Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Eurovision Song Contest 2023
Country Iceland
National selection
Selection processSöngvakeppnin 2023
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
18 February 2023
25 February 2023
Final:
4 March 2023
Selected entrantDiljá
Selected song"Power"
Selected songwriter(s)Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson
Diljá Pétursdóttir
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (11th)
Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2022 • 2023 • 2024►

Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "Power" performed by Diljá. The Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) organised the national final Söngvakeppnin 2023 in order to select the Icelandic entry for the contest. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals on 18 and 25 February 2023 and a final on 4 March 2023.

Iceland was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 11 May 2023. Performing during the show in position 7, "Power" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Iceland placed 11th out of the 16 participating countries in the semi-final with 44 points.

Background

Prior to the 2023 contest, Iceland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 34 times since its first entry in 1986.[1] The contest has been broadcast in Iceland since as early as 1970, but the geographically-remote nation was prevented from competing until a stable satellite connection could be established to enable live transmission of it.[2][3] Iceland's best placing in the contest to this point was second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 1999 with the song "All Out of Luck" performed by Selma and in 2009 with the song "Is It True?" performed by Yohanna. Since the introduction of a semi-final to the format of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, Iceland has failed to qualify to the final seven times.[1] In 2022, Iceland placed 23rd in the grand final with the song "Með hækkandi sól" performed by Systur.[4]

The Icelandic national broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), broadcasts the event within Iceland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. The Icelandic broadcaster has used various methods to select the Icelandic entry in the past, such as internal selections and televised national finals to choose the performer and song to compete at Eurovision.[5] Since 2006, RÚV has chosen its entry for Eurovision through Söngvakeppnin, a televised music competition.[6][7] The only recent exception was for the 2021 contest, where Daði og Gagnamagnið returned as an internally selected entry following the 2020 contest's cancelation.[8][9] RÚV confirmed its intention to participate at the 2023 contest on 29 August 2022, and concurrently affirmed details for the production of Söngvakeppnin 2023 to select its entry as well as opening the song submission process.[10]

Before Eurovision

Söngvakeppnin 2023

Söngvakeppnin 2023 was the national final organised by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. It consisted of two semi-finals on 18 and 25 February 2023 and a final on 4 March 2023.[10] The shows took place in the RVK Studios in Gufunes,[11] hosted by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, and Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson.[12]

Format

In each semi-final, five of the ten competing acts performed, and the two entries which were determined solely by the viewing public through telephone voting and the newly introduced RÚV Stjörnur app progressed to the final.[13] As per the rules of the competition, an additional optional qualifier could be selected by the contest organisers from among the non-qualifying acts, which would also progress to the final. This option was subsequently invoked by the organisers, meaning that a total of five acts qualified for the final.

In the final, two rounds of voting determined the winning song: in the first round, the votes of the viewing public through telephone voting and the votes of a ten-member international jury panel determined two entries which would progress to the second round. The public and jury each accounted for 50% of the result in the first round, with the rankings of each jury member being converted to match the total number of televotes cast by the public. In the second round, a further round of televoting will be held, with the winner determined by aggregating the results of the first round to the votes received in the second round.

Competing entries

Between 29 August and 4 October 2022, RÚV opened the period for interested songwriters to submit their entries. Songwriters did not have any particular requirement to meet, and the process was open to all.[10] The broadcaster received 132 submissions at the closing of the deadline.[14] The ten competing entries were revealed on 28 January 2023.[15]

Söngvakeppnin 2023 – Competing entries[16]
Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Icelandic title English title
Benedikt "Þora" "Brave Face" Benedikt Gylfason, Hildur Kristín Stefánsdóttir, Una Torfadóttir
Bragi "Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér" "Sometimes the World's Against You" Bragi Bergsson, Joy Deb, Rasmus Palmgren, Aniela Eklund
Celebs "Dómsdags dans" "Doomsday Dancing" Hrafnkell Hugi Vernharðsson, Katla Vigdís Vernharðsdóttir, Valgeir Skorri Vernharðsson, Árni Hjörvar Árnason
Diljá "Lifandi inni í mér" "Power" Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Diljá Pétursdóttir
Kristín Sesselja "Óbyggðir" "Terrified" Kristín Sesselja Einarsdóttir, Tiril Beisland, Vetle Sigmundstad, Guðrún Helga Jónasdóttir
Langi Seli og Skuggarnir "OK" — Axel Hallkell Jóhannesson, Erik Robert Qvick, Jón Þorleifur Steinþórsson
Móa "Glötuð ást" "Lose This Dream" Móeiður Júníusdóttir, Guðrún Sigríður Guðlaugsdóttir
Sigga Ózk "Gleyma þér og dansa" "Dancing Lonely" Klara Elias, Alma Goodman, David Mørup, James Gladius Wong
Silja Rós & Kjalar "Ég styð þína braut" "Together We Grow" Silja Rós Ragnarsdóttir, Rasmus Olsen
Úlfar "Betri maður" "Impossible" Rob Price, Úlfar Viktor Björnsson, Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir

