Dagur Sigurdsson, a student at the Technical College in Reykjavík, won the 2011 Secondary School Song Contest, which took place in Akureyri, north Iceland, last weekend, with an Icelandic version of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter”.

Dagur Sigurdsson performs the winning song. A screenshot from a video on visir.is.

“It was an incredible experience. I did not expect it,” Sigurdsson told Morgunbladid. He translated the lyrics himself. “That way you have a better feeling for the text and know exactly what you’re saying,” he explained.

Singing in Icelandic is one of the conditions of the competition. Sigurdsson said the atmosphere was great. “There were so many talented contestants and the audience was fantastic,” he described. “I felt a lot of support from the room, which was fun because there were so few students from my school present.”

This year 31 schools participated in the contest, which is among the highlights of the secondary school year in Iceland. Many of Iceland’s foremost musicians launched their careers in the Secondary School Song Contest, including Emilíana Torrini who won in 1994.

Sigurdsson is also planning further achievements in the Icelandic music scene. “My goal is to start a band and even record an album. That’s the dream,” he said. Among the prizes he earned was a two-day recording session at Studio Sýrland and a trip to Ibiza.