Svala wiwi jury Iceland Paper

She won Söngvakeppni 2017 in a landslide last Saturday night with “Paper” — her thoroughly modern and fresh track which she delivered with pitch-perfect vocals.

And shortly after being crowned the winner in Iceland, Svala sounded off on it all during her press conferences staged inside the Laugardagshöll arena in Reykjavík.

Svala oozed gratitude and happiness, saying she’s been overwhelmed by the love and support she’s felt at home. But she isn’t counting her chickens before they’re hatched. When asked if she can improve on Selma and Yohana’s two second-place finishes for Iceland at Eurovision, she remained as humble as ever.

“It would be such an honor to end up in second place like they did,” she says. “But one never knows how Europe will react to the song — if people out there will love it as much as Iceland. But I will do my absolute very best to take it as far as I can.”

Her act was simple yet stirring. Standing alone on stage, wearing white, and using strobe lights to set the atmosphere of the song, she didn’t want to rehash the same old tropes — random geometric shapes, a galaxy of stars — that so many Eurovision artists use.

“We wanted to do something original and different,” she says. “I feel like my song and myself differ a bit from what has been going on in this year’s Eurovision. That excites me, having something original and cool.”

Will she go the extra mile in Kiev? Her husband Einar Egilsson — a fellow songwriter and the brains behind her stage act — thinks so.

“We’re working on it,” he says. “There is a lot of planning going on, and we have a great team with us.”

Being a known musician, both in Iceland as well as in America, was Svala feeling an extra pressure, and did she have any idea about the madness circling around Eurovision?

“The biggest pressure comes from me, that is how I function,” she answered. “But this is a task I will proudly tackle and I will do my very, very best not to disappoint. I love my country and my people and I want to make them proud. I’m always nervous to perform for Icelanders. But as soon as I introduced my song to the public, I felt immense support. It’s so good to know that there are people out there that have the same passion for this as I do.”

Svala wrote “Paper” herself along with Lily Elise and Lester Mendez, and she has always been very adamant about performing her own music.

“I’ve been asked before to enter Söngvakeppni as a performer, singing songs written by others. And all of those songs were great! But I’ve always wanted to do my own thing, and sing my own songs,” she said.

Her last entry in Söngvakeppni was “The Wiggle Wiggle Song” performed by Haffi Haff, which became a cult favorite after its stint in 2008, despite not making it to the finals.

Why did she decide to enter again and why now? “Originally, when we wrote ‘Paper’ I never thought about Eurovision as such,” she admits. “But Einar, my husband, became certain that the song was perfect for Söngvakeppni because it had potential to become a hit. So we decided to give it a go and enter.”

And enter they did, winning both the jury vote and the televote by a huge margin. It’s something that Svala didn’t quite expect and she had prepared herself for any and all outcomes at Söngvakeppni. “I believed in ‘Paper’ so much, and I knew I could stand behind it 100%, despite the results.”

What are your thoughts? Is Svala a shoe in for the finals in Kiev, thus ending an eight-year dry spell for Iceland? Or will Europe fold her like paper and send her flying back to Iceland? Please comment below.

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We love Paula Seling
We love Paula Seling
7 years ago

Super love thia Paper song, Svala is amazingly gorgeous and talented.

“Paper” for the final!

jj
jj
7 years ago

Her voice reminds me of Madonna’s.

Thomas
Thomas
7 years ago

I´m from Denmark and I first heard the Icelandic winner song yesterday. I must say that it is the best song from Iceland ever. I´m betting on it as the winner of Eurovision 2017

Zebb
Zebb
7 years ago

They have to improve both staging and her confidence. It’s not like song stands out, esp. in chorus part.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
7 years ago

Jokes aside, I really like the sound of the official video. If only they could replicate that sound live.

Costume-wise, Svala’s thermal coat is… jarring. (Did someone say “Barbara Dex?”) Probably it was actually very cold where they were filming (yes, I understand), but even so, why wasn’t there enough budget for a heater? :S

Eurofan12
Eurofan12
7 years ago

@Mariam Habach
Do NOT compare yourself to Svala. Pageant fans all know you bought your crown at Miss Venezuela. I laughed real hard when you clapped at Miss Universe.
#tramoyerissisima #tramoya #tramoyera #lagrantramoya

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
7 years ago

Warning: A Purple Mask joke is coming up…
This song is very useful. It keeps reminding me that I need to get more paper for the printer! 😀

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
7 years ago

She is closer to coming second last than second.

Mariam Habach, El Tocuyo, Venezuelaaa!!
Mariam Habach, El Tocuyo, Venezuelaaa!!
7 years ago

Bow down to Queen Svala!
She looks just like me in that photo. que hermosa
Love the song too

Lukewarm
Lukewarm
7 years ago

Studio this is one of the best songs. Live her voice cuts like paper. Ugh.

Shona
Shona
7 years ago

Why am i getting some babara dex vibes

Ali
Ali
7 years ago

This song is starting to grow on me.

Pavel
Pavel
7 years ago

Listened to a Spotify playlist yesterday while walking the dogs and her song was on it. I kept thinking she was saying “People” instead of “Paper” and was like ‘That makes no sense in the context, why would you say ‘people’ ?”

Kurrwaa
Kurrwaa
7 years ago

She reminds me of Saara Aalto.

ReykjavikCalling
ReykjavikCalling
7 years ago

I have a good feeling for Svala and her song Paper. She will make us all proud. Her staging is simple but elegant as well. She will definitely do better than Greta last year and make it to the grand final 😀
Go Iceland!

Austrian Ari
Austrian Ari
7 years ago

A song that’s not written specifically for Eurovision- that’s exactly why she was the best choice for Iceland. Almost all of the other songs sounded like they were written for a national final.

Btw, I forgot that the best moment of Söngvakeppni actually happened between Greta and the host, when the latter knocked a violin out of Greta’s hand as she was going for a hug, I suppose. Their reactions were hilarious. 😛 Definitely the best national final moment of this season.

fikri
fikri
7 years ago

love her song but she isn’t the only one with a dark, mysterious song this year and her’s is pretty safe in comparison. nevertheless, good luck to her. can’t wait to see what she has in mind about her staging.