No Introduction Necessary (1): Iceland

With 43 participating countries, the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest equals the record previously set in Düsseldorf. But it is not the only record that is met this year! Never have there been more returning artists in one edition of Eurovision than this year.

There are no less than seven returning artists traveling to Stockholm. ESCDaily introduces them all to you this month – not that they need any introduction, of course!

Greta Salóme in 2012
In 2012, Greta takes part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku together with Jonsi, who at that point himself is a returning Eurovision artist. Their song ‘Never Forget’ is an early favorite during the preselection season: it’s a haunting ballad, well composed and melody driven, with interesting violin influences. At the stage performance, Greta is the one playing this violin besides singing.

The song is translated from Icelandic to English, which not all fans appreciate – however, thanks also to beautiful visuals in the backdrop, Iceland qualifies for the Grand Final. Due to heavy competition and an early starting position, they never appear high up on the board during the voting sequence. Greta finishes in 20th position and is spotted by several ESCDaily editors at the Baku airport right after the final, taking a very early flight back to Iceland.

Greta Salóme in 2016
“It is all about Greta!” shouts ESCDaily’s Iceland follower Neil MacInnes after the first show of Söngvakeppnin. Her song “Raddirnar” stands out immediately, not only because of the interesting performance with haunting visuals in the backdrop, but also because of the interesting composition with alternative instruments, which slightly resembles the style of the celebrated Icelandic composer Jónsi (NOT her Baku-partner Jonsi, but the Jónsi from Sigur Rós).

However, Greta has written both the music and the lyrics of “Raddirnar” herself. The song is quickly translated to English already during the preselection process, and it wins Söngvakeppnin in the new version. The new lyrics make the message of the song more accessible to a European audience, who know also understand the story of the ghosts that we hear calling, but that we also see in the intriguing backdrop.