Iceland 2025: VAEB with ‘ROA’

Last year's songvakeppnin participants Vaeb have managed to go a couple spots better and will head to Basel:

So Iceland are pushing for the return of juries to the semi finals - an understandable endeavor and an earnest one maybe, as that would not have helped them either last year or this. Perhaps in 2023 Dilja could have powered her way past Albania but even that could be a stretch given the points difference. Iceland aren't having the best time recently but that's down to a few reasons and not primarily the scoring system.

Anyway, on to Roa and it's another I'm a bit conflicted on this one. On the one hand, yeah it's fun and there is some Nordic identity to it. It's catchy and the fairly undeveloped staging sells it. With more time and a bit of a budget this could be a great little show.

On the other hand, there's really only a chorus to this and on the whole there's just a lot less of an upside than our last review for example with Australia. It feels that even if this hits, we are talking about a 9th place in the semi and bottom 5 in the final: I don't really see some great potential to ever send this higher.

Part of that is bad luck in being in the first half of Semi One. There are some secure countries in here whilst even in the second half Norway are bringing something relatively similar and San Marino almost surely bringing a better party anthem in Tutta L'Italia. There's only Azerbaijan I'd currently guess this is ahead of and even that is more due to their vote drag.

Qualification is not impossible but is an uphill battle.

Personal Rating: 10/20

Staging Potential: 14/20

Televote Potential: 11/20

Jury Potential: 3/20

Track Record: 7/20

Total Rating: 45/100

Early Prediction: Semi One 9th-13th, 22nd-26th if in the final.