The Icelandic act and song was chosen on March 2nd through their long running selection process "Söngvakeppnin". There were two semi-finals of 5 songs each and all songs in this part of the competition had to be performed in Icelandic. Two entries from each semi - plus a wildcard - got a place in the final where songs could be performed in any language. There were two rounds of voting in the final; first a combination of jury (50%) and televoting (50%) selected a top two. The televoting reopened and votes from both rounds were added together - the act with the most combined votes being the winner. The overall winner was selected solely by a jury vote. Going to Malmö is their 2010 representative Hera Björk performing the song "Scared of heights".
Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir started singing at a young age: singing in commercials, as part of a children's choir and taking part in local competitions. She has had a varied musical background having taken part in musicals, recording her own material, collaborating with other Icelandic artists but also providing background vocals. In particular she participated on Björk’s a cappella album Medúlla. Outside of music she has hosted many TV musical galas, comedy shows and radio shows. As well as Iceland, she has worked and studied in Copenhagen and has worked a lot as a vocal coach. Hera Björk is a veteran of Eurovision selections having been involved in the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015 and 2019 Söngvakeppnin shows - and winning the 2010 edition. She also participated in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix in 2009, placing second. However her competing song "Someday" was a clear fan favourite winning the subsequent OGAE Second Chance Contest.
This is a slow build pop song with dance influences. the song starts with anthemic bridge which is repeated throughout the song. The first verse is more subdued and the beat on the backing track is not that prominent. During the bridge the backing singers come in which starts the sligh gospel/choral feel on the song. The lyrics here also have a much quicker and memorable rhythm to that verse. The chorus also has a choral feel but the beat here is also strong. There are, however, some odd harmonies and tune pitches which sound a little off at first because it doesn't quite go where you expect - or maybe Hera Björk was singing an alternate tune due to confidence, nerves or illness. This cycle repeats again finishing with the opening bridge. We then have one final chorus and outro which finishes with the backing track completely dying out and the song ending on an almost a capella title of the song.
The performance of this includes pre-recorded video elements acting as faux on/off stage cameras. At times during the live shows this worked but at other times the video started out of sync and looked slightly amateurish and slightly cheap but this is more about the technicals than her. On stage there is a small plinth which Hera Björk gets up and down while the background flashes up words from the text and has a searching spotlight effect. She is wearing a red wrapped jump suit which really suits her and the colour is also slightly reminiscent of her 2010 outfit. This is a very middle of the road number and there is not much about the song or performance that makes this stand out. Most of the time, Hera Björk sings the song well although I have issues with the harmonies and tune of the pre-chorus. which I do not enjoy. Overall I much preferred the Icelandic version "Við förum hærra" to the version the final. The song's verses are slightly reminiscent of "Symphony" by Clean Bandit and,in an unfortunate turn, the song also has similarities to double zero scoring "Embers" by James Newman, a comparison one would want to stay away from.
Lastly, Iceland was one of the countries considering boycotting ESC due to the attacks in Gaza. Although the national final is now over, the broadcaster RUV has neither confirmed Hera Björk as their representative or Iceland's participation in Eurovision 2024.
ARTIST - Hera Björk
SONG - Scared of heights
WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Ferras Alqaisi, Michael Burek, Jaro Omar, Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir
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