Daði Freyr was meant to represent Iceland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with his now-viral hit “Think About Things,†but obviously, that didn’t happen. While the song contest itself was canceled, Netflix’s new comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga barreled into our lives, bringing a bunch of quarantined Americans a whole new soundtrack of potential future karaoke staples. There’s just one problem: “Husavik,†the highly infectious anthem that serves as the climax of the film, has a chorus that even the most dedicated listener will struggle to decode. So, we reached out to Freyr to see if he could help, and he did his best to walk us through the hook we’ve been mumbling our way through for weeks. The problem? He didn’t quite understand the lyrics at first, either.
Despite having to Google the Icelandic, Freyr did enjoy the film, saying, “It’s funny to me to see an American take†on the global phenomenon. He’s been working toward Eurovision since 2017 when the song he sent in, “Is This Love?,†made it into the local Icelandic final Söngvakeppnin. Performed by his totally-made-up-just-for-Eurovision band consisting of his wife, his sister, and a few friends (two of whom did not actually play instruments), they ended up coming in second place. “Since that moment, I’ve been able to work as a full-time musician,†Freyr said. “So it just worked out really well for me as a career move.†He was excited when his newest entry won a place in Eurovision itself this year, that is, until he discovered the whole competition had been canceled in the worst way: on Twitter. “I was alright,†he told us. “There are people who have had much worse experiences out of COVID than just me not getting to compete in Eurovision.â€
And before you go there, no, he did not ask the elves for help with any of this. (Perhaps because they quite notoriously go too far.) “I’ve never asked elves for anything, and I don’t remember elves affecting my life in any way,†Freyr said, before informing us that he was currently right near a local elf college. Which is apparently a place where elves themselves go to college to learn. “It’s a rock, basically,†he said. “But that’s where they live. They live in like the lava formations.†The more you know.