The group Daði og Gagnamagnið during their second rehearsal on the Eurovision Song Contest, May 13, 2021. – EBU / Thomas Hanses
- The group Daði and Gagnamagnið, represent Iceland at Eurovision 2021 with the song 10 Years.
- One of the members of the group tested positive for Covid-19 this Wednesday morning.
- The group remains in competition but it will probably be the recording of one of their rehearsals which will be broadcast during Thursday’s semi-final.
From our special correspondent in Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Hard blow for one of the favorites of Eurovision. This Wednesday morning, the Icelandic singer Daði Freyr
revealed on Twitter that one of the members of his group Gagnamagnið had just tested positive for Covid-19. “This probably means that we will not participate in the rehearsals of the day, nor in the show of tomorrow,” he explained.
The artist added: “We were all very careful during our entire stay, so this result surprises us a lot. “
The group – which, at the time of writing, in the Top 5 of the most serious contenders for victory, according to the bookmakers – was to perform in particular this Wednesday evening during the “jury show”, during which the juries internationals allocate their points counting towards the results of the semi-final on Thursday.
In a statement, the organizers said the other members of the group have tested negative, but do not wish to perform on stage without one of their own. As a result, they remain in competition, but it will be a recording of one of their last rehearsals that will be released.
“We worked so hard”
Johan Sigurdur, the member who tested positive, posted a video on his Instagram account. “I feel good,” he explains, before bursting into tears: “It’s difficult because we worked so hard, we really wanted to [participer à l’Eurovision], we were expecting it. We are proud of our second rehearsal. I hope Iceland and those who support us will be proud of us. “
A first case of Covid-19 was detected on Sunday within the Icelandic delegation. The group had since been in confinement and had not been able to participate in the opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The delegations of Malta and Romania, residing in the same hotel, had not, as a precaution, participated in this evening either. The Romanian singers were then tested negative for the coronavirus and were able to participate in Monday’s rehearsals and Tuesday’s semi-final.
A global phenomenon last year
Daði and Gagnamagnið had caused a sensation last year with Think About Things, the song with which they would have represented Iceland if Eurovision had not been canceled. The song had become a worldwide phenomenon.
This year, the group is trying again with 10 Years. He will be competing in the semi-final which will be broadcast live, Thursday, from 9 p.m., on Culturebox (channel 14). In case of qualification for the final, he should presumably not be allowed to sing on stage.