Semi-finals

Two semi-finals took place on 18 and 25 February 2023.[16][17] In each semi-final, five of the ten competing acts performed, and two entries progressed to the final, determined solely by the viewing public through telephone voting and the RÚV Stjörnur app.[18] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, a number of guest performances were also featured during the two shows. The first semi-final featured a performance from Friðrik Dór Jónsson.[13] The second semi-final featured performances from Ragnhildur Gísladóttir [is], Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, Guðlaug Sóley Höskuldsdóttir [is], and Sveinbjörns Thorarensen [is].[19] In addition, an optional qualifier was selected by the contest organisers from among the non-qualifying acts, which also progressed to the final.[20]

Semi-final 1 – 18 February 2023
Draw Artist Song Votes Place Result
1 Benedikt "Þora" 2,262 5 Eliminated
2 Diljá "Lifandi inni í mér" 9,605 1 Finalist
3 Celebs "Dómsdags dans" 7,133 3 Wildcard
4 Bragi "Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér" 7,135 2 Finalist
5 Móa "Glötuð ást" 3,308 4 Eliminated
Semi-final 2 – 25 February 2023
Draw Artist Song Votes Place Result
1 Úlfar "Betri maður" 6,862 3 Eliminated
2 Kristín Sesselja "Óbyggðir" 2,638 5 Eliminated
3 Langi Seli og Skuggarnir "OK" 12,714 1 Finalist
4 Silja Rós & Kjalar "Ég styð þína braut" 5,178 4 Eliminated
5 Sigga Ózk "Gleyma þér og dansa" 10,024 2 Finalist

Final

The final took place on 4 March 2023 and featured the four qualifiers and the wildcard from the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, all competing entries were required to be performed in Icelandic; however, entries competing in the final were required to be presented in the language they would compete with in the Eurovision Song Contest. Langi Seli og Skuggarnir decided to perform their entry in Icelandic while the other four entries decided to perform their entry in English.[21] In addition to the competing entries, the 2022 Icelandic representatives Systur and 2022 Norwegian representatives Subwoolfer performed as interval acts.[22] Gaute Ormåsen, a member of Subwoolfer, was also part of the jury panel.

Final – First round – 4 March 2023[23]
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place Result
1 Sigga Ózk "Dancing Lonely" 24,350 12,179 36,529 5 Eliminated
2 Bragi "Sometimes the World's Against You" 22,345 14,463 36,808 4 Eliminated
3 Celebs "Doomsday Dancing" 23,491 17,436 40,927 3 Eliminated
4 Diljá "Power" 30,939 47,549 78,488 1 Advanced
5 Langi Seli og Skuggarnir "OK" 22,059 31,557 53,616 2 Advanced
Detailed Jury Votes[23]
Draw Song Juror 1 Juror 2 Juror 3 Juror 4 Juror 5 Juror 6 Juror 7 Juror 8 Juror 9 Juror 10 Total
1 "Dancing Lonely" 2,292 2,292 2,005 2,292 1,719 3,438 3,438 2,005 2,864 2,005 24,350
2 "Sometimes the World's Against You" 2,864 2,005 2,864 2,864 2,005 2,292 1,719 1,719 2,292 1,719 22,345
3 "Doomsday Dancing" 2,005 3,438 2,292 1,719 2,292 1,719 2,005 2,864 1,719 3,438 23,491
4 "Power" 3,438 2,864 3,438 3,438 2,864 2,864 2,292 3,438 3,438 2,864 30,939
5 "OK" 1,719 1,719 1,719 2,005 3,438 2,005 2,864 2,292 2,005 2,292 22,059
Jury members (sorted by country)[22]
  •  Australia: Emely Griggs
  •  Denmark: Ihan Haydar
  •  Iceland: Guðlaug Sóley Höskuldsdóttir [is]
  •  Iceland: Joey Christ [is]
  •  Iceland: Jón Ólafsson
  •  Iceland: Lay Low
  •  Lithuania: Ramūnas Zilnys [lt]
  •  Norway: Gaute Ormåsen
  •  Sweden: Helena Nilsson
  •  Turkey: Ersin Parlak
Final – Second round – 4 March 2023[23]
Draw Artist Song Votes Place
Round 1 Round 2 Total
1 Diljá "Power" 78,488 85,515 164,003 1
2 Langi Seli og Skuggarnir "OK" 53,616 42,235 95,851 2

Promotion

To promote the entry, Diljá performed her song live on numerous Eurovision pre-parties, namely, Barcelona Eurovision Party,[24] Polish Eurovision Party,[25] and London Eurovision Party.[26] She also performed in the Eurovision in Concert held in Amsterdam.[27]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held, which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determined which half of the show they would perform in. Iceland has been placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 11 May 2023, and has been scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[28]

Once all the competing songs for the 2023 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Iceland was set to perform in position 7, following the entry from Cyprus and before the entry from Greece.[29]

At the end of the show, Iceland was not among the ten countries announced as qualifiers for the final.

