[LMBTO] Eesti Laul 2019 - Who'll Follow Eurovision Opera 2018?

It is that time again when, what could be considered to be my favourite NF of the whole season, possibly even more so than the UK one, clicks into gear:

Estonia could be described as 'erratic' at Eurovision - 25 attempts, one win, one third, eight other top tens, plus fourteen bottom five in the Final or DNQs.  It really is 'all or nothing' for the Baltic state that I visited on my 50th birthday to attend my only foreign NF to date - Lisbon eventually saw one of the 'all' performances :

Even from the SF footage of Eesti Laul, it was obvious that Elina Nechayeva was always going to be vocally perfect and that having the 'gimmick' of the projector dress would help push "La Forza" into the consciousness of jurors and voters alike and up the leaderboard.  8th was a deserved finish and having experienced the power and emotion of this being sung live in the Altice Arena, I can say that it is an entry that will stay in my memories forever.

So onto 2019 - 24 acts are participating, split into two lots of twelve for the SFs held at the Tartu University Sports Hall - there are no opera follow ups this year but there are some 'out there' moments, as shown in this summary video by ERR:

Three former Eurovision participants, several Eesti Laul returnees and even Stig has got another song in there!  If you want to watch each of the videos and see what you think of them all, ERR have them all for your viewing pleasure - I've done so and have picked my six from each SF who I think will make the cut for the Final.  The more unusual entries aren't there in my list - ÖED singing "Öhuloss", Cätlin Mägi & Jaan Pehk with "Parmumäng" and Kaia Tamm with "Wo Sind Die Katzen?" could be considered the rank outsiders here but having experienced what Estonians favour musically, they might actually make the cut!  Anyway, onto my selections, starting with SF1...


The Swingers, Tanja & Birgit - "High Heels In The Neighbourhood"


If Eesti Laul was won on artist experience, The Swingers would already be in Tel Aviv!  Birgit from 2013 and Tanja from 2014 front the sing/jazz group and their entry, "High Heels In The Neighbourhood", does what it 'says on the tin' - it has swing and is catchingly upbeat, bringing great interactivity between both singers to provide quite the earworm in SF1.  Having become more in tune with Estonian tastes now, having recognisable artists means a great deal when it gets down to the vote and I would be very surprised if this wasn't in the shake-up for who gets to Tel Aviv, let alone getting through to the Tallinn Final.  I like it (but I love Ms Sarrap and Mihhailova-Saar's voices and personality anyway) so this was always going to get a place in my six from SF1...


Johanna Eendra "Miks sa teed nii?"


One lady's name tends to crop up a lot when it comes to Eesti Laul - the last time Estonian was heard at Eurovision was in Stockholm in 2013, "Es uus saaks alguse" making it to the Final courtesy of the wonderful tones of a certain Miss Õigemeel.  Given there is a gap of five Contests since that happened, is Estonia ready to go with its native tongue again?  If it is, they could go with this heartfelt and soothing ballad sung by Johanna Eendra, a song that is exactly the right pace for the material, a melody to sit back and allow to wash over you.  She has a beautiful voice and provides a superb emotional delivery of lyrics where the target is being asked why they are not putting in as much as she is in their relationship.  Probably not enough of an impact or memorability to be the winner of Eesti Laul but "Miks sa teed nii?" is a classy entry that deserves more than one listen...


Victor Crone - "Storm" 


Now it wouldn't be Eesti Laul at the moment without Stig Rästa being involved somehow, would it?  Co-writer or music and lyrics, Stig has passed on vocal duties to Victor Crone here, "Storm" reminding me of Firelight's Copenhagen effort "Coming Home".  Country pop does resonate with lots of fans with its 'easy listening' and radio friendly quality and this track is no different, Victor singing this brilliantly, providing lots of texture in his delivery.  You can almost smell the Rästa influence here, the lyrics and construction of this song bringing such a listenable quality that builds up within each verse to the chorus, together with the change of tone towards the end - this song will get to the Final and will be a contender for Eesti Laul 2019, assuming that live performance matches studio quality here...


