#ESC2016: ICELAND DECIDES ON 20TH FEBRUARY

Iceland will celebrate 30 years of participating in Eurovision next year and so will naturally be looking for a decent result in Stockholm. Some rules regarding the upcoming Icelandic national selection have been released. 12 artists in total will participate where six will qualify, plus one wildcard, meaning seven acts will battle it out in the final for the Icelandic ticket. Söngvakeppni will take place on the following days:

Semi Final 1 – February 6

Semi Final 2 – February 13

Final – February 20

All songs must be sung in Icelandic during the semi finals, although acts can perform English or bilingual versions of their entries in the final.

Vienna 2015: Semi final 2 rehearsed!

This blogger is slightly behind... opps! The 17 acts in semi final two have all rehearsed now. The countries getting the best reactions seems to be Azerbaijan, Poland and I'd say San Marino. Call me crazy but their performance appeared to me really strong. A shock qualifier? Even though the song isn't the best, I'd still like to see the microstate qualify. Montenegro's rehearsal was awesome too. I think Azerbaijan are winning this semi final and who knows, maybe the final too? The dancers are amazing, the backdrop is superb... They've spent a lot of money on this y'all! Elnur apparently had some technical problems though but that can be ironed out. Switzerland looks great on screen too. Meanwhile, I think Iceland looks fab! And no dancers - thank God!

Slovenia has received mixed reactions. There's some work to be done there me thinks. Ireland also seems to be getting a mixed reaction. Molly's great - we know this - so why does she need backing singers behind her? It looks weird. Hmm.. I still hope to see Ireland qualify though!

Elsewhere we have Cyprus and Czech Republic. Both songs I didn't see qualufrying but I think (and hope) I'll be wrong. Especially in the Czech Republic's case. They're really bringing it.

I'm underwhelmed with Norway. The backdrop is boring and it still seems that Deborah is having nerves on stage.. Oh and I love Portugal's hats!! Finally, let's talk about Sweden! The song you either love or love to hate. Måns Zelmerlöw is one of the favourties to win but his rehearsal has so many dislikes online and it seems people's opinions on the song are changing. I'm think Sweden will do well but who knows?

So the first semi finalists have all rehearsed for the 2nd time today so stay tuned for more...

REVIEWING THE CLASS OF 2015: ICELAND!

María Ólafs will represent Iceland with Unbroken. Is Iceland set to make the final for the eighth year in a row?

Ana: I really love this song and it’s definitely one of my favourites this year. Some people may consider it a little cheesy but I also love that cheesy point. She has good vocals and it’s not a problem for her to reach the high notes at the end of the song. I think that this little fairy of the woods will place very well and she’ll be in the final for sure. 9/10

Ilkar: Another song that lost most of its charm when translated into English. She's kinda sweet, the song's kinda good, the performance is kinda annoying – one can only be content they dropped the dancers from the Vienna act whol ooked like tipsy teenagers anyways, but still.... it's kinda boring one. 4/10

Jack: Hmm, Iceland's entry is pleasant but that's about it I'm afraid. Nothing amazing or extraordinary.. just "nice". I hear the dancers have been scrapped - and that's not a bad thing. It is a song contest after all. However I must say that this is 100% better than the monstrosity they sent last year.. I'll give Maria 6/10

Jess: Well Maria has such a magical voice, and Unbroken is a song I could just listen to over and over. Amazing! 8/10

John: Far from being one of Iceland's most memorable entries  this song is mediocre at best. There is nothing that makes it stand out. A very ordinary song with an unremarkable vocal, whether it makes it to the final is,I think, highly questionable. 5/10

OUR VERDICT - 32/50
OVERALL SCORE - 6.4/10

MARÍA ÓLAFSDÓTTIR TO REPRESENT ICELAND!

María Ólafsdóttir has won Söngvakeppnin moments ago, narrowly beating off competition from Friðrik Dór Jónsson, who was the big favourite to win. 

This blogger thoroughly enjoyed Iceland's national final tonight. Almost all the songs were decent and Eurovision worthy - but they did select the best song I think. Or at least the best for Eurovision. I think she can do very well. Haukur Heiðar Hauksson and Björn og félagar sung their entries in Icelandic however all the other acts opted for English tonight. A great choice! 

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #4!