The two semi-finals and the final were televised in Iceland on RÚV with commentary by Gísli Marteinn Baldursson, and on RÚV 2 with Icelandic Sign Language interpretation.[30][31][32] Audience share in Iceland was the highest across all participating countries, with 98.7% of all Icelandic television viewers reported to have watched some of the Eurovision 2023 grand final.[33][34]

Voting

Points awarded to Iceland

Points awarded to Iceland (Semi-final)[35]
Score Televote
12 points  Denmark
10 points
8 points
7 points  San Marino
6 points  Georgia
5 points  Australia
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by Iceland

Points awarded by Iceland (Semi-final)[35]
Score Televote
12 points  Australia
10 points  Poland
8 points  Austria
7 points  Belgium
6 points  Denmark
5 points  Cyprus
4 points  Lithuania
3 points  Estonia
2 points  Albania
1 point  Slovenia


Points awarded by Iceland (Final)[36]
Score Televote Jury
12 points  Finland  Australia
10 points  Sweden  Finland
8 points  Norway  Austria
7 points  Poland  Sweden
6 points  Belgium  Czech Republic
5 points  Croatia  Belgium
4 points  France  Norway
3 points  Australia  Spain
2 points  Ukraine  Germany
1 point  Italy  Serbia

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Icelandic jury:[37]

  • Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen - Musician, lecturer, programme director
  • Sigurjón Örn Böðvarsson - Singer
  • Heiða Eiríksdóttir - Singer-songwriter
  • Kristjana Stefánsdóttir - Singer, musical director, arranger, composer
  • Lovísa Rut Kristjánsdóttir - Program producer
Detailed voting results from Iceland (Semi-final 2)[35]
Draw Country Televote
Rank Points
01  Denmark 5 6
02  Armenia 12
03  Romania 14
04  Estonia 8 3
05  Belgium 4 7
06  Cyprus 6 5
07  Iceland
08  Greece 13
09  Poland 2 10
10  Slovenia 10 1
11  Georgia 11
12  San Marino 15
13  Austria 3 8
14  Albania 9 2
15  Lithuania 7 4
16  Australia 1 12
Detailed voting results from Iceland (Final)
Draw Country Jury Televote
Juror A Juror B Juror C Juror D Juror E Rank Points Rank Points
01  Austria 9 1 5 9 3 3 8 12
02  Portugal 14 12 20 23 19 21 25
03   Switzerland 13 20 16 19 15 20 17
04  Poland 26 16 23 24 24 25 4 7
05  Serbia 25 2 19 10 16 10 1 21
06  France 21 13 18 13 25 22 7 4
07  Cyprus 5 24 17 20 10 13 15
08  Spain 12 14 14 6 5 8 3 24
09  Sweden 1 11 4 4 17 4 7 2 10
10  Albania 10 5 8 26 13 11 23
11  Italy 7 23 7 14 22 12 10 1
12  Estonia 11 21 12 18 18 19 19
13  Finland 2 9 1 3 6 2 10 1 12
14  Czech Republic 15 4 3 2 11 5 6 14
15  Australia 3 3 2 1 1 1 12 8 3
16  Belgium 6 6 6 5 4 6 5 5 6
17  Armenia 8 18 13 12 20 17 26
18  Moldova 16 10 24 17 8 16 13
19  Ukraine 19 19 9 8 23 15 9 2
20  Norway 4 17 11 7 9 7 4 3 8
21  Germany 17 15 10 22 2 9 2 18
22  Lithuania 20 8 22 15 12 18 16
23  Israel 18 26 15 21 26 24 11
24  Slovenia 23 25 26 11 14 23 22
25  Croatia 24 7 21 16 7 14 6 5
26  United Kingdom 22 22 25 25 21 26 20

