Hera Bjork with her song “Scared of Heights” was chosen to represent Iceland at Eurovision in ther televised national song contest, Söngvakeppnin. (Fun fact: Since Iceland started participating in Eurovision in 1986, they have held a national song contest to decide who will represent Iceland in Eurovision each year.) Hera Björk will be performing 8th in the first semifinal.

“Scared of Heights” is a fun generic pop song about falling in love. The lyrics tell us how the constant falling has made the singer “scared of heights” and she doesn’t need “another heart shaped bruise.” The performance at Söngvakeppnin was good, with the most notable thing perhaps being how when Hera climbed the 4-step set piece she kept looking down as if she is indeed scared of heights. 

While the song and performance feels pretty polished, it somehow still manages to feel dated and boring. Hera Björk previously represented Iceland in Eurovision 2010 with “Je Ne Sais Quoi” and somehow that song seems less dated.

The true reason we have ranked this song so low is because in our opinion it was the worst of the 5 options Iceland had to choose from in their final. Finishing in second place we had Bashar Murad with “Wild West” – a country bop dripping with fringe, eyeliner, and banger lyrics. In third place “Into the Atmosphere” by Sigga Ózk gave us iconic eurobeat with sparkles, tons of energy, and backup dancers in brilliantly white leg warmers. In 4th place we had Væb (identical twins in futuristic sunglasses and silver jackets) with their song “Bíómynd” which took inspiration from classic movies – and also there was a gorilla, a princess, and an astronaut. And finally in 5th place: “Downfall” by Anita – a pristinely polished and clearly Scandinavian pop song with some of the catchiest lyrics of the Eurovision season 2024, plus: silver fringe, holographic fans, and more rhinestones than we frankly could ever deserve. 

So, sorry Hera, your song is fine, but it was our least favorite Icelandic option and now we’re here. 

Although this entry doesn’t stand out as an immediate qualifier, it gives similar vibes to Belgium’s entry last year which ended up doing unexpectedly well. We know she can sing; the question will be if she can sell the fun, early 2000s vibes and play into that nostalgia in order to qualify for the final. Overall, this is a fine entry that probably would have placed higher in our rankings if not for the numerous other better options Iceland had.