Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Icelandic entry was selected through the national final Söngvakeppnin 2014, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). Iceland was represented by the song "No Prejudice", performed by Pollapönk and written by Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson, Haraldur F. Gíslason and John Grant. The entry qualified from the first semi-final to compete in the final. Iceland placed 15th in the final, scoring 58 points.

Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Country Iceland
National selection
Selection processSöngvakeppnin 2014
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
1 February 2014
8 February 2014
Final:
15 February 2014
Selected entrantPollapönk
Selected song"No Prejudice"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson
  • Haraldur F. Gíslason
  • John Grant
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (8th, 61 points)
Final result15th, 58 points
Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2013 • 2014 • 2015►

Before Eurovision

Söngvakeppnin 2014

Söngvakeppnin 2014 was the national final format developed by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. On 3 September 2013, RÚV opened the submission period for interested songwriters to submit their entries until the deadline on 14 October 2013.[1] Composers had the right to submit up to two entries, while lyricists could contribute to an unlimited amount of entries. At the close of the submission deadline, 297 entries were received - a 25% increase in submissions from the previous year.[2] RÚV worked together with the composers of the selected entries in order to find the most suitable performers for the songs.[3]

Two semi-finals took place on 1 and 8 February 2014 at RÚV Studios and the final took place on 15 February 2014 in Háskólabíó. Five songs competed in each semi-final and the top two from each semi-final as decided upon by televoting qualified to the final. In addition to the televoting qualifiers, a jury selected an additional two wildcard qualifiers from the remaining songs in both semi-finals to proceed to the final. In the final, the first round of voting consisted of the combination of jury voting and televoting, which determined the top two. The top two songs qualified to the second round of voting where televoting determined the winner.[4] Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir and Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir hosted all three shows.[5]

Competing entries

Ten artists and songs were selected for the competition and revealed during the television programme Kastljós on 17 December 2013.[5]

Artist Song (English translation) Composer(s)
Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir "Amor" (Amor) Haukur Johnson
Guðbjörg Magnúsdóttir "Aðeins ætluð þér" (Only for you) María Björk Sverrisdóttir, Marcus Frenell
Sverrir Bergmann "Dönsum burtu blús" (Dance away the blues) Pálmi Ragnar Ásgeirsson, Ásgeir Orri Ásgeirsson, Sæþór Kristjánsson
Vignir Snær Vigfússon "Elsku þú" (Dear you) Vignir Snær Vigfússon, Þórunn Erna Clausen
Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir "Eftir eitt lag" (After one song) Ásta Björg Björgvinsdóttir, Bergrún Íris Sævarsdóttir
Pollapönk "Enga fordóma" (No prejudices) Heiðar Örn Kristjánsson, Haraldur F. Gíslason
Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir "Lífið kviknar á ný" (Life ignites again) Karl Olgeir Olgeirsson, Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir
Guðrún Árný Karlsdóttir "Til þín" (To you) Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir
Gissur Páll Gissurarson "Von" (Hope) Jóhann Helgason
F.U.N.K. "Þangað til ég dey" (Until I die) Franz Ploder Ottósson, Pétur Finnbogason, Lárus Örn Arnarsson

Shows

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final took place on 1 February 2014 where five competing artists presented their entries. The top two entries voted upon solely by public televoting proceeded to the final. The qualifiers were "Von" performed by Gissur Páll Gissurarson and "Eftir eitt lag" performed by Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir.[6]

Semi-final 1 – 1 February 2014
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Sverrir Bergmann "Dönsum burtu blús" Eliminated
2 Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir "Eftir eitt lag" Advanced
3 Gissur Páll Gissurarson "Von" Advanced
4 Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir "Amor" Wildcard
5 Vignir Snær Vigfússon "Elsku þú" Eliminated

Semi-final 2

The second semi-final took place on 8 February 2014 where five competing artists presented their entries. The top two entries voted upon solely by public televoting proceeded to the final. The qualifiers were "Enga fordóma" performed by Pollapönk and "Þangað til ég dey" performed by F.U.N.K.[7]

Semi-final 2 – 8 February 2014
Draw Artist Song Result
1 Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir "Lífið kviknar á ný" Wildcard
2 Guðrún Árný Karlsdóttir "Til þín" Eliminated
3 F.U.N.K. "Þangað til ég dey" Advanced
4 Guðbjörg Magnúsdóttir "Aðeins ætluð þér" Eliminated
5 Pollapönk "Enga fordóma" Advanced

