This Country Just Launched The Hardest Karaoke Song In The World

Inspired by Iceland, the official destination brand for Iceland has recently launched a sing-a-long film called ‘The A-Ö of Iceland,’ or what some are calling ‘The Hardest Karaoke Song in the World’. The song is intended to encourage tourists from around the world to become acquainted with the notoriously difficult Icelandic language by singing along to the humorous video.

The title is intended to be the Icelandic version of the 26-letter English alphabet that ranges from A-Z. Reflecting the quirky and unique things everyone has come to love about Iceland, the video is humorously performed by the Icelandic comedian, Steindi Jr. The comedian is shown performing in front of beautiful Icelandic landscapes such as mountaintops, farms, and waterfalls while singing about popular Icelandic stereotypes such as their obsession with wool and belief in elves. The mix of simple and complex words and phrases in the song reflects the obscurity of the language as it is juxtaposed with English. In the following videos, tourists are giving the song a try to humorous effect:

Part of the lyrics include:

This is the a-ö (a-z) of Iceland, what could possibly go wrong?

This is the a-ö of Ísland (Iceland)

So reyndu að syngja með (try to sing along)

This is the a-ö (a-z) of Ísland (Iceland)

Now memorize this lag (song)

The song also encourages responsible tourism by mentioning that Icelandic moss takes up to 70 years to grow. The director of Visit Iceland, Inga Hlín Pálsdóttir, has said the following about the song, ‘We are always looking for ingenious ways to inspire visitors to engage with more aspects of our country and our seven regions. We have launched our new A-Ö campaign to explore our island using our unique language and alphabet. We know Icelandic is difficult to pronounce but through our karaoke film, we wanted to encourage visitors to have a go and also show the world we are not afraid to laugh along’.

Those who visit the Inspired by Iceland website can also take a ‘regional quiz’ and perhaps even win an adventure trip to Iceland to learn more about the country’s regions. Check out more videos on Inspired by Iceland’s YouTube channel.

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