References

  1. ^ a b "Iceland Country Profile". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  2. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 25–27. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
  3. ^ "Events – Bergen 1986". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2022 Grand Final". Eurovision.tv. EBU. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins – Eldri undankeppnir" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 21 October 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008.
  6. ^ Tsinivits, Kyriakos (19 January 2020). "Artists and songs released for Iceland's National Final Söngvakeppnin 2020". Aussievision. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Iceland chooses Daði & Gagnamagnið!". European Broadcasting Union. 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Daði og Gagnamagnið return for Iceland". European Broadcasting Union. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  9. ^ Elliott, Alexdander (23 October 2020). "Daði & Gagnamagnið to represent Iceland at Eurovision". RÚV. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Granger, Anthony (29 August 2022). "🇮🇸 Iceland: Selects For Eurovision 2023 On March 4". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  11. ^ Aradóttir, Júlía (29 January 2022). "Þessi tíu lög verða í Söngvakeppninni 2023". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  12. ^ Þórðarson, Oddur (21 January 2023). "Tíu lög bítast um að keppa í Eurovison í Liverpool". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  13. ^ a b Einarsdóttir, Júlía Margrét (18 February 2023). "Söngvakeppnin hefst í kvöld". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  14. ^ Granger, Anthony (10 October 2022). "🇮🇸 Iceland: 132 Songs Submitted For Söngvakeppnin 2023". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (5 January 2023). "🇮🇸 Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2023 Entries to be Revealed on January 28". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  16. ^ a b Aradóttir, Júlía (28 January 2023). "Lögin í Söngvakeppninni 2023". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  17. ^ Jiandani, Sanjay (29 August 2022). "Iceland: RUV opens Söngvakeppnin 2023 submission window". esctoday.com. ESC Today. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
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  20. ^ Aradóttir, Júlía (25 February 2023). "Sigga Ózk, Langi Seli og Skuggarnir og CELEBS áfram í úrslit Söngvakeppninnar". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
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  23. ^ a b c Einarsdóttir, Júlía Margrét (6 March 2023). "Afgerandi sigur Diljár í Söngvakeppninni 2023". ruv.is (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  24. ^ Tsinivits, Kyriakos (26 March 2023). "Eurovision 2023: Barcelona BCN Eurovision Party performances". Aussievision. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  25. ^ Granger, Anthony (19 March 2023). "🇵🇱 Poland: Twenty-Four Artists Announced For Polish Eurovision Party 2023". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  26. ^ Bermejo, Aitor (25 March 2023). "London Eurovision Party Returns on Sunday 16th April: See Who's Attending the Last Party Before Liverpool". ESC-Plus. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  27. ^ Einarsdóttir, Julia Margrét (29 April 2023). "Diljá er byrjuð að trylla Evrópu". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  28. ^ Groot, Evert (31 January 2023). "Eurovision 2023: Allocation Draw results". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  29. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Semi-Final running orders revealed!". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  30. ^ Einarsdóttir, Júlía Margrét (9 May 2023). "Fyrri undankeppni Eurovision 2023" (in Icelandic). RÚV. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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  33. ^ "Eurovision 2023 reaches 162 million viewers with record breaking online engagement and musical impact". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  34. ^ Adam, Darren (26 May 2023). "Iceland clear Eurovision viewership winners - RÚV.is". RÚV. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
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  36. ^ "Results of the Grand Final of Liverpool 2023". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union.
  37. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Liverpool 2023 Juries". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union.
Participation
Artists
Songs
  • "10 Years"
  • "All Out of Luck"
  • "Angel"
  • "Coming Home"
  • "Congratulations"
  • "Ég á líf"
  • "Eitt lag enn"
  • "Gleðibankinn"
  • "Hægt og hljótt"
  • "Hatrið mun sigra"
  • "Hear Them Calling"
  • "Heaven"
  • "If I Had Your Love"
  • "Is It True?"
  • "Je ne sais quoi"
  • "Með hækkandi sól"
  • "Minn hinsti dans"
  • "Nætur"
  • "Nei eða já"
  • "Never Forget"
  • "Nína"
  • "No Prejudice"
  • "Núna"
  • "Open Your Heart"
  • "Our Choice"
  • "Paper"
  • "Power"
  • "Scared of Heights"
  • "Sjúbídú"
  • "Tell Me!"
  • "Think About Things"
  • "This Is My Life"
  • "Unbroken"
  • "Valentine Lost"
  • "Þá veistu svarið"
  • "Það sem enginn sér"
  • "Þú og þeir (Sókrates)"
  • Note: Entries scored out signify where Iceland did not compete
  • v
  • t
  • e
Countries
Final
Semi-finals
Artists
Final
Semi-finals
Songs
Final
Semi-finals
  • "Aijā"
  • "Breaking My Heart"
  • "Burning Daylight"
  • "D.G.T. (Off and On)"
  • "Dance (Our Own Party)"
  • "Echo"
  • "Like an Animal"
  • "Power"
  • "Tell Me More"
  • "We Are One"
  • "What They Say"