Do you hear them calling? That’s not an earthquake you’re feeling — it’s the news that Iceland will be back for Eurovision 2017!
Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV has announced their country’s intended participation for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest to be hosted in Ukraine.
The 62nd annual song competition will mark Iceland’s 31st time entering the contest. There’s been no word yet on how they will choose their official entry — however, they’ve used the popular TV song competition Söngvakeppnin to choose their entry every year since 2006.
Judging by all the RTs, our readers are well excited!
RT if you’re happy that Iceland has confirmed its #eurovision 2017 participation. pic.twitter.com/J9LPZ1DRpw
— wiwibloggs (@wiwibloggs) August 22, 2016
The Land of Fire and Ice is known for bringing strong, traditionally influenced pop songs that transcend the borders of their small nation and appeal to a wider European audience.
Much like its Cinderella success story at this year’s Euro football championships — which saw the smallest nation’s team defeating the best-funded teams in the world — Iceland’s potential stretches well beyond its apparent means.
As of late — at least when it comes to qualifying — the traditionally strong Eurovision nation has fallen into a fissure of glacial proportions. We are hoping and praying they can make it out for this year’s competition!
One of the biggest surprises of Eurovision 2016 was Iceland’s Greta Salome failing to qualify for the Grand Final. It came as a huge shock to fans and critics alike when her entry “Hear Them Calling” finished 14th in the first semi. The last time Iceland qualified for the final was in 2014 with Pollapönk’s “No Prejudice” — eventually finishing 15th.
Iceland has never won the Eurovision Song Contest — but has been runner up on two occasions — in 1999 with Selma’s “All Out of Luck” and in 2009 when Yohanna sang “Is It True”.
[polldaddy poll=9502958]
For me best 10 songs from Iceland from 1986 to 2016
1.2003
2.1997
3.2005
4.1991
5.1995
6.1986
7.2010
8.2013
9.2016
10.2007
For me
1.2013
2.2016
3.2015
4.2012
5.2014
Unbroken
Loved all of them except 2015. Sorry, just couldn’t stand ‘Unbroken’
Unbroken. But their best entry of all time remains All Out of Luck by Selma Björnsdóttir (1999).
1- 2016
2- 2012
3- 2013
4- 2015
5- 2014
Greta should have qualified. She’s such an amazing artist! She’s unreservedly my favourite Icelandic representative since Hera Björk!
Eythor!! Period.
Eythor miles ahead of the mediocre rest
Pollaponk were flawless in 2014!
Song-wise 2015 is the best, but her live performance is horrendous…
Iceland is my favorite country at Eurovision so I adore all entries here and of course, I voted for all of them. I really hope they won’t disappoint me next year and they will qualify.
P.S.: It’s funny how the most popular Icelandic entry (2016) didn’t qualify and the least popular (2014) did 😀
@chaparal
Don’t worry, it was in my top 3 😀
I love Hear them Calling and Unbroken (In studio at least), I don’t really like Ég á líf and I hate Pollaponks song.
@bis
Exactly this!!
liked em all.
Ég á lif is by far the best one of these
How awesome is that Pollaponk got the highest place for Iceland here hahah.
Greta 2016 and Ég á líf were both good.
None of them were terrible, but none were great. Iceland’s been very middle-of-the-road recently and that’s a recipe for disaster as most songs like that will leave no impression on the audience. My least favorite would definitely be 2013, I love ballads but that song was just so dull. 2012 and 2015 were probably my favorites, but 2015 got butchered live. 2016 was good in Icelandic but the English version had terrible lyrics in my opinion.
Hear Them Calling by far is the best entry, Iceland’s non qualification this year was an utter shambles and I’m still in shock. Although I do think Greta was the right choice this year, it’s apparent Iceland needs to ditch the super final in their selection, both times in a row they haven’t qualified, the representative did not win the initial voting which perhaps shows that the songs are grow-ers not show-ers (which tend to better in the contest). I sincerely hope Iceland find THE song this year and stage it well. A win is overdue.
Greta Salome the Icelandic queen of Eurovsion both of my favourite songs “never forget” and “hear them calling”
my top 3 for these 5 years is :
1. Raddirnar/Hear them calling (very sad it didn’t pass to the final)*
2. Unbroken (the same adds up to that year, awesome too)
3. Never forget (really deserved top 10)
*It’s gonna sound very crazy but it was in my top 5
BTW I really hope they pass next year to the final (w/ an as awesome entry as the 2016 ‘s)
I’ve really liked all of Iceland’s recent entries. But Greta 2016 and Pollaponk are my favorites.