# Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Iceland was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Scared of Heights", written by Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir, Ferras Alqaisi, Jaro Omar, and Michael Burek, and performed by Hera Björk. The Icelandic participating broadcaster, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV), organised the national final Söngvakeppnin 2024 in order to select its entry for the contest.
Iceland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 7 May 2024. Performing during the show in position 8, "Scared of Heights" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Iceland placed 15th (last) out of the 15 participating countries in the semi-final with 3 points.

## Background

Prior to the 2024 contest, Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Iceland thirty-nine times since its first entry in 1986. Its best placing in the contest to this point was second, which it achieved on two occasions: in 1999 with the song "All Out of Luck" performed by Selma and in 2009 with the song "Is It True?" performed by Yohanna. It also reached two more top-5 positions: in 1990 with the song "Eitt lag enn" performed by Stjórnin and in 2021 with the song "10 Years" performed by Daði og Gagnamagnið, ending fourth on both occasions. Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, it had failed to qualify to the final eight times, including in 2023, when the song "Power" performed by Diljá placed 11th in the second semi-final.
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, RÚV organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. From 2006 to 2020 and again since 2022, it selected its entry through Söngvakeppnin, a televised national competition. RÚV confirmed its intention to participate in the 2024 contest on 30 May 2023, while also confirming Söngvakeppnin as its national selection method.

## Before Eurovision
### Söngvakeppnin 2024

Söngvakeppnin 2024 was the national final organised by RÚV in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It consisted of two semi-finals on 17 and 24 February 2024 at Truenorth Studio, and a final on 2 March 2024 at Laugardalshöll – both located in Reykjavík. The shows were presented by Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Sigurður Þorri Gunnarsson, and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson. The semi-final qualifiers were determined by televoting, while a combination of jury and public votes was used to determine the results of the final and superfinal.

#### Competing entries

On 15 June 2023, RÚV opened the period for interested songwriters to submit their entries, lasting until 10 September; at the closing of the submission window, 118 entries had been received. In addition to reviewing the submissions, the broadcaster also directly invited established artists to compete. The ten selected entries were unveiled on 27 January 2024, with one participant, Bashar Murad, revealed three days prior. Among the entrants was Hera Björk, who previously represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010.
| Artist | Song | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Artist | Icelandic title | English title | Songwriter(s) |
| Anita | "Stingum af" | "Downfall" | Ásdís María ViðarsdóttirJake Tench |
| Bashar Murad | "Vestrið villt" | "Wild West" | Bashar MuradEinar Hrafn StefánssonMatthías Tryggvi Haraldsson |
| Blankiflúr | "Sjá þig" | "Love You" | Albert SigurðssonHólmfríður SigurðardóttirKristín SigurðardóttirPáll Axel SigurðssonSólveig Sigurðardóttir |
| CeaseTone | "Ró" | "Flow" | Hafsteinn ÞráinssonHalldór EldjárnUna Torfadóttir |
| Heiðrún Anna | "Þjakaður af ást" | — | Heiðrún Anna BjörnsdóttirRut Ríkey Tryggvadóttir |
| Hera Björk | "Við förum hærra" | "Scared of Heights" | Ásdís María ViðarsdóttirFerras AlqaisiJaro OmarMichael Burek |
| Maiaa | "Fljúga burt" | "Break Away" | Baldvin Snær HlynssonHelga Soffía ÓlafsdóttirMaría Agnesardóttir |
| Sigga Ózk | "Um allan alheiminn" | "Into the Atmosphere" | Birkir Blær ÓðinssonMikołaj Maciej Trybulec [pl]Sigríður Ósk Hrafnkelsdóttir |
| Sunny | "Fiðrildi" | — | Nikulás Nikulásson [is]Sunna Kristinsdóttir |
| Væb | "Bíómynd" | "Movie Scene" | Drífa Nadía Thoroddsen MechiatHálfdán Helgi MatthíassonMatthías Davíð Matthíasson |

#### Semi-finals

Two semi-finals took place on 17 and 24 February 2024. Five entries performed in each, with two qualifying for the final; RÚV reserved the option to select a fifth finalist among the non-qualifiers, which was later invoked. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, a number of guest performances were also featured during the two shows. The first semi-final featured a duet by Friðrik Ómar Hjörleifsson (Icelandic representative in 2008 as part of Eurobandið) and Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir (Icelandic representative in 1990 as part of Stjórnin, 1992 as part of Heart 2 Heart, and 1994), who performed a medley of Icelandic Eurovision entries. The second semi-final featured a performance from Daniil [is] and Joey Christ [is], who opened the show with their song "Ef þeir vilja beef", and an interval act from Björgvin Halldórsson (Icelandic representative in 1995) and Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson.
Key:

#### Final

The final took place on 2 March 2024 and featured the four qualifiers and the wildcard from the semi-finals. While in the semi-finals all competing entries were required to be performed in Icelandic, in the final they had to be presented in the language they would be performed in at the Eurovision Song Contest: Væb opted for the Icelandic version, while the other four entrants opted for the English one. In addition to the competing entries, Diljá Pétursdóttir (Icelandic representative in 2023) and Selma Björnsdóttir (Icelandic representative in 1999 and 2005) performed as interval acts.
A 50/50 combination of jury and public votes determined two superfinalists, who then went through an additional televoting round; the sum of the two votings decreed the winner. For the first time since 2016, the jury in the final consisted exclusively of Icelanders, namely: Vigdís Hafliðadóttir (singer, actress and human right activist), Sindri Ástmarsson (programme director of Iceland Airwaves), Erna Hrönn (singer and radio host), Árni Matthíasson (music journalist and writer), Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir (singer), Einar Bárðarson [is] (chairman of the board of the Icelandic Music Information Centre) and Elín Hall (musician).
Detailed jury votes :
| Draw | Song | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Juror | Total |
| Draw | Song | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total |
| 1 | "Bíómynd" | 1,639 | 1,912 | 1,639 | 1,912 | 2,185 | 2,731 | 1,639 | 13,656 |
| 2 | "Scared of Heights" | 1,912 | 2,185 | 2,185 | 1,639 | 3,278 | 2,185 | 3,278 | 16,661 |
| 3 | "Downfall" | 2,185 | 1,639 | 2,731 | 2,731 | 1,639 | 1,639 | 1,912 | 14,476 |
| 4 | "Wild West" | 3,278 | 2,731 | 3,278 | 3,278 | 2,731 | 3,278 | 2,731 | 21,304 |
| 5 | "Into the Atmosphere" | 2,731 | 3,278 | 1,912 | 2,185 | 1,912 | 1,912 | 2,185 | 16,114 |

#### Ratings

Viewing figures by show :
| Show | Air date | Average viewership | Total viewership | Rating (%) |
| Semi-final 1 | 17 February 2024 | 92,420 | 121,080 | 35.01% |
| Semi-final 2 | 24 February 2024 | 87,120 | 110,900 | 33% |
| Final | 2 March 2024 | 105,330 | 144,810 | 39.9% |

#### Official album

Söngvakeppnin 2024 is the official compilation album of the contest. It was compiled by RÚV and was digitally released by Alda Music under the former's exclusive license on 28 January 2024. The album features both the Icelandic and English versions of the entries.
Weekly chart performance for Söngvakeppnin 2024 :
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
| Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn) | 5 |

### Promotion

As part of the promotion of her participation in the contest, Hera Björk attended the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024, the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024, the Nordic Eurovision Party in Stockholm on 14 April 2024, the Nordic Music Celebration's Eurovision Night in Oslo on 20 April 2024 and the Copenhagen Eurovision Party (Malmöhagen) on 4 May 2024.

### Controversies
#### Calls for boycott

The inclusion of Israel in the list of participants of the 2024 contest, despite the humanitarian crisis resulting from Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war, sparked controversy in Iceland as well as several other participating countries, with calls and petitions for broadcasters to boycott the event. Despite an initial statement that Iceland would still participate in the contest, petitions received from the Association of Composers and Lyricists of Iceland (FTT) and activists of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement prompted RÚV to decide that its participation would be evaluated after discussing with the winning artist of Söngvakeppnin, thus making the national final independent from the contest for the first time. Ahead of the final, both eventual superfinalists Hera Björk and Bashar Murad confirmed that they would take part in Eurovision if they won, while none of the other finalists had made a decision. However, RÚV decided to delay its final decision to 11 March, the deadline by which all participating countries must have submitted their entries; the broadcaster confirmed that Hera Björk would participate in Eurovision on that day. Gísli Marteinn Baldursson, who had served as RÚV's commentator for the contest from 1999 to 2005 and again since 2016, opted not to resume the role for 2024 in response to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)'s "lack of reaction" to Israel's offensive in Gaza. Murad, who is Palestinian, later performed at the "Falastinvision" event, which was organised in Malmö as an alternative to the Eurovision final in protest against Israel's participation.
In a March 2024 poll by Maskína, 32.3% of Icelanders wanted Iceland to take part in Eurovision, 42.2% were opposed to Iceland's participation, and 25.5% did not have an opinion. A similar poll by Prósent showed 31% in support, 46% opposed, and 23% no opinion.

