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Three countries, one mission: Bashar Murad eyes Eurovision once more

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Palestinian artist Bashar Murad, renowned for blending Arabic pop with international musical influences and for his activism, has sparked fresh excitement with a TikTok post hinting at potential submissions to the national selections of three Eurovision countries: San Marino, Ireland, and Iceland. This comes after his near-success in representing Iceland at Eurovision 2024 with his politically charged song “Wild West.” Ultimately, he narrowly missed securing his ticket to Malmö, losing to Hera Björk.

Murad’s participation in Söngvakeppnin, Iceland’s national selection, ignited significant debate. While his music was celebrated for its artistry, it also drew political attention due to his Palestinian roots and the global context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

San Marino, a country known for its openness to international artists, and Ireland, celebrated for its embrace of cultural diversity, stand out as logical choices for Murad’s ambitions. Meanwhile, Iceland, having already showcased Murad’s unique voice and perspective, remains a plausible contender for his renewed attempt to secure a spot on the Eurovision stage.

Whether his efforts will culminate in a Eurovision appearance is yet to be seen. However, his journey continues to inspire discussion, drawing both support and criticism from various audiences.

Stay tuned for updates as the story unfolds!

Iceland: “There was no Israeli intervention in Songvakeppnin” says Yogel Segav

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Yongel Segav in his message to Eurovisionfun gives explanations for the issue that is being accused by a part of the Icelandic press today. Specifically, on behalf of KAN, he tried and succeeded in interfering in Songvakeppnin, in order to prevent the victory of Bashar Murad.

Yongel Segav explains to Eurovisionfun that the facebook group in which they are mentioned as instructing its members to support Hera Bjork so that she is the winner of Songvakeppnin and not Bashar Murad, is a small group of 400 members, of which only half are Icelandic. In addition, he adds that this was simply a proposal to friends, as there were similar proposals from dozens of pro-Palestinian activists in favor of Bashar Murad.

Hello, I’m Yogev Segal. The man who was written about in that lousy tabloid in Iceland. I work at KAN, it’s my daily job. I am working as a broadcast operator, a totally technical position in KAN channel. This fact has nothing to do with the matter. KAN has no role in this.

I have a deep connection with Iceland and Icelanders, I have visited Iceland 8 times and I have a website for travelers to Iceland in Hebrew. The “campaign” referred to in the article is nothing more than a post to a group of 400 people, half of whom are Israeli and half Icelandic. The post was worded in a very peaceful way – not against Bashar but against the meddling of politics in Eurovision.

Those who voted are Icelanders, not me. There is no “interference” here. In the superfinal, Hera won by a wide margin. As Palestinian activists wrote on every social network to vote for Bashar, I proposed something different, to a small group of people, some of whom are just my friends. There is nothing wrong with that! This is not an intervention. They tried to create a conspiracy theory.

Icelandic public television today confirmed that Hera Bjork will represent the country at Eurovision 2024 with the song Scared of Heights, putting an end to rumors that the country would withdraw from the contest, and to the questioning of Hera’s victory to the national final.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Iceland: A songwriter from “Scared of Heights” has left the Eurovision team!

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Following the conclusion of Söngvakeppnin 2024, news in Iceland have been running fast. While we wait for RÚV to decide whether the island nation will be present in Malmö or not, one of “Scared of Heights” songwriters has decided to opt out of the team.

Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir has stated that she will not be following Eurovision 2024, regardless of RÚV’s decision. The question is, what are the reasons behind her withdrawal?

“Bashar Murad should have gone instead”

Söngvakeppnin’s results sparked widespread criticism in Iceland, as Bashar Murad’s entry won the first round of voting but lost to Hera Björk in the second round. Many viewers expressed concerns about voting irregularities, claiming that votes for Bashar Murad were counted for Hera Björk instead. Furthermore, the co-author of Bashar Murad’s entry demanded an independent investigation of the contest’s results in order to maintain the organization’s trust and reputation.

I suggested to RÚV that that result be left standing and that Bashar be allowed to enter the final competition as the undisputed winner of the competition. Maybe Hera would be allowed to go next year instead, but they rejected that idea.

Hence, she has decided to withdraw from Eurovision:

But I won’t follow the song to the finals if that happens. My conscience just won’t allow it.

Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir also conveys her disappointment at the hate speech Bashar Murad has been subjected to in Iceland, particularly when it is directed at someone who is on a “global mission“:

I have been in shock. Bashar is on a global mission. This scene was amazing and I admire him and his whole team. He is a brave and talented artist and I admire him and his professionalism throughout this process.

Her decision to opt out was strengthened by those racist remarks and actions, as she felt that:

And I have no interest as a songwriter and artist in winning a competition because of racism.

Israel’s involvement has also played its part

After the events in October, Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024 has become a hot topic in Iceland. Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir had no idea what would happen when submitting the song to Söngvakeppnin 2024 in the late summer.

