Last year Estonia’s Eesti Laul involved 40 quarter-finalists in a marathon national selection. But for Eesti Laul 2023 producers have ditched all the excess, returning to a three-show contest with half as many songs.
Now, as we enter December, fans can finally listen to the 20 entries that will compete in the semi-finals on 12 and 14 January. Five songs will advance from each show to the 10-song grand final.
The semi-finals will involve two rounds. In the first, a combination of 50% jury vote and 50% public vote will determine the first qualifiers. Then, in the second round, qualifiers will be decided by only the public vote.
The qualifiers will compete in the grand final in the Tondiraba Ice Hall on February 11. The grand final will once again involve two rounds. The first — once again with a 50/50 vote — will choose the Top 3. They will advance to the so-called super-final, where the public and the public alone will decide the country’s Eurovision act.
You can listen to all 20 of the Eesti Laul 2023 songs on the ERR website, or on each artist’s YouTube channel. If you want to re-watch Eesti Laul’s official launch show, you can do so via ERR..
Estonia: All 20 Eesti Laul 2023 songs
Alika – “Bridges”
Music/lyrics by: Alika Milova, Wouter Hardy
Andreas – “Why Do You Love Me”
Music/lyrics by: Andreas Poom, Alan Roy Scott, Julia Sundberg
Anett x Fredi – “You Need To Move On”
Music/lyrics by: Frederik Küüts, Anett Kulbin, Jason Hunter
Bedwetters – “Monsters”
Music/lyrics by: Joosep Järvesaar, Mihkel Mõttus, Rauno Kutti, Kaspar Koppel, Karl-Kristjan Kingi, Claus Peneri ja Kris-Evan Säde
Carlos Ukareda – “Whiskey Won’t Forget”
Music/lyrics by: Carlos Ukareda, Gevin Niglas, Chris Roberts
Ellip – “Pretty Girl”
Music/lyrics by: Pille-Riin Karro, Meelis Meri
Elysa – “Bad Philosophy”
Music/lyrics by: Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, Elisa Kolk, Anne Gudrun Michaelsen, Alex Ghinea
Inger – “Awaiting You”
Music/lyrics by: Inger Fridolin, Oliver de la Rosa Padilla, Sofia-Liis Liiv
Janek – “House Of Glass”
Music/lyrics by: Janek Valgepea, Kjetil Mørland
Kaw – “Valik”
Music/lyrics by: Gevin Niglas, Jesse Keihäsvuori
Linalakk, Bonzo – “Aeg”
Music/lyrics by: Liina Tsimmer
M Els – “So Good At What You Do”
Music/lyrics by: Stefan Airapetjan, Andreas Poom, Hugo Martin Maasikas, Gevin Niglas
Meelik – “Tuju”
Music/lyrics by: Andres Kõpper, Meelik Samel, Rain Parve, Martin Petermann
Merlyn – “Unicorn Vibes”
Music/lyrics by: Merlyn Uusküla, Lauri Lembinen
Mia – “Üks samm korraga”
Music/lyrics by: Kersti Kukk
Neon Letters & Maiko – “Tokimeki”
Music/lyrics by: Aap-Eerik Lai, Johanna Holvandus, Maiko Tammik
Ollie – “Venom
Music/lyrics by: Oliver Mazurtšak
Robin Juhkental – “Kurbuse matused”
Muisc/lyrics by: Robin Juhkental
Sissi – “Lighthouse”
Music/lyrics by: Sissi Nylia Benita
Wiiralt & Ultima Thule – “Salalik”
Music/lyrics by: Martin Saaremägi, Vahur Krautman
I feel like people are sleeping on Valik ?
I can’t stop listening to house of glass!!! His voice is very pretty and it reminds me of River (Poland 22) 🙂 this is a lovely selection, well done Estonia 🙂
This is quite the diverse selection. I must say its pretty strong overall! There’s four songs I like the best tho:
In a very rock-dominated space I find it quite surprising that I like a ballad but here we are. And it’s even my second favorite! But Monsters is just a quality song that, however, will probably not win Eesti Laul… So judging from the comments I’m hoping for either Alika or Ollie!