No less than ten selections are taking place this weekend - including two national finals and Sanremo!

ICELAND
Iceland will be selecting their Eurovision entry tonight. The show will take place at 19:45 CET and be seen here. Who should win? I did a little review and you can read that HERE

• Haukur Heiðar Hauksson - Milljón augnablik 
• María Ólafsdóttir - Lítil skref
• Sunday - Fjaðrir
• Cadem - Fyrir Alla
• Björn and friends – Piltur og stúlka
• Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir – Í kvöld
• Friðrik Dór – Í síðasta skipti

This blogger would be delighted to see Sunday win - although I expect the Icelanders will opt for either Cadem or Björn and friends.. but who knows!

SWEDEN
Eric Saade and Jessica Anderson qualified directly to the final last week - so who will join them in Friends Arena on 8th March?

• Mariette – Don’t Stop Believing
• Emelie Irewald – Där och då med dig
• Linus Svenning – Forever Starts Today
• Magnus Carlsson – Möt mig i Gamla stan
• Samir & Viktor – Groupie
• Neverstore – If I Was God For One Day
• Marie Bergman & Sanne Salomonsen – Nonetheless

Y'all can watch Melodifestivalen here at 19:00 CET.

ITALY
Throughout the previous week, the amazing festival of Sanremo will conclude tonight. The winner will maybe go to Eurovision but if they decline, a special jury will select the Italian representative although it won't necessarily be from tonight's participants. Arisa, who openly wanted to go to Copenhagen, said she'll be up for it IF the winner of Sanremo isn't interested. More of this weeks goings on here. Nek and Il Volo are joint favourites to win tonight!

• Annalisa – Una Finestra Tra Le Stelle
• Bianca Atzei – Il Solo Al Mondo
• Malika Ayane – Adesso E Qui (Nostalgico Presente)
• Alex Britti – Un Attimo Importante
• Chiara – Straordinario
• Dear Jack – Il Mondo Esplode Tranne Noi
• Lorenzo Fragola – Siamo Uguali
• Irene Grandi – Un Vento Senza Nome
• Gianluca Grignani – Sogni Infranti
• Il Volo – Grande Amore
• Marco Masini – Che Giorno È
• Grazia di Michele & Mauro Coruzzi – Io Sono Una Finestra
• Moreno – Oggi Ti Parlo Così
• Nek – Fatti Avanti Amore
• Nesli – Buona Fortuna Amore
• Nina Zilli – Sola

Watch the show here.

LITHUANIA 
The Lithuanian song will be chosen tonight. Once the song has been selected, the three remaining artists will perform it next week and then the overall winner will be chosen. The show will start at 19:00 CET and can be watched here. These songs remain in the competition....

• Dangerous (S.O.S.)
• This Time
• The Right Way

FINLAND 
The 2nd semi final of UMK will be held tonight and these are the participants will be aiming to make the final in a fortnights time:

• Jouni Aslak – Lions and lambs
• Eeverest – Love it all away
• Otto Ivar – Truth or dare
• Opera Skaala – Heart of light
• Shava – Ostarilla
• Siru – Mustelmat

This blogger predicts that Siru, Shava and Opera Skaala will qualify. Catch the show here. I only care for Siru tonight and Eeverest are pretty good too. Here's some special reviews myself and Blogilkar did - read them here.

ESTONIA 
There very well may be ten acts participating in Eesti Laul tonight, although all eyes will be on Elina Born & Stig Rästa's Goodbye to Yesterday. Will they sail through to next weeks final as expected?

• Wilhelm - Light Up Your Mind
• Kruuv - Tiiu talu tütreke
• Demie feat. Janice - Kuum
• NimmerSchmidt - Kellega ma tutvusin?
• Elina Born & Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday
• Daniel Levi - Burning Lights
• Triin Niitoja & John4 - This is Our Choice
• Kali Briis Band - Idiot
• Luisa Värk - Minu päike
• 1Mari - Kolm päeva tagasi

HUNGARY
A Dal also continues tonights at 19:25 CET - and the show can be seen here. This is tonight's lineup:

• Ádám Szabó – Give Me Your Love
• Boggie – Wars For Nothing
• Karmapolis – The Time Is Now
• New Level Empire – Homelights
• Pankastic! – Kicsi A Világ, De Nagy Világ!
• Spoon – Keep Marching On
• Timi Antal – Woke Up This Way
• Vera Tóth – Gyémánt
• Zoltán Mujahid – Beside You

SERBIA 
Serbia are going to chose their song for Vienna tomorrow. Although first, there'll be an introduction show tonight. The three competing acts will be officially reveal their songs and the the winner will be chosen tomorrow night via a 50/50 mix of televoting and a jury.

