Figures just released by Icelandic broadcaster RÚV show that interest in the small country on the edge of Europe is as explosive as Eyjafjallajökull, with a record number of entries received.
The small saga nation just goes to show that size isn’t everything. Whereas some countries are experiencing
a noticeable downturn in the number of submitted entries to their respective broadcasters, Iceland and RÚV are swimming against the stream and experiencing a huge boom. Whether it be due to the immense support and interest for this year’s winners of Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins, Greta Salóme and Jónsi with Never Forget or rather the fact that more and more established artists and composers continue to take part in the national selection is anybody’s guess. The fact is that the Icelandic appetite for all things Eurovision seems to be insatiable!
A record total of 240 songs were submitted to RÚV prior to the deadline atmidnight, the 8th of October, with hopefuls queueing until long into the evening in order to submit their entries. According to figures released by RÚV, Iceland is not doing badly at all with 240 entries compared to their Nordic neighbours with 470 songs submitted to Finnish broadcaster YLE and 692 sumbission to DR in Denmark. Sweden, naturally are in a league of their own with a reported 2,549 submitted entries.
RÚV confirm that they will most probably continue with the same format as in previous years for next year’s national selection, with somewhere between twelve and fifteen entries to be selected for advancement to the three semi finals planned for the 12th, 19th and 26th of January prior to the grand final which will take place on the 9th of February. Will composers have multiple entries among the last candidates to make the semi finals such as last year, when both Greta Salóme, Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson and Þórunn Erna Clausen all managed to get mutliple entries past the initial selection round? Will we see any familiar artists back for another attempt at representing Iceland at Eurovision? We won’t have to wait very long, with a list confirming the composers behind entries that have made the grade expected to be released in just over a month.
