Icelandic Eurovision singer Daði Freyr will not be performing in this year’s live shows, after a member of his backup band tested positive for coronavirus.
Daði announced on Wednesday morning that a member of his band Gagnamagnið had received a positive Covid result.
He told fans at the time this “probably means” he and the group would be unable to perform in Thursday night’s semi final, with a pre-recorded performance video being used as their entry instead.
“We have all been extremely careful the whole trip so this comes as a huge surprise,” he wrote. “We are very happy with the performance and super excited for you all to see it! Thank you for all the love.”
A statement from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) later confirmed: “Today (Wednesday 19 May) a member of the Icelandic group Daði og Gagnamagnið tested positive for Covid-19. The rest of the delegation has again tested negative for COVID-19.
“In close collaboration with the EBU and the host broadcaster, Daði og Gagnamagnið have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from performing in this year’s live Eurovision Song Contest shows, as they only want to perform together as a group.”
Prior to the 2021 contest, acts from every country were required to pre-record a live rendition of their song that would be used as their Eurovision entry should they be unable to perform live.
Daði Og Gagnamagnið’s performance video will be shown during the second semi-final on Thursday night, after which fans will vote on whether they make it through to the final.
Australian singer Montaigne’s video was used during the first semi-final earlier this week, as she was unable to fly to Rotterdam because of travel restrictions.
Daði’s band have been fan favourites among the Eurovision community for some time, having originally been invited to compete in last year’s cancelled contest.
Their 2020 entry Think About Things ended up being a viral hit, and even made the top 40 in the UK singles chart.