Final

The final took place on 15 February 2014 where the six entries that proceeded from the preceding two semi-finals competed. In the first round of voting, votes from a jury panel (50%) and public televoting (50%) determined the top two entries. "Enga fordóma" performed by Pollapönk and "Lífið kviknar á ný" performed by Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir qualified to the second round. In the second round, artists were required to perform the song in the language they intended to compete with at the Eurovision Song Contest.[8] "Lífið kviknar á ný" was performed in English as "Up and Away", while "Enga fordóma" was performed in a mix of Icelandic and English. Televoting solely selected "Enga fordóma" performed by Pollapönk as the winner in the second round. As winners of the competition, Pollapönk won a monetary prize of 1 million Icelandic króna and the right to represent Iceland in Copenhagen.[1]

Final – 15 February 2014
Draw Artist Song Place Result
1 F.U.N.K. "Þangað til ég dey" 3-4 Eliminated
2 Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir "Amor" 5-6 Eliminated
3 Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir "Lífið kviknar á ný" — Superfinalist
4 Gissur Páll Gissurarson "Von" 5-6 Eliminated
5 Greta Mjöll Samúelsdóttir "Eftir eitt lag" 3-4 Eliminated
6 Pollapönk "Enga fordóma" — Superfinalist
Superfinal – 15 February 2014
Draw Artist Song Place
1 Sigríður Eyrún Friðriksdóttir "Up and Away" 2
2 Pollapönk "No Prejudice" 1

At Eurovision
Pollapönk at the first semi-final dress rehearsal

During the semi-final allocation draw on 20 January 2014 at the Copenhagen City Hall, Iceland was drawn to compete in the first half of the first semi-final on 6 May 2014.[9] In the first semi-final, the producers of the show decided that Iceland would perform 5th, following Sweden and preceding Albania.[10] Iceland qualified from the first semi-final and competed in the final on 10 May 2014. During the winner's press conference for the first semi-final qualifiers, Iceland was allocated to compete in the first half of the final.[11] In the final, the producers of the show decided that Iceland would perform 4th, following Azerbaijan and preceding Norway.[12] Iceland placed 15th in the final, scoring 58 points.

While the Icelandic entry was selected to be performed in a language mix of Icelandic and English, Pollapönk performed the song entirely in English at the contest under the title "No Prejudice". Pollapönk were joined on stage by two backing vocalists (one of them being Snæbjörn Ragnarsson, bassist from fellow Icelandic Viking metal band Skálmöld). The Icelandic performance features the band dressed in pink, blue, yellow and red outfits and performing with instruments. Their performance concluded with the members using their bodies to spell the word "LOVE" with the third line of the E being the neck of a guitar.[13][14]

In Iceland, both the semi-finals and the final were broadcast on RÚV and Rás 2 with commentary by Felix Bergsson.[15][16] The Icelandic spokesperson revealing the result of the Icelandic vote in the final was Benedict Valsson.[17] This is also Iceland's third best placing in the contest, since Yohanna's runner-up in 2009.

Points awarded to Iceland
Points awarded to Iceland (semi-final 1)
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Points awarded to Iceland (final)
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point

Points awarded by Iceland

Split voting results

The following five members comprise the Icelandic jury:[18]

  • Hildur Þórhallsdóttir – Chairperson – singer, musician, music teacher
  • Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (Yohanna) – performer, singer, songwriter, represented Iceland in the 2009 contest
  • Kjartan Guðbergsson – sound engineer
  • Fridrik Jonsson – singer, songwriter, television host
  • Ragnheiður Gröndal – singer, songwriter, lyricist, pianist, vocal teacher

Semi-final 1

The Icelandic votes in the first semi-final were based on 50% jury voting and 50% televoting results.[19]

Semi-final 1 – Icelandic Results
Draw Country H. Þórhallsdóttir Yohanna K. Guðbergsson F. Jonsson R. Gröndal Average Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Scoreboard (Points)
01  Armenia 5 10 10 15 10 11 7 8 3
02  Latvia 6 12 15 11 11 12 4 5 6
03  Estonia 12 8 7 6 9 7 9 6 5
04  Sweden 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 10
05  Iceland
06  Albania 8 4 1 13 4 6 13 12
07  Russia 14 6 11 10 6 10 8 9 2
08  Azerbaijan 2 7 12 4 3 4 14 10 1
09  Ukraine 11 9 9 7 7 8 6 4 7
10  Belgium 13 13 13 9 12 14 11 14
11  Moldova 9 15 8 14 13 13 15 15
12  San Marino 10 5 4 5 5 5 12 7 4
13  Portugal 15 14 14 12 14 15 5 13
14  Netherlands 3 3 6 3 2 2 1 1 12
15  Montenegro 7 11 5 8 15 9 10 11
16  Hungary 4 2 3 2 8 3 3 3 8

