It’s the Nordic country that traditionally punches well above its weight at Eurovision. But for the last three contests, despite regularly being fan favourites, Iceland has failed to make it past the semi-finals.
However, the island’s fortunes could be about to change. This evening, broadcaster RÚV revealed the 12 competing acts and songs in Söngvakeppnin 2018 — Iceland’s national selection for Eurovision.
Like in 2017, the songs have been released in both Icelandic and English. The entries will be performed in Icelandic at the semi-finals, however, the songs that make it to the final must be performed in their intended language for Lisbon, so we can expect to hear some switches to English.
Söngvakeppnin 2018: The Semi-Finalists
- Aron Hannes – Golddigger/Gold Digger
- Áttan – Hér með þér/Here for you
- Ari Ólafsson – Heim/Our Choice
- Fókus hópurinn – Aldrei gefast upp/Battleline
- Dagur Sigurðarson – Í stormi/Saviour
- Heimilistónar – Kúst og fæjó
- Stefanía Svavarsdottir, Agnes Marinósdóttir, Regína Lilja Magnúsdóttir – Svaka stuð/Heart Attack
- Þórunn Antonía – Ég mun skína/Shine
- Guðmundur Þórarinsson – Litir/Colours
- Þórir Geir Guðmundsson, Gyða Margrét Kristjánsdóttir – Brosa/With You
- Tómas Helgi Wehmeier, Sólborg Guðbrandsdóttir – Ég og þú/Think It Through
- Rakel Pálsdóttir – Óskin mín/My Wish
You can listen to the songs here.
The 2018 line-up includes some familiar faces.
Aron Hannes competed last year with the song “Tonight”. Rakel Pálsdóttir was one half of the duo that performed last year’s “Again” and was also a part of the band Hinemoa that competed in 2015 with “Þú leitar líka að mér”.
Stefanía Svavarsdóttir competed in Söngvakeppnin 2013 along with Jógvan Hansen with “Til þín” and in 2015 as a soloist with “Augnablik”, both written by Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson, who composed Iceland’s entries in 2004 and 2007. Sveinn Rúnar is also back this year, as he is the composer of “Gold Digger” sung by Aron Hannes.
Six songs will compete in each of the semi-finals, held on February 10 and February 17.
From there the top three from each semi will progress to the grand final on March 3.
What do you think of the contestants? What do you think of the songs? Tell us in the comments below.
“Heart Attack”: very disco 1980’s. Beautiful harmonies, I like the rhythm, but no. “Think It Through”: beautiful voices. The music in the verses reminds me of a recent Ed Sheeran song. “Shine”: I like the music in the verses, but it gets repetitive. “My Wish”: Beautiful voice but it sounds like a lullaby. I won’t remember it in a few minutes. And it’s not good. “Our Choice”: This is a well made ballad and this guy has a really good voice. “Colours”: Another well produced song. “Kúst og fæjó”: That’s a different sound. I don’t think it’s for Eurovision though.… Read more »
My top 3 are a little different to what most people but im going by what I think will look back best on TV. I love Dagur with I stormi/saviours. I think that it’s going to transfer to the stage really well. Think it through has haunting harmonies but for me it only works in the Icelandic version. In Icelandic they sound warm yet mysterious but in English the song just doesnt hit the right emotional note for me and the lyrics are just OK. Finally I found myself really going along with Brosa/with you. It has a sweet bubbly… Read more »
My top 3 are a little different to what most people but im going by what I think will look back best on TV. I love Dagur with I stormi/saviours. I think that it’s going to transfer to the stage really well. Think it through has haunting harmonies but for me it only works in the Icelandic version. In Icelandic they sound warm yet mysterious but in English the song just doesnt hit the right emotional note for me and the lyrics are just OK. Finally I found myself really going along with Brosa/with you and
Almost as bland and unmemorable as Malta’s, ouch…
1. Our choice – Amazing vocals and a great song!
2. Gold Digger – Very catchy and great vibes.
3. With You – Nashville treats and pampers, very The Exes 😉
4. Saviours – Good vocals but something is missing there.
5. Colours – Great vibe, not very memorable but cool.
6. Óskin mín / My Wish – Sweet song but kinda weak.
The others can just forget about their chances.
I honestly dont understand why people think it is a bad selection. Like i literally downloaded 3 songs and they are amazing. With You, Colors and Think it through are my absolute favorites.
I don’t think this selection is bad like people say. My top 3…
1: Think It Through. It took some listens but it is amazing.
2: Colours
3: With You.
Gold digger is OK but too much like Belgium ‘What’s the pressure’. Although that did OK.