I love their selection. It is so hard for me to pick one to win. My top 5 are So Good at What You Do, Valik, Salalik, Bridges and Monsters.
Venom to me has a bit of a dated 2000s vibe similar to Linkin Park or Tokio Hotel. I do enjoy it nonetheless and I think it’ll qualify for the grand final especially given that there won’t be a jury in the semi. If the jury were present, I might worry a little bit. I quite like Inger’s song, which has a quirky feel to it and it gives me Lake Malawi (Czech Republic 2019) vibes to a certain extent. However, I’m not sure whether it will stand out at Eurovision. Same could be said for M Els. I initially… Read more »
Y’all are sleeping on Ollie – Venom! I absolutely love it! The instrumental is phenomenal. Such a nostalgic vibe! My winner by miles …. ahead of Alika – Bridges … which again is miles ahead of the rest.
M Els – “So good at what you do” is the only song that I’m playing on repeat. Also liked Sissi “Lighthouse”, but that faded quite fast, it’s really missing something.
I was like… “Boring, I don’t like it… next”
And then… BAD PHILOSOPHY! This is the song Estonia!
What a BOP! Love the 80’s on it, and Stig Rasta is one of the composers, he’s incredible!
Good luck Elysa from Buenos Aires!
Janek and Andreas are great. Solid Selection overall.
Songs on Spotify so far:
Sissi – Lighthouse (9/10) – started at 4/10, but growed fast 😀
Alika – Bridges (7/10)
Inger – Awaiting you (5/10)
Andreas – Why do you love me? – Garbage sings it better (pun intended)
Meelik – Tuju (4/10)
Ellip – Pretty Girl (4/10)
Kaw – Valik (4/10)
Anett & Fredi – You need to move on (3/10)
Bedwetters – Monsters (3/10)
Janek – House of glass (2/10)
As an Estonian, I am very disappointed. Our musicians actually make very good songs, and when it’s time to write something for the Eesti Laul (Eurovision), the question arises, what happened, where did all the good songs go? I personally only remembered Bedwetters because it was the only one that excited me. I don’t want to generalize, but the others made me feel that, well, it was nice, but I wouldn’t listen more.
I have to agree, I also don’t think this is one of the stronger Eesti Laul editions, so I’m like “really?” When I read praise for the selection as one of the best or the strongest yet, when I don’t really agree with that. That said, I do Like a lot of the songs for Estonia, but at the same time I don’t hear a potential Eurovision winner among them so I don’t think Estonia Is in the running to snatch a victory in 2023, regardless of what they eventually choose. Now, this might change depending on the quality of… Read more »
There are a number of songs I like here. They don’t sound like finalists, though.
It’s Venom by Ollie for me. What a powerfull song!
Okay, I have finally had the chance to listen and rank all the songs for Eesti Laul 2023, and I have to say overall, I think it’s slightly weaker than the 2022 selection. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of songs I do like from this selection, but I don’t think it’s going to down as one of the best selections for the 2023 season in my opinion. Like I commented on Ukraine, I don’t hear anything that sounds like a potential Eurovision winner, but it is still early days so it will really depend on the quality of… Read more »
I try to be careful when listening to national selection songs because if I find something I really like and it doesn’t make it to esc it will bother me every time I hear the winning song. Well now I’ve listened to Venom on repeat and it’s on my spotify playlist. I would like to kindly ask all Estonians to vote for Ollie please.
we have terrible songs. not one that you would remember a singl word of after listening even 10 times. no song that I would actually listen 10 times. But Janek Valgepea has a great voice. except he is kinda ugly. andreas is cute but the songs is too whiny. Elisa Kolk, couldwe just… switch off the sound. the only one slightly memorable is the Manhattan Transfer copy, Ellip
Regarding Bridges, I’m really concerned that if it wins it might stay ih the semi. It takes a while to get to the peak of the song, and even then it is not so impressive.
