The “10 Years” hitmakers recently revealed that their Eurovision 2021 entry would likely be the last song they released together. And as it turns out, Daði og Gagnamagnið was only ever supposed to be a one time thing. Speaking to wiwibloggs, Daði Freyr told us about the group’s future and his plans for Eurovision 2021 and beyond.
It’s hard to imagine a world without them, but Gagnamagnið almost never saw the light of day. Daði Freyr burst onto the Eurovision scene in 2017, when he and his pals competed in Iceland’s Söngvakeppnin with “Is This Love?”. But Daði tells us that he wasn’t originally meant to compete as a performer.
“I wasn’t going to sing the first song in 2017”, the Berlin-based star told our William, from the comfort of his in-laws’ home in the Icelandic countryside. “I was going to get somebody else to sing it. But in the end, that didn’t work out.” And so, Daði and his close friend Jói began brainstorming ideas about what they could do. Thus, Gagnamagnið was born.
But the group is more than just a performance band. Gagnamagnið is a family affair, consisting of some of Daði’s favourite people. “Hulda is one of the best singers I know, that’s how she came into it. And my sister is also one of the best singers I know, that’s how she came into it. My wife is one of my favourite people, that’s how she came into it. And Stefan might be the funniest guy I know”, Daði explained. “If you’re the best people, you’re invited to the group.”
And though “10 Years” will likely be the group’s last song together, Gagnamagnið’s legacy will continue beyond 2021. “I don’t think it’s the last thing we’ll do together”, the Eurovision fan favourite revealed. “I think we’re gonna try to at least experience Eurovision with no covid — so we want to make a Daði og Gagnamagnið party somewhere where Eurovision is being held. With Eurovision cover songs and general good times.”
Iceland’s Daði Freyr on “10 Years”
Daði also told us about the creative process behind “10 Years”. Beginning work in October 2020, Daði created 12 demos before settling on a song. “I started making beats and seeing if something would stick”, the Gangnamagnið frontman explained. “They were varying degrees of finished — some of them were almost starting to sound like songs, some of them were just a drum beat and a bass line.” He also revealed that some of the tracks that didn’t make the cut will be part of the Daði & Gagnamagnið: Think About Aliens mobile game, set for release later this month.
Even before deciding on his Eurovision track, Daði had his creative vision firmly set. “The video was in my mind the whole time I was writing the song”, he revealed. Inspired by Power Rangers and Paw Patrol, the “10 Years” music video sees Daði og Gagnamagnið team up and use the power of music to fight a giant kaiju monster. He even had ideas about the stage performance, long before he started writing the song. In fact, the “Think About Things” choreography was inspired by Russia’s own Little Big and their “Skibidi” music video!
Though Daði couldn’t reveal too much about his plans for Rotterdam, he gave a small teaser about what we might see on the Eurovision stage. “I can tell you there is new instruments and new costumes”, he said. Last year, Daði og Gagnamagnið created custom keytar-come-saxophone props for their “Think About Things” stage show — so we’re certainly excited to see what new innovations they bring this year.
And what else? Well, Daði also shared some of his post-Eurovision plans. The Icelandic superstar wants to work on a brand new album with all new tracks, and later take his music on tour around Europe and beyond.
What do you think? Are you excited for more Daði music? Would you attend a Daði og Gagnamagnið Eurovision party? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more Eurovision 2021 interviews here
Thank you so much, Una! Was happy to meet him even if just digitally 🙂
Iceland have used an internal selection before 2021 — a few times, in fact. But it’s highly likely Söngvakeppnin will return next year.
“Heaven” was wonderful