Final

The Icelandic votes in the grand final were based on 50% jury voting and 50% televoting results.[20]

Final – Icelandic Results
Draw Country H. Þórhallsdóttir Yohanna K. Guðbergsson F. Jonsson R. Gröndal Average Jury Rank Televote Rank Combined Rank Scoreboard (Points)
01  Ukraine 21 12 18 8 7 12 15 11
02  Belarus 12 19 19 21 20 19 17 22
03  Azerbaijan 3 7 6 7 5 6 25 15
04  Iceland
05  Norway 15 17 12 13 22 16 9 10 1
06  Romania 7 10 20 19 17 14 16 14
07  Armenia 17 14 24 18 18 18 7 9 2
08  Montenegro 8 16 15 20 19 15 23 24
09  Poland 24 24 23 15 16 23 2 8 3
10  Greece 13 23 21 25 14 21 11 16
11  Austria 2 2 1 5 4 2 3 2 10
12  Germany 16 20 17 16 15 17 13 13
13  Sweden 4 4 4 3 2 4 4 4 7
14  France 23 25 25 22 25 25 10 20
15  Russia 22 11 11 11 13 13 19 17
16  Italy 20 21 13 24 24 22 24 25
17  Slovenia 10 8 9 14 12 10 22 19
18  Finland 9 13 7 12 11 7 8 6 5
19  Spain 18 15 22 17 21 20 18 23
20   Switzerland 25 22 16 23 23 24 12 21
21  Hungary 5 5 5 4 9 5 6 5 6
22  Malta 14 6 14 10 8 8 20 12
23  Denmark 1 1 2 1 1 1 5 3 8
24  Netherlands 6 3 3 2 3 3 1 1 12
25  San Marino 19 9 10 9 6 11 21 18
26  United Kingdom 11 18 8 6 10 9 14 7 4
gollark: I'm sure you'd like to think so.
gollark: But what if apioformicative processes supersede this?
gollark: According to GTech™ Badology, 92% of the bad is actually caused by apioforms being insufficiently bewared.
gollark: Well, people use "neoliberal" to complain about 27% of bad things.
gollark: In Australia.

See also

References
  1. Williscroft-Ferris, Lee (3 September 2013). "Iceland: RÚV issues call for songs". Esctoday.com. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  2. Jiandani, Sanjay (18 October 2013). "Iceland: RUV receives 297 songs for national selection". Esctoday.com. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  3. Van Bedts, Raf (4 September 2013). "Inschrijvingen in IJsland zijn geopend". eurosong.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  4. Escudero, Victor M. (18 December 2013). "Iceland: national selection line-up confirmed". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  5. "Lögin í Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins". RÚV (in Icelandic). 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  6. Storvik-Green, Simon (1 February 2014). "First qualifiers through in Iceland". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  7. Escudero, Victor M. (8 February 2014). "Iceland picks two more acts for their final". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  8. Escudero, Victor M. (15 February 2014). "Tonight: Who will represent Iceland in Copenhagen?". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  9. Escudero, Victor M. (20 January 2014). "Allocation Draw results: Who's in which Semi-Final?". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  10. Siim, Jarmo (24 March 2014). "Running order for Eurovision Semi-Finals decided". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  11. Brey, Marco (7 May 2014). "First Semi-Final: Meet the winners at the press conference!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  12. Storvik-Green, Simon (9 May 2014). "Running order for the Grand Final revealed!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  13. Leon, Jakov I. (28 April 2014). "Pollapönk (Iceland): No prejudice in Eurovision!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  14. Omelyanchuk, Olena (2 May 2014). "Iceland: Smile and make your inner world colourful!". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  15. "Dagskrá Rásar 2 þriðjudaginn 06. maí" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  16. "Dagskrá RÚV þriðjudaginn 06. maí" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  17. "Benedikt Valsson stigakynnir í Eurovision". RÚV. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  18. Brey, Marco (1 May 2014). "Who will be in the expert juries?". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  19. "Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 First Semi-Final". Eurovision.tv. 11 May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  20. "Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Grand Final". Eurovision.tv. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
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