This selection is very spotify friendly and that’s all.
To correct everyone, INGER is a woman and it’s a female name!
Lol I’ve always thought Inger is a man
pretty sure Inger is nonbinary
No. Inger uses he/him pronouns in his official bio on Spotify and across other platforms.
It seriously cool to see some different music genres in this year Eesti Laul! I have to say Ollie song does make an impact however I have a question mark on how well it would do in the Eurovision. Definitely good enough to qualify in my eyes however it possible get a AWS type of position in the final. Strong Ballads from Alika and Janek that could be elevated in Eesti Laul with their vocals. Also both seem like they have strong ideas for visuals. Finally I think the hidden gem in this selection that I haven’t heard much talk… Read more »
I’m really exited about “Pretty girl” although I know only about 5 other people seem to agree XD. Well I guess it’ll have to be a hidden gem. For the others, I really like “Bridges”, “Tuju”, “Awaiting you” and “You need to move on.”
Best of luck to the artists.
on first listen, venom by ollie definitely is the best for me, tho i think bridges by alika is also a solid choice
I don’t see the Eurovision winner in this group, but the songs are very good, many of them can get a top 10 result in the Eurovision, and this is probably the Eesti Laul’s edition with the most songs that I will have on repeat in my Spotify playlist. I will probably cheer for “Monsters” to win, because that instrumental made my jaw drop, but “House of Glass” and “Lighthouse” are also incredible! Other songs I like a lot: Bridges (by Alika), the Unicorn’s song, Venom (by Ollie), Tokimeki, Valik, Tuju, Inger’s and also Anett’s songs (Anett is amazing). Good… Read more »
Oh my god…. Alika – Bridges is so good. Goosebumps. She must win!
Interesting selection. There are some pretty good songs, there are some not that bad songs, there are some generic songs, some kind of bad songs and there you have a unicorn nightmare
I loved Venom so much! I’m biased a bit bc it reminds me of what i used to listen to when i was a teen, so it brings back all the nostalgia. Hopefully he performs well live, I love it when countries go for some solid rock (blind channel for example, they were awesome).
It’s basically 2000s American style rock song. Nothing new about it so I hope it’s not the representative.
I just listened to all 20.
I hope ALIKA wins.
That’s kind of all I have to say.
A typically classic collection from Estonia. We have the obligatory personification of cliche, the unnerving creepiness, the Baltic randomness and the understated hidden gem.
On first listen Meelik is my favourite. I very much like the aesthetic and the groove is the kind that I dig. I have no idea who will win. The live performances can often be wildly unpredictable. Estonia has form with picking the most famous person and my knowledge of Estonian celebrity is limited.
If the most famous persons go, then it’s either Alika, Elysa or Sissi.
After the first listening «Bridges» by Alika is my clear favourite!
Same here : )
Para mí las mejores son: Olli con Venom, Andreas, jenek con House of glass y Alika
I believe the amount of different songs mentioned in the comments it’s a good sign, Eesti Laul made the way back to be a national selection with a little bit of everything. Things are still more “Spotify-friendly” than immediate, but there’s a bunch of songs I really appreciate here. My personal favorites are “So Good (At What You Do)” and “Tuju”. The first one is right on my wheelhouse, because it’s the kind of music I listen to the most. I just hope M Els gets a better result than Maian, who tried a similar approach last year and didn’t… Read more »
I like the way “Bridges” builds up, but I can see why you feel it’s over the top. I don’t know Alika as a performer, so I don’t know if she’ll restrain herself before the climax (Duncan did that very well, to stay with songs written by Wouter).
About Andreas, there’s something very endearing about him. I don’t know how known he’s in Estonia, but he’s just the kind of act Eesti Laul fall in love with. I would keep an eye on him.
Well, Uku’s second victory was really giving him a second chance to represent Estonia at Eurovision since 2020 was cancelled.
