Söngvakeppnin

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Söngvakeppnin
GenreVarious
Location(s)Iceland
Years active1981–present
Founded byRíkisútvarpið (RÚV)
WebsiteOfficial website

Söngvakeppnin (known from 1986–1989 as Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsstöðva and in 1981, 1983 and 1990–2012 as Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins, lit.'the Television's Song Contest') is an annual music competition organised by Icelandic public broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Format[edit]

The contest was first organised in 1981, although neither it nor its subsequent 1983 edition were used to determine any representatives for the Eurovision Song Contest until Iceland made its debut in the 1986 contest.[1] Since then, RÚV has used Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins to select the Icelandic entry, but has also used an internal selection at times, between 1995 and 1999, and in 2004, 2005, and 2021.

Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins has consisted of a multi-artist competition, with between five and ten songs competing. Most contests in the past have been a one-night event. Since 2006, the contest has consisted of a number of semi-finals aired before a final.

It was known for RÚV to change the performers for Eurovision. This can be seen in 1986, when winner Pálmi Gunnarsson was joined by Eiríkur Hauksson and Helga Möller to form ICY for Eurovision. In 1994, RÚV was not happy with the winning song, and so enlisted Frank McNamara to rearrange the entry and select a new singer.[2]

Songs at Söngvakeppni sjónvarpsins were previously only allowed to be performed in Icelandic. However, the winning songs were normally translated into English for Eurovision. This rule was abolished in 2008, when English-language songs were allowed to compete for the first time. The rules were later changed again in 2015, and the same is still used at present. The rules now require that in the semi-finals, the songs must be performed in Icelandic. In the final, the finalists will be asked to determine the language they will perform their song in Eurovision.[3]

Winners[edit]

The winners of Söngvakeppnin since 1986 have gone on to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest. Iceland has never won the contest, being the only Nordic country never to do so, but it has finished second twice: in 1999 (when an internal selection was used), losing to Sweden, and in 2009, when it lost to Norway.[4][5]

2020 was the first time in history where the winner of Söngvakeppnin, in this case Daði og Gagnamagnið, did not advance to Eurovision, as that event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Instead, RÚV internally re-selected Daði og Gagnamagnið to represent the country in 2021, with the song also chosen internally.[7]

Table key
1 First place
2 Second place
3 Third place
Last place
X Entry selected but did not compete
Upcoming event
List of Söngvakeppnin winners
Year Artist Song Songwriter(s) At Eurovision
Final Points Semi Points
1981 Pálmi Gunnarsson "Af litlum neista" Guðmundur Ingólfsson, Magnús Haraldsson Did not compete[a] X
1983 Sigríður Gröndal [b]
1986 Pálmi Gunnarsson "Gleðibankinn" Magnús Eiríksson 16th[c] 19 No semi-finals
1987 Halla Margrét Árnadóttir "Hægt og hljótt" Valgeir Guðjónsson [is] 16th 28
1988 Sverrir Stormsker and Stefán Hilmarsson "Þú og þeir (Sókrates)" Sverrir Stormsker 16th[d] 20
1989 Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson "Það sem enginn sér" Valgeir Guðjónsson 22nd ◁ 0
1990 Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir and Grétar Örvarsson [is] "Eitt lag enn" Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson [is], Hörður G. Ólafsson 4th[e] 124
1991 Stefán Hilmarsson and Eyjólfur Kristjánsson [is] "Draumur um Nínu" Eyjólfur Kristjánsson 15th[f] 26
1992 Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir and Sigrún Eva Ármannsdottir [is] "Nei eða já" Friðrik Karlsson, Grétar Örvarsson, Stefán Hilmarsson 7th[g] 80
1993 Ingibjörg Stefánsdóttir [is] "Þá veistu svarið" Friðrik Sturluson, Jon Kjell Seljeseth 13th[h] 42 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1994 Sigrún Eva Ármannsdóttir "Nætur" Friðrik Karlsson, Stefán Hilmarsson 12th[i] 49 No semi-finals
2000 Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Telma Ágústsdóttir [is] "Hvert sem er" Örlygur Smári, Sigurður Örn Jónsson 12th[j] 45
2001 Kristján Gíslason and Gunnar Ólason "Birta" Einar Bárðarson, Magnús Þór Sigmundsson [is] 22nd[k] 3
2003 Birgitta Haukdal "Segðu mér allt" Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir, Hallgrímur Óskarsson 8th[l] 81
2006 Silvía Nótt "Til hamingju Ísland" Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson [is] Failed to qualify 13th[m] 62
2007 Eiríkur Hauksson "Ég les í lófa þínum" Kristján Hreinsson, Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson 13th[n] 77
2008 Eurobandið "This is My Life" Örlygur Smári, Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, Peter Fenner 14th 64 8th 68
2009 Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir "Is It True?" Chris Neil, Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Tinatin Japaridze 2nd[o] 218 1st 174
2010 Hera Björk "Je ne sais quoi" Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir, Örlygur Smári 19th 41 3rd 123
2011 Sigurjón's Friends "Aftur heim" Sigurjón Brink, Þórunn Erna Clausen 20th[p] 61 4th 100
2012 Greta Salóme and Jónsi "Mundu eftir mér" Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir 20th[q] 46 8th 75
2013 Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson "Ég á líf" Örlygur Smári, Pétur Örn Guðmundsson 17th[r] 47 6th 72
2014 Pollapönk "No Prejudice" John William Grant, Haraldur F. Gíslason, Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson 15th 58 8th 61
2015 María Ólafsdóttir "Unbroken" Ásgeir Orri Ásgeirsson, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Sæþór Kristjánsson Failed to qualify 15th[s] 14
2016 Greta Salóme "Hear Them Calling" Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir 14th 51
2017 Svala "Paper" Einar Egilsson, Lester Mendez, Lily Elise, Svala Björgvinsdóttir 15th 60
2018 Ari Ólafsson "Our Choice" Þórunn Erna Clausen 19th ◁ 15
2019 Hatari "Hatrið mun sigra" Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan, Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson 10th 232 3rd 221
2020 Daði og Gagnamagnið "Think About Things" Daði Freyr Pétursson Contest cancelled[t] X
2022 Sigga, Beta and Elin "Með hækkandi sól" Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir 23rd[u] 20 10th 103
2023 Diljá "Power" Diljá Pétursdóttir, Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson Failed to qualify 11th 44
2024 Hera Björk "Scared of Heights" Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir, Ferras Alqaisi, Jaro Omar, Michael Burek Upcoming

