Last week she advanced to the final of Söngvakeppnin 2020.
And now IVA has announced – despite her initial choice to sing in English – she has now decided to stick with the Icelandic version.
Iceland’s national selection for Eurovision has long had an interesting approach to the language issue. In Söngvakeppnin, artists who wish to sing in English record their entries in both languages.
Then, they perform the Icelandic version in the semi-final, and choose which version they want to perform in the final.
RÚV’s official statement
An announcement from Icelandic broadcaster RÚV reveals that IVA has had a change of heart. The Dutch-Icelander originally decided to perform the English version, but eventually decided to go for the Icelandic one.
The Icelandic broadcaster’s statement says:
“The rules of the competition stipulate that on the final night, all the artists must perform in the language they intend to perform the song in the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam.”
RUV adds:
“Previously, the authors of the song Oculis Videre, Iva Marín Adrichem and Richard Cameron, had decided to sing the song in English, but yesterday they asked the contest’s commission to sing the song in Icelandic. This is how it went. Therefore, two songs will be performed in Icelandic but three in English in Laugardalshöll on February 29.”
About “Oculis Videre”
“Oculis Videre” by IVA was not only our readers’ favourite to win its respective Söngvakeppnin semi-final. It is also our Wiwi Jury’s first choice to win the whole selection. The song will participate in the Icelandic final next Saturday, against three other semi-final qualifiers and one wildcard.
Now that we know that IVA will be performing the song in Icelandic, the decision is receiving mixed reactions. While the original decision to sing in English saw negative responses online, the reaction to the new choice is just as polarising.
What do you think of IVA’s new decision? Do you think we’ll see the Icelandic-Latin “Oculis Videre” in Rotterdam? Speak your mind in the comments below!
I really hope Iva run to Rotterdam 2020. Her song is magnificent, the atmosphere is magical and ethaerel. Eurovision needs this type of performance, I think it would add something to the show.
I really like dad’s song too, it’s fun and particular., but Oculis videre is a masterpiece!
It just occurred to me why momentum is moving from Iva to Dadi to represent Iceland at Eurovision–they want to compete with the Roop!
I really love her and I like the song honestly. However the interest and buzz Dadi is getting from the rest of Europe so far should be enough evidence it could do very well. Not saying Iva will not deliver, anything but, however if Iceland wants to win I would go with a song that lives outside of the Songvakeppnin. Needless to say very hard choice between those two.
There is no interest or buzz. There is just a fake Twitter campaign of celebrities, very obviously orchestrated by Netflix. Having them on board was never going to be a good idea.
Yasssssss !!!
Look, it’s an incredible song. But the performance was… leaving something to be desired. The backing vocals clashed so bad, the camera angles were odd and the general performance lacked the power that the song had. Think About Things NAILED the staging and the song is so fresh and replayable. ngl im happy with either but damn its close for me.
It has its magic, but it’s pretty boring. Plus the live strained vocals that just hurt my ears. It’s a no from me.
So IVA would sing in incredible Icelandic language instead? Wow! Perfect and it would be very fantastic and epic to see first ever Icelandic victory! 🙂 (Being the last Nordic to do so)
I’m just feeling this will go the same way as La Forza. All the hype and then a fizzle out of the running in the final with a good but not winning result. ‘Think About Things’ is so fresh, wonderfully absurd, and an absolute bop. I think Iva’s probably got this in the bag, and the song and message is gorgeous of course… but I’m hoping for Dadi to win this
True. Nothing can beat Zero Gravity for me. These people just don’t know opera songs will never win the competition. If Kate and Italy 2015 couldn’t win, nothing will. Dadi is quirky in a really satisfying way. Hope he wins.
This is not opera, just the way The voice from 1996 wasn’t opera.
Oculis Videre is something special. That gives me the same feeling like hatari last year. Either you hate it either you love it. This or Nína for Iceland in my opinion.
Best choice!