• Danica Krstić - U ime ljubavi
• Bojana Stamenov - Ceo svet je moj
• Aleksa Jelić - Vodi me

LATVIA 
The first semi final will be held in Latvia tomorrow night.

• ElektroFolk - Sundance
• MNTHA - Nefelibata
• Antra Stafecka - It's the Night
• Framest - Ziemā
• Aminata - Love Injected
• Markus Riva - Take Me Down
• Rihards Bērziņš - Your Eyes
• Euphony - Home

Big favourites to take the crown next week are ElektroFolk, Antra Stafecka, Markus Riva and Aminata.. will they all make the final or could there be any surprise elimination?

Here's the favourite (or at least my favourite) to win in Iceland:

Review: Iceland's Söngvakeppnin 2015!

Iceland will select their entry on Saturday. Seven songs qualified for the final and here's what I think about the competing songs:

SUNDAY offer's something very unique and rather strange to the competition but epic. I absolutely love it. Will Iceland opt for this? I don't think so unfortunately but I'd love to see them in Vienna. With an English translation, it could be the best Icelandic ever. Yep, that's how much I love it. My favourite! Björn og félagar's song is unoriginal and dull but their performance was very good. I don't want to see them win but there's a chance they could. Hmm... My 2nd favourite is María Ólafsdóttir. Somehow she reminds me of Yohanna - Lítil Skref is very catchy and she performs it well. A contender for sure. It's a song you'd expect from Iceland. Friðrik Dór entry is okay but somehow I'm not convinced. Would need some work and an English translation if he was going to do well in Eurovision.

Haukur Heidar Hauksson was awarded a wildcard to the final, so it's unlikely he'll win. I don't really like it. It's all a bit boring.. Meh. Regína Ósk should have been awarded the wildcard instead. Awww, I adore Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir! Her song is so sweet and innocent. I wouldn't complain if she won however I feel Iceland would go unnoticed in Vienna. And finally, we have CADEM and Daniel Oliver. There's no denying it, Fyrir Alla is so unoriginal but it's memorable. The tune stays in your head after listening to it. Will this be the Icelandic entry for 2015? I think so. They have been compared to Alcazar. I predict either CADEM, Elin or Maria will win. But I want SUNDAY!

SUNDAY - Fjaðrir

Björn og félagar - Piltur og stúlka

María Ólafsdóttir - Lítil skref

Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir - Í kvöld

Friðrik Dór Jónsson - Í síðasta skipti

Haukur Heiðar Hauksson - Milljón augnablik 

CADEM - Fyrir alla

Iceland: Here are the finalists for Söngvakeppnin 2015!

Iceland continued their national selection tonight and the following acts made it:

• Haukur Heiðar Hauksson - Milljón augnablik (wildcard)
• María Ólafsdóttir - Lítil skref
• Sunday - Fjaðrir
• Cadem - Fyrir Alla

...and they will join the qualifiers from last week:

• Björn and friends – Piltur og stúlka
• Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir – Í kvöld
• Friðrik Dór – Í síðasta skipti

This blogger didn't watch the show although I'm hearing CADEM were the best. Will they win it? Who knows with Iceland. They have been so unpredictable this year. Regína Ósk shockingly didn't make it through to next weeks final. Anything can happen. I will do a little review of this songs sometime next week. 

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #3!

Another Super Weekend awaits us with no less than eight shows for us to enjoy. Here's a little breakdown of what's planned for the weekend, including Denmark's national final tonight.

DENMARK
The Danish entry will be chosen tonight. Ten participants will all be hoping to win the right to represent Denmark and they are:

1. Sara Sukurani – Love me love me 
2. Tina & René – Mi amore 
3. Marcel & Soulman Group – Når veje krydses 
4. Cecilie Alexandra – Hotel A
5. Andy Roda – Love is love 
6. Julie Bjerre – Tæt på mine drømme 
7. Anti Social Media – The way you are 
8. Anne Gadegaard – Suitcase
9. Babou – Manjana 
10. World of Girls – Summer without you

Read my little review here! The show will take place at 19:00 CET and international viewers can watch the show here.

