Editorial: My night at Eesti Laul 2015

The Nordea Concert Hall, Tallinn, Saturday 21 February, 2015…

Estonia has been a big part of my life for a few years, and I have Eesti Laul to thank for my deep interest in the country and in Estonian music, having been a fan of the contest since 2009. I have made some very dear Estonian friends, tried to learn the language (I am afraid I have a long way to go here!), spent hours walking around the city of Tallinn, gained weight eating the chocolate of Kalev…

So, when given the golden opportunity to cover the final of the Estonian national selection by ESC Today, what is a woman to do? Faint? Is this REALLY happening? REALLY?!!

Luisa Värk, Maia Vahtramäe, Elina Born and Stig Rästa, Kali Briis Band, Robin Juhkental and The Big Bangers, Daniel Levi, Elisa Kolk, The Blurry Lane, Elephants from Neptune and Triin Niitoja and John4 were the ten acts who made it through their semi-finals to contest the Grand Final.

From rock (Elephants from Neptune, Daniel Levi), strong young female vocalists (Luisa Värk, Maia Vahtramäe, Elisa Kolk), quirky alternative pop (Kali Briis Band), the return of a previous Eurovision entrant with a jazzy new sound (Robin Juhkental, with The Big Bangers), songs so catchy as to stay in the head for an eternity (The Blurry Lane, Triin Niitoja and John4) and the gentle yet moving duet from Elina Born and Stig Rästa, different genres and styles were covered and there was sure to be something for each voter.

Smoothly presented by Marko Reikop and Henrik Kalmet, the Nordea Concert Hall was full of anticipation.

Ten acts were reduced to three, as the enthusiastic crowd-surfing performance of Daniel Levi’s Burning lights, Elisa Kolk’s classy ballad Superlove and Elina Born and Stig Rästa’s Goodbye to yesterday (a song which had accumulated huge fan support, and already stands at over 1,000,000 YouTube views) proceeded to the Superfinal, which was determined by a combination of Jury and televotes.

In the end it was to be victory for Elina and Stig, who scooped the win with 79% of the Superfinal vote.

Goodbye to yesterday is hotly tipped for the Vienna-hosted Eurovision Song Contest of 2015, too, with bookmakers across Europe predicting success.

I would like to thank all those at ERR who made my day possible, all the amazing people I met, and everyone who was so pleasant and hospitable! Many thanks also to Liisa Põder for the many fantastic photos, which feature below, and check out our ESC Today Facebook and Instagram feeds for pictures and information.