Nonetheless, Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir notes that despite her withdrawal:

I feel in a miserable position, but I’m still proud of Hera and her impeccable performance. There are a lot of people who put their all into making the scene as good as it really was. I do this in full love and respect for Hera and all the others.

Iceland still to reach its final decision

In January, RÚV stated that the country’s participation in Malmö is uncertain and will be discussed after the conclusion of Söngvakeppnin 2024. The decision would be made by RÚV’s group and the winner of the national selection.

Hera Björk herself wants to be a part of the Eurovision community once again and seems positive to participate in Eurovision 2024.

However, no decision has still been made from RÚV’s side. According to Rúnari Frey Gíslason, the director of Söngvakeppnin:

The deadline for submitting data to the EBU is March 11. We are still looking into the matter.

We are now awaiting whether a consensus will be achieved on RÚV’s group, which will take the final decision.

The final decision is expected till tomorrow, so fingers crossed!

In case everything goes as planned, Iceland is allocated to perform at the second half of the first semi-final on May 7 with Hera Björk and “Scared of Heights“. It will be Hera Björk’s second time-as a representative-on the Eurovision stage, having previously represented Iceland in 2010.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: ruv.is

Iceland: Bashar Murad calls for the annulation of Söngvakeppnin’s super-final!

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The drama surrounding Söngvakeppnin 2024 results continues strong. Following the reveal of Söngvakeppnin 2024 detailed results, Bashar Murad publicly disputes the outcome and calls for the annulation of the super-final.

Regarding the detailed results, he stated via his official X account:

The duel has got to go.

Iceland 2024: The detailed results of Söngvakeppnin

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Iceland public broadcaster RUV has published the detailed results of the Icelandic national final Söngvakeppnin.  Hera Björk won the national final against early predictions.  These results were put into question almost immediately by Bashar Murad’s fans.  There were evidence of alleged irregularities in the voting process.  Moreover, the co-author of “Wild West” demanded an independent investigation to clear these accusations.

Following this controversy, RUV has published a statement.  In their response, RUV admits that there were mistakes in the voting process in particular in the SMS voting.  However, according to them, the difference in the number of votes between the first and second place is so significant that the final result still stands as valid.

The mistake in conducting the SMS election consisted in the fact that in the duel between the two top songs, there was a typing error with the SMS numbers of both contestants, which were used when sending SMS from an app to the system of the telephone companies. This resulted in the fact that neither of the songs received the SMS votes they were intended for from the app.

The detailed results

Bashar Murad won the first round of Söngvakeppnin as you can see in the first results:

Number of votes in the previous round The verdict of the jury
Bashar Murad – Wild West 26,359 21,304
VÆB – Bíómynd 15,727 13,656
Hera Björk – Scared of Heigts 15,406 16,661
Sigga Ózk – Into The Atmosphere 14,595 16,114
ANITA – Downfall 10,124 14,476

However, Hera Björk took the lead in the final duel between the top 2, making her the overall winner of the Iceland final.  Here are the final results:

Call-in votes Number of SMS votes
Hera Björk – Scared of Heigts 68,768 1,109
Bashar Murad – Wild West 49,832 1,005

These are the final results obtained from adding the votes of the first round, from the public and the jury to the votes received in the final duel. Hera’s song won with 100,835 votes against 97,495.

Total number of votes
Hera Björk – Scared of Heigts 100,835
Bashar Murad – Wild West 97,495

Source: RUV

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for more news about Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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Iceland: The co-author of “Wild West” demands independent investigation into Söngvakeppnin’s 2024 results!

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Söngvakeppnin 2024, the Icelandic national selection for Eurovision 2024, was concluded past Saturday with Hera Björk winning. Hera Björk’s win was against all odds and was not welcomed by many, as everyone expected Bashar Murad to take the trophy.

While, RÚV has announced that it will hold an investigation on Saturday’s voting results and the alleged glitch in the voting platform, the co-creator of the song “Wild West“, Einar Hrafn, which finished second, now demands an independent investigation on this issue.

Einar Hrafn’s demand

Einar Hrafn addressed a letter to RÚV’s general manager Stefán Eiríksson, TV director Skarphéðinn Guðmundsson, and Söngvakeppnin director Rúnar Frey Gíslason.

In the letter, he states that there should never be any doubt about whether the vote was legal and valid. He claims to have received several messages describing the difficulties they encountered while attempting to vote. According to Einar Hrafn, it is absurd for Iceland’s broadcaster, RÚV, to believe that it can conduct an internal investigation on its own. An independent (external) investigation is needed to ensure the trust and reputation of Söngvakeppnin.

