A record breaking number of 242 entries have been submitted, and during the last two days, an expert jury of ERR chose which lucky twenty will fight for the Estonian ticket to Eurovision 2017 in Eesti Laul 2017. They were revealed earlier this evening on ETV’s program Ringvaade.

Eesti Laul 2017 is made of two semifinals that are scheduled to 11 and 18 February. In each semifinal, ten songs will compete and the Top 5 will qualify to the final. The final will be held on 4 March in Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, which previously hosted the Eurovision Song Contest of 2002.

THE PARTICIPANTS (In brackets – songwriters)

1. Almost Natural – Electric (Amiran Gorgazjan, Anis Arumets, Noah McNamara, Willie Weeks)
2. Alvistar Funk Association – Make love, not war (Inga Kaare, Margus Alviste, Jürgen Urbanik)
3. Angeelia – We ride with our flow (Angeelia Maasik, Andres Kõpper)
4. Antsud – Vihm (Aile Alveus-Krautmann)
5. Ariadne – Feel me now (Margus Piik, Tomi Rahula, Anni Rahula)
6. Carl-Philip – Everything but you (Carl-Philip Madis, Carola Madis, Arno Krabman, Jaap Reesema, Leon Paul Palmen)
7. Close To Infinity feat. Ian Karell – Sounds like home (Ian Robert Karell, Johannes Kanter, Sander Ulp, Tanel Kordemets)
8. Daniel Levi – All I need (Ago Teppand, Daniel Levi Viinalass)
9. Elina Born – In or out (Stig Rästa, Vallo Kikas, Fred Krieger)
10. Ivo Linna – Suur loterii (Rainer Michelson, Urmas Jaarman)
11. Janno Reim & Kosmos – Valan pisaraid (Janno Reim)
12. Karl-Kristjan & Whogaux feat. Maian – Have you now (Karl-Kristjan Kingi, Hugo Martin Maasikas, Maian Lomp)
13. Kerli – Spirit animal (Kerli Kõiv, Brian Ziff)
14. Koit Toome & Laura – Verona (Sven Lõhmus)
15. Laura Prits – Hey kiddo (Tara Nabi, Laura Prits, Andres Kõpper)
16. Leemet Onno – Hurricane (Leemet Onno, Ed Struijlaart)
17. Lenna Kuurmaa – Slingshot (Lenna Kuurmaa, Nicolas Rebscher, Michelle Leonard)
18. Liis Lemsalu – Keep running (Liis Lemsalu, Mihkel Mattisen, Gustaf Svenungsson, Magnus Wallin)
19. Rasmus Rändvee – This love (Bert Prinkenfeld, Stewart James Brock, Ewert Sundja, Rasmus Rändvee)
20. Uku Suviste – Supernatural (Oliver Mazurtšak, Uku Suviste)

The most familiar names on the list are Elina Born, Laura, Koit Toome and Ivo Linna who previously represented Estonia in respective 2015, 2005, 1998 and 1996. Returning Eesti Laul artists are Daniel Levi (2015), Lenna Kuurmaa (2010, 2012, 2014) and Liis Lemsalu (2013, 2015). Elina Born will sing a song written by Stig Rästa who participated in Eesti Laul as part of the band Traffic as well as represented Estonia himself with Elina in 2015 and wrote last year’s Estonian entry Play by Jüri Pootsmann.

As songs are being released independently by the respective artists and record companies, we might get to see at least a part of the entries released online, especially on YouTube and SoundCloud, as soon as they will be announced. They will be updated as well here on ESCToday.

Estonia will compete in one of the two semifinals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, on 9 or 11 May, hoping to qualify to the grand final that will be held on 13 May.

Stay tuned to ESCToday for more news regarding Eesti Laul and Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017