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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: 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: Söngvakeppnin 2024 Final Tonight!

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Tonight marks the conclusion of the journey to select Iceland’s representative for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with the final of Söngvakeppnin 2024.

Format

Comprising of two semi-finals and the grand final on March 2nd, these three shows will determine the artist who will compete for Iceland’s colors in Malmö.

Five artists competed in each of the two semi-finals, with the top two in votes from Icelandic viewers advancing to the grand final. Icelandic public television was entitled to give a wildcard to one more artist to participate in the final, which they did.

In the grand final, the result will be determined after two rounds of voting. In the first round, the Icelandic public and an international jury will jointly decide, with the top two in the ranking advancing to the second round. There, only the Icelandic public will have the right to vote, and their votes will be combined with those of the first round to determine Iceland’s representative in Eurovision 2024.

Final

The five artists competing in tonight’s final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 are:

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

The hosts for tonight are Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson, and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson.

The final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 begins at 20:45 CET and can be watched through the official website of the Icelandic public broadcaster by clicking HERE.

Diljá represented Iceland in last year’s contest with the song “Power,” finishing 11th in the second semi-final with 44 points, failing to secure a spot in the final.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments regarding Iceland’s journey in the contest!

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: The results of the second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024!

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Tonight was the second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024, the national process through which the representative of the island of ice and fire is sworn in for the Eurovision Song Contest. This year, however, the country’s participation is not considered a sure thing, as the issue of the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine and the former’s participation in the contest is a point of friction in Iceland’s public sphere. The second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 took place at Truenorth Studio, in Reykjavik.

 

The second night was hosted by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson.

The participants

Five participants competed for the two tickets to the Grand Final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 on March 2.

  1. Sigga Ózk – Um allan alheiminn / Into the Atmosphere
  1. Heiðrún Anna – Þjakaður af ást
  1. Bashar Murad – Vestrið villt / Wild West
  1. MAIAA – Fljúga burt
  1. Hera Björk – Við förum hærra / Scared of Heights

With the completion of the competitive part, the lines opened for the voting of the TV audience. With the voting completed, the two songs that qualified for the final are:

  1. Hera Björk – Við förum hærra / Scared of Heights
  2. Bashar Murad – Vestrið villt / Wild West

At this point, it should be recalled that the jury will be asked to select a fifth finalist as a wild card among the six songs that did not qualify directly from the two semi-finals.

  1. Sigga Ózk – Um allan alheiminn / Into the Atmosphere

Our appointment is renewed for next Saturday 2 March for the Grand Final of Söngvakeppnin 2024.

What is your opinion on the results? Tell us what you think in the comments!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about Eurovision 2024!

 

Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2024 Continues with Second Semi-Final!

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Tonight marks the continuation of the journey to select Iceland’s representative for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with the second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024.

Format

Comprising of two semi-finals and the grand final on March 2nd, these three shows will determine the artist who will compete for Iceland’s colors in Malmö.

Five artists will compete in each of the two semi-finals, with the top two in votes from Icelandic viewers advancing to the grand final. This means that at least four artists will participate in the grand final of Söngvakeppnin 2024, with the Icelandic public broadcaster having the right to grant a wildcard to one additional artist to compete in the final.

In the grand final, the result will be determined after two rounds of voting. In the first round, the Icelandic public and an international jury will jointly decide, with the top two in the ranking advancing to the second round. There, only the Icelandic public will have the right to vote, and their votes will be combined with those of the first round to determine Iceland’s representative in Eurovision 2024.

Finalists

The first two finalists of Söngvakeppnin 2024 are:

  1. VÆB – Bíómynd / Movie Scene
  2. ANITA – Stingum af / Downfall

Second Semi-Final

The five artists competing in tonight’s second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 are:

  1. Hera Björk – Við förum hærra / Scared of Heights
  2. Heiðrún Anna – Þjakaður af ást
  3. Bashar Murad – Vestrið villt / Wild West
  4. Sigga Ózk – Um allan alheiminn / Into the Atmosphere
  5. MAIAA – Fljúga burt

The hosts for tonight are Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson, and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson.