#### App voting failure and allegations of voting irregularities

RÚV Stjörnur, the app used for voting during the national final, was alleged to have experienced a glitch during the superfinal voting. Many viewers reported on social media platforms regarding the supposed glitch. Lilja Kristín Birgisdóttir, director of marketing and communications at Vodafone Iceland, said in an interview that the company's representatives looked into the matter together with the Söngvakeppnin producers and later reported that all the systems worked as expected, suggesting that the issue was not systemic on Vodafone's part.
Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, one of the songwriters of "Wild West", called for an investigation carried out by an independent party as regards the conduct of the voting in the contest. Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, Söngvakeppnin's executive director, later stated that an investigation into the glitch was launched, while also clarifying that the total number of SMS votes received by the superfinalists did not influence the final results. It was further explained by the contest producers that this was because only a few users were affected by the issue. After the release of the results, Einar said that his request for an independent investigation had been denied, pushing him to request a re-voting. However, Stefán Eiríksson [is], RÚV's radio director, reiterated that the results were beyond doubt, despite the fact that the broadcaster had no information as to why the problem only occurred on Murad's number.
Later, an open letter signed by more than 1,200 Icelanders was sent to Rúnar Freyr and the RÚV board demanding for an in-depth investigation of the voting irregularities during the contest. Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir, one of the songwriters of "Scared of Heights", stated that she would "cut ties with the song" over RÚV's refusal to shed further light, stating that "[her] conscience [didn't] allow it" and citing racism in the Icelandic public's reaction to Murad's participation as an additional reason for her choice. Einar's request for an investigation was subsequently granted, with Stefán disclosing that RÚV had decided to appoint an independent expert to carry out an assessment of the voting procedure.
On 10 March 2024, it was reported by the news site Mannlíf that Yogev Segal, an employee of Israeli broadcaster Kan, had allegedly started a campaign to vote against Murad during the Söngvakeppnin final. Segal was purported to be one of the moderators of a Facebook group called "Israeli-Icelandic Conversation", allegedly active since January 2024, and to have encouraged its members to vote for Hera Björk in the competition in order to prevent Murad from winning. In a message to Greek fansite Eurovisionfun, Segal admitted his involvement with the group, while clarifying that Kan had no relation to it and that it only had a small number of Icelandic members, dismissing any allegations of interference in the voting. He claimed that the post which had sparked the accusations was his "peaceful" attempt to call out the "meddling of politics" in Eurovision rather than a campaign against Murad.

## At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is taking place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consists of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country would perform in; the EBU split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. Iceland was scheduled for the second half of the first semi-final. The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Iceland was set to perform in position 8.
Ahead of the contest, RÚV organised and broadcast the traditional Eurovision preview show Alla leið between 13 April and 4 May 2024; hosted by Eva Ruza, it featured a panel of guests who discussed and evaluated the competing entries across several weeks, ultimately decreeing a favourite – namely France's Slimane with "Mon amour". In addition, as part of the Eurovision programming, RÚV cooperated with DR and SVT alongside other EBU member broadcasters – namely ARD/WDR, the BBC, ČT, ERR, France Télévisions, NRK, NTR, VRT and Yle – to produce and air a documentary titled ABBA – Against the Odds, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Sweden's first victory at the contest with "Waterloo" by ABBA.
In Iceland, all the shows are being broadcast on RÚV, with Icelandic commentary provided by Gunna Dís Emilsdóttir, and on RÚV 2, with Icelandic Sign Language interpreters; the first semi-final and the final are also airing on radio via Rás 2.

### Performance

Hera Björk took part in technical rehearsals on 28 April and 1 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 6 and 7 May. For her performance of "Scared of Heights" at the contest, she was joined by five backing singers, with the colour gold dominating her clothing and the graphics.

### Semi-final

Iceland performed in position 8, following the entry from Croatia and before the entry from Slovenia. The country was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Iceland placed fifteenth (last) out of the fifteen participating countries in the first semi-final with 3 points.

### Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded by and to Iceland in the first semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1–8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public. The Icelandic jury consisted of Diljá Pétursdóttir, who represented Iceland in the 2023 contest, Ívar Guðmundsson, Marino Geir Lilliendahl, Þórður Helgi Þórðarson, and Þórunn Erna Clausen. In the first semi-final, Iceland placed 15th and last with 3 points. Over the course of the contest, Iceland awarded its 12 points to Croatia in the first semi-final, and to France (jury) and Croatia (televote) in the final.
RÚV appointed Friðrik Ómar Hjörleifsson, who represented Iceland in the 2008 contest as part of Eurobandið, as its spokesperson to announce the Icelandic jury's votes in the final.

#### Detailed voting results

Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
The following members comprised the Icelandic jury:
* Diljá Pétursdóttir
* Ívar Guðmundsson
* Marino Geir Lilliendahl
* Þórður Helgi Þórðarson
* Þórunn Erna Clausen