The third and last heat before the grand final on 11 February of Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins took place this evening. The last three acts have been chosen and with Magni Ásgeirsson, Greta Salóme, Heiða & Guðrún Árný and Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld, the line-up for the national final is now complete.
Five songs were competing for the two last spots in the final and with so many talented performers on stage together; one could not tell what the outcome of the musical battle would be.
The songs: (you can read more about the participants in our our Get To Know article)
Song 1: Herbert Guðmundsson – Eilíf ást (Written by: Herbert Guðmundsson og Svanur Herbertsson).
The song is catchy and very positive and upbeat but quite repetitive in the chorus although that is why it gets stuck in your head so easily. His vocals were strong and it gets even better during the final chorus which was filled with energy. His facial expression was a little bit serious but he seemed to feel at ease on stage. Female backing vocals were perfect. The stage lighting was purple and pink. He was dressed all in black. The three female backing singers, who were on the right side of the stage, wore short dresses in black and white and the two men were dressed in casual clothes with jeans and dark shirts.
Song 2: Magni Ásgeirsson – Hugarró (Written by: Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson og Þórunn Erna Clausen).
There were huge amounts of emotion in this song along with a piano in the background but what gives this entry an interesting twist, though is that the tempo does pick up throughout, as do the vocals. The vocal performance is the most striking thing about this song. He uses raw power for the chorus and a more soft and beautiful voice for the rest of the lyrics. Not an innovative entry, but one that should have high chances of doing well tonight. The dark stage lighting helped to create a great atmosphere highlighting the singer and musicians positions with white flashes. He was dressed all in black like the four energetic guitarists and piano player who were behind him.
Song 3: Greta Salóme, Heiða and Guðrún Árný – Aldrei Sleppir Mér (Written by: Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir).
They offer up a terrific combination of engaging, passionate, and poetic songwriting, high-calibre musicianship, and gorgeous vocals. Atmospheric clouds of smoke covered the stage floor to simulate a misty or ghostly scene. The act started with Greta playing the piano and they three were dressed in the same way wearing white long and "Greek style" dresses. At the end of the performance, on the stage with them there were three female backing singers dressed with white shirts and black skirts. The six women performed a simple but elegant choreography very well coordinated. Together they are a unique amalgam of their respective backgrounds, personal proclivities, and musical abilities along with their just absolutely likable presence, make that a hard act to beat.
Song 4: Svenni Þór – Augun þín (Written by: Hilmar Hlíðberg Gunnarsson og Þorsteinn Eggertsson).
This is a splendidly strong song. The thumping drums and gritty guitar create such a perfect and harmonious sound that starts fairly laid and gets heavier after the half way mark. The music and his gorgeous voice work together so well to create a very interesting mix of pathos and anger. He wore a leather jacket, white shirt and black pants and he was surrounded by the five musicians (a piano player, three guitarists and a drummer) all of them dressed in casual clothes in dark colours.
Song 5: Íris Lind Verudóttir – Aldrei Segja Aldrei (Written by: Pétur Arnar Kristinsson).
This is a gorgeous and very heart rending song with a brilliant and flawless melody from start to finish. The music is very atmospheric and her melancholic vocals which sound classic and fresh at the same time were emotive and on point. She was wearing a dark purple long dress and an elegant pearl necklace quite graceful. Behind her there were during all the performance the three backing singers (two men and one woman) and a female violin player, all of them dressed in black. On the led screen at the back of the stage we could see a beautiful mountainous landscape.
The show:
Exactly same procedure as previous weeks. Host, Brynja Þorgeirsdóttir, welcomed us for the third time to the RÚV studios in Reykjavík for this third instalment of Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2012 and each act was introduced by the composer telling small stories about their songs with images of the rehearsals.
The results:
The voting was delivered in a similar manner as in the two previous shows.
And there we have it! First one to be announced as finalist was Magni Ásgeirsson and the second one was Greta Salóme, Heiða and Guðrún Árný. Surprisingly, we had another finalist: Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld from the second heat is also classified for the final!
We will listen to them once again in the final on 11 February where they will join the previous winners.
