They were lost in Verona on their way to an early exit from Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv. But Estonia won’t let that spoil the party for the tenth anniversary of Eesti Laul in 2018.
And after combing through a record 258 entries, producers have finally revealed the 20 semi-finalists for next year’s competition. They did so this evening on the talk show Ringvaade.
Perhaps the biggest name announced is Stig Rästa. After his 2015 triumph with Elina Born, the “Goodbye to Yesterday” hitmaker has continued to enter as a songwriter. Now, he’s taking to the stage again with his self-penned entry “Home”.
Check out the full list of Eesti Laul participants below:
Eesti Laul 2018 semi-finalists
- Aden Ray — “Everybody’s Dressed“
- Desiree — “On My Mind”
- Elina Netsajeva — “La Forza”
- Ellis Parna & Gerli Padar — “Sky”
- Etnopatsy — “Külm“
- Evestus — “Welcome to my World”
- Frankie Animal — “(Can’t Keep Calling) Misty“
- Girls in Pearls — “Spellbound”
- Iiris & Agoh — “Drop That Boogie”
- Indrek Ventmann — “Tempel”
- Karl Kristjan & Karl Killing (ft. Wateva) — “Young”
- Marju Lanik — “Täna otsuseid ei tee”
- Metsakutsu — “Koplifornia”
- Miljardid — “Pseudoprobleem”
- Nika — “Knock Knock”
- Rolf Roosalu — “Show A Little Love”
- Sibyl Vane — “Thousands Words”
- Stig Rästa — “Home”
- Tiiu x Okym x Semy — “Näita oma energiat”
- Vajé — “Laura (Walk With Me)”
Stig isn’t the only act returning, of course. Some of the other notable names include Rolf Roosalu, who appears in his first Eesti Laul since 2013. And Karl Kristjan — who finished 4th in last year’s final. He’s teamed up with Karl Killing & Wateva.
The semi-finalists were chosen by two groups. A professional jury, made up of musicians, and the media. Members of the Eesti Laul and ERR production team then chose their favourites.
The members of the jury were: Karl-Erik Taukar (musician), Koit Raudsepp (R2), Alon Amir (music manager, Israel), Mariliis Mõttus (Müürileht), Andres Puusepp (DJ), Jaane Tomps (Delfi), Harri Hakanen (YLE, Soome), Mingo Rajandi (musician), Siim Nestor (Eesti Ekspress), Getter Jaani (singer), Sten Teppan (Vikerraadio), Mari-Liis Männik (Elmar), Toomas Puna (Sky Plus), Irina Svensson (Raadio 4), Valner Valme (ERR culture).
Eesti Laul staff who picked their favorites: director Ove Musting, editor Ingrid Kohtla, editor Mai Palling, consultant from Sweden Filip Adamo, producer Ruth Heinmaa and producer Mart Normet.
Some songs are already available, which you can find in the above list. All the songs will be revealed on 19 and 20 December, giving y’all an early Christmas present.
The semi-finals of Eesti Laul get underway on 10 and 17 February, followed by the grand final on 3 March.
What do you think of the Eesti Laul 2018 lineup? Who are you most excited for? Can Estonia bounce back into the Eurovision grand final?
Külm, Laura and La Forza are my favourite (in this order). I think Estonia cand be in top 5 with these songs. Wish you good luck.
my favorite song is Indrek Ventmann – Tempel .it sounds amazing and special .
I really liked the song from Frankie Animal. Great sound! But all the others that are available sound good, creative and contemporary, as well. Estonia would definitively deserve a top position if not another win soon.
No KERLI no likey 🙁
Same
Aile Alveus-Krautmann also returned,now as part of Etnopatsy, she was the singer for Antsud in Eesti Laul 2017.
Definetely think Etnopatsy is the best so far, and I’m definetely not looking forward to Metsakutsu, he’s a hip-hop singer and I absolutely despise hip-hop.
So happy there are songs in Estonian in the list. I love the Estonian national selection!