FINLAND
This years edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu will start tonight with the first semi final. Six acts are aiming to make the grand final on 28th February. Big favourites Satin Circus and Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät will both participate tonight.. Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät have even made headlines here in the UK, as they want to raise awareness for Down's Syndrome. Will they sail through to the final as expected? The show can be seen here at 18:00 CET.

• Hans on the Bass - Loveshine
• Vilikasper Kanth - Äänen kantamattomiin
• Pihka & Myrsky - Sydän ei nuku
• Norman El Misionario - No voy a llorar por ti
• Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää
• Satin Circus - Crossroads

SWEDEN
The much anticipated return of Melodifestivalen will be take place tonight, in Gothenburg. The favourites seem to be Eric Saade and Jessica Andersson... will they both make the final? Will Eric flop? The first semi final of Melodifestivalen can be watched here at 19:00 CET.

• Jessica Andersson – Can’t Hurt Me Now
• Behrang Miri feat. Victor Fritz Crone – Det rår vi inte för
• Dolly Style – Hello Hi
• Molly Pettersson Hammar – I’ll Be There
• Elize Ryd & Rickard Söderberg – One By One
• Daniel Gildenlöw – Pappa
• Eric Saade – Sting

LITHUANIA
The sixth show of Lithuania's selection will also air tonight. It's going to be a very hectic night, y'all!! Mia, Monika Linkytė, Vaidas Baumila, Edgaras Lubys and Jurgis Brūzga will all be hoping to make the next stage of competition. Who will be eliminated and who will survive? The show can be watched here at 19:00 CET

ICELAND
The 2nd semi final of Söngvakeppnin is set to take place tonight. Six artists will be hoping to make the final but only three will make the cut. This bloggers favourite Regina Ósk will compete tonight and I really hope to see her qualify!

• Regína Ósk - Aldrei of seint
• Bjarni Lárus Hall - Brotið gler
• SUNDAY - Fjaðrir
• CADEM - Fyrir alla
• María Ólafsdóttir - Lítil skref
• Haukur Heiðar Hauksson - Milljón augnablik

The show will take place at 19:45 CET - and you will be able to watch the show live here..

HUNGARY 
The final heat of A Dal is also scheduled for tonight. Once again, ten acts will be hoping to make the next stage of the Hungarian selection. Kati Wolf is one of those acts.. will she grace the Eurovision stage once again? Here's the line-up for tonight:

• Bálint Gájer - That's How It Goes
• Barbara Péter - Listen to the Universe
• Boglárka Csemer – Boggie - Wars for Nothing
• Fool Moon - Back 2 Right
• Ildikó Keresztes - Hazám hazád lehet
• Kati Wolf - Ne engedj el
• Other Planet - Untold Story
• Proof of Life - Hol a határ
• Spoon - Keep Marching On
• Zoltán Mujahid - Beside You

And if you fancy seeing Kati's big return tonight, you will be able to watch the show here at 19:25 CET.

ESTONIA 
And if all that wasn't enough, Eesti Laul will also be held this evening. Y'all can catch the show at 19:15
here. The Estonian semi final will feature the following songs:

• Karl-Erik Taukar - Päev korraga
• Miina - Kohvitassi lugu
• The Blurry Lane - Exceptional
• Liis Lemsalu & Egert Milder - Hold On
• Airi Vipulkumar Kansar - Saatuse laul
• Maia Vahtramäe - Üle vesihalli taeva
• Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers - Troubles
• Elephants From Neptune - Unriddle Me
• Elisa Kolk - Superlove
• Bluestocking - Kordumatu

LATVIA
On Sunday, Latvia's Supernova will be held where another ten acts will be hoping to make the next stage of the competition. Watch the show at 19:20 HERE.

Stay tuned... 

Iceland: Three acts qualify to Söngvakeppnin final!

Iceland selected the first three songs for their final last night. Stefanía Svavarsdóttir and Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir shockingly weren't among the qualifies.