The second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 begins at 20:45 CET and can be watched through the official website of the Icelandic public broadcaster by clicking HERE.

Diljá represented Iceland in last year’s contest with the song “Power,” finishing 11th in the second semi-final with 44 points, failing to secure a spot in the final.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments regarding Iceland’s journey in the contest!

Iceland: The results of Semi-Final 1 of Söngvakeppnin 2024!

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Iceland is on the lookout for its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden. Hence, Söngvakeppnin 2024 kickstarted tonight, since Semi-Final 1 aired with Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson as the hosts of the show.

The show

The show began with Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir and Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson performing a mendley of iconic Icelandic entries, such as “Is It True?” and “Hatrið mun sigra“.

A total of five songs competed in tonight’s first semi-final and eventually, two of them grabbed the ticket to the Final, as it was determined by 100% televoting process.

Blankiflúr – “Sjá þig” / “Love You”

 

CeaseTone – “Ró” / “Flow”

 

Væb – “Bíómynd” / “Movie Scene”

 

Sunny – “Fiðrildi”

 

Anita – “Stingum af” / “Downfall”

 

 

Sigga, Iceland’s 1994 representative performed her Eurovision entry “Nætur” as an interval act.

The results

The two songs which secured their place to the final, after the Icelandic people cast their votes, are:

  1. Væb – “Bíómynd” / “Movie Scene”
  2. Anita – “Stingum af” / “Downfall”
The format

Ten songs are equally allocated in two semi-finals and two entries qualify from each semi-final to the Final, a result eventuating by 100% televote. Meanwhile, the producers of the show have the option to add a fifth finalist as a wildcard from the semi-finalists.

The Second Semi-Final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 is scheduled for next Saturday, February 24th.

The Final is comprised of two rounds. In the first round, the two acts that qualify for the Super Final will be decided by jury and televote. In the second round, the country’s representative will be determined solely by the public vote. The Final is set to take place on Saturday, March 2nd.

It is worth pointing out that Iceland’s participation at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest is under doubt, due to the current situation in Gaza and Israel’s involvement in the Contest. Therefore, RÚV will be in consultation with the crowned winner of Söngvakeppnin 2024 in order to make the final call regarding the country’s participation, with the former having the last word on the matter.

 

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the news regarding the Icelandic participation and more!

Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2024 Commences with First Semi-Final!

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Tonight marks the beginning of the journey to select Iceland’s representative for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with the first semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024.

Format

Comprising of two semi-finals and the grand final on March 2nd, these three shows will determine the artist who will compete for Iceland’s colors in Malmö.

Five artists will compete in each of the two semi-finals, with the top two in votes from Icelandic viewers advancing to the grand final. This means that at least four artists will participate in the grand final of Söngvakeppnin 2024, with the Icelandic public broadcaster having the right to grant a wildcard to one additional artist to compete in the final.

In the grand final, the result will be determined after two rounds of voting. In the first round, the Icelandic public and an international jury will jointly decide, with the top two in the ranking advancing to the second round. There, only the Icelandic public will have the right to vote, and their votes will be combined with those of the first round to determine Iceland’s representative in Eurovision 2024.

First Semi-Final

The five artists competing in tonight’s first semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 are:

  1. CeaseTone – Ró / Flow
  2. Blankiflúr –  Sjá þig / Love You
  3. ANITA – Stingum af / Downfall
  4. Sunny – Fiðrildi
  5. VÆB- Bíómynd / Movie Scene

The hosts for tonight are Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson, and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson.

The first semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2024 begins at 20:45 CET and can be watched through the official website of the Icelandic public broadcaster by clicking HERE.

Diljá represented Iceland in last year’s contest with the song “Power,” finishing 11th in the second semi-final with 44 points, failing to secure a spot in the final.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments regarding Iceland’s journey in the contest!

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!