"Róa" (pronounced [ˈrouːa]; transl. "Row") is a song by Icelandic electronic music duo Væb. The song was released on 17 January 2025 and was written by Gunnar Björn Gunnarsson, Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson, Ingi Þór Garðarsson, and Matthías Davíð Matthíasson. It will represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.
Reception
Prior to Söngvakeppnin 2025, Icelandic online newspaper DV reported that the song "Róa" by Væb was accused of resembling the song "Hatunat HaShana" by Israeli singers Itay Levi and Eyal Golan.[1] A video was then posted on the online platform TikTok comparing the two songs.[2] The duo denied the allegations, and the Söngvakeppnin board of directors sought advice from the Composers Rights Society of Iceland (STEF) to determine the similarity of the two songs.[3]
Eurovision Song Contest 2025
Söngvakeppnin 2025
Söngvakeppnin 2025 was the national final organised by RÚV in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. It consisted of two semi-finals on 8 and 15 February 2025 and a final on 22 February at RVK Studios located in northern Reykjavík. The semi-final qualifiers were determined by televoting, while a combination of seven international juries and public votes were used to determine the results of the final.[4] There was no superfinal round in the final for the first time since 2013.[5][6]
"Róa" was officially announced to compete in the competition on 17 January 2025 in the programme Lögin í Söngvakeppninni.[7][8] At the competition, it was placed into the second semi-final, and was drawn to perform fifth; they managed to pass the semi-finals and reach the final.[9][10] Róa was later declared the winning song of the event, after being the favourite of the jury and the public; thus, Væb earned the right to represent the Icelandic nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.[11][12]
At Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, and will consist of two semi-finals to be held on the respective dates of 13 and 15 May and the final on 17 May 2025.[13] During the allocation draw held on 28 January 2025, Iceland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[14]
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Iceland (Tónlistinn)[15] | 4 |
References
- ^ Gudjónsdóttir, Gudrun Wish (21 January 2025). "Ísraelsmenn saka VÆB um að hafa stolið þekktu lagi" [The Israelis accuse VÆB of having stolen a known song]. DV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Gunnarsson, Oddur Ævar (3 January 2025). "Meintur stuldur á borð RÚV" [Allegedly stolen on board RÚV]. Vísir.is. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Gunnarsdóttir, Þorgerður Anna (21 January 2025). "RÓA sakað um að líkjast ísraelsku popplagi" [RÓA accused of sounding like an Israeli pop song]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Farren, Neil (13 January 2025). "🇮🇸 Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2025 Dates & Format Changes Announced". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Aradóttir, Júlía (3 January 2025). "Einvígið fellt út í Söngvakeppninni 2025" [The duel was canceled in Söngvakeppninn 2025]. RÚV. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Gunnarsson, Oddur Ævar (3 January 2025). "Ekkert einvígi í Söngvakeppninni 2025" [No duel in Söngvakeppninn 2025]. Vísir.is. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "🇮🇸 Söngvakeppnin 2025 entries to be announced on the 17th of January". That Eurovision Site. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ Björnsdóttir, Anna María (17 January 2025). "Þessi tíu lög verða í Söngvakeppninni 2025" [These ten songs will be in Söngvakeppninn 2025]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 18 January 2025.
- ^ Björnsdóttir, Anna María (22 January 2025). "Uppselt á úrslitakvöld Söngvakeppninnar" [Sold out on the final night of Söngvakeppninn]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Einarsdóttir, Júlía Margrét (8 February 2025). "VÆB, Stebbi Jak og Ágúst áfram í úrslit Söngvakeppninnar" [VÆB, Stebbi Jak and Ágúst continue to the finals of Söngvakeppninn]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ^ Anna María Björnsdóttir (22 February 2025). "VÆB vinna Söngvakeppnina 2025". Ríkisútvarpið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- ^ "'Söngvakeppnin' winners VÆB will head to Basel for Iceland". Eurovision Song Contest. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Basel will host Eurovision Song Contest 2025". Eurovision.TV. European Broadcasting Union. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
- ^ "Eurovision 2025: Semi-Final Draw Results". Eurovision.TV (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög: Streymi, spilun og sala viku 8. Birt 22. febrúar 2025 – Næst uppfært 1. mars 2025" [The Music – Songs: Streaming, Plays and Sales Week 8. Published February 22, 2025 – Last updated March 1, 2025] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on 22 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.