Estonia is continuing its preparations for Eesti Laul 2023. As the artists gear up for the semi-finals in January, Rory speaks to MIA. She is vying to represent Estonia in Liverpool with her song “Üks samm korraga”.
Check out our interview with MIA here!
Together, Rory and MIA talk about how her song came to be in Eesti Laul 2023 and her previous attempt at trying to represent Estonia in 2012. She also tells us about her musical influences and her musical relationship with previous Eesti Laul entrant Frants Tikerpuu. She also gives recommendations for her other music if you enjoy “Üks samm korraga”.
Also, check out our interviews with other contestants at Eesti Laul 2023 – including INGER, ELLIP, Merlyn and Janek.
About MIA
MIA is the stage name of Kersti Kukk, a 36-year-old singer-songwriter from Estonia. A native of Tallinn, Kukk first came to prominence in 2010, rising in the charts with her debut single “Ingel mu kõrval”. Since then, MIA has taken part in Eesti Laul 2012 with “Bon Voyage”, reaching 8th in its semi-final. MIA is now returning to the music scene in Estonia, having taken a hiatus for a number of years. Her second entry to the competition – “Awaiting You” – is written by Kukk herself, alongside Frants Tikerpuu.
Estonia’s Eurovision journey
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 2022, they elected to send STEFAN through Eesti Laul to the contest with “Hope”. He successfully qualified for the final and finished in 13th place with 141 points.
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.
What do you think of our interview with MIA? Do you think “Üks samm korraga” will have a chance of representing Estonia in Liverpool? Where does the song fall in your rankings? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we look ahead to Eurovision 2023!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Pressifoto
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