Exclusive; Eyþór talks to escNorge -

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Exclusive; Eyþór talks to escNorge

Wivian R. Kristiansen
februar 2, 2013
01:13

After last weekend’s two semifinals we are now anxiously waiting for the final of Söngvakeppnin Sjónvarpsins 2013. Some of the finalists are Eurovision veterans, while others are newcomers to the competition. One such newcomer is Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson, who took the time to have a chat with escNorge.

Wiv; Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson is a brand new name to most Norwegians. Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your musical background and your career?

Eyþór; I was raised in Dalvik, a small fishing village in the Northern part of Iceland. I started singing on a national scale when I was 16 years old in a TV competition where every high school in Iceland has someone singing, and I won. At 18 I was in a TV competition where an Icelandic Rock Star was looking for the next Icelandic Rock Star, and I won that as well. The last three years I have done a lot of musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hair and last year I played Marius in Les Miserables in the National Theater. I do have my own rock band and perform as well with the band Todmobile, one of the biggest bands in Iceland and I became their new member 2011.
I am born in 1989 and I am engaged and the father of tree children.

Wiv; This is your first time in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins. Have you ever considered participating before?

Eyþór; No I have not. Many songwriters have asked me but this is the first time I’ve felt the song was right for me and the time in my life was right.

Wiv; The songwriters had to submit a demo version of the song when they entered it in the competition. Did you record the demo?

Eyþór; I did not sing the demo, Magni, another singer in the competition, sang the demo. The song has changed a lot since then.

Wiv; Have you worked with any of the songwriters before?

Eyþór; The songwriters wanted me for the song and I have worked with one of them Petur Orn before in the musical Hair and in many rock concerts. He was one of my singing idols when I was younger.

Wiv; What kind of people do you think your song will appeal to?

Eyþór; The song is about true feelings that I think most people can relate to.

How will you describe your song?

Eyþór; The song is beautiful and it is about that everyone has a time in their live that they don´t feel happy and are going in the wrong direction. Then something or someone comes into your life and changes it and you find your self again. The first time a herd the song I knew there was a real story behind the lyrics and I felt it.

Wiv; All songs have to be performed in Icelandic in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins. Is there a chance it will be kept in Icelandic if you should win the ticket for Malmö?

Eyþór; We have not thought about it but people talk a lot about the lyrics and how they like it in Icelandic.

Wiv; It has been 15 years since Icelandic was last heard on a Eurovision stage. What do you think of the fact that many (most?) countries choose to sing in English instead of in their native language?

Eyþór; Understandable, for a song is usually about something you would want the listener to understand.

Wiv; What do you think of the other finalists? Are there any you think stand out?

Eyþór; Magni and Svavar Knútur do have nice songs and they are good performers.

Wiv; Iceland has one of Europe’s highest viewing figures for Eurovision, so clearly people are following it with great interest. Are you into Eurovision?

Eyþór; Not until now, this is new for me.

Wiv; What is your favorite ESC-entry?

Eyþór; Wig Wam, In my dreems. I still don´t understand why that did not win.

Wiv; And your favorite Icelandic entry?

Eyþór; Paul Oscar, Minn hinsti dans

Wiv; What music do you listen to? And which artists inspire you?

Eyþór; Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Tom Yorke especially as a performer, David Bowie, The Beatles, The Mars Volta, Muse, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple…

Wiv; If you do not win the ticket to Malmö, what are your plans for the near future? Do you think you might try your luck in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins again?

Eyþór; I have a lot of things planed and I am especially looking forward to perform with my own band warming up for Deep Purple in June. About the future you will never know.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to us. I´m really looking forward to hearing you live in the final in Harpa. And the best of luck from all of us here at escNorge.