Iceland | Major Changes To Söngvakeppnin 2019 National Final

The national broadcaster for Iceland, RÚV has revealed that they will announce the ten acts to compete in their national final Söngvakeppnin this Saturday. However, they have also revealed that there will be some pretty big changes this year.

In a press release earlier, RÚV announced that there will be some changes to the voting in this years show. There will be two semi finals, that will now see both juries, and the public determine which two acts from each semi shall proceed to the final. Previously, it had been left to the public alone. Each show will see two acts qualify for the final, with the broadcaster holding the right to add an additional song.

There will also be changes to the grand final, that will see a larger international panel vote. This will consist of ten members. The Icelandic public will also vote too. The final itself will see two rounds of voting. The first round will see two acts proceed to the 'Super Final'. Here, the artists will sing again, and there will be another vote by to determine who will fly to Tel Aviv. In another change, votes already cast in round one for these two will be added to the 'Super Final' votes, with the winner being decided, by the number of votes that has been cast throughout the entire evening.

Iceland last qualified for a Eurovision grand final back in 2014, and it appears that the national broadcaster is keen on them doing so this year. Of all the Nordic nations, Iceland has not performed as well as others in more recent years, with everyone qualifying atleast once since 2014.

The final will also see performances from last year's winner Ari Ólafsson.

Do you think these changes will make a difference to Iceland's fortunes? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments below.