In an interview on radio station Bylgjan this afternoon, Daði Freyr talked about Söngvakeppnin, Eurovision, the cancellation and his musical future. Among other things he said that he does not intend to take part in Söngvakeppnin again.
2020 songs not eligible for 2021
Last week it was announced that the songs that had been selected to participate in Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will not be eligible to compete in next year’s contest. This means the broadcasters has to choose between sending this year’s artist(s) with a different song or finding a new representative. A lot of broadcasters have already announced their decissions, but so far no news have emerged regarding what RÚV is thinking of doing.
Will not take part in Söngvakeppnin again
In an interview with radio station Bylgjan this afternoon, the Icelandic 2020 entrant, Daði Freyr, says that he will not participate in Söngvakeppnin again. He would however love to go to Eurovision. If RÚV wants him to ever represent Iceland at Eurovision, they will have to select him internally for 2021. The reason for this decission is perhaps not what one might expect. Daði told Bylgjan:
“No, I won’t participate in Söngvakeppnin again. We have already won the contest once, and if I took part again I would feel like people would vote for me just because we won already but didn’t get to go to Eurovision. Also, it wouldn’t look too good for me if I participated again and didn’t win.”
He does however not rule out the possibility of returning as songwriter.
Daði Freyr is not too disappointed
Daði goes on to say that for him personally the cancellation of Eurovision Song Contest 2020 is not the end of the world. However, he is upset that he now won’t have the opportunity to experience the huge party that is Eurovision. And of course he has a very good reason for not complaining too much: massive international success!
A huge springboard
When it comes to his music and career Daði Freyr says his victory in Söngvakeppnin is a massive springboard. The huge success “Think About Things” has achieved is unprecedented in Icelandic Eurovision history. This pre-Eurovision journey has so far resulted in millions of streams on all platforms and views on Youtube. And now he is in dialogue with more than one record company. He is back home in Berlin with his family, and is working in his studio. There seems to be new music on the way, and hopefully we’ll get an album before long!
No decision from RÚV yet
The Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV has not made any statement regarding how they intend to proceed in this question. Söngvakeppnin has very strong position in Iceland; it is by a massive margin the most watched national tv-show. The only other program to come close is Eurovision itself. So cancelling the national contest will be a tough decission to make. On the other hand; many Icelanders feel it would be unfair to deny Daði and Gagnamagnið the opportunity to represent Iceland at Eurovision.
Encouraging us to stay positive
In these strange times we live in, Daði and Gagnamagnið want us to think, not just about things, but about positive things!
What do you think RÚV should do? Is a new Söngvakeppnin the way to go? Should Daði and Gagnamagnið be selected internally? And if so, should they be allowed to pick a song themselves? Or should there be a “song selection Söngvakeppnin” in 2021? Let us know in the comments section below, or on social media @escxtra
Please a new Söngvakeppni!!!