He’s the mastermind behind Iceland’s Eurovision 2020 act Gagnamagnið and the author of their viral hit “Think About Things”. But despite all the success he’s had in recent months, frontman Daði Freyr Pétursson says he won’t return to compete in Iceland’s Eurovision 2021 selection Söngvakeppnin.
Yup. The king of Söngvakeppnin 2020 has told Visir.is that, while he appreciates everything Eurovision has given him, his attention is elsewhere now.
“For my career, this has been a really big springboard, so I can’t complain much,” he said. “Now I have an agent and am talking to a publishing company and all the record companies are trying to catch up with me.”
But no return to Söngvakeppnin?
“No, I will not take part in Söngvakeppnin. We have won this competition once and if I went back then you would feel like people should just pick a person because we had won once and did not go to the competition. It would then not come out well for me to re-enter and not win the race. ”
“I might be ready to compose a song, but I’m not going back to Söngvakeppnin.”
Dadi’s love of Eurovision remains undimmed, as we saw recently when he covered Eleni’s “Fuego”. At the time he said:
“Eurovision was cancelled yesterday, but this morning I asked my Twitter followers to tell me what song from Eurovision they wanted me to play. And this is the song.”
Wearing his signature mint green sweater with 80s era self-portrait, Daði works the mic, synth and soundboards as he lends his deep vocals to Eleni’s sizzling track. As with his would-be Eurovision entry “Think About Things”, he leans toward the funky and soulful, giving the song an entirely new spin.
Eagle-eyed fans may also spot a green bottle of Heineken resting on the bookshelf behind him — perhaps a subtle nod to the Netherlands.
The basketball resting nearby suggests that he makes the most of his height, perhaps shooting hoops when not making music and looking after his newborn daughter — the inspiration for his Songvakeppnin winner.
The description in the YouTube video makes it clear that Daði and his band feel like they’ve gained a lot from Eurovision, even if the experience was unexpectedly cut short.
“I would like to thank the Eurovision community for the support in the last few weeks,” he writes. “Eurovision is cancelled but I am really excited for the future. Now on to make more music!”
He said to Nikkie that he would come to ESC2021 if the Icelandic TV asks him to represent Iceland in 2021, but that he will not compete again, and makes sense to me.
A big loss to the contest! Great shame!
I think having such a unique song for 2020 doesn’t serve him well in trying to write another entry for 2021. I’ve said before but I think The Roop will be in the same challenging position.
Good news, maybe i ceand will succeed to send an artist which
Is not political after 2 years of shamefull behaviour…
Im happy. I don’t get why its so overhyped. Iceland 2011 and Iceland 2014 was better than this. Also Hatari ofcourse. One of the worst groups/bands Iceland have sent. But good luck Dadi very good song
Plox no
He actually said that he would return even as a singer if RÙV asked him directly.
Like Aly Ryan …
Good for Daði. He’s really humble and grateful with this whole situation. Hope he still manages to be in the proverbial Eurovision Hall of Fame
you really think Iceland will cancel their national final? HAHA I have to laugh… You’re a dreamer. you dream a lot in your sleep
I hope they do that. He fully deserves to be internally selected
Sounds like he’ll still go to Eurovision if they want him to write a song, he just doesn’t want to compete in Söngvakeppnin. It’s fair enough. He’s came 2nd and he’s won it. There’s not a lot more for him to do there.
Ohh! I think I started liking him after this! Top class!
This breaks my heart
Okay I’m rioting.
Such a shame he won’t come back, but he is such a good guy. Wish him the best
It would have been very hard to come up with something equally good and memorable. I hope the recognition he got the last few weeks will be enough for him to propel his career in the direction he intended. I’m very sad his song, dance and overall look will not feature in Eurovision history. But he’s a winner in my eyes. Like someone else said here: his song is played on mainstream radio in my country, which is such a big accomplishment as in some years even the winning Eurovision song doesn’t get the airplay. This is a song that… Read more »
Good
Well I’m ok with this lol
What a shame, I believe Iceland would have won this year
I want Iceland to win One day too, but I don’t think “think about things” was the song I wanted Iceland to win with. I told you not everyone may want to come back next year, and I have to say, it’s big on dadi to voluntary step aside so that someone else has an opportunity next year.