Hey guys! So, finally heard them all in both languages and here’s my first thoughts: So many people are saying this is a weak NF. I don’t think it is. But here is the problem; Much like in MESC, the songs don’t vary in genre and style all that much. In Malta, most are poppy up-tempo. In Iceland, almost all are ballads and mid-tempo. It creates a hallo effect of blending it all into one. In NFs like Eesti Laul or Supernova, the variation is enough to notice every song, even if you hate them. In Songvakeppnin, most are too… Read more »
My favourites are ” With you/Brosa” and ” Colours/Litir” both from the same songwiting team. Success! Both are beautifully written, relevant and believable. The folksy element i like very much too. The vocals are amazing on both. As long as they can connect to their audience, the stage is theirs. I also like these songs too….. “Our Choice/Heim”- a powerful message with a stunning vocal. “Think it Through/ Ég og þú”- a beautifully written duet with a folksy instrumental melody. “Hér með þér/Here for you” another nice duet with a more uptempo modern arrangements. I don’t like “Gold Digger” at… Read more »
Second year in a row nothing sticks out that much. Is this really the country of Kaleo, Sigur Ros, Of Monsters and Men and other great performers? Just pay some shmuckaroos to them next year, so Iceland could finally again enjoy some good finals placement!
Also, uf I’d be dictator of Europe, I’d put a language ban on Icelandic songs since they clearly don’t know better. Jokes aside, their language is so beautiful it’s an improvement to any song, so it baffles me that the great stage has seen only one song in Icelandic in this century.
If it doesn’t work out this time, maybe they’ll send GusGus!
“With you” is OK. The rest is very bad.
In France and Moldova, I guess Nassi and DoReDo’s are sure entries for esc. If those two will not be chosen it will be really weird for me.
Iceland should have hope, because last year Svala was so praised by fans, and she was not in the final, this year can be the other way around. Countries should not look for early positive reactions. Better later.
Since every song is just average quality, just send Gold Digger. You may qualify with campy effect. Sadly.
Ég og þú & Heim are the only “kinda memorable” songs in this selection… i was a big fan of Maria Olafs, Greta Salome & Svala but this Söngvakeppnin 2018 is the recipe for a disaster in Lisbon, i watched the preview program in the icelandic TV and 5 minutes later i didn’t remember any of the songs… Aron and Rakel totally dissapointed me!
My first reaction is that Iceland won’t qualify again. But there are several other countries with underwhelming selections, so… I would pick one from “Here for You”, “With You” and “Think it Through”. They’re mildly enjoyable and hopefully at least one of the 3 couples can share some magical chemistry.
Mojo? Gold digger? Someone buy this guy a ticket to 2018.
Most selections are kind of “meh” this year, only producing borderline entries at the most
Most selections are kind of “meh” this year, only producing borderline entries at the most.
I can’g believe how overated this comment section is for battleline and here for you!!! Here for you is the only hope for Iceland! So please Iceland.
I quite like Our Choice and Kúst og fæjo.
Not a great selection but I quite like Svaka stuð/Heart Attack. Not a great choice for Eurovision but the sort of thing that I could listen to.
Battleline and Golddigger are the only standouts…not that great of a selection imo
Basically there’s only one winner here… Think It Through is pure class. But prefer the Icelandic version.
ICELAND WHAT IS THIS? STOP IT! I I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE YELLED AT A GIRL LIKE THIS. WHEN MY MOTHER YELLS LIKE THIS IT’S BECAUSE SHE LOVES ME.
I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. HOW DARE YOU? LEARN SOMETHING FROM THIS. WHEN YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT, YOU LAY THERE AND YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF, ‘CAUSE NOBODY’S GONNA TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOU.
That’s a great comedy sketch, bravo.
I totally agree with you Ioci… i waited for a dance song or a big name… nothing, this selection is a bunch of nothing!
Tyra Bank’s bad acting really cracks me up.
Lmfao love it!
Loci, I wish we could like comments because I would like this 1000 times.
I DONT LIKE ANYTHING O____________O
Sorry, Steinunn Björk, but your country will never win.
I heard the same about Portugal…
Yeah iceland should send a dying singer too with onstage seizures singing in icelandic. Then they will win. With this quality of songs and no life threatening backstory it has no chances.
@Evan, Portugal did not win because of any of the reasons you mentioned. Just because you didn’t like the song and the performance it doesn’t mean that they won because he has health issues. It was an outstanding performance and it was too emotional. I voted for it 10 times. (:
Um, that was the only reason it won. Like, no one I know liked it or voted for it. It was overhyped by the fandom to the point it won…
I think it’s difficult for Iceland to qualify with this.Only songs I like are Colours and Battle line…..neither are great though…..just better than the rest
Here for you and think it through are also not bad
only like 3 songs from this selection they are:
saviour
our choices
with you
hoping one of them wins the rest of the selection is awful imho
I think Here For You is the most modern and subtle choice.
