Selma Björnsdóttir
Encyclopedia
Selma Björnsdóttir also known as simply Selma, is an Iceland
ic singer born in Reykjavík
, best known internationally for representing her country in the Eurovision Song Contest
.
Her first Eurovision experience occurred when she took her highly-fancied entry All Out of Luck
to the 1999 contest
in Jerusalem, placing Iceland in the unaccustomed position of being the pre-contest favourites with many bookmakers. Following a vibrant vocal and visual display on the night – with choreography that appeared to be somewhat influenced by Carola
's famous routine from the 1991 contest
– Selma shot into an early lead in the voting, but was gradually pegged back by Sweden
, represented by Charlotte Nilsson. Despite trailing Nilsson only very narrowly before the penultimate set of votes were announced, Selma's hopes of victory came to an abrupt end when Bosnia and Herzegovina
awarded maximum points to Sweden and nothing at all to Iceland. However, Selma's second place in Jerusalem still ranks as Iceland's best showing in the contest to date. In 2009 Yohanna managed to get Iceland in 2nd place again.
Such a fine pedigree ensured she was a hugely popular choice to represent Iceland for a second time in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
, to be held in Kiev
. However, despite its being one of the favourites to go on to win the contest, her song If I Had Your Love did not make it to the final. Iceland's early exit at the semi-final stage was one of the biggest upsets of the 2005 contest. Ironically, this also means that Selma's 16th place in the semi-final ranks as Iceland's worst result in the contest.
Selma also was one of the main attractions under the Eurovision gala concert during Europride
2005 in Oslo
, performing both of her hugely beloved Eurovision entries. Other celebrities included Baccara
, Nanne, Bobbysocks
and Nora Brockstedt
. Later the same night she held an intimate concert at the popular nightclub
Smuget right by, where also another Icelandic Eurovision participant, Paul Oscar
and the reputed Norwegian Eurovision commentator, Jostein Pedersen
, showed up.
In 2009 Selma became a jury member on the Icelandic Version
of Pop Idol
which is currently airing.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic singer born in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, best known internationally for representing her country in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
Her first Eurovision experience occurred when she took her highly-fancied entry All Out of Luck
All Out Of Luck
"All Out of Luck" was the Icelandic entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in English by Selma. This was the first occasion on which the Icelandic entry had not been performed entirely in Icelandic....
to the 1999 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel after Dana International won the contest the previous year in the United Kingdom. The venue for the contest was the International Convention Center...
in Jerusalem, placing Iceland in the unaccustomed position of being the pre-contest favourites with many bookmakers. Following a vibrant vocal and visual display on the night – with choreography that appeared to be somewhat influenced by Carola
Carola Häggkvist
Carola Maria Häggkvist , better known as simply Carola, is a Swedish singer and occasional songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s, and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music...
's famous routine from the 1991 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1991
The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1991 in Rome. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome, which was perceived to be more secure....
– Selma shot into an early lead in the voting, but was gradually pegged back by Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, represented by Charlotte Nilsson. Despite trailing Nilsson only very narrowly before the penultimate set of votes were announced, Selma's hopes of victory came to an abrupt end when Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
awarded maximum points to Sweden and nothing at all to Iceland. However, Selma's second place in Jerusalem still ranks as Iceland's best showing in the contest to date. In 2009 Yohanna managed to get Iceland in 2nd place again.
Such a fine pedigree ensured she was a hugely popular choice to represent Iceland for a second time in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
, to be held in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. However, despite its being one of the favourites to go on to win the contest, her song If I Had Your Love did not make it to the final. Iceland's early exit at the semi-final stage was one of the biggest upsets of the 2005 contest. Ironically, this also means that Selma's 16th place in the semi-final ranks as Iceland's worst result in the contest.
Selma also was one of the main attractions under the Eurovision gala concert during Europride
Europride
Europride is a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, hosted by a different European city each year. The host city is usually one with an established gay pride event or a significant LGBT community....
2005 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, performing both of her hugely beloved Eurovision entries. Other celebrities included Baccara
Baccara
Baccara was a female vocal duo formed in 1977 by Spanish artists Mayte Mateos and María Mendiola . The pair rapidly achieved international success with their debut single "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie", which reached number one across much of Europe...
, Nanne, Bobbysocks
Bobbysocks
For the 1950s teen rage see Bobby soxerBobbysocks! were a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge" ....
and Nora Brockstedt
Nora Brockstedt
Nora Brockstedt is a successful Norwegian singer, born on 20 January 1923. She first entered a professional stage at the age of 20, namely the highly reputed Chat Noir in Oslo. During the next two decades, she managed to become one of Norway's most famous and beloved singers and entertainers...
. Later the same night she held an intimate concert at the popular nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
Smuget right by, where also another Icelandic Eurovision participant, Paul Oscar
Paul Oscar
Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson , known internationally as Páll Óskar and Paul Oscar, is an Icelandic pop singer, songwriter and disc jockey. He had a musical childhood, singing at private functions, with choirs and for media advertisements, but was affected by bullying in school and tension between his...
and the reputed Norwegian Eurovision commentator, Jostein Pedersen
Jostein Pedersen
Jostein Pedersen is a Norwegian musical journalist and reporter, television commentator and "music intelligencia". He was the Norwegian commentator to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, and from 1996 to 2005. Since then he has covered the Song Contest on VG's web TV channel...
, showed up.
In 2009 Selma became a jury member on the Icelandic Version
Idol Stjörnuleit
Idol stjörnuleit is Iceland's version of the British reality series Pop Idol. The show allows the people of Iceland—through telephone voting—to select the winner of several televised singing contests, following the same format as Pop Idol...
of Pop Idol
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
which is currently airing.