We move on to the land of bogs, singing revolutions and Skype. It’s Estonia!
History
Estonia first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. This year marks their 29th participation in the contest. Their first participation was not successful, as they finished 24th out of 25 entries and were relegated from the 1995 contest. Their fortunes quickly turned around however, as they finished in the top 10 every year from 1996 to 2002, with the exception of 1998. They were the first former Eastern bloc country to win the contest, when Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL claimed victory in 2001 with “Everybody”.
At the 2023 contest, Alika finished eighth in the final with “Bridges”, giving Estonia their best result since 2018.
Selection
The Estonian broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), organised the 16th edition of Eesti Laul to choose their 2024 entrant. A total of 20 songs competed in the contest. All of the songs had to compete in the semi-final except for five automatic qualifiers. In the semi-final, a jury (50%) and public voting (50%) chose three finalists. The public then chose two more finalists from the remaining songs.
In the final, voting was conducted over two rounds. In the first round, an international jury (50%) and public voting (50%) chose three superfinalists. In the superfinal, public voting alone decided the winner. With 60% of the vote in the superfinal, 5Miinust and Puuluup were awarded the Estonian ticket to Malmö.
Artist
5Miinust (Five minuses) were formed in Võsu in northern Estonia in 2015. The line-up currently consists of Kristjan Jakobson (Estoni Kohver), Mihkel Tamm (Päevakoer), Karl Kivastik (Põhja-Korea), and Priit Tomson (Lancelot). They released their first albums “Aasta plaat” (Record of the year) in 2016 and “Rämmar” (Rumble) in 2017, which were named as two of the 18 most successful albums in Estonia a year later. Their song “(Ei ole) aluspükse” (I don’t have (underwear)) featuring Nublu became the third best-selling song in Estonia in 2019. 5Miinust have won Artist of the Year twice at the Estonian Music Awards.
Puulup was founded in 2014. The duo consists of Ramo Teder (known as Pastacas as a solo artist) and Marko Veisson. They use traditional instruments such as the talharpa in their music. They released their debut single “Martafana” in 2018. They have since released two studio albums; “Süüta mu lumi” (Light my snow) in 2018 and “Viimane suusataja” (The last skier) in 2021.
5Miinust and Puuluup will release the joint album “Kannatused ehk külakiigel pole stopperit” (Suffering, or the village swing, has no stopwatch) on April 26.
The song that 5Miinust and Puuluup will perform in Malmö is called “(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi” (We (really) don’t know anything about (those) drugs”. It was written and composed by Kim Wennerström, Kohver, Lancelot, Marko Veisson, Päevakoer, Põhja Korea and Ramo Teder. The song holds the record for the longest song title in the history of Eurovision. The song lyrics also had to be changed because of a reference to Lay’s, the brand of crisps, in the original lyrics. It is the first Estonian entry to be in Estonian since 2013.
Song Review
If this song doesn’t make you feel like you can break the land speed limit in a shopping trolley, then you aren’t listening to this properly.
I have been hooked to this song since the first listen. It is energetic, fun and just so out there. Behind its thumping beat is a jab at crime and class divide. It’s the first Estonian-language entry in over a decade. You can see why everyone who loves it really loves it.
Estonia saw how crazy and party their northern neighbours got last year and obviously saw a chance to do the same this year. I see this qualifying and, unlike Finland, I think this will be less divisive and may lead to a higher jury score. No matter what, this song is my drug and I’m addicted.
The One That Got Away
While Eurovision is a huge platform for artists, you don’t always need it to make it big.
Best known for their 2011 hit “Good Man Down”, Ewert and the Two Dragons are one of the most internationally successful bands to come out of Estonia. In 2013, they were awarded a European Border Breakers Awards.
For their first new release in several years, Ewert and the Two Dragons decided to participate in Eesti Laul 2024 with “Hold Me Now”. It ended up in seventh place and was a wonderful example of the band’s indie pop sound and the alternative sound that Eesti Laul is known for.
Õnn Eestisse!
Are 5Miinust x Puuluup your drug or are you straight edge? Leave your comments below. Stay tuned tomorrow for another Eurovision preview!
(Sources: eurovision.tv, ERR, YouTube)
Thinking About It 