I only “like” two songs.. “Colours” and “With You” are decent but nothing special.. very dissapointed with the quality and also with Aron Hannes, I loved his song “Tonight” but “Golddigger” is just awful.. what is he thinking?
I’m sorry for Iceland because they are the most devoted country in Eurovision, at least in terms of audience, but this songs are going nowhere. They have some quality production behind, but overall they are just average. However, there are some interesting entries: 1. Guðmundur Þórarinsson – Litir/Colours. Typical good vibes love song. Nothing special, but it’s nice to hear it. Could be a decent choice. 2. Áttan – Hér með þér/Here for you. Interesting beat and sounds very 2017-2018, with that “Chainsmokers” vibe. 3. Fókus hópurinn – Aldrei gefast upp/Battleline. Good message and somehow uplifting, but the topic of… Read more »
Look, even an awful song can slay with an original and different stage. As long as it shocks people and the singer has charisma, it has a chance of going to the final.
I really want Iceland to win in my own country. Iceland is a small country but has so many talents. I think HEIM has a chance of going to the final.
Think it Through is giving me Calm after the Storm Vibes(Netherlands 2014) and Monster like me(Norway 2015) ,My Favorite Song so far in the selections :
1-Malo- Ciao(France)
2-Think it Through-Tomas &Solborg(Iceland)
3-Secrets And Lies -Chiara Dubey(Switzerland
4-Forever-Alekseev(Belarus)
5-Madara -Esamiba(Latvia)
6-Safari-Serena(Romania)
7-Kulm- Etnopasty( Estonia)
8-Aleksander Wallmann- Talk to the Hand(Norway)
9-Meggyfa- Tamas Horvath( Hungary)
10-Ieva – When we re old (Lithuania)
11-Qami-Sevak Khanagyan(Armenia)
12-Mikolas Josef-Lie to me (Czech Republic)
13-Eugent Bushpepa-Mall(Albania)
14-Lavinia Rusu-Altundeva(Moldova)
16-Brooke Borg-Heart of Gold(Malta)
clearly no Reykjavik 2019 lol. None of the songs stand out.
All the songs are “good” vocally — but Iceland seems to be stuck trying to go back retro mid-tempo (“With You”), trying to channel Netherlands 2014 (“Think It Through”), going sappy (“My Wish”), or going with the “fighting” theme (“Battleline, “Saviour”) or channeling long past music trends (“Gold Digger”) — They’re all trying a little too hard – the ONLY one that made me want to listen again is Ari’s “Our Choice” – surprising vocals, good message (very Eurovision) – it’s the only one that sounds better in English than Icelandic
Oh Iceland.
See ya in 2019, because these songs mean that u will be back in Reykjavik the following Semifinal morning.
Not the greatest selection in my opinion, but I love With You. I love their voices and the melody. The track is quite simple but it’s a lot better than the rest of the songs. I’m rooting for them !
So I have listened to five so far (in English versions). All are harking back to past 20th Century sounds. I’m sensing a pattern here. Is this the “Salvador Sobral” effect? (Discuss.)
Ari Ólafsson singing “Our choice” – wow what an incredible voice he shows off in the third minute! 😮
1) ”Our Choice”- 12 points
2) ”Battleline” – 10 points
3) ”Think It Through” – 8 points
4) ”With You” – 7 points
5) ”Saviour” – 6 points
6) ”My Wish” – 5 points
7) ”Colours” – 4 points
8) ”Shine” – 3 points
9) ”Gold Digger” – 2 points
10) ”Here For You” – 1 point
11) ”Heart Attack”
12) ”Kúst Og fæjó”
”Our Choice” & ”Battleline” stand out as the best.
”Think It Through & ”With You” are also very nice.
”Saviour” also a strong song.
”My Wish” is a cute song.
All the rest songs are either mediocre or below.
I agree with you, mostly.
Although I quite liked the Icelandic song; at least it was happy. 🙂
Battleline should win!
1. Think It Through
2. Battleline
3. With You
I hope RTP invites Björk for interval act 😀
Where is Aaron Brink… Want his freckles back!, Now!…
“Ég og þú” is the best for me but they need a intro instrumental. Also “Óskin mín” is lovely.
pls Iceland sing in Icelandic!
Agreed, My favorite of the bunch, but needs just a bit more breathing space.
(I was referring to Ég og þú)
Congratulations for a fourth consecutive non-qualification, Iceland :/
Its a radio friendly selection. Not bad but not Amazing. My favourite is ‘With You’. Gold digger I think sounds like something else don’t know what…
Think Iceland could struggle to qualify.
I’ll listen to the songs in a bit. I really hope there’s a potential winner in there.
My opinion after first impresion : ,Here for you` and ,Gold Digger’ are decent songs , and the rest sound outdated for me.
Agree so much !
very bad selection. Battle lines the only good song imo.
Had a quick listen through them all and my favourite was Battleline!