Iceland to reveal participants next week!

After two disappointing results, Iceland is getting ready to announce the acts of their traditional national selection the Söngvakeppninni. There will be 12 acts, and the songs can be either in English or in Icelandic. This is the first announced change, as last year the singers could not perform in English until the final. The language rule had been used in Iceland since 2011, but did not bring good results. Most of their acts translated their song to English, and the new versions were not as popular as the original ones.

“Aiming for quality”

The producer Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir is stressing that they are aiming for quality. However he could not reveal much, as everything must be kept as a secret until Friday night:  “I can not say much but I can say that there are on the list performers who have repeatedly been linked with the race but never participated in it before. The law this year is to be really good. ”
The Söngvakeppninni 2017 participants are going to be announced next Friday, January 20th, at 19:40. Consequently, the songs will be available on songvakeppnin.is right after the announcement.
The Icelandic selection process for Eurovision 2017 is starting on Febuary 25th, with the first semi-final and the first six acts. The second semi-final is going to take place on the March 4th. Finally, the final will be on March 11th and is going to feature the top 3 acts of each semi-final. The decision will be made by jury and televote (50% each).

Can Iceland restore their good track record?

Iceland have had a decent Eurovision track record in the last decade. Between 2008 and 2014, they qualified every single year, and even reached a second place with Yohanna and “Is it true?” in 2009. Even though seen as favourites, both of their entries in the last two years failed to reach the final. Will the end of the language rule translate into good results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!