Iceland: Songs submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2025 begin!

Söngvakeppnin 2025 songs submissions process for Eurovision 2025 begins!

Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV is starting the song submission process today for Söngvakeppnin 2025, the televised competition through which the Arctic Circle nation selects its entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. The process followed in recent years is expected to be followed, with Söngvakeppnin taking place sometime in February 2025.

10 songs are going to compete to represent Iceland at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, selected by a special jury. The aim is to make changes to the Icelandic competition with the aim of promoting a more inclusive programme. Different versions of the winning song are also considered.

The process of submitting entries is expected to end on Sunday, October 13.

Source: RÚV

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Iceland confirms participation for Eurovision 2025!

Public broadcaster RÚV has confirmed that Iceland will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

The decision to participate in Basel contrasted with the Icelandic broadcaster’s uncertainty over their participation this year.  As we reported, Iceland’s participation remained uncertain even after Söngvakeppnin had ended.

RÚV announced on Vísir their intention to be in Basel next year citing the popularity of the show as well as the shared values of Eurovision.   According to the official statement, the main reasons for choosing to take part in the Festival are that it is a highly valued event in Icelandic society, a place where many people find happiness and contentment, and a treasured opportunity to spend quality time with relatives across the nation.   Furthermore, several Icelandic singing treasures have come from Eurovision and Söngvakeppnin. This year, 60% of people watched the Eurovision final night, despite Iceland’s elimination from the competition.  This number of viewers is comparable with the biggest sports events and the New Year’s Fair.

In addition to this, RÚV is confident that the EBU will take adequate changes after receiving criticism from other broadcasters after the handling of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

There are now nine working groups at work, and the aim is for them to deliver results from their work in the coming months. Ríkisútvarpið has added its comments in the review, where, among other things, it was reported that there was an extremely negative discussion in this country before the last competition. Almost all nations have already announced their participation in Switzerland next year.

Hera Björk represented Iceland in Malmö.  This was the second time Hera Björk represented Iceland in Eurovision.  She performed in the First Semifinal where she ended in last place.

Source: Vísir

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The First Deadline for Eurovision 2025 Participation Approaches: Which Countries are Still Undecided?

The first deadline set by the EBU for its member broadcasters to submit their preliminary participation in Eurovision 2025 expires on September 15. Following this, and for the next month until October 11, those who have declared participation can withdraw without a penalty. After this date, any withdrawal will incur a penalty. So far, 28 countries have confirmed their participation in one way or another, while some others have not yet clarified their intentions. Let’s take a detailed look at the countries that participated in Eurovision 2024 and have not yet announced whether they will attend Basel or not.

Ireland, Poland, Estonia, Armenia, Croatia: Likely to Participate

Ireland, Poland, Estonia, Armenia, and Croatia are expected to participate in Eurovision 2025, barring any unexpected events. Although the national broadcasters of these countries have remained silent, the presence of their Heads of Delegation a few days ago in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where the Eurovision Workshop took place under the auspices of the EBU, suggests that they will all compete in Basel next May.

Croatia, which achieved its best-ever result in the contest this year, hosted the Eurovision Workshop, making it highly unlikely for the country to withdraw from the next contest. The same is true, more or less, for Ireland, which achieved its best result in 20 years. Despite the issues caused by Bambie Thug in this year’s competition, the Irish delegation did not publicly express any objections.

Armenia usually announces its plans for Eurovision after the Junior Eurovision ends, so their current stance is not surprising.

The public broadcasters of Poland and Estonia are currently undergoing budget cuts, which is why they have not yet announced anything regarding their participation. However, a withdrawal seems unlikely, especially after the participation of their Heads of Delegation in the Eurovision Workshop in Dubrovnik.

What About the Remaining Countries?

Five other countries that participated in Eurovision 2024 have not revealed their intentions for the next contest. Here are the countries:

  • Netherlands
  • Slovenia
  • Iceland
  • Moldova
  • Australia

The Netherlands announced that, following the dramatic events this year with Joost Klein’s elimination from the final, it would wait to discuss matters with the EBU regarding backstage issues. This discussion has begun, and the Dutch broadcaster has received an extension until November 1 to confirm or decline their participation. The atmosphere seems positive between the two parties, and we hope that these discussions will have a happy ending, with the Netherlands participating in Basel.