Not impressed by any of the three songs we’re able to listen. Hope for better songs among the rest. As for Stig’s return, I can’t say how much I love his song in 2015! We don’t know if this year’s song is of the same genre or not. Hope for sth good!
I’m portuguese and would really be happy if Stig represented Estonia in Lisbon…i have a crush on him ;(
I’m bit disappointed that Rasmus Rändvee isn’t competing.
I think he is busy with his studies.
My favorite from the revealed songs is “Külm”.
He’s taking to the stage again!
Super excited for Iiris but the song title doesn’t sound very good lol. I’ll withhold judgment until it’s released though
Ok, my comment vanished.
Just wanna say that Misty is my favourit among those 3.
One of the best NFs…
But it would be good if we had Kerli and Liis back again
I think Kerli is pissed that she didn’t win last year when she had a much superior song and performance.
Kerli would have gotten a top 10 at Eurovision had she been selected last year.
Yasssss I totally agree. Her face was everything. She totally knew she deserved to win.
Good to see them kicking it off too. Three available songs are good, especially Klum.
Eesti Laul last year was so amazing – not counting the fact that they were also one of the many who chose from my bottom 10% in the end. – I wish them good luck! 🙂
Kulm sounds absolutely amazing! When I saw that one of the singers was from Antsud last year, I literally freaked out!!! In all serious, Etnopatsy have a good song this year, I’m going to be supporting them all the way.
Definitely looking forward to hearing Stig’s song as well. Hopefully it will be as good as Goodbye to Yesterday 🙂
I absolutely agree with you on Kulm! I’m going to be supporting this as well!
wowwwww i really really love frankie animal’s song! it’s a very unexpected kind of vibe it reminds me of a very watered down version of alabama shakes
Gerli PADAAARR!!!!
Iiris?! She my second favourite after Kerli! This is going to be good. 🙂
Although I do prefer the style of her debut album more. Still I enjoy her songs and her unique voice.
Intrigued that a guy who said Eesti Laul is something to avoid last year is now among semifinalists (Metsakutsu) Haa haa. You can t avoid Eesti Laul.
I wish there was more variety in language, we could use endangered languages – I would like to hear a vadja, ingerian, livonian, skolt sami or karelian rap, or our local dialects, like setu or mulgi
I hope Kerli does not enter again. She cannot compete with Sven Lohmus songs. Very good songs. The best songs ever. Sad
Laura not entering is a dis-aster. Sad
I hope their entry is as good as their last entries. The have been great since 2008, and they where my winners in 2009. The deserve another finsl, too bad Kerli isn’t in here.
I really hope a song by Aminata is among them!
It’s not the case. I don’t see her in the composers list.
A song was submitted that Aminata wrote but it didn’t make the semi’s
Stig is an amazing composer, but no-so-amazing singer, yet home sounds like a deep, melancholic, original song. I think he is in the zone again.
So happy Iiris is back! It looks like Agoh is the stage name for Ago Teppand, her long-time producer.
Estonia has been my absolute favourite for the past 3 years! They should have won in 2015 with Goodbye to Yesterday (a much more original song than Heroes). 2016 was unfortunate in that the staging was way too depressing and that really let them down, but Juri’s voice is just incredible (ngl I was a little bit in love with him). And in 2017, if they had kept the exact staging from Eesti Laul I think it would have made much more of an impact and they would’ve qualified. Here’s hoping for Tallinn 2019 😉
Estonian team planned to have more similar show but sadly stage in Kiev didn’t have as good of equiptment as Estonian team would have wished for.
HOW do you guys at Wiwibloggs forget to highlight that Iiris is back? She participated in Eurolaul in 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwrWMYU-MJI And then in the first Eesti Laul in 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2k9kCQwoRA. She is one of the biggest names in Estonian music and makes great pop music. Check her debut album from 2012 and the latest single “Stranger.”
Yeah.. Especially because she loosing to leto Svet was one of the main reason why we got Eesti Laul format..
Leto Svet! Eto leto svet!
Leto Svet! Eto leto svet!
By the way, a question out of curiosity, how did Estonians feel when Kreisiraadio was chosen?
