Daði Freyr

Daði Freyr Pétursson (; born 30 June 1992), known professionally as Daði Freyr or simply Daði, is an Icelandic musician. As the frontman of Daði & Gagnamagnið ( ), he was due to represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Think About Things", before the event was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, he represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "10 Years", finishing in fourth place.

Early life

Daði was born in Reykjavík but grew up in Denmark until the age of nine, then his family moved to Iceland and settled in the Southern Region, first in Laugaland and later in Ásahreppur. Daði graduated from ("College of the Southern Region") in 2012. In 2014, he moved to Berlin, where he received a BA in music management and audio production at the Catalyst Institute for Creative Arts and Technology in 2017.

Music career

In his youth, Daði practiced drums and studied piano and bass guitar. He co-founded the band RetRoBot with his friend Kristján Pálmi. Later, singer Gunnlaugur Bjarnason and guitarist Guðmundur Einar Vilbergsson, whom he had met at the South Iceland Multicultural School, joined the band. In 2012, the band RetRoBot won the Músíktilraunir ("Music Experiments") and Daði was chosen as the best electronic musician of the year. RetRoBot released one album, ''Blackout'', a year later.

Söngvakeppnin and Eurovision

2017–2019

In 2017, Daði participated in (competing to represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017) with the song "Is This Love?" (). In performances, he was supported onstage by a group known as Gagnamagnið, consisting of his sister Sigrún Birna Pétursdóttir (backing vocalist), wife Árný Fjóla Ásmundsdóttir (dancer), and friends Hulda Kristín Kolbrúnardóttir (backing vocalist), Stefán Hannesson (dancer), and Jóhann Sigurður Jóhannsson (dancer). They were characterized by their signature teal green sweaters, which have pixel art portraits of themselves printed on them, as well as their faux "instruments" made of household items and discarded objects that Stefán, Jóhann, and Árný utilize. Daði came in second after Svala Björgvinsdóttir, who performed the song "Paper".

In June 2019, Daði released his debut album, ''& Co.'', an avant-garde pop record that has drawn comparisons to French electronic duo Daft Punk for its retro disco sound.

2020–2021

Daði took part in the 2020 with the song "Think About Things" (the alternate Icelandic version also titled ""), about his newborn daughter. As in 2017, he performed with his group , now collectively credited as Daði & . The music video for the song went viral on YouTube, with actor Russell Crowe sharing it online.

They won the 2020 competition and were set to represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several countries that would have participated in the 2020 contest held their own alternative competitions, broadcasting the entries and crowning a winner. Daði & won six such competitions, in Austria (), Australia, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

On 23 October 2020, it was announced that Daði & would remain as Icelandic representatives at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. They performed the song "10 Years", the lyrics referencing the length of Daði's relationship with his wife and member Árný. They were forced to use a prerecorded performance from the second rehearsal during the semi-final and final, due to a member of the group testing positive for COVID-19. After qualifying for the final, they finished fourth, with 378 points, equaling Iceland's best performance at the competition.

Post-Eurovision

Following Eurovision, Daði toured Europe and the United States. He collaborated with Australia's 2021 Eurovision representative Montaigne on their single "make me feel so..." and with German metal band Tokio Hotel on the single "Happy People".

In 2023, he performed a cover of Atomic Kitten's "Whole Again" as an interval act during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, held in Liverpool, alongside a large number of look-alikes as well as his wife.

The same year, he released his second studio record ''I Made an Album''.

On 1 August 2024, he performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Personal life

Daði is married to musician Árný Fjóla Ásmundsdóttir. Their daughter, Áróra Björg, born in 2019, was the inspiration for the lyrics of the song "Think About Things". The couple's second daughter, Kría Sif, was born in 2021.

Daði is tall. He has his own app called "Neon Planets". His father was a bongo player for Katla Maria in Söngvakeppni 1993, where they placed ninth out of ten contestants with the song "Samba".

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Remixes

Awards and achievements

Notes

References

External links

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Living people
1992 births
Dadi Freyr
Dadi Freyr
Dadi Freyr
Eurovision Song Contest entrants