This weekend, Iceland continue with their search for their artist and song for Eurovision 2025 with the second semi-final of Söngvakeppnin!
In a marked change from previous years, 3 artists will qualify from each semi-final, meaning six artists will perform in the final next week. Last week’s qualifying acts were:
- Stebbi Jak – Frelsið mitt
- Ágúst – Eins og þú
- Væb – Róa
For the semi finals, all the artists must perform their songs in Icelandic. During the final, the competing artists will perform their entries in the language they intend to sing at Eurovision. For this article, we have linked both the Icelandic and English versions of the songs.
With that being said, let’s meet the 5 artists in semi-final 2!
Dagur Sig – Flugdrekar
Dagur Sig is the stage name of Dagur Sigurðsson who is no stranger to Söngvakeppnin: in 2018, Dagur competed with the song ‘Í stormi’ (‘In a Storm’) which earned him a spot in the final. Continuing to perform the song in Icelandic, Dagur was the jury’s choice to head to Lisbon that year and made it to the superfinal where he unfortunately lost to Ari Ólafsson and his song ‘Our Choice’.
Now Dagur is back and is hoping for more success with his song ‘Flugdrekar’ (‘Carousel’). There’s no superfinal to contend with this year so could it be Dagur we see in Basel? You can hear ‘Flugdrekar’ in Icelandic by clicking below or click here for the English version.
Júlí and Dísa – Eldur
Júlí and Dísa are the stage names of Júlí Heiðar Halldórsson and Þórdís Björk Þorfinnsdóttir. Dísa is an actress and singer best known for her work dubbing children’s movies, including providing the voice of Anna in the Icelandic version of ‘Frozen’. Júlí is an actor and singer who may be a familiar face to Söngvakeppnin fans, having competed with Þórdís Birna Borgarsdóttir in 2017 with the entry ‘Heim til þín’ (‘Home To You’) which sadly did not progress to the final. Júlí and Dísa are also a couple, having met in 2021. They welcomed their first child in 2024.
The duo will be performing their song ‘Eldur’ (‘Fire’). Could they go all the way? You can listen to the Icelandic version by clicking below or click here for the English version.
Bára Katrín – Rísum upp
Making her Söngvakeppnin debut is 19-year-old Bára Katrín. Having started writing songs at just 10-years-old, Bára was encouraged by her church choir to record her music which led to her being noticed by a music producer who made her a member of the band Dora and the Dates, who she still performs with to this day. The singer is a huge Eurovision fan and cites Jedward as her favourite act of all time!
Bára will be performing ‘Rísum upp’ (‘Rise Above’) which was originally written in Icelandic before the songwriters approached her to sing it. Bára says the performance should leave the audience with a feeling of unity. Will she be successful? You can check out the Icelandic version below or click here for the English version.
Bjarni Arason – Aðeins lengur
Up next is Söngvakeppnin veteran Bjarni Arason who has competed to represent Iceland twice. The first time was all the way back in 1988 with the song ‘Aftur og aftur’ (‘Again and Again’) which unfortunately only placed ninth that year. However, Bjarni returned in 1992 with the song ‘Karen’ which was far more successful, placing 2nd behind ‘Nei eða já‘ by Sigríður Beinteinsdóttir and Sigrún Eva Ármannsdottir. The duo would go on to reach 7th place at Eurovision that year, their second best result at the time.
After a long break from the contest, Bjarni is back with the song ‘Aðeins lengur’ (‘A Little Longer). He has not submitted an English version of the song, suggesting he intends to perform in Icelandic should he reach the final. Will he get the chance? You can listen to his song below:
Tinna – Þrá
Performing last tonight but competing in Söngvakeppnin for the first time is Tinna who has released the singles ‘Addicted’ and ‘Like I’m the Only One’ in 2024. However, Tinna has largely been focusing on her acting studies, which she has been doing in Copenhagen for the last five years. Tinna’s studies finish this spring and in an interview with RÚV, she explained that “the dream” would be to be able to combine acting with singing. As well as fulfilling her dreams to be an actress and singer, Tinna is also married and has two sons who she describes as “the most important thing” to her.
Tinna will be performing the song ‘Þrá’ (‘Words’) which she says is about “a kind of love story. An inner struggle to know your own worth and to retreat when someone else has the upper hand in the relationship.” Will we be seeing her in the final? You can listen to her song in Icelandic by clicking below or click here for the English version.
You can watch the second semi-final on RÚV at 19:45 GMT // 20:45 CET.
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