Destination Basel! On Saturday, February 22, at 20:45 CET (19:45 local time in Iceland), the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV held the grand final of Söngvakeppnin 2025, the national selection that determined Iceland’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. After an exciting night, VÆB with their song “RÓA” emerged victorious and will represent Iceland in Basel.
The event was hosted by Benedikt Valsson, Fannar Sveinsson, and Guðrún Dís Emilsdóttir, under the artistic direction of Selma Björnsdóttir and Thomas Benstem.
Söngvakeppnin 2025 Grand Final Results
The final saw the return of Ágúst, Bjarni Arason, Júlí og Dísa, VÆB, Tinna, and Tinna to the stage at RVK Studios in Gufunesi to perform their entries once more. Some of the acts presented new English versions of their songs.
The winner was determined by a 50/50 voting system, with 50% of the results decided by the international jury and 50% by the Icelandic public through phone calls and SMS voting. The jury consisted of representatives from seven different countries.
| Rank | Artist | Song | Total | Televote | Jury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | VÆB | “RÓA” | 167 | 93 | 74 |
| 2nd | Stebbi JAK | “Set Me Free” | 142 | 85 | 57 |
| 3rd | Júlí og Dísa | “Fire” | 137 | 74 | 63 |
| 4th | Bjarni Arason | “Aðeins Lengur” | 81 | 39 | 44 |
| 5th | Tinna | “Words” | 75 | 22 | 53 |
| 6th | Ágúst | “Like You” | 68 | 23 | 45 |
Who Are VÆB? Meet Iceland’s Eurovision 2025 Representatives
VÆB is a duo formed by Matthías Davíð and Hálfdán Helgi, two brothers from Iceland. Their name stands for Respect, Serenity, and Good Atmosphere in Icelandic, a unique word they created themselves.
Their journey began as a fun project between siblings but gradually evolved into a serious musical career. Hálfdán Helgifirst stepped into the spotlight by winning the Jólastjarnan singing competition, with his brother Matthías Davíðalways by his side.
The duo previously participated in Söngvakeppnin 2024 with their song “Bíómynd”, reaching the final but missing out on the superfinal. This year, they returned with “RÓA”, a song co-written by Ingi Þór Garðarsson and featuring collaboration with Stefan, Estonia’s Eurovision 2022 representative.
The song faced allegations of plagiarism due to similarities with an Israeli pop track, but RÚV investigated and dismissed the claims. Interestingly, their mother, Áslaug Helga Hálfdánardóttir, also competed in Söngvakeppnin 2008 with “Lífsins Leið.”
How Was Iceland’s Eurovision 2025 Entry Selected?
RÚV confirmed Iceland’s participation in Eurovision on September 13, 2024, and opened submissions until October 13. A total of 110 songs were submitted, marking a slight decline from 2024. A panel of experts from FTT, FÍH, and RÚVselected 10 finalists.
As usual, the competition was divided into two semifinals, with the top three acts from each moving on to the final. Unlike previous editions, the wildcard selection was eliminated, ensuring that only the top six acts reached the final stage.
Söngvakeppnin 2025 Schedule:
- Semifinal 1: Saturday, February 8
- Semifinal 2: Saturday, February 15
- Grand Final: Saturday, February 22
The grand final featured a panel of international experts, including:
- Sietse Bakker (Netherlands): Executive producer of Eurovision 2021
- Niamh Kavanagh (Ireland): Eurovision 1993 winner
- Ersin Parlak (Turkey/San Marino): Eurovision press agent
- Saba (Denmark): Eurovision 2024 contestant
- Peter Fenner (UK): Eurovision expert
- Maria Sur (Ukraine): Melodifestivalen 2023 & 2024 contestant
- Damir Kedžo (Croatia): Croatia’s Eurovision 2020 representative
This year, the superfinal round was removed, meaning the winner was directly decided by combined jury and televote scores. Söngvakeppnin director Rúnar Freyr Gíslason emphasized that this new voting format aligns with international standards, particularly Sweden’s Melodifestivalen and Eurovision itself.
Iceland is now set to bring “RÓA” to the Eurovision stage in Basel, hoping to make a strong impact at the contest. Will VÆB bring Iceland its first-ever Eurovision victory? Stay tuned for all the latest updates on ESCplus!