Last month, Icelandic broadcaster RUV confirmed that Iceland will be participating in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. As expected, Söngvakeppnin will be returning as their selection process following a year break due to the internal selection of Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið. The final of Söngvakeppnin 2022 is due to take place on March 5.
In September, Iceland’s RUV confirmed the return of Söngvakeppnin for 2022, thus announcing their participation for Eurovision 2022. The song submission window opened for once month, closing on October 6. In this time, the broadcaster received 160 songs.
The ten competing acts are due to be revealed in January. The format will be similar to previous editions, with two semi-finals and a final (including a Superfinal stage). In the semis, two songs will be selected via the public vote, with a fifth finalist being determined by a jury save. In the final, the Superfinalists will be selected by a 50:50 public:jury vote, with the overall winner being determined by a final televote.
The dates for the selection are as follows:
- February 19: Semi-final one
- February 26: Semi-final two
- March 5: Final
Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, project manager of Söngvakeppnin, has confirmed that the selection committee has already started work on choosing the shortlisted participants.
The selection committee has a lot of work to do and has now started. These are professionals who listen to all these songs and give them grades and then return them to our managing directors who are struggling with this.
Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, project manager of Söngvakeppnin
Iceland at Eurovision 2021
While many countries had already confirmed (or denied) that their 2020 artists would return, Iceland build up the tension up until October. Iceland’s broadcaster RÚV has hosted national final Söngvakeppnin for many years now, but in the end decided upon internal selection for 2021; After much speculation from fans, Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið were chosen to represent Iceland in Eurovision 2021 in October.
Iceland’s 2020 Eurovision entry “Think About Things” became a viral hit and was speculated to win the contest as a whole. In March, after a very long wait, they released their 2021 entry “10 Years”. Sadly, a week before the Grand Final, Jóhann from Gagnamagnið tested positive for COVID-19 and so rehearsal footage was used in the place of a live performance. Despite this, they qualified from semi-final two in 2nd and ultimately placed 4th in the Grand Final with 378 points.
Who would you like to see represent Iceland next? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!