Slovenia has announced that its public broadcaster will decide in October whether to participate in Eurovision 2025. This aligns with the EBU’s deadline for public broadcasters to withdraw from the contest without penalty, which is October 11. Slovenia’s broadcaster sent several queries to the EBU immediately after the end of this year’s contest, which included questions about the televote.

Iceland was expected to announce its decision regarding Eurovision 2025 in the past few days but postponed it until next week, after the preliminary participation deadline of September 15 has passed.

Moldova is another country that typically delays announcing its plans. However, barring any surprises, Moldova is expected to be present in Basel.

Australia, as always, is a special case. Its contract with the EBU has expired, and each year it requires a special invitation to SBS for the “land of kangaroos” to participate.

Is There a Chance for Another Return?

Luxembourg’s return this year and Montenegro’s announcement of their return for Eurovision 2025 have brought joy and hope to fans for the return of other countries that mainly abstain for economic reasons.

The only countries in this category that have not ruled out a potential return are Romania, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. All three have participated in the contest until recently but withdrew due to financial constraints. None of these countries have publicly ruled out returning for Eurovision 2025, leaving room to hope for at least one more return in the next contest, apart from Montenegro.

How many countries do you think will participate in Eurovision 2025? Let us know in the comments below!

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Iceland: The decision about Eurovision 2025 postponed for next week!

The decision of Iceland to participate in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest 2025, in Basel, Switzerland, was postponed!

As we informed you in our previous article (here), the decision of Iceland’s national broadcaster, RÚV, regarding participation in Eurovision 2025 and the country’s national festival Söngvakeppnin was initially expected to be published yesterday, the 5th of September.

However, this ultimately did not happen as the decision was postponed until next week. The Head of Delegation of Iceland, Rúnar Freyr Gíslason said:

“We are still reviewing the issues, including a meeting that our representatives and the other nations will attend with the representatives of Eurovision after the weekend. The deadline to confirm participation in Eurovision is September 15th. We will announce our decision before then”

Source: visir.is

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Iceland: Tomorrow the announcement of whether Iceland will participate in Eurovision 2025!

Tomorrow, RÚV, the national broadcaster, will announce whether Iceland will participate in Eurovision in Basel next year. The Head of Delegation of Iceland said after this year’s competition that he expected Iceland to participate again next year, but nothing was set in stone.

There was great dissatisfaction among parts of the nation after Iceland’s participation in the competition this year. RÚV and other television stations were urged to withdraw from the competition because of Israel’s participation, and the EBU asked people to stop harassing contestants because of their participation.

Rúnar Freyr Gíslason said that the Israeli participation had a negative impact on the competition. It was not the unifying platform it should be. He said that he expects Iceland to participate again next year, but that has not been confirmed yet.

Rúnar said today in an interview with the news agency that the decision of RÚV on Iceland’s participation in Eurovision will be presented to the nation tomorrow. The format of the Söngvakeppnin will also be announced and presumably the dates for when artists can submit acts and more.

This year Iceland was represented for the second time by Hera Björk and the song “Scared of Heights” but failed to qualify for the final as it finished in 15th and last place of the first semi-final with just three points.

https://youtu.be/VChBgcycVl8

Source: visir.is

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Iceland: Will Söngvakeppninn be changed for Eurovision 2025!

After the Icelandic delegation returned from Malmö, Rúnar Freyr, the Head of Delegation, talked about their disappointing result in Sweden, and their future plans. Read more

Eurovision 2024: Switzerland is the big winner of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest!

The 68th Eurovision Song Contest has been history for a few minutes now, with the big winner being Switzerland represented by Nemo and the song “The Code“.

In a contest marked by drama and a lot of backstory, Swittzerland emerged as the winner with 591 points.

Twenty-six countries took part in tonight’s show, aiming to succeed Loreen and Sweden as the reigning Eurovision Song Contest champions.

The show

Malmö Arena was the venue for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in the Swedish city of Malmö.

The presenters of tonight’s show, as of all the shows, were Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman.

