A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Iceland | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2008 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Heats: 6 October 2007 – 12 January 2008 Second Chance: 12 January 2008 Semi-finals: 19 January 2008 26 January 2008 2 February 2008 9 February 2008 Final: 23 February 2008 | |||
| Selected entrant | Eurobandið | |||
| Selected song | "This Is My Life" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (8th, 68 points) | |||
| Final result | 14th, 64 points | |||
| Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "This Is My Life" written by Örlygur Smári, Paul Oscar and Peter Fenner. The song was performed by the duo Euroband. Songwriter Paul Oscar represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with the song "Minn hinsti dans" where he placed twentieth in the competition. The Icelandic entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected through the national final Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2008, organised by the Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV). The selection consisted of eleven heats, a Second Chance round, four semi-finals and a final, held between 6 October 2007 and 23 February 2008. Eight songs ultimately competed in the final, where "This Is My Life" performed by Eurobandið emerged as the winner exclusively through public televoting. The duo was renamed as Euroband for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Iceland was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 22 May 2008. Performing as the opening entry for the show in position 12, "This Is My Life" was announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 24 May. This marked the first time that Iceland qualified to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest from a semi-final since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004. It was later revealed that the Iceland placed eighth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 68 points. In the final, Iceland performed in position 11 and placed fourteenth out of the 25 participating countries, scoring 64 points.
Background
Prior to the 2008 Contest, Iceland had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty times since its first entry in 1986.[1] Iceland's best placing in the contest to this point was second, which it achieved in 1999 with the song "All Out of Luck" performed by Selma. Since the introduction of a semi-final to the format of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004, Iceland has, to this point, yet to qualify to the final. In 2007, Iceland failed to qualify to the final with the song "Valentine Lost" performed by Eiríkur Hauksson.
The Icelandic national broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), broadcasts the event within Iceland and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. RÚV confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest on 10 July 2007.[2] Since 2006, Iceland has used a national final to select their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, a method that continued for their 2008 participation.
Before Eurovision
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2008
Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2008 was the national final format developed by RÚV in order to select Iceland's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The seventeen shows in the competition took place at the RÚV studios in Reykjavík during the television programme Laugardagslögin, hosted by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir and Gísli Einarsson.[3]
Format
Thirty-three songs in total competed in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2008, where the winner was determined after eleven heats, a Second Chance round, four semi-finals and a final.[4] Three songs competed in each heat between 6 October 2007 and 12 January 2008. The winning song from each heat, as determined by public televoting qualified to the semi-finals. Following each heat, a second round of televoting selected a wildcard act out of the remaining two non-qualifying acts.[5] A jury selected three of the eleven wildcards for the Second Chance round on 12 January 2008, during which the top two songs, as determined by public televoting qualified to the semi-finals. Three songs competed in each semi-final on 19 January, 26 January, 2 February and 9 February 2008. The top two songs from each semi-final, as determined by public televoting qualified to the final which took place on 23 February 2008.[6] The winning entry in the final was again determined by 100% public televoting.[7]
Competing entries
On 10 July 2007, RÚV opened the submission period for interested songwriters to submit their entries until the deadline on 3 September 2007. Songwriters were required to be Icelandic, possess Icelandic citizenship or have permanent residency in Iceland by 1 October 2007, and had the right to submit up to three entries.[2] At the close of the submission deadline, 146 entries were received. A selection committee was formed in order to select the top six entries, while additional twenty-seven entries came from nine composers invited by RÚV to each create three entries for the competition. The invited composers were:[8]
- Andrea Gylfadóttir
- Barði Jóhannsson
- Guðmundur Jónsson
- Dr. Gunni
- Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir
- Magnús Eiríksson
- Magnús Þór Sigmundsson
- Margret Kristin Sigurðardóttir
- Svala Björgvinsdóttir