First impression: seems like the Nostalgia Time Machine has been set to 2001 or so. Especially with regard to the rock songs. Some songs here I could see slipping into a personal Spotify playlist but not faring particularly well in the contest. “Tokimeki” is my fave; its groovy vaporwave vibe feels contemporary and the part where the chorus kicks in and the language switches is a really sweet moment. “Awaiting You” reminds me a bit of “Violent Thing” mixed with a goofy-happy 80s joint like “Break My Stride” or “Get Outta My Dreams” and is pretty silly but also still… Read more »
“Bridges” top-tier as well, but Alika’s gotta tamp down that oversinging in the performance
I also immediately got “Violent Thing” vibes from Inger’s entry. That’s not a bad thing by any means.
Bridges may have a fate similar to Death of Us. It does take a while to get to the good part so it may not get as much televote support I can see tuju at the beggining of some movie or show. Valik sounds like something I would listen to. Honestly wouldn’t be angry if it won. Janek has a very nice voice and an okay song. Would have preferred it in Estonian but very good overall. Awaiting You is being slept on. I love it. Pretty Girl is very nice but not for Eurovision IMO. Why Do You Love… Read more »
It also took a while to get to the good part of Tout L’Univers yet that did really well at Eurovision including with the televoters.
My trash-pop consumer taste loved – Andreas, Kaw, m els and Carlos. not a bad national final overall.
Don’t really care about the selection itself, yet I usually tend to like whatever they end up sending
tuju is the kind of deep cut into estonian indie that makes me look forward to national selections in general. they’re giving a more pop-oriented vaiko eplik kind of sound and i’m here for it. with only ukraine and estonia’s songs out so far, i feel like i’ll be replaying this one a whole lot through december. the merseybeat vibes of their music video, and the fact that they’re a reunited high school band, make them a perfect fit for liverpool imo. channel that beatles energy (that being said i am mentally prepared for meelik to get a crushing last… Read more »
It’s a very radio friendly national selection. The floor is high and the ceiling is low.
I actually think that the second part of your description fits more for the Ukraine selection than the Estonian.
the thing is with vidbir, whatever will be chosen it’ll be overrated for sure!
Man, Estonia really does know how to beat expectations! As some said below – and I second, this is the best EL lineup in years! Very diverse in all regards and very promising too, I’m impressed with Estonia’s great job!
I dont like no one especialy
Grammatically, you’re basically saying you like every song.
Thank you to everyone involved in Eesti Laul for next year. Lots of heartfelt music; I really enjoyed listening to it all. Obviously my favourites from this selection both involve the piano, but I also really like the rock songs in there, and “Lighthouse” too. It’s also nice to feel those “Unicorn vibes” again in my life – My little pony would approve.
I have heard all the songs and I like these songs most:
Alika – “Bridges”Andreas – “Why Do You Love Me”Janek – “House Of Glass”
Sissi – “Lighthouse”
‘Üks samm korraga’ has captivated me. It has a great potential. Just goes nowhere in this version. Could easily be turned from the elevator music into a club anthem.
I don’t know what y’all hear in this selection, because in my honest opinion this is a pretty weak selection.. The only song that interested me and has the potential to do well is Ollie’s “Venom”. I could see the televoters liking that song and it’s very enjoyable to me, a bit of “2000’s rock era” sound. Another song that was of high quality is Alika’s “Bridges”. Alika’s voice is interesting and the song is likeable. Honorable mention to Inger’s “Awaiting You”, although I can’t see it doing well at Eurovision. The other one’s, I gotta say.. not the best… Read more »
You are 100% right! I don’t understand these dislikes of your comment (and possible dislikes of this comment too now lol). Venom sounds very promising in this selection, but non of these 20 songs is no where near winning ESC. Sure, there are couple of the songs that might find its listeners quite easy, but we should remember that these songs are here to compete and not to serve as our coffee break, toilet break, or boredom fillers songs. None of these songs is good enough to challenge for the win at ESC, and that’s a fact.
Yes, thank you! I really appreciate Estonia for holding a national selection and giving the public a say in their entry and for such a small country with few people,they have quite a big pool of talents. But honestly most of these songs wouldn’t qualify in ESC itself, with the expecting of some gems like “Venom”. And some of these songs can absolutely find their audience but I’m not one of them apparently 😀
*exception
I have to agree, I don’t think this selection is as strong as last years, and I don’t hear anything that sounds like a potential Eurovision winner, but there is still some good stuff to enjoy.
It’s nice to see Bedwetters back after all these years!!!
Mels sounds similar to Heleza (2021)
Having listened to all the songs, I think my winner for now has to be Ollie. He has an amazing voice and a nostalgic rock songs that winks at the early 00s. It would be an amazing choice by Estonia and I am also counting on the live performance to be great. My top 3 also includes Robin and Meelik : two alternative efforts that may go unnoticed in the actual contest, but I am happy they are in. The majority of the ballads in the lineup don’t do much for me as they are a bit too predictable, with… Read more »
If you ask me, this is the best Eesti Laul line-up in years, I guess I could live with approximately half of these songs going to Liverpool. Picking favourites therefore isn’t that easy. I really like “Tokimeki” – the airy synths, the clean vocals and the Japanese tonality. I also like “Venom” with its strong chorus and its throwback sound that one could mistake for nu metal, if it wasn’t for the complete absence of anything synth-like – if I’m hearing this right, there’s nothing but a variety of guitars, some drumming and him singing. Then there is “Kurbuse matused”… Read more »
They are all recyclable garbage truck piece of sh music..
Only alika seems to be the talented one out of all these “singers” with no talent and who clearly don’t know what they’re doing or what they’re getting themselves into
Calm down!
It’s ok if you don’t really like any of the songs besides Bridges but there is no need to insult the singers….
Grow up. Please.
I’m 16.
I got plenty to grow up so stay mad, also how am I insulting them by expressing an opinion about them, its not like I’m saying it infront of their faces and it’s also not like they are gonna read my rant.
So stop being pressed mate,thx!
Imagine saying Anett and Sissi have no talent as vocalists. I’m sad to hear that your ear transplant did not go well.
At least I got one, you’re gonna stay deaf forever mate.
I can’t believe that some people can listen to the same song yet not see how terrible or flawed they are??
Eesti Laul is one of those national selections I never really care about, and their winner is usually one that ends up ‘ok’ in my book. Been that way every year since 2015, with 2018 being one entry I particularly liked. (Yes I liked 2020 and 2021’s to some extent as well) It’s just… so many songs that sound exactly like Melfest rejects as usual. The songs that do deviate and do their own thing don’t have enough appeal to them to stand a chance at qualifying. It’s a shame because if Estonia were to really take a risk with… Read more »
I disagree that this selection is made of melfest’s rejects. Eesti Laul has a lot of indie songs and a good amount of music styles since it’s beginning (back in 2009), and there aren’t many Swedish singers or composers. Malta, on the other hand…
Eesti Laul 2022 particularly had 2 songs that could easily be in Melfest, one sang by a Swedish (Sahlene’s Champion) and the other composed by Swedish (Elysa’s Fire).
Also, some songs get good results in Eesti Laul, that would not get good results in some of the other NFs due their style, even though they’re good.
Inger is my favourite – his song really put a smile on my face, and I haven’t stopped listening to it.
Alika is my no2 – sounds very much like Adele.
Janek is my no3 – just beautiful.
Listening to all the songs at 2aleft me with mixed feelings. Heard a recap this morning and things got cleared out. It’s a decent selection, loads of variety and some gems worth mentioning. For now, my favorites are Ollie, Bedwetters, Kaw, Janek and Neon Letters & Maiko. I also like Alika’s song, which as I see it, will probably end up winning this.
Looking forward to the live shows!
at 2 am*