Behind the Song: Introducing "Is It True?"

Basic information

Performer: Yohanna (Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir)
Song: Is is true?
Language: English
Music: Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Chris Neil, Tinatin Japaridze
Lyrics: Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Chris Neil, Tinatin Japaridze
Draw: 12th in the first semi final

The song

Is it true? is a classic ballad with a slight Celtic feeling. Through the lyrics of the break-up song, the singer asks her companion her if the relationship is really over (which is more of a rhethorical question) and whose fault it was that it did not work out:


So tell me about the rumours
Are they only rumours?
Are they only lies?
Falling out of a perfect dream
Coming out of the blue

Is it true?
Is it over?
Did I throw it away?
Was it you?
Did you tell me you would
Never leave me this way?


The singer

Jóhanna was born in Denmark, but her family moved to Reykjavik when she was two years old. Having successfully taken part in a singing competition, she entered a music school for children. Her talent was spotted early and she released her first album when she was only ten years old. The record turned out to be a success and a second album followed in 2001. Her last album for a few years, which included a collection of Christmas songs, was released in 2003 and she then took a break from the music business.

After years of training, in 2008 the singer launched her fourth album Butterflies and Elvis, which was a collaboration with British songwriter Lee Horrocks. In 2009, she entered the Icelandic national selection for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest and could win it with the song Is it true?. She is the 22nd Icelandic representative in the competition.

The national selection

After a mammoth selection in 2008, Iceland held back a bit for the selection of the 2009 entry. Four semi finals were held with four songs each and the top top of each heat were chosen by televoting to reach the grand final. Jóhanna won the selection by a landslide getting 19076 votes, 8380 votes more than runner-up Ingó.


Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Iceland was the last Nordic country to enter the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986. After poor results in the first four participations, Iceland finished fourth in 1990. This was the first of only four top ten placings for Iceland, most notably the second place in 1999. In 2008, Iceland made it to the final again having been eliminated in the semi finals three years in a row between 2005 and 2007.

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