Tonight we saw the first two acts go through to the final of Söngvakeppnin 2023, which takes place on March 4th; BRAGI with “Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér” and Diljá with “Lifandi inni í mér“.
The two qualifiers were chosen by 100% televote. The Icelandic people could vote by calling, SMS and, for the first time, also in the RÚV störnur app.
Semifinal 1
In tonight’s semifinal the acts performed in the following order:
- Þora/Brave Face – Benedikt
- Lifandi inni í mér/Power – Diljá
- Dómsdagsdans/Doomsday Dancing – Celebs
- Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér/Sometimes the World´s Against You – BRAGI
- Glötuð ást/Loose this dream – MÓA
As always in the semifinals all the artists were required to perform the Icelandic version of their song. When we reach the final on March 4th the four direct qualifiers and possible wildcard will perform the version they intend to take to the Eurovision stage should they win Söngvakeppnin. Both of tonight’s qualifiers have both an Icelandic and English version, so we don’t yet know which language they will select for the final.
Guest performance
In the past few years RÚV has given us great interval and opening acts, both in the semifinals and in the grand final. Previously we have seen artists like Högni, Greta Salóme and impressive line-ups of former participants. Tonight the opening act was none other than Fríðrik Dór, who most of you will remember as runner-up behind María Ólafs. He treated us to his hit “Dönsum eins og hálfvítar (Dancing like idiots)”. He also performed his Söngvakeppnin-entry “Í síðasta skiptið” while we waited for the results.
Do you think the right two songs qualified for the final? Who is your favorite? And do you think one of the three remaining songs deserve the wildcard? Let us know by leaving a comment below! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite ESC and JESC acts.
