Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Flag of Estonia.svg
Participating broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR; 2008–present)
Former members
Participation summary
Appearances28 (18 finals)
First appearance 1994
Highest placement1st: 2001
Host 2002
Participation history
Related articles
Eesti Laul
External links
ERR page
Estonia's page at Eurovision.tv OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Song contest current event.png For the most recent participation see
Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Estonia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 28 times since making its debut in 1994. Its first appearance would have taken place in 1993 but a qualification round was installed for seven former Eastern Bloc countries hoping to make their debut in the contest, with Estonia failing to qualify. Estonia has won the contest once, in 2001.

Contents

Estonia's first participation in 1994 was unsuccessful, finishing 24th (out of 25). Estonia went on to finish in the top eight in six out of seven contests (1996–2002), with Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna fifth (1996), Maarja-Liis Ilus returning to finish eighth (1997), Evelin Samuel and Camille sixth (1999) and Ines fourth (2000), before Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL gave Estonia its first victory in 2001. This made Estonia the first former Soviet country to win the contest and the second eastern European country to win, after Yugoslavia in 1989. Sahlene then finished third for the hosts in Tallinn in 2002.

Since the introduction of the semi-final round in 2004, Estonia has failed to reach the final on ten occasions and has reached the top ten five times, with Urban Symphony sixth (2009), Ott Lepland sixth (2012), Elina Born and Stig Rästa seventh (2015), Elina Nechayeva eighth (2018) and Alika eighth (2023). Estonia's total of eleven top ten results is more than any other Baltic country.

History

Estonia finished 24th (out of 25) on its debut in 1994 and was relegated from the following year's contest.

Estonia's record at the contest was a successful one from 1996 to 2002, only failing once to make the top 10 (in 1998 when it ended up in 12th place). Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna's fifth-place in 1996 was the first top five ranking for a former Soviet country. Ilus returned to finish eighth in 1997.

The country's first win came in 2001, when Tanel Padar and Dave Benton, along with 2XL, sang "Everybody" and received 198 points, therefore making Estonia the first former USSR country to win the Contest and the second country of eastern Europe after Yugoslavia. The 2002 contest was held in Estonia, in the capital city Tallinn, where Sahlene finished third for the hosts (tied with the UK).

From 2004 to 2008 Estonia failed to qualify to the finals, mostly receiving poor results – during that period its best entry was 11th place in the 2004 semi-final by Neiokõsõ with " Tii ", sung in the Võro language.

Despite news that Estonia might withdraw from the 2009 contest (set to be held in Moscow, Russia) due to the war in South Ossetia, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) confirmed that due to public demand, Estonia would send an entry to Moscow. [1] [2] After a new national final, Eesti Laul , was introduced to select the Estonian entry, the winner was Urban Symphony with "Rändajad", which had beaten the televoting favourite, Laura, by the votes of a jury. [3] [4]

At the second semi-final of the 2009 contest, Urban Symphony qualified Estonia to the final of the contest for the first time since 2003, receiving 115 points and placing 3rd. The group performed 15th in the final, where it received 129 points, placing 6th out of 25 competing entries as well as being the highest placing non-English language song at the 2009 competition.

In 2010, Estonia failed to qualify to the final, with the song "Siren" by Malcolm Lincoln.

In 2011, Estonia was represented by Getter Jaani with the song "Rockefeller Street". She was the bookmakers' pre-contest favorite for victory along with France. She qualified to the final but eventually placed 24th of 25 entries- tying Silvi Vrait's 1994 result for Estonia's worst placing in the contest final.

Since 2012, Estonia has achieved four more top ten results. Ott Lepland qualified Estonia to the final of the 2012 contest, with his song "Kuula", ending up 4th in the second semi-final. In the final, he equalled Estonia's result of 1999 and 2009, placing 6th. Elina Born and Stig Rästa finished seventh in 2015. Elina Nechayeva and Alika finished eighth in 2018 and 2023, respectively.