The 25 participating countries that took part in the Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest were:

 

R/O COUNTRY ARTIST SONG
1 Sweden Marcus & Martinus “Unforgettable”
2 Ukraine alyona alyona & Jerry Heil “Teresa & Maria”
3 Germany Isaak “Always on the Run”
4 Luxembourg Tali “Fighter”
6 Israel Eden Golan “Hurricane”
7 Lithuania Silvester Belt “Luktelk”
8 Spain Nebulossa “Zorra”
9 Estonia 5miinust & Puuluup “(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”
10 Ireland Bambie Thug “Doomsday Blue”
11 Latvia Dons “Hollow”
12 Greece Marina Satti “Zari”
13 United Kingdom Olly Alexander “Dizzy”
14 Norway Gåte “Ulveham”
15 Italy Angelina Mango “La noia”
16 Serbia Teya Dora “Ramonda”
17 Finland Windows95man “No Rules!”
18 Portugal Iolanda “Grito”
19 Armenia Ladaniva “Jako”
20 Cyprus Silia Kapsis “Liar”
21 Switzerland Nemo “The Code”
22 Slovenia Raiven “Veronika”
23 Croatia Baby Lasagna “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”
24 Georgia Nutsa Buzaladze “Firefighter”
25 France Slimane “Mon amour”
26 Austria Kaleen “We Will Rave​”

Results

The final ranking of the 25 finalists of Eurovision 2024 was as follows:

The vote of the juries was as follows:

The votes of the public were as follow:

  1. Croatia 337
  2. Israel 327
  3. Ukraine 307
  4. France 227
  5. Switzerland 226
  6. Ireland 136
  7. Italy 104
  8. Greece 85
  9. Armenia 82
  10. Lithuania 58
  11. Sweden 49
  12. Cyprus 44
  13. Estonia 33
  14. Serbia 32
  15. Finland 31
  16. Latvia 28
  17. Luxembourg 20
  18. Georgia 19
  19. Germany 18
  20. Portugal 13
  21. Slovenia 12
  22. Spain 11
  23. Austria 5
  24. Norway 4
  25. United Kingdom 0

Half of the final result came from the votes of the juries who voted last night and half from the TV audiences across Europe who voted for their favourite songs a few hours ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO_qJf-nW0k

What did you think of the final results of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest?

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Eurovision 2024: The viewers of the second semi-final in Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Iceland and Austria!

The second semi-final of Eurovision 2024 took place yesterday with ten more countries getting the ticket to the Grand Final of Saturday.

Read more

Eurovision 2024: Tonight the Jury Rehearsal of the Grand Final!

We are now in the final stretch towards crowning the winner of Eurovision 2024, with just one days left until the Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

Tonight, at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, the Jury Rehearsal of the Grand Final will take place. It’s worth emphasizing the significance of tonight’s show, which is not just a mere rehearsal where delegations try out various stage elements, but a show that could determine the scores they receive from a country that might face technical issues tomorrow night and unable to vote.

The juries of the 26 finalists, as well as the juries of the countries that were left out of the final, will tonight determine 50% of the final result, from which the grand winner of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will emerge.

It’s important to note the running order of the Grand Final:

Hosting tonight’s event, as well as all shows until Saturday, will be Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman.

Through our YouTube channel, you’ll have the opportunity to watch today’s Press and Jury Rehearsals live. So, tune in at 13:30 CET and 21:00 CET to find out how the participating countries in the Grand Final taking place Saturday’s Grand Final fared!

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Iceland: Friðrik Ómar revealed as the spokesperson for Eurovision 2024!

RÚV announced that Friðrik Ómar will serve as the spokesperson for the Icelandic votes in Eurovision 2024.

In fact, Friðrik Ómar is no stranger to the Eurovision community. He represented Iceland in Eurovision 2008 as a part of Eurobandið with the song “This Is My Life“, ending up in the fourteenth place with 64 points.

So far, the following countries have revealed their spokespersons for Eurovision 2024:

  • Azerbaijan – Aisel
  • Belgium – Livia Dushkoff
  • Georgia  – Sopho Khalvashi
  • Switzerland – Jennifer Bosshard
  • Spain – Soraya
  • Luxembourg – Désirée Nosbusch
  • Slovenia – Lorella Flego
  • Greece – Helena Paparizou
  • Italy – Mario Acampa
  • Germany – Ina Müller
  • Denmark – Stéphanie Surrugue
  • Malta – Matt Blxck
  • The Netherlands – Nikkie de Jagger
  • Ukraine  – Jamala
  • United Kingdom – Joanna Lumley
  • Cyprus – Loukas Hamatsos

Iceland was represented this year by Hera Björk and her song “Scared Of Heights“, but on Tuesday night it was not announced among the ten finalists for Saturday.


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