This weekend the Icelandic song festival Söngvakeppnin will kick off the first of two semi-final rounds. But before the artists take to the stage we were able to grab semi-final one contestant Blankiflúr for a quick chat where we talked about her experiences with music, learned more about her non-musical passions and hobbies, and were told the funny story of how she got tapped for her song “Sjá Þig.”
Hello there Blankiflúr, thanks so much for sparing some time to interview with us here at ESCUnited! Why don’t you give a quick introduction to our readers?
Hi! Blankiflúr is my artist persona – my muse and my own kind of utopian alien self that my ego allows to go further and deeper into exploration of these creative areas that my day to day self is afraid to get lost in. When I am not Blankiflúr I am Inga Birna, a 36 year old single mom living in a wonderful quiet neighborhood in Reykjavík Iceland. I have always been kind of a multidimensional person so to say, I have done so many different things in my life both creative and in other fields of life so it wasn’t until 2018 that I started making my own songs. Before that I had always enjoyed singing but I was more into visual art and design, but then when I started making music I realized I could use my love for theatrics and costume making to paint the whole picture of the Blankiflúr universe in my head.
I released my first single, Above A Fall, in 2020 and in 2021 my first LP album, Hypnopompic, was released. I have since then collaborated with Icelandic producer Jerald Copp on an EP that was released in 2023. Now I am performing for the first time in Söngvakeppnin with the song Sjá Þig and it is the first time I am showing up with a song that I did not write myself actually, so a lot of firsts for me on Saturday.
Now for those who aren’t familiar with your music, who would you describe your musical sound or style? Are there any genres, artists, or trends that have influenced you as an artist?
I guess my style would be some kind of experimental electronic pop but to be honest I like to explore without any attachments so that I am free to go into places and sounds in music that I have not explored yet. Mostly I want to stay true to myself and the feeling of the song but I can see myself making a lot of dance music in the future though since I like to dance myself.
People may not know that one of your songs “Game” was used during the second season of HBO’s The Flight Attendant! How did that opportunity come about and what did it mean to you as an Icelandic artist to have your music featured on the episode?
YES that was such a big moment for me. My friend Zoe, a fellow artist and producer here in Iceland got a request from a licensing company that she has connections to in the States, she was to create a playlist of songs from Icelandic artists for them to go through and choose from for this episode of the Flight Attendant that takes place in Iceland and they GAME for one scene.
That was a really nice boost of confidence for me and it was so nice to get some money as well from my huge personal investment in my music.
While reading up on you I learned that you have a bachelor’s degree in Fashion design. How did you move from a possible career in fashion to pursuing music instead?
I would say that I am just that kind of person, I like to explore and paint a bigger picture. I have also had a hard time deciding what to use my degree in fashion for because I believe that the fashion industry is causing a lot of suffering both for those who are actually creating our fast fashion clothing on minimum wages and the fashion industry is also causing a lot of damage to our planet. So when I started making music and started to step into being the artist I realized I could use my background in tailoring and design to make it more my own.
This also makes me think there’s a lot about you we don’t quite know. Are there other hobbies, passions, or backgrounds that our readers would be surprised to learn about you?
Oh dear, well I started playing soccer at a young age and I ended up moving away from home (small town in north of Iceland) at seventeen to see how far I could take my soccer career. I ended up winning two national titles with my team Stjarnan in 2011 and 2012. I have always been very active and when I was living in this small fishing village in the north of Iceland from 10-16 years of age I had to create alot og opportunities for myself.
I was always dancing in my living room since there were no dance classes in this town of around 2500 people. So I ended up competing in dance as well and won two titles as the Icelandic champion in freestyle when I was 16 and 17 years old. I have taught dance to ages from 6-16 as a mandatory class in primary schools here in Iceland and worked a lot in youth centers and mostly then with encouraging young people to find their creative light and follow their gifts and believe in themselves.
Then in 2019 I built a foldable bed in the back of my fathers Land Cruiser which I borrowed for two summers in a row. A Land Cruiser can take you into the Icelandic highlands and so I kind of went off to explore Iceland mostly on my own and developed a deep connection to the land and a passion to share it with other people as well. I did a lot of trail running in the mountains but then I hit a wall in the fall of 2020. I had to many things I wasn’t facing and taking care of in my internal life and went into a total collapse of the nervous system. I had stretched myself in too many directions and I needed to start finding some balance to the extremes in my life so the last four years of my life have evolved around that.
