Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "This Is My Life" performed by Eurobandið
. It was chosen through Laugardagslögin, the national selection for Iceland
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
. The winning song of the final, "This Is My Life" by Eurobandið, represented Iceland in Belgrade
, on 22 May, where they participated in the second semi final. Qualifying from this semi in 8th place, the song finished 14th in final on 24 May.
on 23 February 2008. The contest contained 11 semi finals with three songs in each, one second chance round and one final, which was held on 23 February 2008. 146 songs were submitted to RUV
. Most of the songs in the selections were, however, written by invited composers. At the beginning of the show, past Iceland
ic Eurovision entrants presented a medley
of the songs they competed with. This included Paul Oscar
's "Minn hinsti dans
" (1997
), Stjórnin's "Eitt lag enn
" (1990
), Heart 2 Heart's "Nei eða já
" (1992
), Silvia Night
's infamous 2006
entry "Congratulations
" and Selma's "All Out of Luck
" (which achieved second place for Iceland in 1999
).
The winner was chosen by televoting
and only the top three placings were announced.
and before Turkey
where they picked up 64 points. Although ranking 14th, it became the most successful Icelandic entry since the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
where Iceland placed 8th.
Eurobandið
Eurobandið is the name of Icelandic technopop and dance duo Friðrik Ómar and Regína Ósk, who together represented Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. They performed the song "This Is My Life" in the second semi-final, on 22 May 2008 which won them a place in the final...
. It was chosen through Laugardagslögin, the national selection for Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
. The winning song of the final, "This Is My Life" by Eurobandið, represented Iceland in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, on 22 May, where they participated in the second semi final. Qualifying from this semi in 8th place, the song finished 14th in final on 24 May.
Laugardagslögin
Laugardagslögin, the Icelandic national final, was held in ReykjavíkReykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
on 23 February 2008. The contest contained 11 semi finals with three songs in each, one second chance round and one final, which was held on 23 February 2008. 146 songs were submitted to RUV
RÚV
Ríkisútvarpið is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization.Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional centres around the country, the service broadcasts a variety of general programming to a wide audience across the whole country via radio...
. Most of the songs in the selections were, however, written by invited composers. At the beginning of the show, past Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic Eurovision entrants presented a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
of the songs they competed with. This included Paul Oscar
Paul Oscar
Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson , known internationally as Páll Óskar and Paul Oscar, is an Icelandic pop singer, songwriter and disc jockey. He had a musical childhood, singing at private functions, with choirs and for media advertisements, but was affected by bullying in school and tension between his...
's "Minn hinsti dans
Minn Hinsti Dans
"Minn hinsti dans" was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, performed in Icelandic by Paul Oscar, a former drag queen who raised many eyebrows in Iceland with his artistic creations before...
" (1997
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....
), Stjórnin's "Eitt lag enn
Eitt Lag Enn
"Eitt lag enn" was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in Icelandic by Stjórnin.The song is a love duet, with the singers describing their desire to dance to one more song with each other....
" (1990
Eurovision Song Contest 1990
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990, the 35th in the series, was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on 5 May 1990. The presenters were Helga Vlahović Brnobić and Oliver Mlakar. Toto Cutugno was the winner of this contest with the song "Insieme: 1992"...
), Heart 2 Heart's "Nei eða já
Nei eða já
Nei eða já was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992, performed in Icelandic by Heart 2 Heart....
" (1992
Eurovision Song Contest 1992
The Eurovision Song Contest 1992 was the 37th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1992 in Malmö, Sweden. The presenters were Lydia Cappolicchio and Harald Treutiger. Linda Martin, representing Ireland, was the winner of this Eurovision with the song Why Me?. The song was written by Johnny...
), Silvia Night
Silvía Night
Silvía Night is a fictional, satirical character on , an Icelandic comedy show of the television channel Skjár einn. The character was invented by Gaukur Úlfarsson and Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir; the latter plays Silvía Night...
's infamous 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
entry "Congratulations
Congratulations (Silvía Night song)
Congratulations was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English by Silvía Night....
" and Selma's "All Out of Luck
All Out Of Luck
"All Out of Luck" was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in English by Selma. This was the first occasion on which the Icelandic entry had not been performed entirely in Icelandic....
" (which achieved second place for Iceland in 1999
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel after Dana International won the contest the previous year in the United Kingdom. The venue for the contest was the International Convention Center...
).
The winner was chosen by televoting
Televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.- Broadcast contest televoting :...
and only the top three placings were announced.
Result of Laugardagslögin
| Draw | Artist | Song | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davíð Þorsteinn Olgeirsson | "In Your Dreams" | |
| 2 | Páll Rósinkranz & Gospelkór Reykjavíkur | "Gef mér von" | |
| 3 | Eurobandið Eurobandið Eurobandið is the name of Icelandic technopop and dance duo Friðrik Ómar and Regína Ósk, who together represented Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. They performed the song "This Is My Life" in the second semi-final, on 22 May 2008 which won them a place in the final... |
"Fullkomið líf" This Is My Life (Eurobandið song) "This Is My Life" is a eurodance song, sung by Icelandic pop duo Eurobandið, that represented Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 placing 14th in a field of 25th.-Background:... " |
1st |
| 4 | Ragnheiður Gröndal Ragnheiður Gröndal Ragnheiður Gröndal is an Icelandic singer. She was in 2006 described as Iceland's best-selling artist, and was named Icelandic Singer of the Year the same year. She was in 2008 a finalist to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest... |
"Don't Wake Me Up" | |
| 5 | Merzedes Club Merzedes Club Merzedes Club is a band created by prolific music composer and producer Barði Jóhannson. The group was formed to perform Barði's song Ho, Ho, Ho, We say Hey, Hey, Hey at the national selection for Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The band gained extreme notoriety for their unusual... |
"Ho, Ho, Ho, We say Hey, Hey, Hey Ho, Ho, Ho, We say Hey, Hey, Hey "Ho, Ho, Ho, We say Hey, Hey, Hey" is a 2008 single from Merzedes Club. The song was written and produced by Barði Jóhannson for the national selection for Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The song came in second place after Eurobandið's This is my Life. It's sung in German and English.... " |
2nd |
| 6 | Baggalútur | "Hvað var það sem þú sást í honum?" | |
| 7 | Birgitta Haukdal Birgitta Haukdal Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir , also known by her mononym Birgitta, is an Icelandic singer. She rose to domestic media prominence as the lead singer of pop band Írafár... & Magni Ásgeirsson Magni Ásgeirsson Guðmundur Magni Ásgeirsson , is a singer, songwriter, and musician. He is also currently the frontman for the Icelandic pop band Á Móti Sól. Outside of Iceland, he is most famous for being a contestant on the CBS reality show Rock Star: Supernova.-Biography:The third of four children, Magni was... |
"Núna veit ég" | |
| 8 | Dr Spock | "Hvar ert þú?" | 3rd |
At Eurovision
"This Is My Life" was chosen to be presented first at the second semi-final where it placed eighth with 68 points. In the final they performed in 11th position, behind PolandPoland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Poland competed in the first of the semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The Polish National Final Piosenka dla Europy 2008 was held on February 23, 2008. The winning entry was determined by combining the results of a public televote and a jury vote . Both the jury and televoters gave...
and before Turkey
Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Turkey will compete in one of the semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade. The Turkish broadcaster Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu has chosen the band which will represent Turkey during the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade...
where they picked up 64 points. Although ranking 14th, it became the most successful Icelandic entry since the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...
where Iceland placed 8th.