Iceland’s seven-year qualifying streak may have ended last year, but things are looking brighter in 2016. Tonight fan favourite Greta Salóme won Söngvakeppnin 2016 with her song “Hear Them Calling” — the English-language version of “Raddirnar”. She’ll head to Stockholm in May, hoping for a better result than Maria Olafs’ disappointing 15th place in the semi-finals in Vienna.
When applying to Iceland’s national selection, all acts had to submit English and Icelandic versions of their songs. However, in the final they could choose which version to sing. All of this year’s finalists except Elísabet opted to sing their entries in English. The first round of voting consisted of 50% televoting and 50% juries, and boy was it close.
Anyone who thought this was going to be a walk-in-the-park for Greta had a rude awakening as the jury votes rolled in. None of the juries ranked Greta on top.
WTF? The people of Nordausturkjördaejmi didn’t put Greta #1? Remove them from the island! #eurovision pic.twitter.com/T6nft1FgR9
— William Lee Adams (@willyleeadams) February 20, 2016
Thankfully for Greta, she had a strong showing in the televote which moved her past several contestants, ultimately putting her a close second behind Alda Dís. Alda led by just 78 votes — showing that every vote counts.
Alda and Greta then sang-it-out in the superfinal, where Greta triumphed.
This won’t be the first time for Greta at Eurovision. In 2012 she represented Iceland in Baku with her song “Never Forget”, performed with Jónsi. They placed 20th in the final. Can Greta do better solo in Stockholm?
Greta will perform in the second half of the first semi-final in Stockholm.
Overcome with emotion — it’s Iceland’s winner @gretasalome. See you at #eurovision! pic.twitter.com/WgCP6rQYwC
— wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs) February 20, 2016
Greta Salóme – “Hear Them Calling”
Running Order
- Greta Salóme – “Hear Them Calling”
- Erna Hrönn & Hjörtur – “I Promised You Then”
- Karlotta Sigurðardóttir – “Eye of the Storm”
- Þórdís Birna & Guðmundur Snorri – “Ready to Break Free”
- Elísabet Ormslev – “Á ný”
- Alda Dís – “Now”
Guest performances
We were also treated to guest performances during this year’s Söngvakeppnin 2016 final. Belgium’s 1986 Eurovision winner Sandra Kim performed her entry “J’aime la vie”, and Sweden’s 2012 Eurovision winner Loreen performed “Euphoria”. When asked to advise Iceland on how it can succeed at Eurovision, Loreen was rather direct.
.@LOREEN_TALHAOUI: “I think the secret is not to give a f*ck about the contest and do what you love.” #eurovision pic.twitter.com/4T5jUhiDEX
— wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs) February 20, 2016
Several of Iceland’s past representatives also took part in an expletive-free medley of Iceland’s past Eurovision entries.
What do you think? Do you agree with Iceland’s decision?
Girls, girls.
Montenegro did the interactive thing one year before Sweden did. Let that sink in for a minute.
Change the name to EMC (“M” stands for “mapping”)
And send Dustin the Turkey for singings.
That’s all what people values nowadays.
Robyn Gallagher When you said Georgian Housewives I just thought of 18th century ladies sitting down to watch Eurovision. He he. @Moole First impressions is the most important part to consider. Most people will only see it once and there for only have one impression to vote one. Whilst the song has stopped doing in now as I listened to it all night, the first time I watched the live performance I got chikks and squeeled with delight, I’m not ashamed to say. So I feel that we may got bored by May, but first timers will get much more… Read more »
And one last comment: this is why visuals kill the musical aspect of the contest … everybody WASTES time focusing os staging to a degree so obcessive that I get scared …. and I am left wondering …. is anybody even listening to the music or has that become so irrelevant? No wonder fans claim Eurovision is no longer a song contest … and while reading the whole set of comments published I guess I found the reason why this contest has stopped being a song contest … people STOPPED listening … and eyes became far too distracted … Reset,… Read more »
While everybody is loving and hating on this … I will praise the beautiful medley of formers Icelandic entries that represented the country during 30 years … gay fans went crazy for Selma … obviously … but I was personally far more emotional to hear songs like Nina or Nuna from the 90s …. and of course a big hall reception for the amazing Yohanna and ICY. I was even blown away the so anti-eurovision singer from 1989 who scored 0 points was even there LOL Beautiful moment … Iceland has done a stunning job during 30 years with some… Read more »
I just love double standards in the comment sections.
Funny how everyone acts like Greta stole mans and lorries staging when neither used shadows and the only other Eurovision act that used shadows was Lithuania 2007.
So that must mean Sweden copied Lithuania right?
Also no one seems to moan at the fact that Isa is using shadows or Ace is using projections or that Wiktoria has stolen Electro Velvets LED jackets.
So it seems Sweden is allowed to copy other countries but if someone has even slightly similar staging then all he’ll breaks lose.
It has got a review on escsongreviews.com, along with Georgia and Bosnia.
http://escsongreviews.com/2016/02/21/songcheck-2016-georgia-bosnia-and-herzegovina-iceland/
1. Spain 1. Finland (No fear)
2. Switzerland 2. Sweden (Youniverse)
3. Iceland 3. Norway (Afterglow)
Don’t like the other songs at all, thats why melodifestivalen is the place to enjoy music, not eurovision for me.
