Iceland’s national final, Söngvakeppnin, is back for 2023 and it will consist of two Semi-finals on 18 February and 25 Februaryand a Final on 4 March.
Five songs will compete in each Semi-final, with Icelanders choosing two songs to progress to the Final by a public vote. There will also a wildcard allowed for the broadcaster, RÚV, to bring a fifth song into the Final if they so wish.
So to recap the 1st Semi-final held on 18 February 2023:
The show itself was hosted by Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir and Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson and looked very slick and professional. The crowd were clearly excited for the performances to come.
The five competing songs were:
Bragi -“Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér” (Sometimes the World's Against You
A mid-tempo man ballad that only required Bragi to stand and deliver in front of the LED screens with a couple of special effects, felt like a song made to be sung in English and not Icelandic. Bragi is a professional footballer who did pretty well in Idol in Sweden in 2018.
Móa - “Glötuð ást” (Lose This Dream)
Móa, the legacy artist, is a handy singer bringing a sultry song suited better to a smoke filled club rather than a big stage. Apparently she was big in the 90’s. Another stand and deliver type song.
Benedikt - “Þora” (Brave Face)
Benedikt hit the stage with a head full of blonde curls, unfortunately they stitched him up with the staging and the terrible “Princess Fiona” outfit. Look out for him almost falling off the box while being held by the muscly back up dancer. Another song that wasn’t very successful in Icelandic.
Celebs - “Dómsdags dans” (Doomsday Dancing)
A not so bad studio track that didn’t translate well to the stage. Celebs is a trio consisting of a family (2 brothers and a sister). They certainly got their money’s worth at the “tinsel fringe” shop. Plenty of memes with that performance.
Diljá - "Lifandi inni í mér” (Power)
Diljá didn’t get much staging either but her tv experience shone through (she competed in Iceland’s Got Talent in 2015 when she was 12). Strong vocal performance and easily the best of the night. This will go quite well when performed in English.
And the two songs given the tick of approval by the public were:
Bragi -“Stundum snýst heimurinn gegn þér”
Diljá - "Lifandi inni í mér"
I didn’t see anything worthy of a wildcard in the rest either. Over to Semi-final 2.