• Björn and friends – Piltur og stúlka
• Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir – Í kvöld
• Friðrik Dór – Í síðasta skipti

Another six acts will sing next week and three more plus a wildcard will make the grand finale, meaning a total of seven participants will battle it out for the Icelandic ticket on 14th February.

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #2!

A number of shows will be held over the weekend; including two national finals from Switzerland and Cyprus. We also have shows from Lithuania, Iceland, Latvia and Hungary.

SWITZERLAND 
Six acts are aiming to represent Switzerland in Vienna. The main favourite appears to be Timebelle - and they are closely followed by The Voice winner Tiziana. This blogger would be shocked if one of them didn't win. I would love to see Deborah Bough win though. Check out my full review of the finalists here. More information here.

• Andy McSean – Hey now
• Timebelle – Singing about love
• Tiziana – Only human 
• Licia Chery – Fly 
• Mélanie René – Time to shine 
• Deborah Bough – Take me back to 23 

When? 21:10 CET. Where? here.

HUNGARY
Hungary's national selection continues with the 2nd heat of A Dal. Another ten acts will all be hoping for a place in the semi finals.

• Ádám Szabó - Give Me Your Love
• Chances - The Night
• Gergő Oláh - A tükör előtt
• Gyula Éliás Jr. feat. Fourtissimo - Run to You
• Heni Dér - Ébresztő
• Ív - Fire
• Leander Rising - Lőjetek fel
• New Level Empire - Homelights
• Pankastic! - Kicsi a világ, de nagy világ
• Saci Szécsi & Böbe Szécsi - Our Time

Six will make the next stage of A Dal. When? 21:25 CET. Where? here.

ICELAND
Söngvakeppnin returns this weekend with a rather fine bunch of songs. Stefanía Svavarsdóttir's my personal favourite from the first Icelandic semi. The three most popular songs will make the final on 14th February..

• Stefanía Svavarsdóttir - Augnablik
• Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir - Í kvöld
• Friðrik Dór - Í síðasta skipti
• Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir - Myrkrið hljótt
• Björn og félagar - Piltur og stúlka
• HINEMOA - Þú leitar líka að mér

When? 21:45 CET. Where? Here.

LITHUANIA
Seven acts remain in the Lithuanian selection, and with no immediate favourite, it's still all to play for. Two acts will be eliminated..

• Edgaras Lubys
• Jurgis Brūzga
• Liepa Mondeikaitė
• Mia
• Monika Linkytė
• Neringa Šiaudikytė
• Vaidas Baumila

When? 21:00 CET. Where? Here.

CYPRUS 
On Sunday, the Cypriot entry for Eurovision 2015 will be chosen. The winner will be chosen by a 50/50 combination of televote and jury vote - the jury consists of Despina Olympiou, Alex Panayi, Elena Patroklou, Tasos Tryfonos, Nicola Caligiore, and Dimitris Kontopoulos. Who will represent Cyprus?

1. Hovig - Stone in a River
2. Doody - Magic
3. Panagiotis Koufogiannis - Without Your Love
4. Minus One - Shine
5. Giannis Karagiannis - One Thing I Should Have Done
6. Nearchos Evangelou & Charis Savva - Deila den agapo

I'd like to see either Panagiotis Koufogiannis or Nearchos Evangelou & Charis Savva victorious although I'm still gutted Ioanna didn't make it.... Doody's song is popular for some reason but this blogger isn't a fan. When? 21:00 CET. Where? Here.

LATVIA
And finally, Latvia's selection will also kick off on Monday. The first heat will feature ten songs and four will qualify for the semi final.When? 21:20 CET. Where? Here.

Iceland: Listen to the songs here!

Ahead of Söngvakeppnin's return next week, the participating songs were released and you can listen to them here. It's a very strong line up! 

Iceland: Full line-up for Söngvakeppni 2015 announced!

