Icelandic media outlet Visir has named two artists who might be in the line-up of the country’s pre-selection, Söngvakeppnin 2025.
The first artist is Ágúst Þór Brynjarsson. He is a musician who filled in for Magnús Kjartansson, singer of Stuðlabandin, and performed with the band at all the largest outdoor festivals in Iceland last summer. Ágúst has previously been a singer in the band Færibandin.
The second artist is Júlí Heiðar Halldórsson. He is an experienc and admired singer who has already participated to Söngvakeppnin, having last competed in 2017 with the song “Heim” with Þórdís Birna. Júlí’s mother Þórdís Björk Þorfinnsdóttir has also participated to Söngvakeppnin with the band Reykjavíkurdætur who reached the final in 2022 but lost in the super-final.
Söngvakeppnin 2025
Söngvakeppnin 2025 will once consist of two semi-finals and a final. The semi-finals will be held on February 8 and 15 and the final will take place on February 22. All three shows will take place in RVK Studios in Gufunes in northeastern Reykjavík and will be hosted by Benedikt Valsson, Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir and Fannar Sveinsson.
From 110 submissions, ten songs will compete in Söngvakeppnin 2025. Artists are expected to be announced on January 17, while tickets for all three shows will go on sale on January 21.
There are format changes in the semi-finals and final. In each semi-final, three of the five competing songs will advance to the final. No wildcard will be awarded, meaning that six songs will compete in the final instead of five. For the first time since 2013, there will be no superfinal round in the final. The final result will be decided by public voting (50%) and, for the first time ever, seven international juries (50%). The winner will represent Iceland at Eurovision 2025 in Basel.
Hera Björk represented Iceland at Eurovision 2024 with “Scared of Heights”. She finished last in the first semi-final with 3 points, leaving Iceland out of the final for the second year in a row.
Image Source: EBU / Sarah Louise Bennett | Source: Visir
Iceland debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 and, aside from 2 years of relegation in 1998 and 2002, has participated every year since. The contest is incredibly popular in Iceland, regularly being one of the most-watched programs of the year. Iceland has yet to win the contest but has finished in 2nd on two occasions. In 1999, Selma missed out on victory in Jerusalem by 17 points, and in 2009 Yohanna became the most successful Icelandic entrant ever finishing 2nd in the final with the song “Is it True?”. She scored 218 points, yet still finished 169 points behind the runaway winner Norway.
Tags: Headline Söngvakeppnin 2025
