Írafár is an Icelandic

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...

 pop group formed in 1998 in Reykjavik

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...

. Its name means "Anxiety" in Icelandic

Icelandic language

Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...

.

In the summer of 2000 Írafár released their first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, "Hvar er eg?" ("Where Am I?"). They released another two singles the following year. After signing a contract with Skifan, a major Icelandic music label, they released their first album, Allt sem eg sé ("Everything I See") in November 2002. The album sold quickly and was certified platinum.

In 2003, Írafár member Birgitta Haukdal

Birgitta Haukdal

Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir , also known by her mononym Birgitta, is an Icelandic singer. She rose to domestic media prominence as the lead singer of pop band Írafár...

 was voted Star of the Year and Pop Artist of the Year. She was then chosen to represent Icelandic public radio and television in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003

Eurovision Song Contest 2003

The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...

 in Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

, Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

. She sang the song "Open your heart", originally titled "Segðu Allt mer" ("Tell Me Everything"), and finished eighth in the competition. Haukdal tried unsuccessfully to represent Iceland in Eurovision again in 2006 with the song "Mynd Af Þér" ("Picture from You").

Members

Birgitta Haukdal

Birgitta Haukdal

Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir , also known by her mononym Birgitta, is an Icelandic singer. She rose to domestic media prominence as the lead singer of pop band Írafár...

- Vocals

Vignir Snaer Vigfusson - Guitar and Vocals

Sigurdur Runar Samúelsson - Bass

Andri Guðmundsson - Keyboard

Jóhann Ólafsson Bachmann - Drums

Albums

• Allt sem ég sé ("Everything I See") (2002)
• Nýtt upphaf ("A New Beginning") (2003)
• Írafár (2005)

Singles

• "Hvar er ég?" ("Where Am I?") (2000)
• "Fingur" ("Finger") (2001)
• "Eldur í mér" ("Fire in Me") (2001)
• "Ég sjálf" ("Myself") (2002)
• "Stórir hringir" ("Large Rings") (2002)
• "Allt sem ég sé" ("Everything I See") (2002)
• "Aldrei mun ég" ("Never Will I") (2003)
• "Fáum aldrei nóg" ("We Never Get Enough") (2003)
• "Stel frá þér" ("Steal Away") (2003)
• "Lífið" ("Life") (2004)
• "Leyndarmál" ("Secret") (2005)
• "Alla tíð" ("Always") (2005)
• "Ég missi alla stjórn" ("I Lost All Control") (2005)