Participation overview

Table key
1First place
3Third place
Last place
XEntry selected but did not compete
Upcoming event
YearArtistSongLanguageFinalPointsSemiPoints
1993 Janika Sillamaa " Muretut meelt ja südametuld " Estonian Failed to qualify [lower-alpha 1] X547
1994 Silvi Vrait " Nagu merelaine "Estonian242No semi-finals
1996 Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna " Kaelakee hääl "Estonian5945106
1997 Maarja" Keelatud maa "Estonian882No semi-finals
1998 Koit Toome " Mere lapsed "Estonian1236
1999 Evelin Samuel and Camille "Diamond of Night"English690
2000 Ines "Once in a Lifetime"English498
2001 Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL "Everybody"English1198
2002 Sahlene "Runaway"English3111
2003 Ruffus "Eighties Coming Back"English2114
2004 Neiokõsõ " Tii " Võro Failed to qualify1157
2005 Suntribe "Let's Get Loud"English2031
2006 Sandra "Through My Window"English1828
2007 Gerli Padar "Partners in Crime"English2233
2008 Kreisiraadio " Leto svet " Serbian, German, Finnish 188
2009 Urban Symphony " Rändajad "Estonian61293115
2010 Malcolm Lincoln "Siren"EnglishFailed to qualify1439
2011 Getter Jaani "Rockefeller Street"English2444960
2012 Ott Lepland " Kuula "Estonian61204100
2013 Birgit " Et uus saaks alguse "Estonian20191052
2014 Tanja "Amazing"EnglishFailed to qualify1236
2015 Elina Born and Stig Rästa "Goodbye to Yesterday"English71063105
2016 Jüri Pootsmann "Play"EnglishFailed to qualify18 ◁24
2017 Koit Toome and Laura "Verona"English1485
2018 Elina Nechayeva " La forza " Italian 82455201
2019 Victor Crone "Storm"English20764198
2020 Uku Suviste "What Love Is"EnglishContest cancelled [lower-alpha 2] X
2021 Uku Suviste"The Lucky One"EnglishFailed to qualify1358
2022 Stefan "Hope"English131415209
2023 Alika "Bridges"English81681074
2024 5miinust and Puuluup " (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi "EstonianUpcoming

Songs by language

  English (59.38%)
  Estonian (25%)
  Võro (3.13%)
  Serbian (3.13%)
  German (3.13%)
  Finnish (3.13%)
  Italian (3.13%)
SongsLanguageYears
19English 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 , 2021, 2022, 2023
9 Estonian 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2024
1 Võro 2004
1 Serbian 2008
1 German 2008
1 Finnish 2008
1 Italian 2018

Hostings

YearLocationVenuePresenters
2002 Tallinn Saku Suurhall Annely Peebo and Marko Matvere

Conductors

YearConductorNotesRef.
1993 Peeter Lilje [lower-alpha 3]
1994 Urmas Lattikas
1996 Tarmo Leinatamm
1997
1998 Heiki Vahar

Heads of delegation

YearHead of delegationRef.
19972008 Juhan Paadam
[5]
20092015 Heidy Purga
[6]
20152018 Mart Normet
[7]
20192023 Tomi Rahula
[8]

Costume designers

YearCostume designersRef.
2013 Karolin Kuusik
[9]

Commentators and spokespersons

YearTelevision commentatorRadio commentatorRussian commentatorSpokespersonRef.
1992 Ivo Linna and Olavi Pihlamägi  [ et ]UnknownNo broadcastDid not participate [10] [11]
1993 Unknown [12]
1994 Vello Rand Marko Reikop (Raadio 2) Urve Tiidus
1995 Jüri PihelNo broadcastDid not participate
1996 Marko Reikop (Raadio 2)Annika Talvik
1997 Helene Tedre
1998 Reet LinnaUrve Tiidus
1999 Marko ReikopVello Rand (Raadio 2) Mart Sander
2000 Evelin Samuel
2001 Ilo-Mai Küttim (Elektra)
2002
2003 Ines
2004 Maarja-Liis Ilus
2005 Mart Juur (Raadio 2)
Andrus Kivirähk (Raadio 2)
2006 Evelin Samuel
2007 Laura Põldvere
2008 Sahlene
2009 Marko Reikop and Olav Osolin (final)Laura Põldvere
2010 Marko Reikop and Sven Lõhmus (final) Rolf Roosalu
2011 Marko Reikop Piret Järvis
2012 Ilja Ban, Dmitri Vinogradov and
Aleksandra Moorast (Raadio 4)
Getter Jaani
2013 No broadcastRolf Roosalu
2014 Lauri Pihlap
2015 Tanja
2016 Aleksandr HobotovDaniel Levi Viinalass
2017 Aleksandr Hobotov and Julia Kalenda Jüri Pootsmann
2018 Ott Evestus
2019 No broadcastKelly Sildaru
2021 Sissi Benita
2022 Tanel Padar
2023 Ragnar Klavan

Photogallery

See also

Notes

  1. A qualifying round was held for new countries looking to make their debut at the 1993 contest. Estonia failed to progress from this round; entries which failed to progress have subsequently been discounted by the EBU and do not feature as part of the countries' list of appearances.
  2. The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. Conducted the Estonian entry at Kvalifikacija za Millstreet.

