Flying in from Iceland: Hera Björk is on a high

Iceland’s Eurovision queen won over her country when she finished in 1st place at their 2024 national selection competition, Söngvakeppnin. It was a tight contest all the way through, but Hera snatched the win. And this isn’t her first time on the Eurovision stage. She represented the island nation in 2010 with her song Je Ne Sais Quoi, coming in 19th in the Grand Final.

Hera’s song for Eurovision 2024, Scared Of Heights, is all about the triumph of love over adversity. She wants anyone listening to confront their fears, embrace being vulnerable, and discover the limitless heights of emotions.

Hera’s best memory as a musician comes from her last Eurovision experience. She remembers standing on the stage in Oslo at the Semi-Final, in front of an amazing audience. Can she top that feeling in Malmö?

She’s also had one very memorable gift from a fan. Hera was once given a giant cake with a picture of her face on it only a few hours before she was due to board a flight. With no time to eat it and no possibility of getting cakes on a plane (the lesser-known alternative to the Samuel L Jackson movie), she had to leave it in the hotel. For the record, we’re always happy to help with cake-eating emergencies at Eurovision.

There are 2 Eurovision acts that have given Hera a lot of inspiration, and they’re both duets. The first is Noa & Mira Awad, who represented Israel in 2009 with their song There Must Be Another Way, which is full of hope. The second is Bobbysocks and their performance of La Det Swinge in 1985, which won the Contest for Norway for the first time. She loves the happiness it brings, and also the excessive amount of glitter.

Hera’s playlist of favourite tunes is full of 1980s and 1990s power ballads like Show Me Heaven by Maria McKee, I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner, and The Power Of Love by Jennifer Rush, and it’s clear these inspire her music. She also loves more recent showstoppers like Lady Gaga’s Always Remember Us This Way, Adele’s Oh My God, and Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling!

Icelandic music features heavily in her playlist too, with Daði Freyr and ÁSDÍS’ Feel The Love getting a top spot.

Hera says that when she gets to Sweden, she’s most looking forward to engaging with the people and embracing the atmosphere.

We hope she gets over her vertigo soon, because she’ll be flying high in Malmö.

Look out for Hera on upcoming episodes of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about Hera Björk from Iceland right here.