It could make or break Estonia’s chances at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. But hope is fading fast for Elina Nechayeva‘s projection dress performance.
That’s because the performance will cost ERR at least €65,000, which the broadcaster does not have in the bank. And it’s now been revealed further attempts to find funding have failed.
Speaking on talkshow Ringvaates Head of Delegation Mart Normet and Elina said they’re in “a state of despair“.
The main hope had been funding from the Estonian government, since Eurovision can be seen as a national project. Unfortunately ministers don’t see it that way and have ruled out additional funding for the stage show.
Additional appeals to Enterprise Estonia (EAS), which aims to promote business in Estonia, and the e-residency program have also fallen on deaf ears.
That leaves the Estonian delegation back where they started in terms of finding a solution to filling the five-figure gap in their budget for Eurovision.
Recent fan commentary on social media has suggested Elina’s partner, businessman David Pärnametsa could sponsor the staging, but Normet ruled that out:
“We are talking about a five-figure amount. “La Forza” is not Elina and David’s family project, it’s the representation of the Estonian people! We can’t go to someone’s wallet. There is no plan yet, but all sorts of thoughts are in hand.”
Despite the worsening situation, preparations continue for the contest.
Kristina Viirpalu has been named as Elina’s dress designer, after she designed Laura’s dress for Kyiv last year. The duo have collaborated together extensively before. ERR has also continued preparations for the performance. New projections have been designed and Elina has revealed they’ve increased the size of the podium she’ll stand on by 20 centimetres.
Elina for her part remains optimistic:
“I still really hope we’ll get the money for the performance. I want to do my best representing Estonia.”
She also revealed that despite betting hype, she has a less lofty ambition:
“Getting to the final would be a very good achievement.”
What do you think about the crisis? Will a solution be found? Do you think Estonia needs the dress? Let us know in the comments below!
Kas nad tõesti pole crowdfundimisest midagi kuulnud?
Hi Eugene, I suspect the original staging was dark and gloomy because the projector they were using on the dress wasn’t bright enough to cut through a brightly lit stage.
I seen it happen in theatre before, using projected scenery then discovering if you light the actors well it washes out the projection! Powerful projectors are very expensive, even to hire.
Someone with her voice should not even care about the dress
Have they considered crowdfunding? I’m sure plenty of fans would be willing to show support. It worked for San Marin—oh wait, nevermind.
To be honest, I’m not that big of a fan of the projection dress idea so I kind of hope they have to find another way to stage it. It’s -such- a stunning song and her national final performance was just kind of lack lustre because she just stood there while they put like unimportant graphics over it… idk, I hope they entirely reimagine their staging and make it something really special.
I don’t get it…. she already has a projection dress. Can’t they reuse her gown from eesti lual? Maybe just change the top to make it look fresh. Also, we’ve seen projection dresses every year so many she doesn’t need it
whats the problem to get only 65.000 euros?!?!?!? …
Except her voice, everything else on her is just fake. I have feelings that she was forced to perform that song!I will never understand the fuss around her. Estonia was one of my favorite countries at Eurovision in the past, but i tottaly lost my interest about Estonia since 2017!!
I would much rather see & hear Verona again
I doubt this is PR stunt. Most viewers don’t know what happens behind the curtains.
Woah some of the comments below are quite disturbing and sickening… I think Wiwi need to do a bit of a clear out here.
I was referring to comments made about Elina and her husband, which were not actually about the dress, they were crude sexual comments made about Elina and her appearance.
Thankfully Wiwibloggs seems to have removed them. Hence why you think the comments were about something else.
Oh my gosh! Dear, Wiwibloggs, please do some “spring cleaning” because there are some utterly disgusting comments down below 🙁
No no there were other disgusting comments that got deleted. I have nothing against the comments about their opinions, you just missed out reading the horrible ones which weren’t opinions at all.
Btw thank you Wiwi, much appreciated! 🙂
No worries, apologies accepted 🙂
he must be really big to make her scream like that
he must be armenian armenians are bigXD
who is her sugar daddy
name?