Bashar Murad’s team requests two things:
  1. First, an independent investigation will be launched, conducted by independent individuals, to determine whether voting was properly conducted and whether there are any discrepancies between phone and app voting.
  2. They do, however, want telephone voting repeated, free of charge to the public, with only one vote allowed per person.

What is exactly in question?

According to Icelandic viewers, the voting process during the superfinal was problematic. Many Icelanders, in particular, complained on social media that their votes for Bashar Murad were counted for Hera Björk instead, based on the messages they received in response from RÚV.

RÚV responded to the accusations and announced that the matter is under investigation. However, they also stated that the alleged flaw in the voting could not affect the outcome of the evening because the difference between the two candidates was chaotic.

In fact and as mentioned by Söngvakeppnin’s director, Rúnar Freyr Gíslason:

But for the avoidance of doubt, we would like to state that the total number of SMS votes received by these two contestants was not so decisive that it would have influenced the results. In other words, even if all the sms votes that the winning song received would have gone to the song that landed in 2nd place, it would not have changed anything about the final result. Vodafone representatives, who were there throughout the competition and took care of the counting of SMS and call-in votes for RÚV, confirm this.

Einar Hrafn is now waiting to receive an answer from RÚV’s officials.

Iceland has yet to decide whether it will participate in Malmö. As revealed a couple months ago and due to Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision 2024, RÚV would decide along with Söngvakeppnin’s 2024 winner whether they will participate in Malmö. No such decision has been made-at least public-yet.

In case everything goes as planned, Iceland is allocated to perform at the second half of the first semi-final on May 7. It will be Hera Björk’s second time-as a representative-on the Eurovision stage, having previously represented Iceland in 2010.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: RÚV

Iceland: Söngvakeppnin’s 2024 results are in question!

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Last night, Söngvakeppnin 2024, the Icelandic national selection for Eurovision 2024, took place. Out of the five finalists, two qualified to Söngvakeppnin’s super-final, Hera Bjork and Bashar Murad, who was the hot favorite of the selection. Despite all odds, Hera Björk, was crowned winner of the selection with her entry “Scared of Heights“.

However, following the conclusion of the national final, there is a big backlash among Eurovision fans, also Icelandic, who question the results of the public’s voting. Bearing in mind that Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024 has emerged to a big issue to Iceland’s public sphere and the fact that Bashar Murad is Palestinian, the results yesterday were not welcomed by the fandom.

Why are Söngvakeppnin 2024 results in question?

According to Icelandic viewers, the voting process during the superfinal was problematic. Many Icelanders, in particular, complained on social media that their votes for Bashar Murad were counted for Hera Björk instead, based on the messages they received in response from RÚV.

RÚV’s reply

RÚV responded to the accusations and announced that the matter is under investigation. However, they also stated that the alleged flaw in the voting could not affect the outcome of the evening because the difference between the two candidates was chaotic.

According to the director of Söngvakeppnin, Rúnar Freyr Gíslason:

Comments like this come every year. Of course, we always investigate the matter. These comments refer to the SMS votes that can be sent through the app, RÚV Stjörnur. No comments have been made regarding the other voting platforms that were available. We are currently examining with the creators of the app whether a mistake may have occurred, and we expect results from that examination soon.

Moreover,

But for the avoidance of doubt, we would like to state that the total number of SMS votes received by these two contestants was not so decisive that it would have influenced the results. In other words, even if all the sms votes that the winning song received would have gone to the song that landed in 2nd place, it would not have changed anything about the final result. Vodafone representatives, who were there throughout the competition and took care of the counting of SMS and call-in votes for RÚV, confirm this,

Finally, he assured that the full results for all Söngvakeppnin shows will be made public as soon as possible, as it is always done.

Iceland has yet to decide whether it will participate in Malmö. As revealed a couple months ago and due to Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision 2024, RÚV would decide along with Söngvakeppnin’s 2024 winner whether they will participate in Malmö. No such decision has been made-at least public-yet.

In case everything goes as planned, Iceland is allocated to perform at the second half of the first semi-final on May 7. It will be Hera Björk’s second time-as a representative-on the Eurovision stage, having previously represented Iceland in 2010.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: visir.is

Iceland: Bashar Murad’s video for “Wild West” available now!

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Iceland is close to selecting their Eurovision representative for their national final Söngvakeppnin.  As in other national finals, the current political climate has been the elephant in the room.  The public has scrutinized the broadcaster’s stance in the Israel-Palestina conflict.  It is therefore, no surprise that a competitor in particular has caused controversy.  Palestinian singer  Bashar Murad is among the competing acts to represent Iceland.  Bashar had previously collaborated with 2019 representative Hatari who waved a Palestine flag as a protest during the night of the Grand Final.

Bashar’s identity has sparked both support and controversy among fans making him a favorite to represent the country.  Moreover, Iceland has climbed the betting odds based on the significance of this possible selection.

Today, Bashar Murad released the Video Clip for his Söngvakeppnin song, “Wild West” .

Bashar Murad gained recognition in Iceland after collaborating with  Hatari  in 2019, after the end of that year’s contest. However, in an interview with RUV, Bashar Murad denied the accusations that his participation was a political stunt.  Additionally he said that he is not sure whether he will finally participate in Eurovision 2024, if he ends up winning Söngvakeppnin.

The Grand Final of Söngvakeppnin  takes place next Saturday,  March 2.  Five artists  will perform on the stage to represent Iceland in Malmö !

The running order will be:

  1. VÆB  – “Bíómynd ”
  2. Hera Björk –  “Scared of Heights”
  3. ANITA –  “Downfall ”
  4. Bashar Murad –  “Wild West ”
  5. Sigga Ózk  –  “Into The Atmosphere”

The result of the Grand Final, will consists on  two rounds of voting.  Firstly, he Icelandic public and an  international jury will decide the best two acts who will advance to a  second round. After that, the public will vote once again.  However, this time only the televote will decide the winner.  Finally, the vote of the public in the second round will be added to the votes of the first round and will determine the winner of Söngvakeppnin.

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for more news about Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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Iceland: Bashar Murad has not decided whether he will take part in Eurovision 2024!

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Bashar Murad is, so to speak, the face of the days. The artist of Palestinian origin, who is one of the ten candidates in Iceland’s national final for Eurovision 2024, says in an interview on the country’s public television that he has not decided whether he will participate in the contest, since of course he is the winner of Söngvakeppnin .

The news of Bashar Murad’s participation in Söngvakeppnin, before we had even heard his song, was enough to propel Iceland to the top of the betting table.

Bashar Murad rose to prominence in Iceland after collaborating with Hatari in 2019, right after Eurovision ended that year. In an interview with RUV, Bashar Murad denies the accusations that his participation is essentially a tool of political exploitation, while he answers that he has not yet decided whether he will finally participate in Eurovision 2024, since he is the winner of Söngvakeppnin.

We actually started working on this project a year and a half ago and considered participating in the competition last year (2023). But we decided it would be best to wait another year. So the work on this started in August last year…And who knows what will happen? It also depends on the situation we are in. Things change day by day. I take it one day at a time.

RUV has declared that its participation in Eurovision 2024 is not a given and the decision on this will be made after the end of Söngvakeppnin, in consultation with the winner of course.

Iceland will decide on Eurovision 2024 on March 2. You can listen to Bashar Murad’s Wild West in the video below:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: RUV

Iceland: First favourite to win Eurovision 2024 according to the bookies!

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It took Iceland around 24 hours to climb to the top of the betting table in terms of the likelihood of winning Eurovision 2024. The news that among the candidates in Söngvakeppnin 2024, the country’s national final for the contest, there is a Palestinian artist among them, has sent Iceland’s odds plummeting and now the possibility of its first ever Eurovision win is more likely than ever, at least according to betting companies.

The announcement by Icelandic public broadcaster RUV that among the 10 candidates for the semi-finals of Söngvakeppnin 2024, there is also Palestinian Bashar Murad, brought a strong shock to the Bookers. Iceland may be thinking about their participation in Eurovision 2024 and even “threatening” to pull out of the contest, but the message sent out by the participation of a Palestinian artist in the country’s national final and Iceland‘s eventual representation in Malmö by him, is apparently enough in its favour to put it at the top of the betting in terms of the possibility of winning Eurovision 2024.

So Iceland have now passed superpower Ukraine who have been at the top for days now, and the UK who via BBC and with their superstar Olly Alexander as their representative are aiming very high this year, leaving them in second and third place respectively.

RUV revealed that they will make their final decision on whether or not to participate in the upcoming song contest after the end of Söngvakeppnin 2024, and in consultation with the winner. Iceland‘s national final concludes on March 2, so we will know then if Iceland will finally make it to this year’s competition or not.

Of course, in this year’s very fluid landscape, all of the above can easily be overturned. Either because Bashar Murad‘s song with which he will participate in the Icelandic national final will not be the expected one, or because the Palestinian artist will not win in Söngvakeppnin after all and will not be the one who will be nominated to represent Iceland in Malmö. In that case, everyone who rushed in the last few hours to put their money on a possible Icelandic victory will have blown their money.

The many swings we have seen at the top of the betting this year bode well for an exciting year where we will not know the winner early on, as has been the case in the past two seasons. Always, of course, under the condition that no one song will emerge as a standout and the betting companies will anoint it as the firm favourite, as happened with Stefania and Tattoo. We are probably heading towards a repeat of 2021, where things were not even clear in rehearsals, as we had 3-4 songs that were almost equally contested by bettors to win.

Do you think Iceland will be able to get their first win in May in Malmö? Tell us in the comments below!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!