Yeah, oculus videre was actually the song I would have loved to see Iceland win Eurovision with, but I have no hard feelings toward think about things.
You guys do know that there is no limitation on how many times a country can win, right? Ukraine won twice with two very different songs. I don’t understand the reasoning I dont want X country to win with X type of song.
I agree with him about coming back the year after, then people only vote for him because they pity him and not because they like the song. His moment was this year and he did get success outside of Iceland so I think he is happy for that.
So hats of for him! 🙂
Now I have even less hope that Norway will keep Ulrikke. Seems like Iceland source was correct when they said a few days ago that all Nordic broadcasters were keeping in touch to decided whether or not to keep NF or choose the internal selection from 2020 artist
If Ulrikke doesn’t get to participate next year I will hope that Norway sits at the bottom of the semis next to Finland, Sweden, Portugal…
It’s confirmed… Ulrikke refused a place as an automatic finalist in MGP 2021 unfortunately 🙁
It’s all a bit sad, but I think he quite rightly recognizes that his song was a “moment”. It was a viral hit, it was very much of the moment. He said that he spent a long time thinking about the concept and the staging – it was not a disposable song or performance that can be easily repeated. I’m pleased that he’s happy to go on to other things, but we really do need some kind of competition for this year, even if we do it ourselves – these songs and these artists need to feel our love.
He’s not only a fantastic artist, but a great person as well. What a kind and respectful decision. I truly believe that he’s destined for success and it wouldn’t surprise me if he became a big name in music industry in the upcoming years. I can’t wait for his new releases and I really hope he comes back as a songwriter, ’cause that talent just cannot be wasted.
Best of luck, Daði, you’re an absolute gem.
Big respect!!!
This is a artist!!!
Love from Germany!
I think we’re getting lost in translation here. It doesn’t say that he’s not going to return as a singer, but that he’s not going to enter a regular national finals where he has to compete against others. He says he would possibly be willing to write a song which I interpret as being willing to be internally selected and represent Iceland as long as he doesn’t have to jeopardize loosing the national finals after winning this year.
Well he wasn’t my favourite by any means he was like 30th or something in my top, so Im not mad, wish him good luck though!
Worthy of respect man
I stand and understand him.
He’s an artist and he enters to competition if he has a song and something genuine and real. Like 2017 and 2020. He will not do it just for do it. He needs to believe in his song.
Again it’s so sad and unfair what happened this year
Aww. Well, I might not belong go those who are so charmed by his music, but this just shows what a strong, assertive guy he is. He won easily and might probably win easily again but he’s been there and done that. A part of me would really like to know how far he could have come at Eurovision, though.
I mean, I’m sad that we’ll never see him on the Eurovision stage, especially with the fun little number he would’ve gone with this year, but honestly? Good for him for saying that he’ll give other artists opportunities and doesn’t want to win on a sympathy vote. I still think it’s bullcrap when national finals are held that kind of give the brush-off to the 2020 competitors (Finland in particular, although their explanation was relatively reasonable), but Dadi is a really good sport to let someone else have the chance.
If Little Big and THE ROOP aren’t going, those are all my favourites gone.
Between the two, I think the roop are more likely to return than little big. Granted, I thought hooverphonic wouldn’t return, but they are.
If Julia, Lazarev, Dima were 2 times at ESC why Little Big can’t go ?
Even Tolmachevy sisters were 2 times
This makes me sad.. His act and song was my fav this year and I hoped for his return.. His song is a hit record in the Netherlands, heard it quite often on the radio.. Good luck to him
i guess they offered him the chance but he refused somehow, there’s no way rúv let go of him like that (after all, they had internal selections in 1999 and 2005).
As well as 2004. Ages ago. Söngvakeppnin is a tradition by now.
In the ’90s, it made a bit more sense, but nowadays it’d be a bit odd. Nordic countries typically have big audiences and Eurovision fanbases (save maybe for Finland, but last year changed that).
So he’s the first artist to decide to not go to ESC 2021?
No, Elisa from Portugal already stated that she would not return to Eurovision as well as FdC way before.