Hatari wants to block the comeback of Hera Björk and Fridrik Omar in Iceland

In what appears to be a two-horse race in Iceland this weekend, there is a techno and punk rock group called Hatari, who hope to come up with a shock victory at Söngvakeppnin 2019. Can they come out victorious, or will it be the expected comeback to the Eurovision Song Contest for Hera Björk or Fridrik Omar?

We don’t know the ranking and exact scores in the jury and televote in the two semi finals in Iceland this year. The only thing we do know, is that the fifth finalist Kristina Skoubo Bærendsen does not appear to be a contender. After the elimination of the song ‘Ég á mig sjálf ‘, it got saved by a wildcard for the final, handed out by broadcaster RÚV. It will now be performed in English, under the title ‘Mama said’.

The other four? Who knows what will happen on Saturday the 2nd of March. Check out the finalists in Iceland for Eurovision 2019 below:

Hera Björk – “Moving On”

It is all about the music, but first some attention for the ‘make-over’ of Hera Björk. She has lost a lot of weight since taking part at Eurovision 2010 and is looking great. Her song is traditional. A safe ballad, being delivered in a convincing matter with great vocals. In the semi final Hera performed the song “Eitt andartak” in the Icelandic language, but in the final she will sing in English.

Friðrik Ómar – “Hvað ef ég get ekki elskað?”

Fridrik Omar will keep his song in Icelandic, it seems. He represented Iceland in 2008 at the Eurovision Song Contest, as the male part of the duo Euroband. Eurovision has always been on his mind, as he was a backing or delegation member on multiple occassions since then. But 2019, that would be a great year for a comeback, he must have thought.

Hatari – “Hatrið mun sigra”

If Iceland does not want to go for an artist that went to Eurovision before, there is an alternative. The band Hatari consists of Klemens Hannigan, Matthias Haraldsson and Einar Stefánsson.[1] The group has released one EP and a number of singles. Hatari is known for their live shows, including their BDSM-inspired stage costumes. Hatari describe themselves as an “anti-capitalist BDSM techno performance art group”. After weak performances in recent years with ‘sweet’ and safe pop-songs, this would be something completely different from the island…

Tara Mobee – “Fighting for Love”

Another credible and good vocalist is Tara Mobee. The Icelandic popstar made big impact upon her arrival in the summer of 2017 with her debut single ‘Nothing To Say’. Perhaps she is fishing in the same pool as Hera Björk, which could be helpful for the others.