My top 5 atm are: Iceland, Spain, Albania, Denmark and a tie with Switzerland and Austria. Malta and Italy are not included as they may change the song. Go Greta!
Already showing all the cards. It just will get old from now on. Pure hype from a first impression. Copycat of Sweden 2012+2015. Where’s the originality?
Not going anywhere.
To be honest, I don’t have a clue about how this is going to do but I can’t see it doing well. If the Icelandic juries didn’t love it, then I doubt the international juries will. Also, I don’t think this song will do phenomenally with the televoting either. Iceland will either scrape into the final or not qualify. Despite this, she probably was the best decision. My Top 13- 1. Austria ???????? 2. Italy ???????? 3. Bosnia and Herzegovina ???????? 4. Switzerland ???????? 5. Denmark ???????? 6. Spain ???????? 7. Malta ???????? 8. Ireland ???????? 9. Iceland ???????? 10.… Read more »
I love this song……. In Icelandic tho, the English version just leaves me cold.
Don’t really like it. The production sounds cheap and her live vocals are somewhat weak. Overall it sounds a bit like a small town’s brass band improvising a tune. Definitely not Iceland’s best…
1. Italy
2. Georgia
3. Belgium/Ireland/Denmark
6. Albania/Bosnia
8. Spain/Belarus
10. Iceland
11. Switzerland/Austria/Malta (if they don’t change the song)
Elly V has almost won the Austrian NF and I although I loved her song I am glad she didnt win because of her shadow performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-j8CqThEOQ
It would be really weird to have not only one but even two acts like these in ESC this year. And there is still Isa who can qualify for Sweden.
Viewers are always looking more for shape instead of the message (they have only 3 minutes). Therefore, I think that Icelandic language will fit more here. Do you remember Marija Serifovi?, Zeljko Joksimovi? or Hari Mata Hari? They sang in very unpopular languages, but they succeeded.
If you don’t know that it is good or bad, maybe you should shut up and start think more instead of writing comments on this site. For me it is generally average.
Good song but can’t see her doing any better than 20th in final like in 2012
1- Denmark
2- Belarus
3- Iceland
4- Spain
5- Switzerland
6- Bosnia Herzagovina
7- Austria
8- Albania
9- Georgia
10-Belgium
11- Ireland
12- Malta
It’s interesting, but for me….maybe a song for the Finals but not for the top 10 I guess (depends on the other entries).
There is one thing that really gets on my nerves….since Mans won with his projection performance, many many contestants in the national finals seemingly have the urge to include interesting visuals/projections as well. Gretas performance reminded me of Elly V’s Bounce performance^^ Zoe had her vivid fairy tale in the background etc..
Good song my 3rd !!
My top 13:
13-Georgia
12-Belarus
11-Bosnia & Herzegovina
10-Albania
9-Austria
8-Malta
7-Ireland
6-Italy
5-Switzerland
4-Denmark
3-Iceland
2-Belgium
1-Spain?
@Ian: The Måns effect. Consider Wiktoria’s at MF, with graphics superimposed on her body as well as behind her.
1.Spain
2.Belgium
3.Denmark
4.Belarus
5.Georgia
6.Bosnia Herzegovina
7.Iceland
8.Switzerland
9.Austria
10.Albania
11.Italy
12.Malta (they wili change the song, that is not fair)
13.Ireland
I think we wili don t have good ESC in quality of song, from this 13 countries with this songs in this moment, I don t see the winner song , maybe all countries wili be change their song like Malta this year, and Belarus in many years, and Ukraine and Albania one in past .
Same situation in Iceland like last year, one singer win in first round of voting , and in superfinal with 2 songs , win other singers . Iceland will flop with Greta like in 2012, song from 2012 was so much better then this in 2012. She don t have strong vocals. Iceland in final , only becuase they are in semifinal with 18 countries and in that semifinal we don t have so good song till now.
YES! Well done Iceland! Such an improvement from last years pink mess. I love their entry this year it’s so Nordic and it reminds me of Monsters and Men that Icelandic band from a few years ago. Love it! Iceland gets my number one spot! Reykjavik 2017
My Top 10:
Iceland
Spain
Ireland
Italy
Austria
Belarus
Malta
Belgium
Denmark
Albania
I’m hoping Kallay Saunders win A Dal then Hungary will be added to the list
I’ve liked the song from when I first heard it. The live version gets on my nerves a bit though… whereas Loreen draws you in, Greta’s act is like watching a stroboscope. And its unoriginality may hurt its chances with the juries.
