Contributions by Laura Smith and Hugo Burstin
Tomorrow morning Australian time, 10 songs will compete in quarter final two of Eesti Laul. Let’s get to know the 10 acts competing for the five places in the Eesti Laul 2022 semi-finals ahead of tonight’s competition.
Andrei Zevakin & Grete Paia
Andrei Zevakin is a 25-year-old music producer, songwriter and YouTuber from Jõgeva. He has been an entrant in Eesti Laul twice before, with his first participation taking place in 2019 as part of xtra basic with the song ‘Hold Me Close’ featuring singer Emily J. Earlier this year, his song ‘Wingman’ featuring rapper Pluuto came 5th in the Eesti Laul 2021 final, although the semi-final footage of the song had to be used in the final due to the artists having to isolate after being identified as close contacts of a COVID-19 case.
Andrei Zevakin will be collaborating with Eesti Laul veteran Grete Paia for their entry in this year’s competition titled ‘Mis nüüd saab’. Hailing from Kuressaare in Saaremaa, Estonia’s largest island, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Grete Paia has previously participated in the 2013, 2016, and 2019 editions of the competition. She came close to winning Eesti Laul 2013 with ‘Päästke noored hinged’, coming 2nd in the Superfinal to Birgit Õigemeel.
Meisterjaan
To quote Meisterjaan from his own website: “Using my voice, jew’s harps, guitar, shaman’s drum and other archaic instruments in symbiosis with synths and effects I make music which is primitive and advanced at the same time.”
He is no stranger to the Eesti Laul stage, having finished 5th in the Final in 2016, and won over many fans in doing so with his experimental sound. Meisterjaan has released six studio albums, but his live performances are of note, producing music in wacky yet amazing ways.
Desiree
Singer and TikTok star Desiree is another Eesti Laul returnee, who previously participated in the Estonian national selection in 2018 with ‘On My Mind’. In an interview with Postimees, Desiree has confessed that she decided to apply for Eesti Laul 2022 because she felt that she has developed as an artist since her last participation in 2018 and that she believed that this year, she had the right song for the competition. She goes on to explain:
“Last time, or in 2018, I didn’t feel that [‘On My Mind’] would get very far in Eesti Laul because it was such simple radio pop. This time, however, we have written a really powerful ballad that fits nicely into the context of Eurovision’”.
Wiiralt
Wiiralt are a 7-piece band comprised of singers Marta and Vahur, and instrumentalists Martin, Siim, Nommar, Mikhel and Hans. Their sound is mostly country music; they describe their group as having “regular rock band stuff and we add harmonica, banjo, dobro, mandolin for taste”. They have competed at Eesti Laul once before, in the most recent 2021 edition, however failed to make it out of the semi-finals. Martin, the band’s founder, surprised the group by entering in Eesti Laul last year, with the rest of the group finding out on the TV, so hopefully it was a group decision this time.
Helen
Helen is an Estonian singer and songwriter who has been prominent in the Estonian music industry for some time. This will be Helen’s second Eesti Laul participation, after she failed to qualify from the Eesti Laul 2021 semi finals with ‘Nii kõrgele’ (So high). Helen’s Eesti Laul 2022 entry is titled ‘Vaata minu poole’, which translates to 'Look at me'.
Triin Niitoja & Frants Tikerpuu
Triin Niitoja rose to fame after appearing on the TV show “Estonia is looking for a superstar”, finishing 4th. She graduated from the Tallinn music school, studying piano. She placed 5th in the 2015 edition of Eesti Laul. Triin is teaming up with Frants Tikerpuu, a talented singer, pianist and swimmer as well! Frants was born in 1997 and started playing piano at age 4, and went on to study at the Parnu Music School, in southwestern Estonia. This will be his first time competing at Eesti Laul. Triin and Frants will appear with the song ‘Laululind’, written by Frants.
An-Marlen
An-Marlen is an up-and-coming talent from Estonia who is making her Eesti Laul debut with the song ‘Lõpuks muutub’. Her music contains influences from garage, dance, r'n'b and soul music. An-Marlen expresses herself through piano and bouncy beats. She feels the most at home with her band onstage with her and cites artists such as Jorja Smith, Erykah Badu, Kelela, Mura Masa and KAYTRANADA as musical inspirations.
Jyrise
Jyrise is a Finnish hip hop artist born in Paide, Estonia. He moved to Finland in 1993, when he was just 3 years old and made his first rap song in the fourth grade, when his elementary school teacher asked if he would like to form a band with two friends. The 32-year-old rapper has been recording his music since 2006, and raps in Finnish, English, and Estonian. In recent years the trilingual artist has been concentrating his efforts towards his birth country, releasing more music in Estonian. He has performed at many festivals throughout Finland and Estonia, including the Kalajoen Juhannus (Midsummer) Festival in Finland and the 2021 Eesti Hiphop Festival. He makes his Eesti Laul debut with the song ‘Plaksuta’.
Kaia-Liisa Kesler
Kaia is a newcomer to the music scene in Estonia, and this will be her first time competing at Eesti Laul. When delivered the news that she would be competing, Kaia was visibly shocked and excited. She released her first single ‘Carry On’ in 2019, and has a strong musical theatre background. Kaia has released several song covers on YouTube to good success. This will be her first real opportunity in the spotlight!
Silver Jusilo
Silver Jusilo is an Estonian singer who will participate at Eesti Laul for the first time in 2022. He released his first EP in 2018 and a handful of singles since then as well. Silver Jusilo is a young artist whose sound is in the indie/alternative genre; his song for this weekend’s quarter-final is self-written, so expect a similar sound with an acoustic guitar.
Eesti Laul 2022 quarter-final 2 will be hosted by Uku Suviste (Estonia 2020 & 2021) and Tanja (Estonia 2014), and the broadcast can be viewed on the ERR website.
Australian viewing times for quarter-final 2 of Eesti Laul 2022
Sunday 28 November
ACT, NSW, VIC, TAS: 6:35am
SA: 6:05am
QLD: 5:35am
NT: 5:05am
WA: 3:35am