ESC Etc.

Everyone who is a die-hard Eurovision fan will tell you they want to see Iceland win this thing at least once in their lifetime. Not only is Iceland the second most successful ESC country yet to win the contest (trailing only Malta), but ESC is deeply embedded in Icelandic popular culture, and no country embraces it so wholly and passionately every year – in 2023, 98.7% of all Icelandic television viewers reported to have watched at least some of the grand final, the highest audience share out of any other participating country (in a year in which they didn’t even qualify from their semifinal). Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic national final, has turned over the years into a bit of a seesaw experience – we’ll get one or two middling years followed by an absolutely phenomenal one, then back down, then back up. For a country with fewer than 400,000 inhabitants, that’s perhaps to be expected.

Well…like clockwork, this year’s contest is featuring a terrific lineup of incredibly competitive songs. Daði Freyr, Iceland’s ESC representative in 2020 (when they would have probably won, let’s be honest) and 2021 (when the placed 4th in the final) had warned us last year on social media that Iceland would be winning ESC in 2024. I think he actually meant it and he might not be that far off in his prediction. Iceland immediately shot to #1 in the odds upon the release of their 2024 tracks, mostly because of Bashar Murad, a Palestinian singer-songwiter/video artist, who is one of the 10 contestants in the lineup. Should Murad win and elect to go to ESC, the diegetic baggage that will accompany his participation would immediately put him under the spotlight as a default favorite. I said “elect” because Iceland has been threatening to boycott ESC this year over Israel’s inclusion, ultimately determining that they’ll leave it to the winning act to decide whether they want to go or not. You gotta respect that. The following are our 4 favorite songs from this national final, with the caveat that there are absolutely no bad songs here. They’re all great. Some we just liked more than others.

Anita – Stingum af (English version title: Downfall)

Listening to this track, I’m transported back in time to the early ’90s Eurodance/tecno sounds of Snap!, 2 Unlimited, and Corona. While I would call this a more modern re-interpretation of that soundscape, there is no mistaking what this is: a dancefloor-ready stomper that’s just meant to get you completely lost in the moment. People will absolutely love this for what it’s giving, and it seems as though a chunk of the fandom over on the MESC app might have already taken to this as their chosen winner of this final. I think its strength might also be what ultimately causes it to fold – it’s such a straighforward banger, other tracks with more of an edge to them could overshadow it in the grand final. Is it great, though? Yeah, it is.

Blankiflúr – Sjá þig (English version title: Love You)

ESC WINNER ALERT. I am obsessed with this track. Which seems fitting, since the lyrics (both in Icelandic and English, albeit with major differences) seem to set this up as an fairly uncomplicated love song that slowly disrobes out of its cloack to turn into a chant about an obsessive, unrequited love instead (I’ve been watching too much Traitors, I know). The EDM production is almost hypnotic, dressing up the beat with layers of electronica flourishes, and so is the vocal, especially in the broken up parts that punctuate the chorus. There would be nothing like this at ESC this year, which to me would make this an automatic contender, so I hope it doesn’t get overlooked.

Hera Björk – Við förum hærra (English version title: Scared of Heights)

Hera is no stranger to ESC fans: she represented Iceland at Eurovision in 2010 with Je ne sais quoi (a fan favorite that ended up 19th in the grand final) and, more recently, she gave Söngvakeppnin another go in 2019, the Hatari year, coming in 4th place with a ballad titled Moving On. Fans of her 2010 song should take to this one with the same sort of enthusiasm – much like Je ne sais quoi, Við förum hærra is a Europop, dance schlager ditty that’s just very easy to love. I would say that, in 2024, what makes this perhaps a bit more special is the fact that we don’t often get women in their 50s singing about falling in love the way a teenager would – Hera’s joyous vocal here really is the star of the show. This is what might also help it stand out at ESC – otherwise, some of the same concerns I discussed re: Anita do apply here, as well.

Sigga Ózk – Um allan alheiminn (English version title: Into the Atmosphere)

After entering this contest in 2023 with Dancing Lonely, a disco-tinged retro pop number (if you’ve been listening to out podcast, you might recall it was one of Anthony’s absolutely fave songs for the whole year), Sigga is back in 2024 with a dance track and (attempting here my best Stefon impression) this song’s got everything: finger snapping, early 2000s vibes, propulsive synths, trance elements, whistle tones, an anthemic drop. Sigga’s throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this one and this sonic accumulation somehow still works – the production is aces, she sings it flawlessly, and it’s catchy as hell. Can she dance? There’s just enough time left here to shove in a dance break. Iceland could really stage the crap out of this one.

A quick note: no matter who wins – please consider doing your song in Icelandic. It’s just a bit more special that way.