The final of Estonia's national selection show 'Eesti Laul' is just around the corner!
Ten acts will be vying for victory, including five acts that have qualified from the semi-final in January, and five acts that were chosen by a jury of music professionals to automatically qualify for the final. This Saturday night, we will find out who will be flying the Estonian flag at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö!
Eleven Aussievision contributors have ranked the Estonian Eurovision hopefuls using the Eurovision points system, so read on to find out which 'Eesti Laul 2024' entry was the team's pick!
10. Carlos Ukareda - 'Never Growing Up' (36 points)
Highs: 10 points from Hugo, 8 points from Sam
Lows: 1 point from Craig, Emma, Fleur, Hayley and Laura, 2 points from Kiel
"Not the most appropriate choice for Eurovision but I love this sort of music and this is a lovely song. I love the guitar, the melody, and Carlos’ voice is smooth! One for the Spotify playlist." ~Hugo
9. Peter Põder - 'Korra veel' (50 points)
Highs: 8 points from Emma, 6 points from Fleur and Mark
Lows: 1 point from Dale, 3 points from John Christian
8. Brother Apollo - 'Bad Boy' (57 points)
Highs: 10 points from Sam, 8 points from Kiel
Lows: 1 point from Mark, 2 points from Hugo
"Like any bad boy in general, this song grabs and hits you in the first instance. I would love to see Estonia send a rock entry to Eurovision. While I think OLLIE has the edge in this genre, if this band gets to the Eurovision stage I can see them possibly replicating the success of Finland’s Blind Channel in 2021. The bombastic nature of the song means I think going first actually aids this song’s chances – what a way to start the Eesti Laul 2024 final!" ~Sam
7. Daniel Levi - 'Over The Moon' (57 points)
Highs: 12 points from Dale, 8 points from Hayley
Lows: 2 points from John Christian, 3 points from Kiel, Laura, Mark and Sam
"This is such a beautiful entry. It's not doing anything new but what it does, it does well. The arrangement is lovely (give me some strings and I'm there) and he performs it so well. With the lyrics, it could easily go into cheesy but Daniel keeps the sentiment just right. At times he even gives me some old-school Sufjan Stevens vibes. Easily my favourite." ~Dale
As the points were equal between eighth and seventh place, a tie-break using the next highest score was used. Daniel Levi had more 12-point scores. Therefore 'Over The Moon' won the tie-break.
6. Nele-Liis Vaiksoo - 'Käte ümber jää' (59 points)
Highs: 10 points from Craig and Laura, 7 points from Kiel and Mark
Lows: 2 points from Dale and Hayley, 3 points from Emma and Hugo
"I know what you're thinking - this is a bit dated and probably isn't going to win. Nonetheless, there's something wintery and magical about this number, and with some tight camerawork and a decent performance from Nele-Liis, I think it can be a moment on-stage. Great to hear a number that revels as much in the Estonian language as this one does too. A quiet favourite for me." ~Craig
"This beautiful ballad caught my attention from the very first listen. It has the potential for stunning staging and I am confident that Nele-Liis Vaiksoo will deliver an excellent live performance which will create a truly special moment in the 'Eesti Laul' final! We haven’t heard the Estonian language at Eurovision for over a decade, now is the time to bring it back in style!" ~Laura
5. Anet Vaikmaa - 'Seretoniin' (63 points)
Highs: 8 points from John Christian and Laura, 7 points from Craig and Fleur
Lows: 2 points from Emma, 4 points from Hugo
"Sven Lõhmus knows how to write an earworm and he has done it again with 'Seretoniin'! True to its name, this song is a pure injection of seretonin; I find myself playing it a lot in the morning to help me start my day. If Eurovision doesn't work out for Anet Vaikmaa, 'Seretoniin' would be the perfect theme song for her own show on the Disney Channel (or its Estonian equivalent)!" ~Laura
4. Uudo Sepp & Sarah Murray - 'Still Love' (66 points)
Highs: 12 points from Emma, 10 points from Hayley and John Christian
Lows: 2 points from Craig, Fleur, and Laura, 3 points from Dale
"This song gives me the feels. Sure it sounds like Ed Sheeran's latest collab but that's worked out ok for him. Uudo & Sarah's vocals work really well together and should score well with juries. The subject matter will resonate with a lot of people and this is my sentimental favourite to win 'Eesti Laul' this year." ~Emma
"Oh these harmonies together - what a joy! It is lovely and delicate and the lyrics could pull on the heartstrings. This is really good songwriting and there is something really lovely here. I can see this on the stage being so romantic (I actually have not seen the staging so this could well be what they have decided to go with). It's all very aaaaw and we all need a bit of that now and again don't we?" ~Hayley
"It is more of a Valentine's love song and has a vibe similar to 'Verona', but I think it needs a decent staging in order for it to qualify." ~John Christian
3. Ewert and the Two Dragons - 'Hold Me Now' (71 points)
Highs: 12 points from Fleur, Hayley and Mark, 10 points from Dale
Lows: 1 point from Hugo, John Christian and Kiel, 2 points from Sam