Keeping the song in Icelandic seems to be the right move, but the main issue for me is that they really have to do something with the staging. IVA is wonderful and keeping her in the dark for more than half of the song doesn’t help, while the whole camerawork needs to be upgraded and make this feel less static. In any case, I do think that ‘Oculis Videre’ is probably the right choice for Iceland this year.
off topic but i havent seen an article of Kris in wiwibloggs for a while, isnt he part of the team anymore? if so i will miss his reactions during eurovision 🙁
Really sorry to hear about that. He was a valuable member of the team. I really enjoyed listening to his comments. You say that he felt it was time to move on. I find that very strange. I know it’s not easy to attend finals or meet up with other members but surely it is possible to do the video links like before. One other thing why wasn’t this announced by William. Surely this is the very least that Chris deserves.
He’s still active on twitter though!
I wasn’t aware that Chris had left Wiwibloggs. I’ll miss him in the videos. Well, at least he left in good terms. 🙂
Chris is @KatsJonouchi on Twitter. I don’t have a Twitter account any more so I can’t tweet him. But if you miss him, tweet him. 🙂
I have met him a few times in real life; All good times.
Since I’ve never spoken to him and haven’t used Twitter in a while, it would look creepy! Hahaha But I’ll try to go there and check his opinions from time to time. Cool beard, by the way.
Oh nooo! I didn’t know this either. He was one of my favourite reviewers if not the favourite of the reaction videos. I will miss him very much. It’s a pity that he didn’t say good buy via an article or something. At least we lived through many emotional Eurovision moments together with him. Take care Chris.
Hallelujah!
Hope to see Jon Henrik Fjällgren one day.
Oculis Videre is brought to you live from Hell
I hope she will represent Iceland. Stop the English-vision.
Absolutely !
I dont want her representing Iceland
I prefer Dadi, please dont send her Iceland
All the votes supporting her over Dadi is scaring me that she may be chosen over him. It’s us, the non-Icelandic people, will vote. And sorry, my vote definitely isn’t going to a song that I can’t connect where a pop-modern song Dadi has all the vibe to score Top 5 after Yohanna.
Make the right choice and don’t send us to our toilet break during contest, period. Now downvote as you like, lol.
What are you talking about? Dadi’s song is the worst of all 10 contestants, IVA is the only one who can bring Iceland to the top 10 and repeat Hatari’s success.
Keep dreaming until you face the inevitable reality when even Hatari scored as the 10th with such a great song. You won’t last a thing once televotes start to drop.
You keep dreaming, in the similar category of pop-quirky sounds, The Roop would eat your Dadi for breakfast.
They face competition. It doesn’t mean the same genre cannot be in good placement both; both songs stand out very well. You speak as if you have never watched the contest, lol. The unfortunate condition, blindness, is how I can see IVA getting the support mainly because the song only resonates when you feel empathy with the artist, which is so non-cliche and beautiful, yet the songs lack authenticity where it could have given us Ukraine 2013 or Estonia 2018. It’s only the first part that sounds mysterious and it goes dull for the rest. If chosen, this will stand… Read more »
His song is definitely not the worst out of 10, he’s my close second after Iva, but I think she would stand out more.
that tbh, dadi’s song is a forgettable version of the roop. he tries too hard but the effect isn’t the same.
I support you
Yes Dadi is also my favorite
these pretentious and deluded dadi stans need to stop already
Telling someone a stan because of artist’s song preference, while the name is literally copy-paste of ESC 2015 artist – another biased high score purely based on artist’s looks.
Hold your horses, mate.
My opinion is that the song works with any second language (but keep the latin, obviously): A song about how a blind person wishes others could see that they can change the world. It is an overwhelmingly moving concept. But further, to combine that message with such achingly beautiful music is extraordinary.
I don’t think that this song could win or be in the top 10.
Obviously it wouldn’t, it’s too simple + people need a little break from those female operatic entries for a while.
It’s just a little complain, but I hope she says the last words in English
Yes! Prayers answered. I have no idea if the Icelandic lyrics are good or not, but the first verse in English was very jarring and removed from the spirit of the song.
They’re pretty much the same. Some lines are almost a literal translation, some are a bit different, but the meaning remains the same.
I can’t possibly be the only one thinking this will be this year’s Conan Osiris (AKA a song that is led to victory mostly through the support of eurofans “convincing” juries to go their way, but ends up failing spectacularly in ESC).
