Eurovision fans around the world let out a collective cheer when 2020 fan-favourites Daði og Gagnamagnið were confirmed to represent Iceland in 2021. Now, Daði has shared an update on preparations for next year’s contest.
Daði Freyr on Eurovision 2021 preparations
In an interview with NME, the “Think About Things” hitmaker reveals that the song selection process is well underway. “Right now, I’m trying to get the Eurovision track done,” he says. “I’m making around 11 rough demos and ideas, then I’ll pick one and focus on that.”
He also teased more music, with an EP potentially coming out next year. Daði warns, however, that he already has a very busy schedule in 2021, and an EP may not be certain. “I want to release an EP somewhere around Eurovision, but I’m not going to promise anything because I have to go on tour and do a bunch of stuff for Eurovision. Competing in Eurovision is so much more than just writing the song and doing the performance.”
Daði Freyr’s Eurovision origins
In the same interview, Daði opens up about the Icelandic Eurovision selection process and talks about his own relationship with the contest. “It’s weird to think at this point how big a part Eurovision has played in my life, because that very much wasn’t where I was going,” he says. “In 2017 I wrote a song and sent it to the Icelandic committee but with no real intention to sing it. I was on the demo and didn’t really want to sing it, but they said I should stick with it and then it kind of went from there.”
“After 2017,” he continues, “that was the moment where music became my first job. It went way further than I ever thought. In the past few years, people are starting to see Eurovision as a different thing. To me, it’s the biggest platform in Europe to promote a song. You have three minutes, a song, a whole production team around you to make a condensed thing, I just see it as an opportunity to make a really cool performance which I would never have done if it wasn’t for Eurovision.”
Iceland at Eurovision 2021
In October, Daði og Gagnamagnið confirmed they would return to represent their home country at Eurovision 2021. Frontman Daði wrote on Twitter: “Eurovision 2021! I’m coming back next year and Gagnamagnið is joining me! So I guess I’m writing another Eurovision song.” Since then, we’ve been on the edge of our seats waiting to hear what the Icelandic-born Berliner comes up with. He even shared a short snippet of a fanfare-like jingle, teasing fans that he had already begun working on the song.
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— Daði Freyr ? (@dadimakesmusic) October 23, 2020
Although many fans are ecstatic about Mr. Freyr’s return, some Eurovision followers may be disappointed to learn that Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic national final, will not go ahead in 2021. This marks the first time since 2005 that the show hasn’t been used to select Iceland’s Eurovision entry. Then RUV internally selected Selma and “If I Had Your Love”.
For now, we will have to sit and wait patiently to hear what Daði og Gagnamagnið bring to the competition.
What do you think? Are you excited to hear new music from Daði Freyr? Will you be cheering on Iceland at Eurovision 2021? Let us know in the comments below.
Play Jaja Ding dong!
When will it be enough for you?!
Calling him Mr. Freyr isn‘t really correct as it is his second name (Petursson is his surname). But thats just a detail.
He‘ll surely have already written some stuff, 11 demos is a lot. As a fan, I‘d like to have at least three songs to chose from just to keep tension high. But well, he knows best as he already did with Think About Things.
Petursson just means that his dad is called Petur, as many (though not all) Icelandic “surnames” carry the parents’ first name, and is patronymic.
I actually know that..
Still Mister Freyr is far from correct here, that‘s why. Call him Mister Dadi Freyr, that‘d be correct but not converting his second name into a surname.
There are few examples of having Mother‘s name instead of Father. Former Football Player Heidar Helguson is named after his mother Helga