She the Icelandic former Eurovision royalty that’s coming back with a vengeance. Hera Björk won Söngvakeppnin 2024 back in March with the fear-busting “Scared of Heights”, and will bring her years of experience to Malmö. She’ll be attempting to bring Iceland back to the grand final after the country missed out last year – singing in the first semi final.
While many of you Eurovision purists think you may know Hera, it’s time to find out a little bit more about the Icelandic songstress.
Scroll down for 10 Facts about Hera Björk.
1. She is Eurovision alumni – and royalty
Every Eurovision fan will remember Hera from her time in Oslo in 2010, representing her home country with the song “Je ne sais quoi”, where she finished 19th in the grand final. With her now-famous red dress and her diagonal walk, the song is an absolute stalwart of the Eurovision scene. She regularly performs the hit globally at Eurovision parties yearly throughout Europe.
2. She is no stranger to a singing contest – headlining competitions across Denmark, Iceland and Chile
While Hera represented her home country Iceland at Eurovision in 2010 and now in 2024, she’s no stranger to a song contest. She previously tried to represent Denmark in 2009 with the song “Someday”, achieving second place in Dansk Melodi Grand Prix to eventual winner Brinck. in 2013, she entered the Viña del Mar International Song Festival with the part-Spanish song “Because You Can”, where she won in the Best Song category. A shorter-haired Hera also tried to come back for Iceland in 2019 with her song “Moving On”, achieving 4th in Söngvakeppnin.
3. She’s also been to Eurovision no less than 3 times before – as a backing singer
When you can’t see her, you better believe you have heard her at Eurovision more than once before. Hera was also a backing singer for Euroband in the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Yohanna in the 2009 contest in Moscow and for María Ólafs in the 2015 contest in Vienna.
4. She has recorded a Christmas song with Eurovision royalty Chiara
In 2015, Hera invited Chiara Siracusa, Eurovision royalty who represented Malta in 1998, 2005 and 2009, to perform with her in a Christmas special. Together, they recorded a cover of “Christmas Time” – an extra special time for Chiara, who had never seen snow before!
5. Hera has been reimagined in different forms – from tattoos to cake
Hera has inspired fans globally with her music. In 2018, a Danish man called Jacob had lyrics from Hera’s 2009 song “Someday” inscribed on his bicep. That’s some commitment.
And her fans don’t just remember her in tattoo form. She revealed to the official Eurovision website that she was once given a giant cake with a picture of her face on it only a few hours before she was due to board a flight. With no time to eat it and no possibility of getting cakes on a plane, she had to leave it in the hotel. We hope the staff got to enjoy eating Hera’s face!
6. She has conquered any fear of heights!
While her Eurovision song this year metaphorically sings of conquering a fear of heights, we can be assured that Hera has conquered them well in her past. Hera’s actually skydived before, commemorating the moment on Instagram. And while she might have been scared, she certainly didn’t show it, grinning from ear to ear.
7. She’s a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race
Hera previously posted a still from Cheyenne Jackson on RuPaul’s Drag Race, where he quoted the phrase “je ne sais quoi”, which, as Eurovision fans would remember, means “a special something”. While we aren’t quite sure if he was referencing just the phrase or maybe is a secret Hera Björk stan, we know that Hera was thrilled with the reference. Hera then said that’s “as close as she can get to be on RuPaul’s Drag Race”, hashtagging the post with #dragqueenwannabe. Surely there’s a drag queen ready to dragify the Icelandic queen herself!
8. Hera’s own daughter is a music artist as well, living in Berlin
Hera’s daughter made her musical artistry debut as Thordis Petra in 2021 – and it’s hard to not see the striking resemblance she shares with her mother. She also has quite the ethereal voice, as seen on her Instagram page. Could we see the Björk dynasty make its way to the Söngvakeppnin stage in future years?
9. Hera loves her Icelandic sheepdog, Frodi
Hera has a soft spot for animals and has been actively involved in animal welfare initiatives. She has supported organizations dedicated to rescuing and caring for animals in need. She even has her own adorable dog, an Icelandic sheepdog called Frodi – who is her constant companion.
10. Hera and her husband are couple goals
We don’t know much about the man behind Hera Björk, but we do know they love hiking, eating and just being together. They are the definition of couple goals.
Stay tuned to Wiwibloggs for more on Hera Björk, and to find out 10 Facts about more of your favourite artists from Eurovision 2024!