I wouldn’t take the risk to bet on this one.
username checks out
It won’t, the emperor doesn’t have any clothes.
Calm down people! They actually show so meny close ups from her face and also the first part they don’t even show the dress. Also, when she ends the first chorus with that high note, the dress is plain and they focus on her voice. The dress just adds the wow moment, but it doesn’t take over the song.
Well then why the big fuss about it if it’s not actually useful or needed? It’s either a cheap PR stunt or the HoD wants it to be a big part of the performance….therefore, the dress is taking over the song however way you look at it.
Because Estonia is in it to win it ! Yes, they would definitely do well even without that dress, but they understand that if they want to win, they need to have whole package. Think about Sweden 2015 – yes, good song and charming guy also would have done a good result, but had they won without these projections ? Maybe yes, but maybe they would have ended up 4th-5th. That’s the same situation.
Somehow I get the feeling that this is a very strange PR-trick. Like it will get people to talk and acknowledge Estonia. By the time May comes around she will have had enough attention that it doesn’t matter if she has dress or not! Though she probably will end up with it any-ways so..
Personally I don’t think she needs a dress but the Estonian delegation thinks she needs it so crowd-founding? partnership? Sponsorship? Let Estonian TV pay for it?
Så dumt
I don’t hate it but don’t love it. In comps like this opera music is a novelty. Every now and then it appears on The Voice,X Factor etc and it intrigues people who are not overly familiar with the genre but never goes beyond a brief infatuation. The dress staging has been done – bring something original.
Yes in The Voice or X factor appears some random person, even children wowing everybody singing opera, but this is a fully trained soprana singing some popera, where is the wow?!
Why is no one talking about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j0mxY1DEXg
God, just leave the dress, it’s absolutely nothing original. Be creative. It’s like there’s no other options.
The delegation in despair … I thought this was a song contest … shouldn’t the musical merit of the song be enough? Or were Estonians on mute while contemplating a dress projection? I don’t remember Ott Lepland projecting anything on him while performing and reaching #6 in 2012. So why desperate? Isn’t the song good enough to go to the final so the projection is the gimmick that can try to troll people into a complete state of distraction? And Government, rightfully so, denies funding this because … is this gonna pay for Estonian children’s education or raise Estonian income… Read more »
they probably want to win, not to reach the dreaded #6 again
I really like Estonia this year – just like I did last year. I hope for them that they’ll be able to bring the dress to give the song this additional wow-moment which it deserves… after having been robbed with Verona (my opinion), final would be a quite deserved matter for Estonia.
I have to add that although I’m aware of trolls spamming practically every webpage, I am a little irritated by the amount of rude and ill-bred remarks in this specific comment section. It seems that many of Elina’s haters seem to be particularly uneducated…
set up a GoFundMe page, its the solution for everything isn’t it (whether worthy or not)?
All I will give her is a big slap
She badly needs the dress. Any kind of gimmick. The Estonia delegation have basically admitted it. They sent one of the greatest songs in Verona and got no jury votes. This time they have a weak song so they know they need fireworks and fast food to keep the audience attention for more than ten seconds. Opera is not an easy sell, you have to trick the listener into thinking they are hearing something significant and not some trashy fluff
lmaooooooooo
no one really liked the song until too late. this is so ridiculous. No one knew about the dress in November and she was predicted to win Eesti Laul, so it wasn’t the reason she won.
Verona was the worst choice of Estonia, everyone knows that Kerli Koiv would’ve been the right decision last year, so don’t underestimate La forza, which is very strong song. You don’t like screaming or what ever, don’t listen to it
Storm in a tea cup. This manufactured issue is clearly an attempt by the Estonians to draw some attention to their entry. I am willing to put £100 right now to assure you all will go as planned in Lisbon. Really it’s a non issue. The success of a song should not be on the merit of dress, but the song itself. It’s truly ridiculous. Personally I would not vote for it even if she was standing on the moon. That song is so hyped and so boring to my ears, I have no clew why it is in the… Read more »
* no clue, that is ** lol
As Salvador said most of the songs are not made with filling. They are weak and cant stand up to repeat listens without the staging. That cacophonic junk from Romania last year who would even listen to that after the contest
Also Salvador called most music “fast food” which would include most of the 40 entries last year. This song is made with filing so are many other songs.
