song wasn’t a huge fan favourite in the runup to the contest, but it did the job in its Semi-Final and progressed to the Grand Final. Systur were rewarded with 23rd place overall. Still, it’s a result worthy of Icelandic national celebration. “Systur strongly believed in what they were doing. They performed in Icelandic and stayed true to themselves. It’s a great example of being able to achieve by being authentic,” Gunnars believes.
Self-confessed Eurovision nerd Diljá won Söngvakeppnin in 2023 with the first ever single she released. It was always going to be hard for a 21-year-old artist representing an entire country on the world stage, and she didn’t make it out of her Semi-Final in Liverpool.
With just 370,000 inhabitants, Iceland has, as Bergsson puts it, “a smaller pool to work with”. “We do make it difficult for ourselves by wanting the songs to be of Icelandic origin,” he adds. This is what makes Söngvakeppnin one of the most identifiable national selections across Europe. Very rarely does the show feature any named songwriters who aren’t native Icelanders, and Gunnars believes this is “the will of the viewers and the Icelandic music business”. It’s more than just the will of the show’s audience. “We are far away from the melting pot of pop music, so it’s important to give Icelandic songwriters a shot on the world stage,” Bergsson says.
Iceland is tiny, and its population reflects that. Although its small population isn’t an excuse that RÚV leans on when Iceland doesn’t succeed at Eurovision, it’s something that is taken into consideration when the success is there. “When the Icelandic football team reaches the World Cup, we’re not afraid to mention that it’s a big feat,” Marteinn says. “We are the best at everything per capita,” Bergsson laughs.
“Söngvakeppnin has become a thing of its own. It’s not just a show to select a song for Eurovision,” Gunnars says. And it never was when RÚV launched the competition in 1981. The show exists to find the country’s song for Eurovision, but that is a mere byproduct of RÚV wanting to give Icelanders a glittering Saturday night entertainment show to look forward to every winter. This was clear earlier this year when the show disassociated itself directly from the Eurovision Song Contest, and Iceland’s participation at the contest in Sweden was only decided after the show concluded.
For the artists that compete, Söngvakeppnin is something completely different to Eurovision too. Hera Björk has competed in Söngvakeppnin four times, represented Iceland at Eurovision in 2010 and will do so again this year. “Standing on stage at Eurovision is less stressful than performing at Söngvakeppnin,” she argues. Because the show is made by Icelanders for Icelanders, it’s a very personal and intimate affair. “It’s like standing up at your birthday party while everyone sings Happy Birthday to you. Everyone is looking at you and you’re hoping it stops,” Björk adds.
Does it matter where Iceland goes next? The nation will still support the contest and its representatives no matter what. “There’s a state of national mourning for a day if we don’t qualify for the Grand Final,” Gunnars says. “But we lick our wounds and celebrate Eurovision.”
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