Personally I’m still favoring Think About Things, but this is definitely shaping up as the one big battle of this NF season (think Bella vs. Linda in 2019)
Eurofans LOVE this song and will instantly vote you down if you have a different opinion. You’re not the only one ?
Because that worked amazingly for Elvana Gjata…
Surely a good song but I simply can’t connect.
The icelandic Version might help, but it is still an open race.
Bad either way
YES!!! Great news! If she wins, she will likely be my ESC winner of at least a top 3 song! Please, Iceland, don’t mess this up! 🙂
I am genuinely interested to know why people think Icelandic is better than English in this song? Half the song is in Latin anyway so we’re only talking about the verses. To my ear, Icelandic is a harder sound than English , which sounds softer. Is it that the harder sound resonates with the dark, gothic aspects to the song? Latin is quite soft so I don’t think it’s anything to do with matching the verses to the chorus. Is it because the meaning in Icelandic is more powerful? I doubt it because I bet hardly anyone on here has… Read more »
Yes, the chorus is in Latin and the English verses are beautiful too. It’s a winner song either way, but Icelandic verses add a dash of mystery to it. It’s song for an A in English, but it gets an A+ in Icelandic. Just my opinion.
Described perfectly !
You are wrong. More than half of the song is in Icelandic. By the way, your paranoia is disturbing.
I prefer the English…in English I can understand the song’s message and meaning, which I think is really important. But in Icelandic I can’t and it sounds like any other opera song to me in a language I don’t know…also it’s harder to tell the icelandic and the latin apart.
In a world where internet does not exist I can see your point, but you can search the translation of the song whenever you want so…
I’m English and would love her to do this in Icelandic
This is a good dissension, I think !! Go for gold Iva !!! I love your song very much !!
Now, please rethink the staging and especially the lighting. They turned something ethereal and beautiful into a zombie , horror, nightmare. ?
Icelandic language gives it a whole new vibe. It’s epic. In english it feels like another song of the bunch. Good choice! And let’s remember Hatari qualified for the final for the first time in four years with a song in Icelandic. Go Iva!!
oh thank god
Go Iva <3
Lol, figures the ONE time where my opinion is different from everyone else’s…
She wont win so who cares?
OMG YESSSSSSSSS ?
Amazing, Icelandic is so beautiful and I love the part at the end when she says something like “fehta irimi skilly bum” lmao
yes it is, winner confirmed, #Reykjavik2021
Þetta eru mín skilaboð, means this is my message
the only correct choice! rooting for her so much, this is my favorite esc 2020 season song.
we need the message of Church, religion which can be heard in english version, more religion in eurovision pls
As someone from a strict catholic country I’m gonna have to say no to that. Eurovision is a place without religion or politics, in deeply religious countries it’s a form of escape from it imo
Er no thanks. I don’t see Iva’s song as religious. Reminds me of Dead can dance or Enigma. IVa ftw
shallow girl, silly to make up your mind because realizing you can’t win in english
disqualify her iceland
Lmao the trolls on here are getting worse
i know, #TeamIva #Reykjavik2021 no one can top Oculus Videre, in this weak year winner of eurovision 2020 with 700 points
So after soldi and arcade last year, this song is your brand new target for esc 2020… judging from those songs’ result, I guess oculis videre has a pretty high chance of winning the whole contest lol
LOL the fuq? How is that a reason for disqualification? They still have plenty of time to rethink whatever they want about their entry. It’d be silly for her to keep it in English when literally everyone wants her to sing the Icelandic version (and it makes sense she’s listening to the fans, as the superfinal is entirely decided by televote)
it isn’t a reason for dq no, and i am happy she is singing in icelandic 🙂
A few comments down you replied to someone saying she should sing in English cause, otherwise, the religious message of the song would get lost. What is your deal? lol you just trolling
smh y’all need to learn to ignore this sewer rat
He flip flops so much he must be real popular in the summer
YESSSS right choice
Very good! Hope she wins!
Finally !
YEESSSSS I was just reading comments about how they were really disappointed about Iva singing in English and then this happens 😀
Thank God now I can say again that she will win in Rotterdam!
Such a good decision. It’s far more powerful with Icelandic
And we have a winner!
Hooray!