Performers and songwriters with multiple wins[edit]

The following individuals have won Söngvakeppnin as a performer or songwriter more than once.

Individuals with multiple Söngvakeppnin wins
Wins Name Wins as performer Wins as songwriter
4 Stefán Hilmarsson 1988, 1991 1992, 1994
Örlygur Smári 2000, 2008, 2010, 2013
2 Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir 2012, 2016
Hera Björk 2010, 2024 2010
Gunnar Ólason 2001, 2011 (as part of Sigurjón's Friends)
Pálmi Gunnarsson 1981, 1986
Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir 1990, 1992
Sigrún Eva Ármannsdottir [is] 1992, 1994
Friðrik Karlsson 1992, 1994
Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson 2015, 2023
Þórunn Erna Clausen 2011, 2018
Valgeir Guðjónsson [is] 1987, 1989

Söngvakeppnin Hall of Fame[edit]

Heiðurshöll Söngvakeppninnar or the Söngvakeppnin Hall of Fame was introduced in 2024 to acknowledge artists who have outstanding contributions to the competition.[9]

Year Artist Ref.
2024 Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir [10]
Björgvin Halldórsson [11]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Iceland did not compete in Eurovision until 1986.
  2. ^ The contest was a classical singing competition.[8]
  3. ^ Competed as ICY.
  4. ^ Competed as Beathoven.
  5. ^ Competed as Stjórnin.
  6. ^ Competed with the song "Nína" as Stefán and Eyfi.
  7. ^ Competed as Heart 2 Heart.
  8. ^ Competed as Inga.
  9. ^ The song was performed by Sigga.
  10. ^ Competed with the song "Tell Me!" as August and Telma.
  11. ^ Competed with the song "Angel" as Two Tricky.
  12. ^ Competed with the song "Open Your Heart".
  13. ^ Competed with the song "Congratulations" as Silvia Night.
  14. ^ Competed with the song "Valentine Lost".
  15. ^ Competed as Yohanna.
  16. ^ Competed with the song "Coming Home" as Sjonni's Friends.
  17. ^ Competed with the song "Never Forget".
  18. ^ Competed as Eythor Ingi.
  19. ^ Competed as Maria Olafs.
  20. ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  21. ^ Competed as Systur.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kristjánsson, Jónas (7 March 1981). "Bikarúrslitaleikurinn í körfu og svigkeppni". Timarit.is (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  2. ^ Icelandic National Final 1994
  3. ^ "Iceland: Songvakeppnin running order and language rules revealed". eurovoix.com. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Participants of Jerusalem 1999". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Participants of Moscow 2009". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Official EBU statement & FAQ on Eurovision 2020 cancellation". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. ^ Smith, Thomas (10 November 2020). "Daði Freyr on Iceland Airwaves, Hot Chip's influence and next year's Eurovision song". NME. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  8. ^ "BBC Cardiff Singer of the World - Performers A-Z". BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  9. ^ Björnsdóttir, Anna María (18 February 2024). "VÆB og Aníta áfram í úrslit Söngvakeppninnar" [VÆB and Aníta continue to the finals of Söngvakeppninn]. ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  10. ^ Björnsdóttir, Anna María (22 February 2024). "Sigga Beinteins heiðruð á Söngvakeppninni" [Sigga Beinteins honored at Söngvakeppninn]. ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  11. ^ Aradóttir, Júlía (25 February 2024). "Hera, Bashar og Sigga Ózk komin í úrslit Söngvakeppninnar" [Hera, Bashar and Sigga Ózk have reached the finals of Söngvakeppninn]. ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 25 February 2024.

External links[edit]