New details about Söngvakeppnin, Iceland’s national final selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, have been announced. We’ve got our set of hosts, the dates of the shows, and also the upcoming challenges to selecting a winner to represent the country in Basel.
Benedikt Valsson, Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir, and Fannar Sveinsson will host all of the shows this year, with the two semi-finals airing on 8 February and 15 February. The final is currently slated for 22 February, and all of the shows will be a showcase of the musical talent Iceland has to offer.
Ten entries will be revealed on 17 January (and covered by ESCUnited!), with half competing in each semi-final with their Icelandic language entry. Unlike in previous years where only the top two songs from each semi-final would advance and then a wild card at the discretion of the producers would be implemented, the top three songs by televote from each semi-final will advance to the final.
The top six songs will then perform in the final once more in the language they intend to sing in Eurovision. An international jury will comprise of 50% of the score with the other 50% coming from the televote. No superfinal will be held, meaning that the top song after this first round of scoring will be the winner of Söngvakeppnin.
This format change may be what the nation needs to reach the final once more. Last year in Malmö, Hera Björk won with the song “Scared of Heights” and finished in last place in the first semi-final with 3 points, failing to qualify for the final. Iceland last qualified for the Grand Final in 2022.
Are #YOU excited for Söngvakeppnin? What do you think of these changes? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!