"I love a good band and this is something that I would seek out on the radio. Estonia always blesses me with that one song that I will play on repeat well past the national final season, and this it for 2024. Their semi-final performance shows that they are ready for Eurovision. Let's do it." ~Fleur
"This kind of shouldn't work as a live competitive entry but it just does. His vocal gives me 80s brit band and the arrangement is like a 90s indie band epic. It blends to make a hypnotic three minutes and Ewert's performance is spot on." ~Dale
"This transported me to a folk tavern somewhere in Tallinn where every week the same group of musicians gather with their instruments and play into the night. Think the musical 'Once'. 'Hold Me Now' radiates warmth, friendship and musicality. Amid all the bluster of Eurovision, there would be something very magnetic about a back-to-basics, introverted display of musicianship and music-making. Now, if they could just change the awful band name…" ~Mark
"First listen - oh no. Second listen - actually no this is nice. Third listen - this is lovely. Fourth listen - oh this is so dreamy. Ok - it may not be a suitable song for Eurovision - I find this just so relaxing and something I would enjoy listening to at Falls Festival! Love it!" ~Hayley
2. OLLIE - 'My Friend' (88 points)
Highs: 12 points from John Christian and Sam, 10 points from Emma and Kiel
Lows: 2 points from Mark, 6 points from Craig and Laura
"OLLIE returns with an even better entry than last time. Last year I have to admit I was team Alika. But now it is OLLIE’s time to shine! This is a genre of rock I grew up loving in the early 2010s and frankly, I think we need more of it at Eurovision. If the odds are to be believed (though they have been quite off this national final season) Ollie sadly looks set to grab the runner-up title again. Let’s hope the Estonians see sense and choose him this time." ~Sam
"OLLIE should win this year. It would be the last chance to channel my inner childhood in Eurovision, and OLLIE deserves to be in Malmö." ~John Christian
"I really like the contrast here between the piano ballad first verse and heavy rock chorus. It almost feels like a cross between Metallica's vocals and the structure of a Linkin Park song. There's a great hook that you can really get into and the band has a real stage presence that comes across well down the camera. A solid entry should Estonia choose to send this to Eurovision." ~Emma
"While 'Venom' was better last year, this is a quality hard rock track from OLLIE and has definitely got an added punch live. Whether he'll stand up against the likes of Gåte from Norway is another question, but if he's popular enough and can outshine the 5MIINUST and Puuluup boys, it could be second time lucky for him this year." ~Kiel
"I much preferred 'Venom' from last year but this would be a welcome change as we're a bit short on heavy sounds at Malmö this year. This is a solid song and OLLIE will get his day on the Eurovision stage. But for me, it's more the staging and his performance that does it for me on this occasion." ~Fleur
1. 5MIINUST x Puuluup - '(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi' (90 points)
Highs: 12 points from Craig, Hugo, Kiel, and Laura, 10 points from Fleur and Mark
Lows: 1 point from Sam, 4 points from Emma and Hayley
"These guys are just pure fun. Showing off a traditional instrument, a funny and amusing dance, and plenty of blokes doing blokey chants, what is not to love? It's not going to win jury points, but you can't see Estonia not at least making a grand final appearance with this and winning plenty of hearts along the way. Novelty could just be the way to go for Estonia in 2024." ~Kiel
"I have been a fan of 5MIINUST for several years now, so when I heard that they were finally going to 'Eesti Laul', I was so excited! While I didn’t know about Puuluup before they were announced for 'Eesti Laul' this year, they make a fabulous addition to this song. I love the combination of rap and talharpa, as well as the visuals and choreography. You don’t have to understand Estonian to get caught up in the fun atmosphere, I love it!" ~Laura
"Certainly not my favourite musical piece (if this can even be called that!), but this is fun, catchy and it will bring some novelty and attention to Estonia which could either flop really badly or gain a cult following. Probably the former, but this selection is quite beige so risk it for the biscuit!" ~Hugo
"I mean, this is the song, isn't it? It's funny, it's got the right mix of elements for the zeitgeist of the contest right now, and it holds together live (although I think the staging from the semi-final probably still needs a bit of workshopping if and when the guys make it to Eurovision). If Estonia sends this song, I fully expect them to achieve their second top 10 in two years, and it will be thoroughly deserved. Great fun." ~Craig
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You can watch Eesti Laul by streaming on the Eesti Laul website or the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
Central European Time: Saturday 17 February - 6:30pm
Melbourne, Sydney, ACT and Tasmania: Sunday 18 February - 4:30am
Brisbane: Sunday 18 February - 3:30am
Adelaide: Sunday 18 February - 4:00am
Darwin: Sunday 18 February - 3:00am
Perth: Sunday 18 February - 1:30am
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