In was new in this year’s Icelandic final that the artist had to choose which language they will perform in for the Eurovision Song Contest. Pollapönk won with a bilungual version of their entry, but the official video released is 100% in English, implying the viewers were lied to.
For years the Icelandic broadcaster, RÚV, have been critised for having all the songs in its national finals performed in Icelandic, and then changed to English for Eurovision – meaning no on really knew what they would get when they voted. This year they had listened to the critics a bit as they added that extra thing forcing their acts to chose Eurovision language before the last voting round in the final.
Let’s go back to the evening of the 15th of February 2014. Two acts still had a chance to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest this year: Sigga Eyrun and Pollapönk. Before the last voting they are both asked to sing the song again, but this time in the version we’ll be hearing at the Eurovision Song Contest, making sure that the Icelandic viewers will be voting on that final version. Sigga Eyrun chose her song to be 100% in English, while Pollapönk goes for a billungual version with Icelandic being dominating at the first half of the song. Given that the message of the song comes out a lot better than in English, it is to be assumed that this might have helped them win the national selection in Iceland.
The official video for the song was released Saturday evening and here comes the confusion. The song is now 100% in English with the title No Prejudice. As the official preview video usually is made in the language that is to be used on stage in the Eurovision Song Contest, it looks like the billingual version has been replaced. In that case the Icelandic viewers were lied to, and one can only speculate in whether or not it was the right song that won in Söngvakeppnin that evening in February.
The HoD meeting where each delegation officially hand in their participating songs will be held in Copenhagen tomorrow, the 17th of March. After that we will know for sure if Iceland indeed changed language, despite its promise to the TV viewers voting.
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