Among the competing artists were previous Icelandic Eurovision entrants Pálmi Gunnarsson, who represented Iceland in 1986 as part of ICY, Einar Ágúst Víðisson, who represented Iceland in 2000 as part of August and Telma, and Birgitta Haukdal, who represented Iceland in 2003.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Mobli, Harold Burr, Hildur Guðný Þórhallsdóttir, Sigurður Þór Óskarsson and Soffía Karlsdóttir | "Friður á þessari jörð" | Barði Jóhansson | Invited by RÚV |
| Andrea Gylfadóttir | "Flower of Fire" | Andrea Gylfadóttir | |
| "Vocalise" | |||
| Áslaug Helga Hálfdánardóttir | "Lífsins leið" | Áslaug Helga Hálfdánardóttir | Open submission |
| Baggalútur | "Hvað var það sem þú sást í honum?" | Magnús Eiríksson | Invited by RÚV |
| Birgitta Haukdal and Magni Ásgeirsson | "Núna veit ég" | Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir | |
| Bjartur Guðjónsson | "The Girl in the Golden Dress" | Andrea Gylfadóttir | |
| Böðvar Rafn Reynisson and Tinna Marína Jónsdóttir | "Á ballið á" | Barði Jóhansson | |
| Davíð Þorsteinn Olgeirsson | "In Your Dreams" | Davíð Þorsteinn Olgeirsson | Open submission |
| Dr. Spock | "Hvar ertu nú?" | Dr. Gunni | Invited by RÚV |
| Edgar Smári Atlason | "If I Fall In Love Again" | Svala Björgvinsdóttir | |
| Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Sigurjón Brink | "Straumurinn" | Guðmundur Jónsson | |
| Eurobandið | "Fullkomið líf" | Örlygur Smári | Open submission |
| Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir | "Á gleymdum stað" | Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir | Invited by RÚV |
| "Boys and Perfume" | |||
| Haffi Haff | "The Wiggle Wiggle Song" | Svala Björgvinsdóttir | |
| Hara | "I Wanna Manicure" | Hallgrímur Óskarsson, Gerard James Borg | Open submission |
| Hrund Ósk Árnadóttir | "Í rússíbana" | Magnús Eiríksson | Invited by RÚV |
| Ína Valgerður Pétursdóttir, Seth Sharp and Berglind Ósk Guðgeirsdóttir | "Lullaby to Peace" | Magnús Þór Sigmundsson | |
| Margrét Kristín Sigurðardóttir | "Bigger Shoes" | Margret Kristin Sigurðardóttir | |
| Margrét Kristín Sigurðardóttir and Martin Høybye | "Game Over" | Margret Kristin Sigurðardóttir | |
| Menn ársins | "If You Were Here" | Þorarinn Freysson | Open submission |
| Merzedes Club | "Ho, Ho, Ho, We Say Hey, Hey, Hey" | Barði Jóhansson | Invited by RÚV |
| Páll Rósinkranz and Gospelkór Reykjavíkur | "Gef mér von" | Guðmundur Jónsson | |
| Pálmi Gunnarsson and Hrund Ósk Árnadóttir | "Leigubílar" | Magnús Eiríksson | |
| Ragnheiður Eiríksdóttir | "Ísinn" | Dr. Gunni | |
| Ragnheiður Gröndal | "Don't Wake Me Up" | Margret Kristin Sigurðardóttir | |
| "Skot í myrkri" | Magnús Þór Sigmundsson | ||
| Seth Sharp | "I Won't Be Home Tonight" | Svala Björgvinsdóttir | |
| "Johnny" | Magnús Þór Sigmundsson | ||
| Sigríður Thorlacius and Karl Sigurðsson | "Drepum tímann" | Dr. Gunni | |
| Þóra Gísladóttir | "Að eilífu" | Guðmundur Jónsson | |
| "The Picture" | Hjörleifur Ingason | Open submission |
Shows
Heats
The eleven heats took place between 6 October 2007 and 12 January 2008 where three acts presented their entries in each heat. The winning entry voted upon solely by public televoting qualified directly to the semi-finals, while an additional entry was awarded a wildcard to proceed to the Second Chance round following an additional televote among the two remaining acts.[9]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir | "Boys and Perfume" | Wildcard |
| 2 | Margrét Kristín Sigurðardóttir and Martin Høybye | "Game Over" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Páll Rósinkranz and Gospelkór Reykjavíkur | "Gef mér von" | Advanced |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ragnheiður Eiríksdóttir | "Ísinn" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Edgar Smári Atlason | "If I Fall In Love Again" | Wildcard |
| 3 | Pálmi Gunnarsson and Hrund Ósk Árnadóttir | "Leigubílar" | Advanced |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ína Valgerður Pétursdóttir, Seth Sharp and Berglind Ósk Guðgeirsdóttir | "Lullaby to Peace" | Advanced |
| 2 | Andrea Gylfadóttir | "Vocalise" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Böðvar Rafn Reynisson and Tinna Marína Jónsdóttir | "Á ballið á" | Wildcard |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davíð Þorsteinn Olgeirsson | "In Your Dreams" | Advanced |
| 2 | Áslaug Helga Hálfdánardóttir | "Lífsins leið" | Wildcard |
| 3 | Þóra Gísladóttir | "The Picture" | Eliminated |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sigríður Thorlacius and Karl Sigurðsson | "Drepum tímann" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Seth Sharp | "Johnny" | Wildcard |
| 3 | Merzedes Club | "Ho, Ho, Ho, We Say Hey, Hey, Hey" | Advanced |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Margrét Kristín Sigurðardóttir | "Bigger Shoes" | Wildcard |
| 2 | Baggalútur | "Hvað var það sem þú sást í honum?" | Advanced |
| 3 | Seth Sharp | "I Won't Be Home Tonight" | Eliminated |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Einar Ágúst Víðisson and Sigurjón Brink | "Straumurinn" | Wildcard |
| 2 | Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir | "Á gleymdum stað" | Eliminated |
| 3 | Bjartur Guðjónsson | "The Girl in the Golden Dress" | Advanced |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menn ársins | "If You Were Here" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Eurobandið | "Fullkomið líf" | Advanced |
| 3 | Hara | "I Wanna Manicure" | Wildcard |