Yohanna

Yohanna began her music career in 2000, at the age of nine, after signing with Icelandic record label Hljóðsmiðjan. As a child singer, she released two studio albums: Jóhanna Guðrún 9 in 2000, and Ég sjálf in 2001. The two albums contained mainly covers of international pop songs sung in the Icelandic language, such as "Torn", "Genie in a Bottle", and "I'll Be There".[3][4] After the release of the latter album, Yohanna released a Christmas album in 2002, titled Jól með Jóhönnu, before stepping away from the music industry and public eye.[1][5]

Yohanna in 2009 in Moscow, during a press conference for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.

After a six year break from the music industry, Yohanna returned to the public eye after being confirmed as a competitor in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2009, the Icelandic national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, in November 2008. She competed with the song Is It True?", composed by Óskar Páll Sveinsson.[6][7] Yohanna advanced from the first semi-final on 10 January 2009, and ultimately won the final on 14 February.[8][9][10] After winning Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins, Yohanna received the right to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, held in Moscow. In the lead-up to the competition, Yohanna went on a promotional tour around Europe to promote the song, additionally performing at the UKeurovision Preview Party in London and the Eurovision Promo Concert in Amsterdam.[11][12]

Yohanna ultimately competed in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest on 12 May 2009. She won the semi-final and qualified to the final after receiving 174 points, including the maximum amount of 12 points from seven of the participating countries.[13] This was the best result Iceland had ever received in a Eurovision semi-final.[14] After qualifying to the final, Yohanna placed second, receiving 218 points, behind only Alexander Rybak of Norway and the song "Fairytale".[15] Her second place finish in the final tied for the best result Iceland had ever received in the competition; the only other time Iceland had finished this high was in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, when Selma Björnsdóttir placed second with the song "All Out of Luck". "Is It True?" subsequently charted throughout Europe, becoming a number-one hit in Iceland, and also reaching the top ten in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, the top forty in Belgium, Denmark, and Ireland, in addition to charting in the United Kingdom.[16][14]

Following her success in Eurovision, Yohanna signed with Warner Music Sweden and began work on her fourth studio album, her first album as an adult. The album, Butterflies and Elvis, was later released internationally in July 2009, where it peaked in the top twenty in Sweden. The album also produced the single "I Miss You", which became a top twenty hit in Iceland. Yohanna has since attempted to return to Eurovision on two separate occasions. In 2011, she competed in Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2011 with the song "Nótt", where she advanced to the finals but did not win.[17] She subsequently was selected to represent Iceland in the OGAE Second Chance Contest 2011, where the local OGAE affiliates each select a song that competed in their country's national selection but did not win, and ended up winning the competition. She later returned in Söngvakeppnin 2013 with the song "Þú", but was eliminated in the semi-final.[18] Yohanna achieved her second number-one single in Iceland in 2013, performing the song "Mamma þarf að djamma" with Baggalútur.[19]