Iceland: Greta Salóme wins Söngvakeppnin 2016

Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir won tonight's final of Söngvakeppnin with the song "Hear them calling", and will represent Iceland at Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm. (She also won 1 million Icelandic krona ≈ 7,040 EUR)

Six songs were competing in the big liveshow from Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík, and 50/50 televoting/jury decided two songs to proceeded to the super-final: Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir and Alda Dís Arnardóttir. Here they performed again, and the winner was decided solely by public televoting.

Söngvakeppnin 2016 Result

1. Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir - "Hear them calling" (Super-finalist)
2. Alda Dís Arnardóttir – "Now" (Super-finalist)
3. Karlotta Sigurðardóttir - "Eye of the storm"
4. Hjörtur Traustason & Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir - "I promised you then"
5. Þórdís Borgarsdóttir & Guðmundur Sigurðarson – "Ready to break free"
6. Elísabet Ormslev – "Á ný"

The Final of Söngvakeppnin 2016 is a huge event in Iceland, this year with the international Eurovision stars Loreen (Sweden 2012) and Sandra Kim (Belgium 1986) as guest performers, together with former Icelandic Eurovision stars singing a medley from the past 30 years.

Just like last year, all the songs in Söngvakeppnin must be performed in Icelandic language at the semi-finals. If a song proceeds to the final of Söngvakeppnin the song shall be performed in the language intended for Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm. All the finalists except one (Elísabet Ormslev) decided to sing in English.

Greta Salóme

Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir (29) represented Iceland in Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku with the song "Never Forget", in a duet with Jónsi (finished 20th with 46 points). Greta grew up in Mosfellsfæ, Iceland, and her life took a direction towards music already when she was four years old, when she began playing violin.

In 2008 she graduated with a bachelor's degree. She has been working as a full-time violinist at the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and plays in various other music projects. Greta has composed music for several years, but did not publish anything before 2012 ("In The Silence").

She sang "Raddirnar" (The voices) in the first Semi-final of Söngvakeppnin 2016, and chose the English version "Hear Them Calling" for the final - and for Eurovision 2016.

Söngvakeppnin 2016

6 February: Semi-final 1
13 February: Semi-final 2
20 February: Final

Six songs competed in each semi-final, and three songs from each qualified to the final. The six songs that didn't qualify from one of the semi-finals got a second chance to go to the final. After the second semi-final, an expert jury was supposed to award one of the eliminated songs a wildcard to the final, but the jury decided not to add a seventh song to the final.

All three shows were broadcasted live, and hosts were Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir & Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir.

Iceland in Eurovision Song Contest

Iceland's debut in Eurovision Song Contest was back in 1986, and has been participating 28 times since. Best result are two second-places with Yohanna in 2009 and Selma in 1999.

Iceland is the only Northern European country that has yet to win the Eurovision Song Contest.