Iceland begins its search for a Eurovision 2023 act on Saturday. Semi-final 1 of Söngvakeppnin 2023 sees five acts battle it out for a qualification spot to the grand final.
Ahead of the semi-final, we want to hear from you. Which acts do you want to qualify?
You can review the competing songs below. Then head down to vote in our poll.
Söngvakeppnin 2023 semi-final 1 competing songs
In the semi-finals, all acts must sing the Icelandic version of their song. Therefore, we’ve included these for you to review below.
Benedikt – “Þora” (Brave Face)
BRAGI – “Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér ” (Sometimes the World’s Against You)
Celebs – “Dómsdagsdans” (Doomsday Dancing)
Diljá – “Lifandi inni í mér” (Power)
MÓA – “Glötuð ást” (Lose this dream)
Poll: Who should qualify from semi-final 1 of Iceland’s Söngvakeppnin 2023?
You can vote for as many songs as you wish. However, you’ll only be able to vote once, so make sure to choose wisely before submitting your votes.
Show details
Semi-final 1 kicks off at 19:45 GMT (20:45 CET). It will be hosted by Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir and Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson.
Two acts will qualify to the grand final. Exactly who that is will be entirely down to the public. Following both semi-finals, a jury may then choose a wildcard act to become the fifth finalist.
Who did you vote for? Do you think the winner of Söngvakeppnin 2023 will come from this semi-final? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I like all the songs but Moa and Benedikt are my favorites from this semi.
Has to be Celebs for me
If she can pull it off, Dilja could have the best vocal at Eurovision if she wins. (Even better than Alika in my opinion). It’s a better song too.
Celebs.
Period.
Benedikt Cumberbatch 😀 Joking. Moa is the best in this semi. And they really didn’t need to have 2 semis
Celebs, they really stand out and their song is enjoyable
dilja for me, i don’t really like celebs too much but i think they will make the final
Celebs’ song sounds like old school Eurovision kitsch.
Celebs and Diljá to go through with Bragi as a possible wildcard contender depending on his live vocals (he impressed on Swedish idol so I have high hopes)
Móa is incredible singer but this song just isn’t a winner, and Benedikt needs way more time to develop as an artist, Þora feels really cheap and tacky.
You summed up my predictions.
Celebs and Dilja.
I love the Celebs! Might be my favorite ESC song this season thus far. I have a tiny glimmer of hope that Iceland will pick them!
#Taste
It’s definitely Celebs for me. It’s the only song in Söngvakeppnin this year that I can see doing particularly well
Could not agree more.
It’s the only song that’s really memorable for me for Iceland. The rest just pass me by.
Agreed.
One of the worst songs imo
Iceland need to send something which will stand out. I liked the trend of them doing that, so I was SHOCKED when Systur won amongst two out there entries, particularly ‘Turn this Around’ last year! I was even more suprised that it qualified to the final! They didn’t do too well! I like the idea of such a tiny country with a tiny popular sending something with some PUNCH! Go back to the previous years with Daddi Freyr and Hatari!
BRAGI for sure! I love his voice and the song.
I might be alone with this opinion, but this is the weaker semi final. Here, just Celebs are kind of nice. The other one has Silja Rós, which is my absolute favourite, and Langi Seli, which is something different for Eurovision.
moa (my favorite) and celebs (objectively iceland’s best shot)
Doomsdaydancing is the only song the stands out from the ENTIRE selection!
Dilja or Celebs for the win whole Songvakeppnin
For me it’s BRAGI and Diljá.
On side note – did anyone notice that Croatia drastically climbed up to 15th place on betting odds? For reference it was sitting at 29th place just 3 days ago… so that’s up 14 places and it seems their odds are only falling..
Controversy gets people talking.
Moa and Benedikt are my favorites from this semi. I love the melancholy in Moa’s entry and the optimism in Benedict’s entry. They both capture relatable emotions really well.