RÚV has announced the running order for the final of Söngvakeppnin, with Friðrik Ómar set to open the show next Saturday.
The Icelandic national broadcaster has announced the running order for the final of Söngvakeppnin 2019 which will take place next weekend. The running order for the show is:
- Friðrik Ómar – Hvað ef ér get ekki elskað
- Kristina Bærendsen – Mama Said
- Tara Mobee – Fighting for Love
- Hera Björk – Moving On
- Hatari – Hatrið mun sigra
It was also revealed today that Jon Ola Sand the Exectuve Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest will be attending the show in Reykjavik. He said in an interview with the broadcaster that:
I am very fascinated by the quality of the songs in the selection here in Iceland. It is amazing that a small community, the Icelandic are producing as much talent and good singers as possible. I know that music legacy and tradition in Iceland is very strong so that your contributions are always very much appreciated
The winner of the Icelandic selection will be selected through two rounds of voting. In the first round a a ten-person, international panel of expert judges will vote on the acts, alongside the Icelandic public. This is larger than in previous years.
Once the first round of voting has ended, two acts will make it through to the Super Final. In a change to previous years, the points from the first round of voting will be kept. The Icelandic public will then vote again and the winner of Söngvakeppnin 2019 will be decided.
RÚV has confirmed that alongside Ari Ólafsson, Eleni Foureira will also be performing during the show. In previous years Måns Zelmerlöw, Loreen, Emmelie de Forest and Sandra Kim have performed.
Source: RÚV
Iceland debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 and, aside from 2 years of relegation in 1998 and 2002, has participated every year since. The contest is incredibly popular in Iceland, regularly being one of the most watched programmes of the year. Iceland has yet to win the contest but has finished in 2nd on two occasions. In 1999, Selma missed out on victory in Jerusalem by 17 points, and in 2009 Yohanna became the most successful Icelandic entrant ever finishing 2nd in the final with the song “Is it True?”. She scored 218 points, yet still finished 169 points behind the runaway winner Norway.