I like Greta and the song and the performance, although i can also see why other people don’t. I wish her well at Eurovision. There are still loads more songs to be revealed over the next few weeks, so best to hold back rankings for a while. So far though, I think Iceland is reasonably strong this year. x
I am not terribly impressed with her voice (the backing vocals are all I’m hearing in this mix) and everything in her staging, from the horrible costume to the visuals, needs a major revamp. Plus there is no discernible charisma there. Of course everyone around here seems to believe that we should be terribly impressed with anything coming from Scandinavia and all returning artists. I don’t think it’s an accident that she struggled to win the national final. My top-12 so far: #1 Austria #2 Switzerland #3 Spain #4 Malta #5 Denmark #6 Iceland # 7 Ireland #8 Bosnia Herzegovina… Read more »
I have only heard it once and I liked it.
The staging must be completely changed to remove comparisons with Loreen & Mans.
Nice song.
The single-artist-with-an-over-dramatic-backdrop trend is ridiculous.
Amazing!!! Semi-Final 1 is definitely the strongest one already. I hope The Netherlands (my country) sends a good song. My top 13:
1. Iceland 🙂
2. Austria
3. Italy
4. Spain
5. Malta
6. Switzerland
7. Bosnia&Herzegovina
8. Denmark
9. Albania
10. Belarus
11. Belgium
12. Ireland
13. Georgia
Great song. Glad she won. I don’t see why everyone is so preoccupied with the presentation…
Top15, maybe top10
It depens on the next songs…
Finally, ICELAND chose a very solid entry for Eurovision Song
Contest 2016 with the song “HEAR THEM CALLING” by GRETA SALOME. ICELAND have the strongest entry so far.
Thank God for saving this years edition.
The previous entries that were selected are all mediocre.
DEAL WITH IT!
@Anis – Greta’s song is far better than all of those you mentioned. Just saying.
Is it just me, or is everyone choosing acts with dynamic backdrops?
Hey everyone.
Mans did an even bigger and more overt copy for his staging. In case you didn’t remember.
Bye.
everyone hates her? why
i mean I dislike how many returning artists there are but at the same time this is totally the best song released yet (other than Italy, sorry Greta)
and that staging! amazing
1) Italy 2) Iceland–without a doubt! 3) Belgium 4) Austria 5) Denmark (really like the song now) 6) Switzerland 7) Spain 8) Albania 9) Bosnia (disliked it after a few repeats) 10) Georgia
Bring on the hate comments! What you bitter people never understand is that the more negative comments you make. The more favorite it becomes. You are just doing Iceland a favor!
Is this a copy? No! Everyone has influences and so has Greta. She’s not worse than anyone else. The staging is STUNNING and will be magic in Stockholm. SVT will produce it so well.
Even as a Brit I’m all for their songs to be in Icelandic, but I get more impact from it when I hear the story with the music. Whilst Maria Olafsdottir and the Sundays should have kept their songs in Icelandic last year Greta’s song feels more magical to me in English. Sorry not Sorry.
My favorite one so far, it just needs a better stage, and Globen will provide that, and let’s be real people, everyone sings in english because other languages simply don’t work in ESC anymore, not if you wanna win.
I think it will flop. She’s just copying Mans from last year, the hype around the interactive staging is gone :(. And the song isn’t anywhere near as good as Spain, Austria, Switzerland or Italy.
Why did they nearly all opt to sing in English? I would understand for Stockholm, but why in their own national final? Sad that US/UK Anglophone is always perceived as better. I know I’m not the first to say that.
Sending comeback artists, eh? Well, next stop, Donny Montell for Lithuania and Edyta Gorniak for Poland!
It’s amazing. Face it! Though in Icelandic, it would be even better!
I think Eurovision 2016 should be re-titled with Eurovision 2016: Returning Artists Edition
I can call this the winner of Eurovision 2016 already. It’s over. Look at the stats people. Every year when it’s a big favorite like Loreen, Emelie De Forest, Måns etc. They always win. This will be like that. The most telling is that people ALREADY starts to make bitter comments because the big favorite always get that. Congratulations Iceland! Reykjavik 2017 is VERY possible. It will be something special!
I’m very happy with this result.
It’s not really a copy of the Heroes staging. Charlotte Perrelli was using a similar concept way back in 2012, with The Girl, albeit on a smaller scale.
I do not said anything about copying, but this act is not very original to, I would have appreciate it, when she had a original, and fresh new act, not one that is inspired at someone else his/her act.
oh come on guys! if he had flown over the stage you would have said that she copied Katy Perry, OMG you are never happy! the song is really cool, and the perfomance is AWESOME, why Do you say that he copied? are Loreen and Mnas the first ones to use shadow? if this song with the same perfomance would have been n the melodifestivalen, you would have said: OMG thi is jut so amazing, cool, original….wtf? /IF I AM BEING MEAN, I AM ORRY, BUT COME ON GUYS, NOBODY CAN BE ORIGINAL 100% /
I also didnt get, why people need to compare it with Loreen or MR. Zelmerlöw…
Okay, she maybe does some “Loreen moves”, but,, so what?
And why Mans? She has a shadow graphic, while Mans had a digital graphic..
SO WHY PEOPLE ALWAYS NEED TO COMPARE SOMETHING WITH SWEDEN ? STOP IT, it’s annoying…
No matter what anyone would say, this IS a Mans “copycat” to an extend. And this song is a little bit repetitive and bland, and even has many similarities with “Heroes”.
But hey…whatever.