She doesn’t need the dress. They can achieve a similar effect by just by switching up the lighting somehow during the chorus. The dress feels a bit gaudy and dated anyway.
They should just find someone to fund her privately or have a deal like Aliona in 2013
If Elina will not have the dress she wants, she will leave the sugar-daddy. Here is where a woman draws the line.
The sugar daddy is under a lot of pressure to cough up. He could be sleeping on the couch until he delivers. Conversely if she had represented russia 65k is like loose change to them
The Estonian government knows that, and this is why they don’t pay.
OFF TOPIC – I wonder how many countries can perform without LED. For example, I think Michael Schulte needs that screen with words and pictures. The backstage will be very crowded with LEDs from different countries (and Swedish light tubes). Portugal thought that it will force everybody to be simple and minimalistic, but will be a mess.
After they announced Michael Schulte as the winner of ULfL, he performed his song without the silly screen and it was SO MUCH BETTER.
Couldn’t some wealthy estonian company sponsor the dress? Wouldn’t that be great advertisement?
Aliona Moon’s projection dress was also privately funded. The deal was Moldavian govt pays 50% if she get top ten and 100% if she won. She got 11th place.
Estonia dress can pay for itself if they show some advertising during the song. Maybe govt will pay for some tourism or 100th anniversary logos to be projected on the dress or on her face.
Okey here it’s only my opinion but I need to say it, that I can imagine Aliona and Polina performances without that dress, but with Elina, I really can’t. It’s like you are under a spell. When that girl opens her mouth and starts singing, you will listen and OMG when she sings chourous:La forza del destine, volteggiar mi fa (The force of Destiny,vaulting makes me)…. and so on, the dress comes life, so you get chills. Also her song is about love and how love gives you wings, so you feel like you can fly. I really think, that… Read more »
Finally a person with common sense and is able to see the beauty in whole package-wise! Thank you <3
it is not that much money though, and it is estonia – reasonably developed country. there are poorer countries who would spend the amount even for a less quality song just to build a country image. It goes well for tourism purposes as well. i bet there are internal cultural events that estonia allocates funds for in the same amount that don’t bring the same benefit – international, global recognition. i just don’t see the point with this dragging, it is not like estonians are starving. you can have the most memorable and significant eurovision performance. everyone is going to… Read more »
Yes, exactly! Their rejection to fund is beyond me. The point and the only problem is the machine that does the projecting, not the skirt. Skirt’s cost is nothing, there is no problem with that. It’s not our fault that they asked that much, nobody knew beforehand that the cost would be that high. The final price is calculated and revealed after when you know which act actually goes to represent.
It doesn’t matter, Israel will win anyway
I love Estonia this year but I dislike the dress. Forget about the large piece of nonsense and the projections and just look for an elegant dress and that’s all…
Dear Estonia! This dress is just a gimmick and not an original one. Get over it already and focus on Elina’s performance. The song is great and might just win without any need of it. Good luck.
oh my god who wanna bet they already have the money.. all of this is for atention… keep it your mind estonia.. you will not winn
This is probably going to end up like Iceland 2016 when the Eurovision performance is actually worse than the national final…
Am I being cynical or does this look like a shot at getting sympathy votes?I have no doubt some kind donor will cough up. To be honest I don’t get why this is such a favourite.
Eurovision is not about songs only for many years now and many countries won or were ranked high with not so good songs (Sweden 2015 and 2017, Russia 2016…) thus I understand the concern of the Estonian delegation. The song may be good indeed, but both juries and televoters are forming an overall impression with the performance the very night of the contest. I really hope they will find sponsorship to pull this through, or else, we might as well see Estonia failing to qualify.
The moment when you realize your song is made out of a dress!
Come on, it‘s not all about a freaking dress. But hey, at least it shows that they know, that La Forza isn‘t strong enough at all, otherwise they wouldn‘t make such a drama of it.
Well your realization is wrong. Song was already strong in the beginning, it would have won with or without the dress anyways. They know damn well that this act is strong. The point is that the dress effect suits the best since it gives additional oompf. The dress ain’t distracting, it adds the spark and doesn’t overshadow the song whatsoever. The media is the one making the drama, not them.
You are missing the point, it is not about the dress but about the staging – lately one of the most impactful aspect of the whole presentation. It can destroy a great song and lift up an average song.
The dress is not important when the song is good enough. It will only distract you from the song. And its not very original,( Azerbeidzjan and Moldova )
Probably they should consider crowdfunding ? I believe many Estonians are interested in Eurovision and want her representative all the best, so maybe they can donate some euros
It’s stupid because the EAS has spent literally millions on branding and tourism campaigns for Estonia which have gotten lots of public criticism for their horrible end results. Now that the country has a real chance to leave an impression in some viewers they can’t give a dime for the delegation.
Their priorities are seriously out of whack!
(Also, some of these comments here are extremely rude and nasty. Are these the mysterious spanish fans I’ve been hearing so much about?)
Hey I am Spanish and I love this entry.
Its my winner.
I COULD LISTEN TO THIS SONG WITH A GLASS OF CHANPAGNE.
BRAVO.
EAS on üdini loll antud hetkel. Ma olen väga pettunud nendes, kaasaarvatud valitsus.
Muide need ei ole hispaanlased, tegelt väga paljud hispaanlased armastavad meie esitust 🙂
THANK YOU
MUACK
Tere kasutaja Kyna! Eestist kirjutan, et usun, et me ei peaks siinseid kommentaare küll tõsiselt võtma. Olen päris kaua ise selle blogi lugeja olnud ja siin on alati päris palju kohutavaid kommentaare teiste maa kodanikelt. Eesti on kahjuks favoriit, seega see viha on isegi arusaadav. Tegelikult meie ainult tema, et Eesti tiim teeb lõpuks laval ikka seda, mida nad tahavad. Vaata, kuidas rikkusid ära 2016 ja 2017 aasta esitused Euro laval. Eestis näitasid and meile hoopiski muud. Aga jah tahtsin lihtsalt öelda, et läheb, kuidas läheb Elinal. Tegemist on väga tugeva poolfinaaliga, kui saame edasi, oleme rõõmsad, kui mitte, no… Read more »
Tervist! Just just, ma ei võtagi kõiki neid kohutavaid kommentaare tõsiselt, nendega pole mõtet vaielda, ise olen samuti pikaaegne selle blogi lugeja. Ma usun siiralt, et meil läheb hästi, vahet pole kas võidame või mitte, meie esitus on juba ikooniline ning see on omamoodi võit. Ma hoian pöidlaid, et ikkagi saab kõik korda, seda harukordset võimalust ei tohi mööda lasta. See on omaette õnnistus, et meil nii tugev laul on. Mind siiani kripeldab 2016 katastroof, pikaaegse eurofännina ei taha ma rohkem vigu näha. Ma alati toetan Eestit, vahet pole kus ma ka elaks, hoian kurssi suhteliselt iga päev mis toimub… Read more »
Jah just, kuigi ma pole algusest peale võitu üldse uskunudki, tegemist väga tugeva aastaga, ei usu, et zürii või rahvas nii meeletult nüüd selle laulu poolt hääletaks. Tšehhi laulja korjab kõikide teismeliste hääled, kindlasti on palju pooldajaid Bulgaarial, Belgial jne. No kuidas see zürii peaks siis hindama ooperit ja siis tavalist pop lugu, võimsa vokaaliga? Nii, et jah ei tea, mis saab mai kuus. Hoiame pöidlaid. Loodan, et finaali saab, sealt edasi minu jaoks enam nii väga tähtust see aasta ei omagi. Mul endal nii palju lemmikuid, et ah saab, mis koha saab. Võit oleks muidugi super! Ja valitsuse kohta,… Read more »
hahaha jah, minu teooria on see, et kuna paljud laulud on iseenesest tugevad, siis tuleb üle trumpamine esitustega. Meil on kaks komponenti olemas- tugev laul ja kindel esitus, teistel võivad küll olla väga head laulud, kuid esitusega võivad mööda panna. Nagu näiteks eelmise aasta Makedoonia. Me peame lihtsalt ühe puudulikku osa ära täitma- see paganama projektor. Tsehhi kohta ma arvan, et saab hääletusi rohkem kui žurii punkte, isiklikult natuke kahtlen neist, kuid arvan et pääseb edasi. Belgia ja Bulgaaria on enam-vähem, ju vast saavad mõlemalt piisavalt punkte. Samas, kes oleks arvanud, et žurii hindaks Portugali eelmisel aastal vot nii kõrgelt,… Read more »
Tegelikult olen kõigega nõus, mis ütlesite. Unustasin jah lisada, et see Tsehhi laul ilmselt züriile küll peale ei lähe, ei usu ma temalegi seda kolmandat kohta, kus ta praegu ennustustabelites on. Aga jah, Eurovisioon on väga ettearvamatu. Ootan suure põnevusega.
Moldova 2013. Just saying.
XD XD
They should make her fly on stage with a huge dress so she looks like some majestic space angel. Then on the ground they could have a few modern dancers or not.
Now that would be impressive and powerful – although I think this song doesn’t really need dancers, unless they were ballerinas, maybe?
tbh they could also just fill the stage with smoke and shine some coloured light on her.
Any of it would be cheaper than expensive projectors.
Come on, that’s such a storn in a glass of water. Just wear a fiber optic dress, or a regular dress full of Swarovski crystals and play with lighting and camera angles. It’s not like her projections are that special, and if there’ something you can emulate with lights only it’s a starry night or the cosmos or whatever.
Without that dress with the ltrly 0 LED we have this year their performance will be most likely boring af… they will drown in the televote… they most likely lost their chances of victory this year visual is one of the most importent things in esc to make sure that your entry is memorble
It seems that sugar daddy originally was expected to pay for everything but now they want someone else preferably the taxpayers to pay for her trip. The govt saw through their plan and now its up to sugar daddy to pay up if wants to keep his high maintenance gf
When Salvador said this is not a fireworks eurovision he meant it. They are making it hard for entries to buy votes with flashy lighting. Her terrible song will be exposed without the dress distracting voters. Opera is just a stunt for entries without a good song.
I don’t know what about you, but when I’m listening to La Forza, I’m not looking at the visuals, I’m listening to music while doing other stuff, not just watching it on Youtube and I’m enjoying the song a lot
Stop spreading so much hate on her, she is still a person
And about what you said with Verona, as I said, she is a person and allowed to like or dislike any song
….. She also revealed that despite betting hype, she has a less lofty ambition:
“Getting to the final would be a very good achievement.”………..
That bish was throwing shade at Verona. Hope she chokes on a ham sandwich
Putting words into someone’s mouth?
Getting to the final had always been an achievement in itself for many countries outside of thethe Big 5.
I mean getting tot he final is already an achievement? I don’t get how you got to the conclusion of her throwing shade at Verona lmao. She’s just having a reasonable expectation sis.
Don’t jump to conclusions
Context matters… she said that since we are not a country that are expected to qualify every year no matter what they send like Sweden and some others. We are humble in these cases. If you would have listened her full interview and understand estonian, then you wouldn’t say such disgusting things. Unless you really have this negative and bitter mindset. In this case, congratulations, you played yourself.
Aminata used a lot of quick cuts; they’re won’t work for ‘La Forza’