Related Research Articles

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Let's Get Loud" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by the group Suntribe. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) organised the national final Eurolaul 2005 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Nine songs competed in the national final and "Let's Get Loud" performed by Suntribe was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Partners in Crime" written by Berit Veiber and Hendrik Sal-Saller. The song was performed by Gerli Padar. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) organised the national final Eurolaul 2007 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of public voting. In the first round, the top three were selected to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Partners in Crime" performed by Gerli Padar was selected as the winner.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Tii" written by Priit Pajusaar, Glen Pilvre and Aapo Ilves. The song was performed by the group Neiokõsõ. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) organised the national final Eurolaul 2004 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey. Ten songs competed in the national final and "Tii" performed by Neiokõsõ was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Runaway" written by Pearu Paulus, Ilmar Laisaar, Alar Kotkas and Jana Hallas. The song was performed by Sahlene. In addition to participating in the contest, the Estonian broadcaster Eesti Televisioon (ETV) also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest after winning the competition in 2001 with the song "Everybody" performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. ETV organised the national final Eurolaul 2002 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn. Ten songs competed in the national final and "Runaway" performed by Sahlene was selected as the winner by an international jury panel.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Rändajad" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by the group Urban Symphony. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2009 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Rändajad" performed by Urban Symphony was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Nurmsalu</span> Estonian musician (born 1988)

Sandra Nurmsalu is an Estonian singer, songwriter, and violinist. Recognized within Estonia for her genre-bending style, Nurmsalu has garnered success as both the lead singer of Urban Symphony and as a solo artist.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Siren" written by Robin Juhkental. The song was performed by Malcolm Lincoln and Manpower 4. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2010 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway. Ten songs competed in the national final and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the super final.In the super final, "Siren" performed by Malcolm Lincoln and Manpower 4 was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Et uus saaks alguse" written by Mihkel Mattisen and Silvia Soro. The song was performed by Birgit. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2013 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Et uus saaks alguse" performed by Birgit was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Amazing" written by Timo Vendt and Tanja. The song was performed by Tanja. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2014 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top two to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Amazing" performed by Tanja was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Goodbye to Yesterday" written by Stig Rästa. The song was performed by Elina Born and Stig Rästa. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2015 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Goodbye to Yesterday" performed by Elina Born and Stig Rästa was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Play" written by Fred Krieger, Stig Rästa and Vallo Kikas. The song was performed by Jüri Pootsmann. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2016 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Play" performed by Jüri Pootsmann was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Verona" written by Sven Lõhmus. The song was performed by Koit Toome, who had previously represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 where he placed twelfth with the song "Mere lapsed", and Laura, who had previously represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 as part of the group Suntribe where she failed to qualify to the final with the song "Let's Get Loud". The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2017 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the super final. In the super final, "Verona" performed by Koit Toome and Laura was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "La forza" written by Mihkel Mattisen, Timo Vendt, Ksenia Kuchukova and Elina Nechayeva. The song was performed by Elina Nechayeva. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2018 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "La forza" performed by Elina Nechayeva was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elina Nechayeva</span> Estonian soprano

Elina Nechayeva is an Estonian soprano. She represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, with the song "La forza".

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Storm" written by Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, Victor Crone and Fred Krieger. The song was performed by Victor Crone. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul2019 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Twelve songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Storm" performed by Victor Crone was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "What Love Is" written by Uku Suviste and Sharon Vaughn. The song was performed by Uku Suviste. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2020 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Twelve songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "What Love Is" performed by Uku Suviste was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "The Lucky One" written by Uku Suviste and Sharon Vaughn. The song was performed by Uku Suviste. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2021 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Twelve songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "The Lucky One" performed by Uku Suviste was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with "Hope" performed by Stefan. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul2022 in order to select the Estonian entry for the contest. The national final consisted of seven shows: four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each quarter-final and semi-final and five from each show as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Hope" performed by Stefan was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "Bridges" performed by Alika. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2023 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2023 contest. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and six from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final alongside two wildcards selected by the public. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Bridges" performed by Alika was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" performed by 5miinust and Puuluup. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul2024 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2024 contest.

References

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