This weekend, Iceland will run their annual national final - Söngvakeppnin.
Nine Aussievision contributors have listened to the 6 Icelandic songs and ranked them using a scale of 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 votes. Any ties were decided by the most 12 points, then the most 10 points and so on.
Bookies have Væb with Róa as the odds on favourite to book their ticket for Basel.
Let's take a look at what the Aussievision team thought of the Icelandic songs and see if they agree...
6. Bjarni Arason – Aðeins lengur (24 points)
Highs: 6 points from Kiel. Lows: 2 points from Jamie, Joel, Sam, Liv, Emma, Dale and Troy.
5. Ágúst – Like You / Eins og þú (54 points)
Highs: 10 points from Troy; 8 points from Sam and Emma.
Lows: 4 points from Jamie, Kiel, Joel and Liv.
"He’s just so adorable and the song is very fun. How charming is this guy?" ~ Troy
4. Stebbi Jak – Set Me Free / Frelsið Mitt (54 points)
Highs: 10 points from Jamie, Kiel and Joel
Lows: 4 points from Sam, Emma, Dale and Troy; 2 points from John Christian
"I like this genre of music and at this stage there aren't many rock songs selected for Eurovision. Hopefully for the Final they sing in Icelandic and not in English, as I prefer the local version." ~ Jamie
"If I had a drink for every time I heard the song title, i'd be on the floor. But given the lack of rock acts heading to Basel this year (so far), for the sake of a much-needed injection of grunt, it's worth getting around this bloke. That is, if has any chance against the Vaeb boys." ~ Kiel
"This isn’t the type of music I usually listen to, but man…..that performance was crazy good! Impressive staging, way-up-high vocals and a catchy chorus that’ll be sure to attract a chunk of Eurovision voters." ~ Joel
3. Júlí & Dísa – Fire / Eldur (70 points)
Highs: 12 points from Joel and Emma; 8 points from Jamie, John Christian, Liv and Dale.
Lows: 2 points from Kiel.
"Instantly catchy pop song, completely unlike anything else at Eurovision this year so far. This’ll stand out for sure." ~ Joel
"This offers something different to what we have seen selected for Eurovision so far this year. The vocals are strong and the visual package compelling. Word is they will sing the song in English in the final with the rap verse to remain in Icelandic. This is the best choice in my opinion to give this every chance to getting to Eurovision and I hope this is the one to go to Basel." ~ Emma
2. Tinna – Words / Þrá (84 points)
Highs: 12 points from Liv and Troy; 10 points from John Christian, Sam, Emma and Dale.
Lows: 6 points from Jamie and Joel.
"As far as sensible little scandi country pop goes it's a good little example. I think she had the best staging from the semi finals and I've had this stuck in my head all day!" ~ Liv
"Wasn’t expecting country twang from Iceland but this has me imagining Tinna on Icelandic horseback on a windswept tundra in a crisp arctic summer. It’s country pop done very well." ~ Troy
"If it goes to English, this might be it. We need a song that is a complete departure from last year's, and it is possible for her to put the heavy pressure on Albania and Belgium. We need a "slam dunk" performance in that." ~ John Christian
"I’m awarding this high marks because of her beautiful baby blue dress. Absolutely stunning! The song? Yeah its alright." ~ Sam
"Something about this really appeals to me. Tinna is charismatic and her country style vocals are beautiful. The song is possibly lacking a big wow moment but she's beautiful to watch." ~ Emma
"Despite a nervous semi performance, Tinna gets my 10 points for just producing a nice little country-pop song which I am always a sucker for." ~ Dale
1. Væb – Róa (92 points)
Highs: 12 points from Jamie, John Christian, Kiel, Sam and Dale; 10 points from Liv.
Lows: 6 points from Emma.
"In what is not a very strong Söngvakeppnin and after finishing 4th in the 2024 edition behind Hera, I can see the twins getting through. It is a catchy electro pop song, but overall I can't see it getting past the semi-final at Eurovision." ~ Jamie
"It's the only strongest song left among the bunch because Birgo was shockingly eliminated from the running, and I think it may even sweep the televote and the jury vote. If it does, then maybe it would cancel out Belgium and/or Azerbaijan in the semifinal." ~ John Christian
"Well, it's got to be them, doesn't it? Catchy upbeat dance pop, white sunnies and space suits - how are they not going to stand out?! Iceland's got a great chance of getting some grand final action again by getting behind these guys." ~ Kiel
"Wow I did not expect this from an Icelandic NF line-up! I love the whole sea shanty vibe of the song, which I actually think is a great representation of Icelandic culture given the Vikings sailed to the island as the first human settlers. The duo are essentially Iceland’s Jedward – arrogant, annoying but addictive. And they sing in tune … just. I want Iceland to send something different and not a boring ballad – this is it!" ~ Sam
"These brothers are slightly annoying. Their vocals are questionable. Their staging is odd. But... this is clearly the best entry of the bunch. I actually love this electro-rap-sea shanty and with some cleaning up could give them a chance to get out of the semi-final in Eurovision." ~ Dale
"I've drunk the Kool-Aid - this is so daggy and dated that it goes 180o and becomes cool and contemporary again. Ki ki ki ra." ~ Liv
So there you have it, the Aussievision team agrees with the bookmakers- only just.
Söngvakeppnin details
Söngvakeppnin 2025 will take place on Saturday, 22 February (Sunday 23 February for us Aussies) and will be broadcast live on RÚV.
The winner and 2025 Icelandic representative will be chosen via a combination of 50/50 votes from the public and a jury panel of international music professionals. No Superfinal round will be used this year.
The running order is:
1. Ágúst – Like You
2. Bjarni Arason – Aðeins lengur
3. Júlí & Dísa – Fire
4. Væb – Róa
5. Tinna – Words
6. Stebbi Jak – Set Me Free
Australian times are as follows (Sunday 23 February morning):
3.45am - Western Australia
5.15am - Northern Territory
5.45am - Queensland
6.15am - South Australia
6.45am - NSW, ACT, Victoria and Tasmania
Iceland at Eurovision
Iceland is the only Nordic country that is yet to take the crystal microphone home. 2025 will mark their 40th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Their best result is 2nd place which has occurred twice; Selma in 1999 with the song All Out of Luck and in 2009 with Yohanna and the song Is It True?.
In 2024, Iceland was represented by Hera Bjork with Scared of Heights which failed to qualify for the final. Bjork previously competed at Eurovision in 2010 with Je ne sais quoi, where she placed 19th.
For continued updates on all the Eurovision Song Contest news follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
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