ERR have announced they have received 175 song submissions for Eesti Laul 2025, down from 215 in 2024.
French, Italian and German amongst songs submitted
Of the 175 compositions, 65 are in Estonian, with 110 being in foreign languages, whilst mostly English, there was one submission in Italian, one in French and a further submission in a mix of German and Estonian.
ERR say there are “passionately loved Estonian singers” included in the line-up, as well as major music groups and upcoming artists.
Speaking of the interest in the contest both in Estonia and from foreign songwriters, producer Riin Vann said:
“This year’s Eesti Laul proves that music knows no borders and Eesti Laul is a valued platform abroad as well.” According to Vanni, many creative forces from abroad take part in the competition, including creators from Norway, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Malta, Spain, Turkey, USA, Great Britain, Latvia, Austria, Denmark, Holland, Croatia and Lithuania. “We take it as recognition that Estonian Song has its place on the international scene.”
About Eesti Laul 2025
ERR have yet again made changes to the Eesti Laul format ahead of the 2025 edition, forgoing the semi final, with there being a single standalone final on 15th February. The final will consist of 16 songs, 15 of which will be chosen by an internal jury, with a public “wildcard” vote deciding the 16th and final competitor.
The jury’s selection of 15 will be made public on 8th November, and the songs will be broadcast for the first time on 6th December on the program “Start”. The wildcard process will happen at the beginning of January.
What is Eesti Laul?
For over a decade now Eesti Laul has showcased Estonian talent in a multi-stage format to select Estonia’s Eurovision entrant. Traditionally featuring two semi finals and a final, in recent years the show has been adapted year on year to feature (then subsequently remove) quarter finals, and wild card rounds. The winner is typically decided by a hybrid voting of juries and televotes, with superfinal of usually three acts vying for the chance to represent Estonia.
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 Rändajad in 2009 and Ott Lepland with Kuula in 2012, both of which finished in 6th place.
In 2024, Estonia elected to send 5MIINUST and Puuluup through Eesti Laul to the Contest with “(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”. They successfully qualified for the final and finshed in 20th place with 37 points. The group finished with 4 points from the juries, and an additional 33 points from the televote.
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News Source: ERR
Photo Credit: Siim Lõvi/ERR
Giwrgos Oiko