Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson or Jónsi (born 1 June 1977) is an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic singer and a former member of the band ''Í svörtum fötum'' ("In black clothing"). He represented Iceland in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2004 The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European Broa ...

and finished 19th. Jónsi once again represented Iceland in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

in a duet with singer Greta Salóme, qualifying for the Eurovision final and finishing in 20th place. Jón Jósep also performed the opening theme song to the Icelandic children's television show '' LazyTown''.

Biography

Jónsi is the nickname of Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson, one of the most popular Icelandic male singers according to 2004 public vote. He was born on 1 June 1977 in

Akureyri Akureyri (, locally ) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's fifth-largest municipality, after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, Reykjanesbær and Kópavogur, and the largest town outside Iceland's more populated southwest corner. Nicknamed ...

in the northern part of Iceland. Having been singing ever since he can remember, Jónsi moved to Reykjavík in 1997 and decided to try for a career in music. He soon got several opportunities as a singer and in 1998 he joined a group of friends who had formed a band and were looking for a singer. The band was named ''Í Svörtum Fötum'' (''Dressed in Black'') and they debuted on 1 January 1999, dressed in black suits, white shirts, wearing black ties. After releasing the single "Nakinn" ("Naked") in spring 2001 they earned national recognition when the song reached number two on the Icelandic Chart. The band landed a four album agreement with Skifan Records in September 2001 and started preparations for their second album. The band has been known for their active live performances and for busy tour schedules. During summer 2002 they worked on finishing their second album ''Í svörtum fötum'', a gold selling album that got good reviews. They kept on strengthening their popularity and working on their songwriting in 2003, having even greater success with the third album ''Tengsl''. Jónsi was nominated Vocalist of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2003 for his powerful performance. He has repeatedly been awarded Male Vocalist of the Year and Best Live Performer by popular listeners' polls on radio stations. Jónsi has also performed and recorded with many of Iceland's biggest names and in 2003 he was featured in the starring role of

Danny Zuko ''Grease'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Named after the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as greasers, the musical is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School (based on ...

in the musical '' Grease'', with Birgitta playing Sandy, making ''Grease'' one of Iceland's biggest theater block busters.

Eurovision

2004 In 2004, Jónsi represented Iceland in the

with a song called "

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

", which finishing 19th in the final. 2007 He tried to represent Iceland a second time in Eurovision by competing during the eliniating process of Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins 2007, which is a television show to pick Iceland's song for the Eurovision Song Contest. He sang "Segðu Mér" but failed to qualify. 2012 Again, Jónsi represented Iceland in the

in a duet with singer Greta Salóme with the song " Never Forget", finishing 8th in the first semi-final to qualify for the Eurovision final where it finished 20th.

Discography

Albums

;as part of Í svörtum fötum *2002: ''Í svörtum fötum''

Singles

;as part of Í svörtum fötum *2001: "Nakinn" (as part of the band Í Svörtum Fötum) ;solo or collaborations *2004: "

" *2007: "Segðu Mér" *2012: " Never Forget" (with Greta Salóme)

Theatre

*'' Grease'' musical as

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snaebjornsson, Jon Josep 1977 births Living people Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Jon Josep Snaebjornsson Jon Josep Snaebjornsson Jon Josep Snaebjornsson Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2012