So today I am working as a driver and guide where I take people into the highlands and onto glaciers and more, I also work as a coach in a movement gym here in Reykjvaík called Primal Iceland where we work on the physical factors that can be used to tackle burnouts, chronic anxiety and depression. I have also gone a little spiritual and I work partly as an energy healer and hypnotherapist, these last months I have also been super into astrology and that has actually helped my alot understanding myself and the people around me better. So I have learned that I need to have new things coming into my life and I will probably be one of those explorers that will never stop testing new waters, but now I know how to balance it!!
My goodness I was right – there is a lot more to you than just music! But let’s get back on track – you’ll be competing in the Icelandic selection Söngvakeppnin this year, congratulations! What motivated you to compete in the selection this year? Had you considered or tried to compete prior to this year?
Thaaaank you!! I was actually not expecting to be entering into the competition this year until 4 days before the deadline in September. I got a call from a childhood friend who had a song that she and her 4 siblings had written and I decided to go for recording a demo with them. I liked the song and it fitted quite well into the Blankiflúr sound.
We then got the call in October that we were in! I had always envisioned Blankiflúr on a bigger stage then the livingroom floor so this was definitely a dream come true since there are not a lot of programs and festivals that you can be a part of in Iceland. I have actually sent in one song before but it did not make the cut, it’s never been released but I still have hopes to release it as a single one day.
As you mentioned, your song for the competition is titled “Sjá þig / Love You” and it was created with the help of a really robust team. How did you meet this songwriting team and what was the songwriting process like to create your entry?
The songwriting team “Fimm” (Five) are actually five siblings that have been writing music together for some time. They’re upbringing involved a lot of music and for them to not give it up they decided to create songwriting challenges between themselves so every Sunday they went into separate rooms or worked from their own homes for 2 hours on a song from scratch and they had to deliver something to show for at the end of that time. They then listen to each others ideas and give critique. I think its genius actually, because many of us don’t know how to create a frame around making music or art for example.
But with this format they have to get used to getting into some kind of creative mode, find inspiration and then just go for it. You don’t really have time to judge your work when you have to finish an idea for song in 2 hours. Then of course they get used to presenting their ideas and having fun with it. This song came from those writing sessions, I actually think that in the beginning the lyrics were about Velma from Scooby Do cheating on her boyfriend or something like that which is hilarious. Sometimes when writing lyrics you can borrow stories and characters from elsewhere to get into the flow.
I don’t come into the picture until they have actually worked with a producer and created a demo that was quite ready made actually. So my contribution this time is mostly singing and performing the song.
With the winner of Söngvakeppnin possibly going to Eurovision in Malmo I feel the need to ask you about the contest! Do you remember your first encounter or Eurovision-related memory and could you tell us a bit about that moment?
My memory is quite bad I must admit, I actually grew up in Sweden for the first 9 years of my life so I lived in the country of Melodifestivalen but I don’t really have that many memories. I think one of the first big moments for me was when I was able to predict that Estonia would win the contest in 2001 with the song Everybody. I remember when I saw that on stage and it had something this very homie vibe and I still smile when I hear it, one of those happy songs that leaves no one in a bad mood!
As we close out, if our readers want to connect with and support your musical career ahead of or after the selection – where can they find you? Any projects or upcoming releases you’d like to promote?
I am always working on new music but no release dates are set yet so I recommend finding me on Instagram on TikTok under the name Blankiflur_music. I also have a facebook page and then of course I recommend following me on Spotify and other streaming services.
Do you have any final words or a final message you’d like to send to the readers of ESCUnited?
I´m sending a lot of love to all of you guys, thank you for listening to the song! It is quite the dream for an artist on a volcanic rock in the Atlantic Ocean to be able to reach out into the world out there and hopefully I can be over there one day performing my music <3 Love, balance and peace to all of you and thank you ESCUnited for reaching out and featuring me on your platform.
Thanks so much Blankiflúr – we wish you the best of luck in the Icelandic national selection! 🙂
If you want to support Blankiflúr’s potential pathway to Eurovision 2024, make sure YOU tune into Söngvakeppnin semi-final one on Saturday and vote!
