Icelandic broadcaster RUV has released the twelve songs that will compete in the annual Söngvakeppnin national selection through which they will decide Iceland’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The final will be held on the 20th of February.

This year, Iceland will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins”, one of the biggest TV shows in the country, which is also their national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The 2016 Icelandic national selection will be made up of three shows, two semi-finals and a Grand Final. Tickets for the final will go on sale online on the 19th of January.

Three songs will quallify from each semi-final with a seventh finalist being chosen from the non-qualifiers as a wildcard. The songs will be performed in Icelandic at the semi-finals, but in the Grand Final all the competing songs must be performed in the language that the artist intends to perform the song in Stockholm, a significant change from the previous Söngvakeppni.

All the songs have been published on the website of broadcaster RÚV, but you can also listen to them by clicking on the song titles below:

Semi-Final 1 – 6th of February (Place: Háskólabíói)

• Sigríður Eir Zophoniasardóttir & Jóhanna Vala Höskuldsdóttir – Égséþig (I see you)
• Ingólfur Þórarinsson – Fátækur námsmaður (A broke student)
• Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir & Hjörtur Traustason – Hugurminner (My mind is)
• Sigga Eyrún – Kreisí (Crazy)
• Karlotta Sigurðardóttir – Óstöðvandi (Unstoppable)
• Greta Salome Stefánsdóttir – Raddirnar (The Voices)

Semi-Final 2 – 13th of February (Place: Háskólabíói)

• Alda Dís Arnardóttir – Augnablik (One Moment)
• Elísabet Ormslev – Á ný (Again)
• Pálmi Gunnarsson – Ég leiði þig heim (I lead you home)
• Erna Mist & Magnús Thorlacius – Ótöluð orð (Unspoken words)
• Helgi Valur Ásgeirsson – Óvær (Uneasy)
• Þórdís Birna Borgarsdóttir & Guðmundur Snorri Sigurðarson – Spring yfir heiminn (All over the world)

Amongst the participants we see Greta Salome, who previously represented Iceland at Eurovision in Baku in 2012 with the song Never Forget. During the semifinals, the finalists will be chosen using 100% televoting, however in the final of Söngvakeppni there will be also a professional jury who will posses 50% of the votes with the other 50% coming from televoting. As it was already written above, the final of Söngvakeppni will be on the 20th of February in Laugardalshöll Arena.

Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Iceland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 28 times since its debut in 1986, and this year will celebrate 30 years in the contest. The country’s best results are two second-places (1999, 2009). Iceland remains the only Northern European country that has yet to win the Eurovision Song Contest.

RUV usually uses Söngvakeppnin to select their participant for Eurovision, however an internal selection has been used a few times.

Last year Maria Olafs with her song Unbroken was the winner of Söngvakeppnin 2015 and represented the nation in Vienna. With 14 points Iceland was 15th among 17 entries in the 2nd semi-final and due to that result unable to continue to the final.

Below you can watch Maria Olafs performing her song Unbroken at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest:

Greta Salóme 2012 Eurovision Song Contest participiation, Never Forget can be refreshed below.