Iceland once again opts for Söngvakeppni to select their representative and the 12 bidding acts are now know. A couple of familiar names here. Regína Ósk represented Iceland in Belgard, as part of Euroband, where they achieved 14th place. Stefanía Svavarsdóttir and Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir are also back. Erna was a backing singer for Yohanna in 2009. Here's the full line-up:

• Regína Ósk – Aldrei of seint
• Stefanía Svavarsdóttir – Ást eitt augnablik
• Bjarni Lárus Hall – Brotið gler
• Sunday – Fjaðrir
• Cadem – Fyrir alla
• Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir –  Í kvöld
• Friðrik Dór –  Í síðasta skipti
• María Ólafsdóttir – Lítil skref
• Haukur Heiðar Hauksson – Milljón augnablik
• Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir – Myrkrið hljótt
• Björn og félagar – Piltur og stúlka
• HINEMOA – Þú leitar líka að mér

It will all start on 31st January. Enjoy Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir's song from the 2013 selection here.. wasn't she fabulous?

Iceland: National final set for 14th February!

Some details regarding the upcoming edition of Söngvakeppnin, Iceland's national selection, have been revealed. Firstly, the semi finals will take place on 31st January and 7th February. The final will be held on Valentines Day aka 14th February. RÚV, the Icelandic national broadcaster, received a total of 258 songs - only 12 songs will make the contest.. The participants will be shortlisted and revealed within the next few weeks.

Interview 2015: Ása Ástardóttir!

Ása Ástardóttir is Iceland's one and only Youtube Queen, and she's now aiming for Eurovision. Ása competes with the song Don't Stop The Madness - an epic feel-good song with a fantastic video-clip to match! I had the opportunity to speak to her about pink limos, wind machines and being covered in Swiss chocolate!!

Jack - You're originally from Iceland - so why did you decide to enter the Swiss selection for Eurovision?

Ása - Yes, I am Icelandic but I live in Germany and have been traveling around the world. Switzerland offers a great opportunity for independent artist. Their concept of the Eurovision Contest is the most modern and free competition in all of Europe this year. I am very proud to be allowed to send my song to the Preselection in Swiss and to compete with other very VERY creative artist. It´s just so much passion and love in the competition.

Jack - It looks like you had lots of fun filming the video-clip! How was it for you?

Ása - It´s all about fun! When we plan our videos we think of all the fun stuff we would like to see or do or experience. And we just GO FOR IT! I dream of a pink limo – voilá! There is a pink limo and I just jump in! I love old timers! Hello old timer driver, please take me for a ride!!! It´s not complicated making videos. It´s just complicated to get started and go for the things you dream of!

Jack - If you do advance to the Swiss national final and then Eurovision, how will stage your performance? 

Ása - Whatever happens, I will definitely get my wind machine!!! And I might be covered in Swiss chocolate and the beautiful sexy dancers too. Doesn't it sound delicious?

Jack - What would it mean for you to represent Switzerland in Vienna?

Ása - I will be a great representant for Switzerland. I even went to language school to learn Schwiizerdütsch! And I also bring my own big Swiss mountains to the ESC!

Jack - Have you always been a Eurovision fan? Did you watch Eurovision 2014?

Ása - Always, always and forever! The ESC is a never ending glamorous Disco night with friends from all over Europe! There is no life without the song contest! And Conchita just proved my point. What a sensational personality.

Jack - Here are a few random questions for my readers to get to know you a little bit better. Where is your favourite place to holiday?

Ása - My life is one big holiday! I am always hungry for new things and there will always be a place I haven’t been to.

Jack - Your favourite alcoholic drink?

Ása - There is no drink without alcohol in my life. I especially enjoy everything sparkling!

Jack - Can you speak any foreign languages?

Ása - I speak the languages of love and a few others.

Jack - Apart from songwriting and singing, what other interests do you have?

Ása - I am a big girl, and my size and style requests creativity, so I looove designing my clothes and hair decorations. I collect nailpolish and everything in pink or with bling bling!  

Jack - ÞAKKA ÞÉR! Thank you so much - I wish you the best of luck!

Ása - Big Kisses!!!

Y'all can vote for Ása here - and enjoy her song below...

Missed Opportunities 2014: Iceland!

Pollapönk won the Icelandic national final back in February, and it's safe to say that I wasn't thrilled with the outcome. However Iceland still managed 15th place in the final - which isn't to shabby at all! Söngvakeppnin 2014 did offer a few gems:

Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir - Amor
I remember watching the Icelandic national final, and I was gutted when Ásdís failed to win the ticket to Copenhagen. Amor is a strange song - there's no denying it, but for some reason it's great. Her voice is unique and it completely suits the song. The Icelandic people didn't approve though... Predicted result in Copenhagen: 11th to 15th place in the semi-final. I don't think it would have appealed the average Eurovision viewer, unfortunately.

Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir - Lífið kviknar á ný
Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir came 2nd with Lífið kviknar á ný. Sigríður gave a great performance in the national final. Very burlesque. And a very happy little song! Me gusta!

Introducing 2014: Iceland!

Söngvakeppnin was held once again to decide the Icelandic entry. This selection was probably one of the weakest this year.. I only liked a couple of entries. My favoutite was Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir with Amor and I also rather enjoyed Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir's entry which was entitled Lífið kviknar á ný. She made the super-final although Pollapönk won with Enga fordóma - which was soon translated to No Prejudice. I don't dislike it, I just think Europe will see this as a joke entry. Maybe it'll be the surprise qualifier? But I hope not... I understand the importance of the message they are conveying but I just think the song itself is terrible. A good message but an awful song. Sorry Iceland, but you are my least favourite this year...

Iceland: Pollapönk win!

WTF?!?! Iceland has selected the worst song in their selection tonight.. yep, Pollapönk will fly the Icelandic flag in Copenhagen. A terrible shame. They had Ásdís, Greta, Sigríður and even Gissur - however for some bizarre reason, they opted for Pollapönk.

I guess it has charms for some people although I think it's terribly annoying. It's even more annoying than last years Latvian entry... Oh well! Good luck Iceland (you are seriously going to need it). Sigríður came 2nd, and she would have been a decent choice.

Iceland: Söngvakeppnin final tonight!

Iceland is the next country to choose their representative! Söngvakeppnin has already seen two semi finals where four acts qualified directly to tonight's final and another two were awarded a wildcard by a jury. The line-up isn't great but there is one gem. Ásdís María Viðarsdótti's "Amor" is brilliant - it's defiantly unique however she only made the final because she was awarded the wildcard. Therefore I can't see Iceland opting for this...

Realistically, it's between Greta and Gissur - and maybe F.U.N.K? I'd be surprised if one of them didn't win.. It's a shame Magni Ásgeirsson didn't try again this year as he would've walked it. These are tonight's hopefuls anyway:

• Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir – Eftir eitt lag
• Gissur Páll Gissurarson - Von
• F.U.N.K. - Þangað til ég dey
• Pollapönk - Enga fordóma
• Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir - Lífið kviknar á ný
• Ásdís María Viðarsdótti – Amor

The show can be watched here at 20:45 CET!

Iceland: Listen to the songs!

Yesterday, the Icelandic songs were revealed! I haven't really heard many of the entries but Ásdís María Viðarsdótti's song is really nice. The first semi final will take place this weekend. Y'all can listen to the songs here - and here you can see the participants and song titles:

Semifinal 1 – 1 February

• Sverrir Bergmann - Dönsum burtu blús
• Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir – Eftir eitt lag
• Gissur Páll Gissurarson - Von
• Ásdís María Viðarsdótti – Amor
• Vignir Snær Vigfússon – Elsku þú

Semifinal 2 – 8 February

• Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir - Lífið kviknar á ný
• Guðrún Árný Karlsdóttir - Til þín
• F.U.N.K. - Þangað til ég dey
• Guðbjörg Magnúsdóttir - Aðeins ætluð þér
• Pollapönk - Enga fordóma

NuVidz: Aram MP3, Greta Salóme, Tooji, Farid Mammadov!

Aram MP3 was announced as the Armenian representative on New Year's Eve and the day after he released Just go on. Nice song and it's defiantly a brave choice from Armenia... his ESC track will be revealed next month - I'm very excited about Armenia's song actually. I think it'll be great. Greta Salóme, Iceland's 2012 representative, has re-worked a well known Norwegian hymn. It's entitled Vetrarsálmur. What do you think? Rebels is very different from Tooji's normal style but I really love it. Why have I only just discovered it? Anyway, I always thought he was really underrated in Baku and "Stay" was amoung my favourites that year. Azerbaijan are always successful in Eurovision - and 2013 was no exception as they came 2nd with Farid Mammadov. Well he's back with a new single! Farid has released Her an yanimda, which is kinda boring but the Azeri language is so beautiful! I really wish Azerbaijan would sing in their native language one year.