Iceland: What to expect from the 'Söngvakeppnin' final 🇮🇸

📺 TUNE IN: Söngvakeppnin will begin at 20:45 CET on RÚV1 on Saturday 12 March. It will be available for international viewers live on the broadcaster’s streaming platform.

After 2 semi-finals, which saw 10 songs reduced to just 4, Icelandic broadcaster RÚV handpicked a wildcard entry from the eliminated songs, to contribute to an exciting 5-song final which we can look forward to experiencing on Saturday night. Iceland will be tuning in (and that’s the majority of Iceland, based on past viewing figures) to see, and to decide, which song will be the successor to 10 Years by Daði & Gagnamagnið, and proudly fly the Icelandic flag at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.

Daði Freyr himself will be making an appearance, performing as an interval act while his nation carefully decides on its winner. And another Nordic artist from the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, Tusse from Sweden, has also flown over to the Icelandic capital to perform for viewers on the night.

Most important of all, of course, will be the performances given by the 5 acts in contention to win Söngvakeppnin on Saturday night. These are the five names to familiarise yourself with, as well as the songs that they’ll be singing:

Stefán Óli – Ljósið

In Söngvakeppnin, artists submit their songs in both Icelandic and English, and whatever language they perform it in during the final, is the one they’ll be heading to Eurovision with should it win. Stefán Óli has chosen to perform his song in Icelandic.

📺 Watch: Stefán Óli – Ljósið

Sigga, Beta and Elín – Með Hækkandi Sól

Qualifying from the first semi-final was this folk trio, the only act of the 10 Söngvakeppnin artists not to submit their song in both English and Icelandic, meaning they’d always intended on showcasing their native tongue on the Eurovision stage.

📺 Watch: Sigga, Beta and Elín – Með Hækkandi Sól

Reykjavíkurdætur (Daughters of Reykjavík) – Turn This Around

This rap collective has been on the go for just shy of 10 years, and if they win on Saturday night, they’ll be performing their song in a mixture of English and Icelandic in Turin.

📺 Watch: Reykjavíkurdætur – Turn This Around

Katla – Þaðan Af

Katla’s Icelandic-language performance of her song went down so well in the second semi-final, she’s keeping it in her native language for the final, and for Turin if it gets chosen!

📺 Watch: Katla – Þaðan Af

Amarosis – Don’t You Know

This brother and sister were plucked from semi-final elimination by RÚV as the broadcaster’s chosen wildcard to be in the final line-up. So clearly they hear something special in the song (which will be performed in English on the night) that they think the Icelandic public need to listen to again.

📺 Watch: Amarosis – Don’t You Know

As with the semi-finals, Björg Magnúsdóttir, Jón Jónsson and Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir will be on hosting duties, presiding over an event which will be coming live to you from RVK Studios in Reykjavík.

The Voting 🇮🇸

For maximum excitement and precision, there are 2 rounds of voting.

In the first round, once all 5 songs have been performed, a combination of public voting and jury voting will result in the 2 songs which get the highest scores, progressing to a 'super final’. These 2 songs will then be perfomed again, but this time only the Icelandic viewers will be tasked with deciding upon a winner, having total say on which song gets to represent them in Turin!

Let us know what you think of Iceland’s final selection via the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook channels.