We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is the wildcard round of Eesti Laul 2025, which will have its winner announced on the 6th of January. Eesti Laul 2025 will select the Eurovision representative for Estonia in Basel.
Who is taking part in the Eesti Laul 2025 Wildcard round?
There are 20 artists taking part in Eesti Laul wildcard round. The 20 artists taking part are as follows:
| Artist | Entry |
| Antsud Metal Project | “Ei enam” |
| Cecilia | “Rollercoaster” |
| Marta Lotta | “Tantsin veel” |
| Sten-Olle | “Noorex” |
| Kozy | “Jääb nii (tahan, et tead)” |
| Mick Pedaja | “Sound of Pines” |
| Ela | “Südamés” |
| Elina Martinson | “Sinitihane” |
| Silver Jusilo | “Turn Back Time” |
| Felix Enghult | “More than Innocent” |
| AG & Laura Põldvere | “Pimepäev” |
| Gerli Padar | “Võõraks jääd” |
| Horror Dance Squad | “The Rebel Reborn” |
| Marianne Leibur | “Pluto and Mars” |
| Sarah Murray | “High on Myself” |
| Everfall | “Stories We Hold” |
| Carol Suurevälja | “Purpose” |
| Merwis | “Aknal langevaid pisaraid” |
| Bel-Etage Swingorkester | “Mind kõikjal näed” |
| Synne Valtri | “Butterflies & Bees” |
Who are our favourites from the wildcard round?
We ranked the songs taking part in Eesti Laul, using a 1-20 ranking. 1 being our favourite, 20 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings. Right below, you can see our top three for this selection. For the shows with Semi-Finals/Heats, we will be revealing the qualifiers, and release the full breakdown when the selection finishes.
3rd. Marta Lotta – “Tantsin veel” (5.83):
2nd. Cecillia – “Rollercoaster” (4.67):
1st. Antsud Metal Project – “Ei enam” (2.83):
What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs?
Rory (“Tantsin veel”): This is just a fun song isn’t it! Marta just oozes confidence in her delivery with this really rather jazzy track. She is having some fun with the production and wanting to create a vibe that just feels positive, and gets you on your feet and dancing. This might struggle if it does get to the Eesti Laul final, but wherever it lands in the competition, it’ll be a good track, regardless!
Kittens (“Rollercoaster”): Sometimes, all you need is a simple bassy banger. Estonia’s self professed saviour of trance (?) is back with another catchy track that’s a little darker and a little more poppy than ‘FOMO’, and while I think in the main competition it might end up clashing for votes with ‘Külm’, it would still be a worthy addition to the contest. Instantly added to the kittens playlist, of course.
Angus (“Ei enam”): This just does so much right. It is atmospheric and cinematic throughout, and beautifully dynamic in its songwriting. Thanks to this, it keeps you engaged and entertained while the purposefully repetitive folk-elements drill their way into your memory, making you move and hum along before your first listen is over and trying to sing along the second time. It also is an excellent evolution on Antsud’s non-metal 2024 outing, giving the singers more space to sing both individually and as a duo
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.
Who would you like to see represent Estonia in Basel? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Estonia at Eurovision 2025!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: ERR