Leto Svet was chosen only because that was Estonians opinion of Eurovision at the time.
Most young people were disappointed because this song was subbar at best and it’s only selling point was fame of this group. Thanks to more older voters we sent this horrendous mess to Eurovision. Luckily ETV understood that selection process desperately needed fresh air.
And Gerli Padar, she participated in ESC 2007
Im really heartbroken about this!!! Elisa Kolk now ELYSA was supposed to be in this year’s show with her track Famous…What went wrong? William & wiwiblogs you don’t know who i am but i work with talent abroad and elisa is my close friend and occasional client and im very upset. glad to see some names back for sure…but it’s a loss 🙁
YAAAAS Gerli Padar! She was robbed in 2007! You should have mentioned her.
It’s good to see several Estonian language songs in the mix, not just a parade of English songs! I wonder if “La Forza” will be an bilingual song like Jacques!
Correction: a bilingual song.
It’s italian actually.
Vajé — “Laura (Walk With Me)”
Is it dedicated to OUR Laura, the legendary songstress who lost her Verona and snatched wigs all across the continent?
There is only one LAURA (Paula Mustikas) thank you very much
Elina Netsajeva — “La Forza”
Jacques Houdek’s IMPACT. Italian is coming for blood.
Since she is an opera singer, I believe the song is rather inspired from an actual opera, than random Croatian dude. But on the other hand, yeah she probably applied because of the relative succes of recent operatic performances like Jacques or Il Volo ??
Operatic tends to do very well, I expect big things from that song.
Was kind of hoping for Kerli or Grete Paia to return. Stories Untold was such a good song
oh my god what an underwhelming lineup
Etnopatsy’s song is ”Külm” which means ”Cold” not ”Kulm” which means ”Eyebrow”.
Indeed
Also there is written (YLE, Soome) in jury’s list but Soome means Finland in Estonian. It’s meant like YLE (which is Finnish national boradcasting) and that he is from Finland.
One of the girls from Etnopatsy looks like one of the band members from Antsud (Eesti laul 2017) … Is it the same girl?
Yeah it’s the same girl
Thank you! 🙂 I thought so but wanted to be sure 🙂
La Forza? Feeling some Jacques vibes haha
In or out was pretty bad, so I’m not having big expectations for Stig till I hear the new song.
wow Iiris!!!
You’re spilling some piping hot tea there. In or Out was tremendously bad in my opinion, I hope Stig updated his sound because that retro thing ain’t the tea anymore.
yeah, that was bad.
E Born flopped because she did not fit her outfit. It was fat shaming from the voters. The outfit and performance were quite confronting and the voters didnt know where to look or how to react. Stig has no stage presence and no voice, he should be writing for other better singers or just watching the contest at home.
I’m not gay and I think she’s hot as hell!!
EXCUSE ME. Stig has no stage presence? you don´t even know anything. Tell me, have you been to his concert? if you haven´t, don´t talk. He is a hella charming, funny, smart, warm, but a little mischievous and cheeky guy and his singing … who cares if he is off a few notes, when the audience is butter in his hands. For real. (if he quits singing he should just become a stand-up comedian though.)
Denise? Is that you?
fat shaming? you’re crazy. she’s fit.
Then they can bring him on before the contest starts to warm up the audience with a few jokes and impersonations. I have a suspicion that a Laura concert would be better quality
I prefer facts to suspicions.
Its also a fact
None of the Estonian musicians care or even remember your Jacques guy.
No mention about Gerli Padar’s return? XD
I find it crual indeed! I like her!
Terrible journalist mistake. They talk about people who never passed the national final and they forget of the other eurovision representant in the bunch…
Gerli Padar make also a return. She representes Estonia back on 2007.
I am so excited! Eesti Laul is one of my favorite national selections! I really hope they get back to the final!
Great to hear your enthusiasm!
Thanks!
I share your enthusiasm 🙂 They often have rather innovative, different sounding, modern and interesting songs. Esp. the years 2009-14. Will be nice to follow their semis!
So true! I loved so many of their songs last year!