Sigurjón's Friends
Encyclopedia
Sigurjón's Friends are an Icelandic tribute band
. The band formed in early 2011 when the Icelandic singer Sigurjón Brink
died days before he was to perform his entry "Aftur heim" in the Icelandic national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. The band members were all friends of Sigurjón Brink
, and decided to form the band and perform his entry together as a tribute. In the end they won the national final and will represent the country in the song contest in Germany
.
Gunnar Ólason from the band represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
as part of the band Two Tricky
.
with the song "Aftur heim". The original artist was meant to be Sigurjón Brink
himself, however on 17 January 2011 before he was set to compete in the third semi-final, Sigurjón unexpectedly died, due to natural causes, at his home in Garðabær
. Sigurjón's family decided, on reflection that they would like for the song to remain in the competition, and that it should be performed by Sigurjón's friends a tribute band consisting of Sigurjón's real life musician friends the band formed after his death.
The group made it past the first semi-final into the final, where the group won the right to represent Iceland
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
, to be held in Düsseldorf
, Germany
in May 2011. It placed 20th in the finals.
Tribute band
A tribute act is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act - sometimes one which has disbanded, ceased touring or is deceased. Probably the largest class of tributes acts are Elvis impersonators, individual performers who mimic the songs and style...
. The band formed in early 2011 when the Icelandic singer Sigurjón Brink
Sigurjón Brink
Sigurjón Brink also known as Sjonni, was an Icelandic musician and singer. He is one of the founders of the Icelandic theatre group Vesturport, which received the honorable European theatre award in St...
died days before he was to perform his entry "Aftur heim" in the Icelandic national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. The band members were all friends of Sigurjón Brink
Sigurjón Brink
Sigurjón Brink also known as Sjonni, was an Icelandic musician and singer. He is one of the founders of the Icelandic theatre group Vesturport, which received the honorable European theatre award in St...
, and decided to form the band and perform his entry together as a tribute. In the end they won the national final and will represent the country in the song contest in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Gunnar Ólason from the band represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...
as part of the band Two Tricky
Two Tricky
Two Tricky is a boy band from Iceland, consisting of members Kristján Gíslason and Gunnar Ólason. They represented their country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "Angel", a favourite amongst the fans of the eurovision but which failed to place with the top 10...
.
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
On 12 February 2011, the group won the Icelandic national selection; Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2011Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Iceland participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, selecting their entry through the national final Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2011, organised by Icelandic broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið .-Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2011:...
with the song "Aftur heim". The original artist was meant to be Sigurjón Brink
Sigurjón Brink
Sigurjón Brink also known as Sjonni, was an Icelandic musician and singer. He is one of the founders of the Icelandic theatre group Vesturport, which received the honorable European theatre award in St...
himself, however on 17 January 2011 before he was set to compete in the third semi-final, Sigurjón unexpectedly died, due to natural causes, at his home in Garðabær
Garðabær
Garðabær is a municipality in the Greater Reykjavík area of Iceland.As of January 2011, its population was 10,909....
. Sigurjón's family decided, on reflection that they would like for the song to remain in the competition, and that it should be performed by Sigurjón's friends a tribute band consisting of Sigurjón's real life musician friends the band formed after his death.
The group made it past the first semi-final into the final, where the group won the right to represent Iceland
Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Iceland has entered the Eurovision Song Contest 24 times since their debut in 1986. Iceland did not enter in 1998 and 2002 when prevented due to finishing outside qualification places the preceding years....
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
, to be held in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in May 2011. It placed 20th in the finals.