http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z369/RC741/Eurovision%20Logos/Flag%20Logos/Iceland_zpsea17af35.png
Iceland

Svala - Paper

Söngvakeppnin is returning as expected although it is happening weeks later than usual, which will mean no time for a revamp that Iceland often exploit so well. Nevertheless, I really hope they get back on track with their qualifications this year - Maria and Greta were better than quite a few of their other acts in recent years. Greta in particular was just sensational and is definitely the biggest Eurovision shock like ever!

 

Icelandic broadcaster RÚV has opened the submissions process for Söngvakeppnin 2017, therefore confirming that the much-loved national competition will return as their Eurovision selection process once again. Artists and composers can send in their entries via the advertisement on RÚV’s Eurovision website before the deadline on October 28th.

 

The official 2017 rules have also been published, and they confirm that the Söngvakeppnin 2017 will take place slightly later than it has done in previous years. The first semi-final will take place on February 25th 2017, the second semi-final on March 4th, and the final on March 11th. Winners of Söngvakeppnin in recent years have tended to revamp their entries between their victory and the final submissions date for Eurovision in mid-March. However, this change will mean that the winner will be extremely limited on time with the deadline for Eurovision 2017 submissions likely to be at a head of delegations meeting on March 13th judging by schedules in previous years.

 

This year Greta Salóme returned to Eurovision but sadly failed to qualify for the final in Stockholm. This was the second successive non-qualification for Iceland who, before 2015, had been on a run of seven consecutive final appearances.

 

http://escxtra.com/2016/09/20/iceland-subm...vakeppnin-2017/

Well I'll be missing the entirety of this due to clashing with Melodifestivalen, what happened to Nordic selections happening in January.

I've decided Daniel Oliver of finalists of 2015 Cadem, will be looking to enter this. Recording a song in Icelandic recently... I smell a contestant.

Biggest name in this selection is Svala Björgvíns who is very popular both as a solo artist and as member of the band Steed Lord (was in BJSC I think?) in Iceland!

They're all up here. Since it's a well known but unacknowledged fact that they're usually written in English first and then translated into Icelandic for the first round of qualification for the National Final, pretty much all of the songs have both an Icelandic and an English (and we presume, Eurovision-ready) version to listen to which is a nice touch on their part.

Svala Björgvíns's entry in this is called 'Paper' and it sounds like a pop-ified version of 'Love Injected'. Fairly sure she's got the selection wrapped up if she's as popular as they're saying she is.

The full list be:

 

Arnar & Rakel - Til mín/Again

Aron Brink - Þú hefur dáleitt mig/Hypnotized

Aron Hannes - Nótt/Tonight

Daði Freyr - Hvað með það?/Is this love?

Erna Mist - Skuggamynd/I'll be gone

Hildur - Bambaramm

Júlí Heiðar & Þórdís - Heim til þín/Get back home

Linda - Ástfangin/Obvious love

Páll & Kristina - Þú og ég/You and I

Rúnar Eff - Mér við hlið/Make your way back home

Sólveig - Treystu á mig/Trust in me

Svala - Ég veit það/Paper

 

Both of the Arons have rather good tropical pop numbers so I wouldn't be surprised or disappointed to see 'Hypnotized' be a bit of a surprise winner (I guess we'll see come March which of the two would stand out more in the Kyiv lineup).

I'm really liking Paper, getting the Love Injected comparisons and would be a great winner. Gave Hypnotised a listen as well and that's going to be quite the guilty pleasure, very standard tropical pop bop but you can't help but have a little groove to it and there's a little key change in there too. Iceland giving us a summer calypso tune would be quite the oxymoron but maybe it is what they need?

Paper is good. Not sure about paper as a metaphor but the icy production and 80s tones has won me over. Iceland would sail back to the finals with this.

'Tonight', 'Paper' and 'Hypnotised' would be my top 3, 'Bammbaramm' is quite good as well.

 

'Hypnotised' is like Freddy Kalas does SaRaha, I think I prefer it in Icelandic.

Paper is wonderful but - and I know this is UTTER HERESY - for my sins I actually prefer Hypnotised.

I think I do too! It's like when I secretly preferred Bombo to I Feed You My Love despite how good the latter was and still is.

Paper is fantastic. I am fully backing it.

 

Bammbaramm is really good as well.

 

Hypnotised is catchy but it is so damn exhausting to hear this tropical shit everywhere. Tonight is the better of the two evils so if we need to have a tropical bop then I would prefer the latter definitely.

 

Rúnar is quite good as well but of course it's far from the ESC material.

 

Can't get over the perfectly shaped head of Júlí. Countries have chosen this type of song to represent them before so I am fearful it could be the case here.

 

Is This Love could be great but it's not quite there.

 

The rest is tragic.

Oh god, of course this is the year of Eurovision goes tropical house. The contest is always a year or two behind commercial trends!

 

Anyway Hypnotised is catchy, though it sounds like Dangerous Love by Fuse ODG. Paper is very good, as is Bammbaramm.

 

The whole compilation is on Spotify now btw.

100% HERE for Paper *.*

The first semi completely came unnoticed. Probably because of Loreen last week and that's understandable.

 

Either way, its a true peenfest so far in the final.

Omg Hildur of the 2010 ikonec host fame *.*

Aron with the tropical shit is on. I think he is winning. Ugh

I have 2 big favourites in each semi. In the first semi 'Tonight' made it but 'Get Back Home' didn't, hopefully 'Hypnotised' and 'Paper' will both make it tonight!

 

My overall favourite is Hypnotised, so if that has a chance of winning I'm down for it. I think I'd actually prefer both of the Arons over Svala. I do love Paper but I think either Aron would be fantastic for variety.