When performing a song named after a specific place at the 2021 Oscars, Molly Sandén decided it would be best to let everyone see where exactly what she was singing about.
At the Oscars pre-show on Sunday (April 25), Sandén appeared for a special performance of the Oscar-nominated song “Huskavik (My Hometown)” from David Dobkin’s 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Performing from the bay of the actual town of Húsavík, Iceland, the performance opened with a children’s choir singing the song’s catchy Icelandic hook, all dressed in sweaters. The camera then panned to Sandén, standing on a stage in front of an old ship. Dressed in a metallic green and purple robe dress, Sandén belted out the earnest song, with tears occasionally appearing in her eyes.
“Where the mountains sing through the screams of seagulls/ Where the whales can live ’cause they’re gentle people,” she sang, as a barrage of fireworks exploded behind her. “In my hometown, my hometown.”
Before the performance, Rickard Göransson spoke with Lil Rel Howery about what went into creating a heartfelt, emotional song in a film that was objectively silly. “We wanted the character of the movie … we treated her as a real artist, so we wrote the song for Sigrit in the movie. So we wrote about what she wanted to sing about and talk about.”
“Husavik” is nominated at the Oscars for best original song, alongside H.E.R.’s “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah, Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Speak Now” from One Night In Miami, Laura Pausini’s “Io sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead and Celeste’s “Hear My Voice” fromThe Trial of the Chicago 7.
Check out Sandén’s stunning performance of “Husavik (My Hometown)” below:
