Tonight, 12 more acts will compete in the second and last semi-final of Estonia’s Eesti Laul 2021, but only half of them will be able to make it to the grand final on 6 March. But which songs should go on to the next stage? The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has listened to the songs and ranked their top five. See which songs got our attention.
Tom
1. Jüri Pootsman – Magus Melanhoolia
My semi-final winner and my overall winner. Juri leads the strongest out of the two semi-finals. This sounds like something I haven’t heard before. He has a cracking voice and the song is fresh, it is different, it is produced well and it is sung in his native language so that’s an extra tick for me! I would love this to represent Estonia this year in Rotterdam. My only criticism is that it is only 2 minutes 14 seconds long!
2. Gram of Fun – Lost in a Dance
3. Uku Suviste – The Lucky One
4. Alabama Watchdog – Alabama Watchdog
5. Sissi – Time
Luis
1. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
There haven’t been music festivals for over a year now and this song is the most similar thing to the random unknown group you see at the side stage in the early evening. Oh, do I miss that! Gram-Of-Fun bring a perfectly on-trend tune. This would be a refreshing addition to the lineup in Rotterdam.
2. Jüri Pootsmann – “Magus melanhoolia”
3. Heleza – “6”
4. Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One”
5. REDEL – “Tartu”
Lauren
1. Heleza – “6”
For me, Heleza’s exquisite bilingual indie bop “6” towers above the rest of the competition when it comes to artistic quality. It’s a great mix of catchiness, instruments from different worlds, and soothingly soft vocals. We got that in Festivali i Këngës a couple months ago with Gigliola Haveriku’s “E lirë” and I was afraid we wouldn’t see something quite like it again in this NF season. Heleza’s musical roots actually stem in protest hip-hop, which is a dramatic yet pleasant contradiction to the genre of her Eesti Laul song “6”.
2. Jüri Pootsmann – “Magus melanhoolia”
3. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
4. Sissi – “Time”
5. Kadri Voorand – “Energy”
Mario
1. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
Oh yeah, I’m so on this hype train! Usually this type of song wouldn’t excite me at all, but “Lost in a Dance” has something extremely likeable. It’s so basic yet so cleverly written to keep you humming for three full minutes. It is a song to be played with and for larger audience, so my only concern would be how this might not look as convincing without the audience element this year.
2. Suured tüdrukud – “Heaven’s Not That Far Tonight”
3. Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One”
4. Sissi – “Time”
5. REDEL – “Tartu”
Renske
1. Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One”
“The Lucky One” seems to be a perfect fit for Uku at Eurovision. More than any of his other Eesti Laul attempts, it makes use of his rather strong vocals. Next to that, the song screams “Turn up the volume!”. It’s radio-friendly, powerful and contemporary without it being disposable. Will this be the earworm of the national final season?
2. Jüri Pootsmann – “Magus melanhoolia”
3. Sissi – “Time”
4. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
5. Helen – “Nii kõrgele”
Deban
1. Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One”
Uku Suviste stands out for being the returnee with a stronger package. “The Lucky One” knows what love is, and he’s spicing things up with sizzling sex! Vocally, he’s sharper, and visually, he’s more arresting. Furthermore, Uku listens to his fans, and through constructive feedback, he consciously elevates his performances. What’s not to like? Finally, his 2020 Eesti Laul winning prize (performing at Eurovision) remains unclaimed. From a moral perspective, he’s the most invested, committed and deserving Estonian to take the stage in Rotterdam.
2. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
3. Suured tüdrukud – “Heaven’s Not That Far Tonight”
4. Sissi – “Time”
5. Rahel – “Sunday Night”
Oliver
1. Heleza – “6”
There’s no standout winner in this semi-final, but there’s still some stiff competition (and strangely, lots of 80s influence). Heleza just edges out in front. Although it’s not necessarily the most Eurovision-friendly song, “6” provides a nice balance of retro and modern. It gives off a similar vibe to that of “Sebi” (Slovenia 2019 – 15th place), with the element of fun and pop of colour that Zala and Gašper lacked. There’s a little bit too much reverb on the vocal, but other than that the production is good and the track is well-structured. With the right staging to give “6” an extra burst of energy, Heleza could take the Eesti Laul crown.
2. Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One”
3. Suured tüdrukud – “Heaven’s Not That Far Tonight”
4. Sissi – “Time”
5. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
Robyn
1. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
Gram-Of-Fun has delivered a perfect slice of pop. “Lost in a Dance” draws on current trends for 80s pop, but goes deeper than just throwing in some synths. The song is expertly structured, taking the listening on a journey and convincingly setting the scene for actually getting lost in a dance. With Eesti Laul 2016 super-finalist Kristel Aaslaid on vocals, Gram-Of-Fun are sure to bring something special to their semi-final.
2. Suured tüdrukud – “Heaven’s Not That Far Tonight”
3. Jüri Pootsmann – “Magus melanhoolia”
4. REDEL – “Tartu”
5. Uku Suviste – “The Lucky One”
Natalie
1. Heleza – “6”
This absolutely should be the song that Estonia sends to Rotterdam. This girl has a beautiful silky voice, mixed together with her playing with languages over that soft, sensual production is so compelling. With the proper staging, don’t be surprised if this will be a dark horse this year. I’ll be watching you Heleza. You have some real potential with this little song.
2. Rahel – “Sunday Night”
3. Gram-Of-Fun – “Lost in a Dance”
4. Helen – “Nii kõrgele”
5. Sissi – “Time”
What do you think? What are your favourites in the second semi? What songs will make it to the grand final? Have your say below!
Omg I’m falling for Juri song and his voice! ?
Happy to see people choosing my girl Heleza , she deserves this so much.
She´s my favourite, too
This is actually the semifinal where all my favorites are, so I wish everyone luck. May the best songs go through
Oliver is right Heleza is soo Sebi, and that’s why I love it soo much, it’s delicate and also proven to attract some people if performed correctly. Juri and Gram-of-fun should also qualify. I don’t really care about the others tho
and Uku is soo overrated. Don’t know what people think is modern about that song, it sounds as dated as What Love Is – it’s just an upbeat version of it, not to mention that Uku’s vocals sound sooo dated and soviet I just hate that song. But it will win there literally is not doubt about it.
Agree with you 🙂 Heleza should represent Estonia she is amazing.
Indeed – there are a lot better song than Uku´s.
Her previous Eesti Laul live performances have been…not great. 😉 That one in 2016 was particularly off.
You’re right though. She’s not the best vocalist but doesn’t need to be. Just needs to make sure she’s not a detriment to the song.
Nice to see that each of the jury members has Gram-of-Fun in the Top 5 🙂
Time by Sissi is my favourite
Very nice, my second tonight (after Gram-of-Fun)
I really hope Heleza and Gram of fun make it especially after none of the ladies made it through in semi 1. In semi 2 there are 7 competitors with female performers so atleast one must make it.
The very fact that most Wiwibloggers put uku in their top 5 and they’re supposed to be relatively objective , makes me wonder how the strongly biased Estonian audience will let Uku lose.
I have four favorites in this semi – Jüri, Heleza, Gram-Of-Fun and Redel. The first three are more common to have as your favorites, and I know I’m in the minority with the last one. I mean, they just had me with energetic rap about Estonian cities being small and Wooden. Jüri is my overall favorite, so it makes this semi even edging out the first one in my ranking. Uku S. will definitely be the fifth qualifier and I’m okay with that. For the last, I’d perhaps pick Uku H. or ladies from Suured tüdrukud.
I will keep my fingers crossed for them tonight:
– Uku Suviste “The Lucky One”
– Suured Tüdrukud “Heaven’s Not That Far Tonight”
– Jüri Pootsmann “Magus melanhoolia”
– Gram-Of-Fun “Lost In A Dance”
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Heleza “6” (An interesting and memorable song, but when I looked at the rehearsal photos, she is completely alone on an empty stage (and why this weird dress?!), so it can be very boring. It would also be interesting to hear her singing live, because most Estonians did not know anything about her before Eesti Laul).
Less keen on this SF. Most of my bottom-ranked songs are in this one…as well as a lot of the overrated songs amongst the fandom. I hope Uku, Juri and GoF are ok and get through though.
Just because they’re overrated doesn’t mean they’re bad and don’t deserve the final. 😉 Still don’t think they stack up against the best in SF1, even though I like them to qualify.
Well, apart from Heleza. I don’t really mind if she qualifies or not. Don’t understand fans being so into that one.
Ton of Fun (as i am now insisting on calling them) and Heleza are my favourite two here. I also have a soft spot for Uku which was surprising to me given the abject emptiness of What Love Is last year.
I am not a fan of Alabama Watchdog’s lyrics which is a shame as their modern rock song has potential – it is probably a bit too late to re-write them now I guess, they have shown their hand unfortunately.