Introduction

• Participant(s): Daði og Gagnamagnið
• Song: Think About Things
  
• Writer(s): Daði Freyr
  
• Composer(s): Daði Freyr
• Broadcaster: RÚV
• Social media:           
  
• Team review: 

This year Iceland would have had a greatest chance to win the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time – if everything would have happened according to plan. But the Corona crisis has stopped that dream – unfortunately. The song “Think About Things” has become a hit in the internet already and many people outside the Eurovision world have shown interest like Russel Crowe, who posted this song on Twitter.

Iceland had great songs in the past, but this one is special, a real catchy tune with a special performance which is simple but brilliant. The video clip and the live videos of Daði and his band Gagnamagnið proofs that the green pullovers with their faces in the front are a kind of trademark, the monotone choreography and the electronic sound with the melody works convincing.

Daði Freyr Pétursson was born in Reykjavik in 1992. He spent his childhood in Denmark, returned to Iceland and lives in Berlin since 2014, where is studied music production. Daði composes his own songs “Seinni tíma vandamál”  and has performed in different bands like Mixophyrgian . In 2017 Daði participated in the Icelandic national final Söngvakeppnin with the song “Hvað með það” and made the second place.

In this year’s national final he could win the contest with 60% of the votes in the last round. Long before the ESC should have started the song became a hit and put him to the top of the bets. The song is about his unborn child, he is asking himself, what do you think about things? No wonder, his wife Árný Fjóla and sister Sigrún are also members of the band Gagnamagnið.

What a pity that this Icelandic song has no chance to win the ESC. But some countries have already guaranteed spots for 2021 for the 2020 selected singers. Daði would love to represent Iceland, but he does not want to compete in the Icelandic national final again. Let’s see what will be decided by the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV.

History

• Debut: 1986
• Participations: 33
• Victories: 0
• Finals: 25
• Top 10: 6
• Chance for Top 10: 18%
• Chances for Final: 53%

The Icelanders have always followed the ESC with great enthusiasm, it was broadcasted a long time ago in Iceland, but they had to wait until 1986 when the technical preconditions were ready for a live transmission. So Iceland made its debut with "Gleðibankinn" by the group Icy. This song has already become a cult entry and it's being sung on almost every Eurovision party, especially in Iceland. Great to see that Iceland has become a solid contender with great energy and good songs.

Iceland was able to reach the final 25 times and reached the Top10 six times! The chances to reach one of the Top10 places are 18% and to reach the Grand Final is at 53% (since 2004). Two times Iceland has made the fabulous second place in 1999 and 2009. In recent years Iceland was quite successful and reached the Grand Finals, but this cannot be taken for granted. Last year’s hard core song “Hatrið mun sigra” by Hatari made a great 10th place in the Grand Final, while the four years before there was no qualification possible.

The most fascinating fact is that the creativity in this small country with about 330.000 inhabitants so enormously high and that music from Iceland has become really popular worldwide. The most popular Icelandic singers in general are Björk, Sigur Rós, Mezzoforte and GusGus (Daníel Augúst Haraldsson, 1989 with “Það Sem Enginn Sér).

Biggest successes

• 2x 2nd place
  “All Out Of Luck” |Selma Björnsdóttir (Jerusalem 1999)
  “Is It True?” |Yohanna (Moscow 2009)
• 1x 4th place
  “Eit Lag Enn” |Stjórnin (Zagreb 1990)

Video Nostalgia

• “Sókrates” | Beathoven
  Rank 16, Dublin 1988
  
  
• “Nætur“| Sigga
  Rank 12, Dublin 1994
  
  
• “Heaven” | Jónsi
  Rank 19, Istanbul 2004