ERR has just revealed the names of the 10 acts and song titles that will compete as part of the second quarter final of this year’s Eesti Laul for the chance to represent Estonia at Eurovision 2022. The national final has seen a significant overhaul this year, introducing quarter-finals and significantly expanding the number of competing artists. Prior to this announcement, ERR revealed that 202 songs had been submitted for consideration. Today ERR revealed the acts competing in the second quarter-final airing on Saturday 27th November.
The competing acts and songs are:
- Helen – “Vaata minu poole”
- Wiiralt – “Kuradile”
- Desiree – “Siiani”
- Andrei Zevakin ft. Grete Paia – “Mis nüüd saab”
- Silver Jusilo – “Elu rüpes”
- Kaia-Liisa Kesler – “Vaikus”
- Jyrise – “Plaksuta”
- Frants Tikerpuu and Triin Niitoja – “Laululind”
- An-Marlen – “Lõpuks muutub”
- Meisterjaan – “Vahel lilhtsalt”
Who might you recognise?
As usual, this week is filled with familiar faces that have appeared in Eesti Laul previously.
Andrei Zevakin / Grete Paia
Both Andrei and Grete have competed in Eesti Laul before. Andrei tried to represent Estonia in Eurovision 2021 with his song “Wingman”, while Grete has attempted to go to Eurovision three times previously. Her most recent entry was in 2019, with “Kui isegi kaotan”.
Desiree
Desiree had attempted to represent Estonia before, competing in Eesti Laul 2018. With her song “On My Mind”, Desiree failed to qualify from the semi-final, placing 4th in the second round.
Helen
This is Helen’s second time appearing at Eesti Laul after trying to represent Estonia in the 2021 edition. Singing “Nii kõrgele”, Helen finished last in her semi final, finishing in last place in both rounds.
Wiiralt
Similarly, Wiiralt also had made an attempt to win Eesti Laul to go to Eurovision. Wiiralt, a rockabilly-country band, competed in Eesti Laul 2021 with their song “Tuuled”, and ultimately finished in 4th place in the second round of voting.
What else do we know about Eesti Laul this year?
Eesti Laul has undergone significant format changes this year. No longer just two semi-finals and a grand final, ERR has expanded the format, with 40 songs in competition instead of last year’s 24. Quarterfinals will take place in November and December 2021, where five songs from each of the four semi-finals will be selected to move forward to the semi-finals in February 2022. The quarter-finals will not involve live performances from the artists – instead, music videos will be shown. The grand final will take place on 12th February 2022.
Previously, ERR revealed statistics about the songs which had been submitted to take part in the competition. 84 songs were submitted in Estonian, though English, French, Spanish and Italian were also represented amongst the submissions. There was also a song in an imaginary language amongst the selection!
Who has qualified so far?
The first quarter final of Eesti Laul 2022 has already taken place here are the artists and songs that have qualified so far:
- Jaagup Tuisk – “Kui vaid”
- Boamadu – “Mitte Kauaks”
- Evelin Samuel – “Waterfall”
- Maian – “Meeletu”
- Stig Rästa – “Interstellar”
Estonia at Eurovision
Estonia has appeared at almost every Eurovision since their debut in 1994. They have won the contest once with Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL in 2001, singing Everybody. Other notable Estonian entrants include 3rd placer Sahlene with Runaway in 2002 and Ines with Once In A Lifetime in 2000, who placed 4th. More recently, their highest-placing entries have been Urban Symphony with Randajad in 2009 and Ott Lepland with Kuula in 2012, both of whom finished in 6th place. In 2021, they elected to resend 2020 representative Uku Suviste through Eesti Laul to the contest with The Lucky One. He failed to qualify for the final.
Estonia has used Eesti Laul to decide their competing entry every year since 2009. Before then, they used another national final format, Eurolaul, dating back to their first attempt at participation in 1993, where they failed to make it through the pre-qualifying round.
Who’s songs are you excited to hear at Eesti Laul this week? Who would you like to see represent Estonia in Turin next year? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ over at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News Source: ERR
Photo Source: ERR
