From Iceland — Another COVID Infection In Daði And Gagnamagnið After Top 5 Placement At Eurovision

Another COVID Infection In Daði And Gagnamagnið After Top 5 Placement At Eurovision

Published May 25, 2021

Brittnee Kiner
Photo by
Screenshot/YouTube

Daði and Gagnamagnið’s recorded performance won fourth place Saturday night for the Eurovision Song Contest, earning them the third-best result since the beginning of Iceland’s participation in the competition.

A fleeting moment

There was one moment during the announcement of the votes where Iceland was in first place at Eurovision for their song “10 Years”; it was only to be overtaken by Switzerland, France, and Italy taking the crown, but for this brief moment, everyone in Iceland rose from their couches to cheer on the quarantined Daði and Gagnamagnið.

The group that can’t catch a break

On Monday, Árný Fjóla Ásmundsdóttir, a member of the group and the wife of Daði, was diagnosed with COVID-19. This is the third infection within Daði and Gagnamagnið. While there is always the possibility that the group could have placed higher if they were able to perform live, Daði admits to RÚV that they “would have totally won this if they had gone on stage.” Additionally, Árný is pregnant with her and Daði’s second child, and interestingly, the song “10 Years” was inspired by their relationship.

International event to isolation

Upon returning from Eurovision and receiving a positive test result at the airport, Árný and the rest of Daði and Gagnamagnið had to go into quarantine, reports RÚV. Despite the group receiving the Janssen vaccine before heading to Rotterdam, it can take two to four weeks for this specific vaccine to form a solid defense against serious illness.

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.

You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.

Also you can get regular news from Iceland—including the latest notifications on eruptions, as soon as they happen—by signing up to our newsletter.

Support The Reykjavík Grapevine!
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!

Show Me More!