Wiwi Jury Iceland Edition: María, SUNDAY and Friðrik Dór

The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — are still prancing around Reykjavík ahead of the Söngvakeppni finals. Today we turn our attention to the final three acts. Are we ready for a tiny, barefoot diva with a break-up song, the feathary hipsters of SUNDAY and the Icelandic version of Justin Bieber (only way less obnoxious and actually kind to his fans)? Read on to find out…

MARÍA ÓLAFSDÓTTIR – LÍTIL SKREF

http://youtu.be/okdLIcZc94w

Sami: I love this song so much. It’s magical and beautiful and her voice is perfect. I’m a little sad she will sing in English in the final, as Icelandic sounds so lovely. I still think we should see this song in Vienna and I think it would place very well indeed.

Score: 10/10

Mikhail: Maria has brought a great song to the competition. It’s bright with a great chorus. Her voice is lovely and I can definitly see her as a winner.

Score: 9/10

Patrick: She is like a sweet little fairy in the woods of Ireland. The song is absolutly the best and strongest in the competition. It should absolutly win! But Eurovision is cruel and Iceland has a habit of sending surprising songs. Good luck Maria!

Score: 10/10

Angus: This is like totally the strongest song in the competition. Without question. If Iceland don’t send this ima cry.

Score: 10/10

Josh: My hands down favourite of the Icelandic national final. This is so good! Maria’s voice is amazing, the melody is amazing and I can’t wait to hear it in English. I am confident this will win and it will absolutely qualify from the second semi final this May. Maybe even finish on the left hand side of the scoreboard. YES!

Score: 9.5/10

Kristín: That girl can sing! And she is adorable. And the song is damn good. I can picture this as a winner…in fact, I wouldn’t mind that at all. This is one of two songs this year that I support from the bottom of my heart. Amazing.

Score: 10/10

Sopon: Big and beautiful, I don’t need more than thirty seconds of the song to announce that I love it! I really hope that nothing is lost in translation, but María puts on a show and this is something that could fill a stadium easily.

Score: 9/10

Denise: This song is amazing. When I heard it for the first time I already knew this would be my big favourite in Iceland and even in the whole Eurovision Song Contest. Her live performance is also great. She has an lovely voice and she can reach all of the high notes. Really curious about the English version of the song, but I just know that Maria won’t let us down.

Score: 10/10

Robyn: There’s a lot of drama packed into this song, as it builds from a quiet beginning to an epic chorus. María is has a powerful voice, but the song is lacking catchiness. I could do without the interpretive dance on stage, but I like María’s little tribute to Loreen and Sandy Shaw by performing barefoot.

Score: 7/10

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 9.39/10

SUNDAY – FJAÐRIR

http://youtu.be/q5jq1drvHh8

Sami: It reminds me a bit of “I Feed You My Love“, but it’s also very Icelandic. It’s fresh and modern and this could do well in Eurovision. The performance is nice too and she looks absolutely stunning.

Score: 7/10

Mikhail: This song is so psychodelic. When I saw it for the first time, I was sitting like a zombie staring at the screen. And I liked it. This song is original and their performance was very interesting. I would love to see it in Vienna.

Score: 9.5/10

Patrick: Mikhail’s description when he watched it was the same I had. This is absolutly magical. Yeah it maybe is Margaret Berger 2.0 but who cares, it’s something special and it could work, really, really well. I predict a win!

Score: 9.5/10

Angus: This lacks commitment. Either you serve up a slice of icy full-on dark electropop or you give us stripped back haunting ballad. This flits between the two and that, coupled with the ridiculous backing dancer, lets this down badly.

Score: 6/10

Josh: This song perfectly fits the style of music that is so popular right now. I am definitely sensing a little bit of Margaret Berger, but I loved that song in 2013 and I love this too. Very unique. Very modern. Such love. Wow.

Score: 9/10

Kristín: This is the other song that I could picture as a winner. I am getting “Feed you my love” vibes, but SUNDAY has their own unique sound, and Hildur is a goddess on stage. The only thing I would lose is that dancer. I feel like she adds nothing and is trying to over-shadow the singer. That is not cool. But otherwise, go SUNDAY!

Score: 10/10

Sopon: It’s a bit, erm, wonky. It’s like off-putting on purpose, and I don’t like it one bit. SUNDAY would be a strange choice in Vienna, and I hope Iceland doesn’t go through with it.

Score: 3/10

Denise: I still don’t know what to think about the song/performance. It’s like a magical weirdness which keeps your attention during the whole song. The only thing I’m afraid of is that the song will loose its magic when they perform it in English.

Score: 6.5/10

Robyn: I like this song – it’s moody and atmospheric – but I think it’s wrong for the ESC. The singer’s costume seems influenced by Margaret Berger, and the song has a similar but lighter icy gothic feel as the Norwegian diva’s 2013 entry. But it’s just isn’t entertaining enough to work as an ESC song.

Score: 6/10

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 7.39/10

FRIÐRIK DÓR – Í SÍÐASTA SKIPTI

http://youtu.be/jZVtHVDHN7c

Sami: He looks like a pop star and he has the voice, but the song isn’t really that impressive. It’s quite forgottable and I don’t think the public would get this as much as the juries.

Score: 4/10

Mikhail: This is a good song, but it doesn’t leave an impression on me. It reminds me of the Italian act back in 2013, which I didn’t like that much.

Score: 6/10

Patrick: Compared to the other acts, this is a let-down which I can see winning the whole thing… It’s a lovely ballad with a good singer but I miss the climax and the everything. Dunno…

Score: 4.5/10

Angus: Ugh this is just dated. The kind of bop-ballad you’d have heard in the 60s or 70s. I am all for retro-charm but this isn’t retro. It’s a relic.

Score: 2/10

Josh: Kristin has told the team at wiwibloggs that Friðrik is a huge star in Iceland, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he went to Vienna based on popularity. I just need the people of Iceland to know that there are people outside of Iceland that have to vote in the semi final, and this may scrape through but it doesn’t have the impact of Maria or Sunday’s song. This song isn’t terrible, but it’s not a standout.

Score: 7/10

Kristín: I was rooting for this originally, but that has faded a little. I do like this song, but I’d rather see the other two acts reach Vienna. I don’t dare to underestimate Friðrik, since he has Idol status here, and incredibly devoted fans. The song is a basic power ballad, and a very good one as such. But not the right song IMO.

Score: 8.5/10

Sopon: Now I know why this guy was so excited to qualify (and ripped his pants off onstage in joy). He probably doubted this song would get through – and I don’t blame him for that. It’s boring and very Michael Bublé. I don’t think that has worked in Eurovision since, like, forever.

Score: 4/10

Denise: Hmm… He has the voice, but the song is really boring. It’s a shame that the boy doesn’t have a better song, because he seems really sweet and charismatic and people will vote for that. Don’t go to Eurovision this time, but try it again next year with a better song.

Score: 5/10

Robyn: I want to call Friðrik an Icelandic Sam Smith (though with better eyebrows). He has a strong, expressive soul voice, and he’s also a confident performer. The song itself has a classic soul sound without feeling like a throwback. And I suspect it would work just fine with English lyrics.

Score: 7/10

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 5.33/10

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