Stefan - "Without You"


If Eesti Laul was a competition solely for the most complex and thoughtful lyrics then this entry would be in the SuperFinal already.  A really well sung and interestingly intonated song, Stefan (half of last year's Vaje) provides this piece of ballad-pop with so much life and loads of emotion - the presence of a really memorable chorus and that clap section towards the end of "Without You" made this stick in my head at least.  It doesn't hurt that he looks good and I think that this is one that could catch the public's imagination in the Final - beautifully shot video too...


Jennifer Cohen - Little Baby El"


Remember Lily Allen when her singing career took off?  Her smash debut album "Alright, Still?"  That use of reggae and ska in her songs about real life experiences?  Jennifer Cohen so has that vibe, that sound, that attitude and yet puts it all with a song about how her being an auntie means that she'll look out for her niece, putting down in song what she'll help her with in later life!  I loved this from the moment I heard it - the music just gives that bounce and catchiness that makes this stick in your head and Jennifer's delivery is superb, her voice blending perfectly with the tune.  Because the lyrics of "Little Baby El" are so personal to her, the emotions are totally believable and as an overall package, this is actually my favourite track not only of SF1 but of all the Eesti Laul entries this year.  Fingers crossed that Jennifer can sing and perform as she does in the studio and in the video (she was on Estonian Idol, so I'm hopeful) - maybe I've found my 'instant appeal' entry of 2019 to follow to Tel Aviv...


Sandra Nurmsalu - "Soovide puu"


The 'voice' of Urban Symphony in 2009, Sandra Nurmsalu is back again with her seemingly 'five year cycle' of being at Eesti Laul, this time with yet another Estonian language ballad, "Soovide puu", bringing us that ethereal voice that could grace any folk album on Earth.  The track is so soothing, so lullaby in nature and yet the imagery it instills is so passionate and classy.  It isn't a surprise that she is linked with something so classical in production and it does have a nice change of sound in the second half of the song.  This entry might perhaps be too chill to be the winner of Eesti Laul this year but I suspect that Sandra is incredibly popular and that could be enough to keep her with an interest in the Final voting on February 16th...

So my SF1 picks are:

Now for SF2:

Lumevärv ft INGA "Milline päev"


The way the acts are listed for the second SF, it took until this track as number six to find my first tip for the Final!  "Milline päev" is a nice and chilled EDM track that has a great synth beat, a mid tempo flow that keeps you listening and that frames INGA perfectly as the perfect vocal for it.  She has a lovely tone and delivery and that makes this song all the better to listen to - it is a good solid track with Lumevärv, probably not one to win this contest but definitely one that an ERR producer would like to see there as variety of genre and style.  I liked it a lot, along with the video that overlooks the rooftops and high rises of Tallinn - happy days...


Uku Suviste "Pretty Little Liar"


Another former contestant, Uku Suviste has struck gold here with a song that is intense, powerful and immensibly listenable.  The verses of this track are where the real interest comes, the lyrics of "Pretty Little Liar" really building the story and the chorus offering the lightness here, a different change of pace to most songs here this year.  He has a great voice and his delivery gives all the emotion Utu wants to relate to the listener - it is an interesting listen and even watch, the video to go with this is really well shot and edited.  If there was a way of utilising those visuals then this would probably be the best produced track of Eesti Laul - an easy qualifier for me, perhaps too 'intelligent' for a Eurovision place though...


Kerli Kivilaan "Cold Love"


Not the Kerli I'm used to but Miss Kivilaan is just as watchable, just as bewitching when she sings as the artist who calls her fans her "Moon babies".  My eyes couldn't stray from her face as she delivered this painful love song, one that allows Kerli to show off her superb vocal control that is also pitched right emotionally too.  The music is paced perfectly and if that is all coming from the single guitar and drummer shown in the video, this is musical basicity at its best.  "Cold Love" is a really modern, melodic and overall listenable song, with lyrics that make you wonder what has happened with her and whoever she is singing to - I think that this could be a real surprise package during the SFs and Final, with such a laid back performance making this stand out from the crowd...


Around The Sun - "Follow Me Back"


Now we have found my favourite track of SF2 - an infectious mix of house and pop, some hints of The xx in there too as very favourable comparison for Around The Sun.  "Follow Me Back" is so uplifting with a nice guitar solo, solid synth background and Alina Juldashkina on vocals providing that 'summer hit' feel that makes you sing along with that catchy chorus.  This is such a well constructed song and if the simplicity of the delivery, the likeability of the singing, the memorability of the lyrics about following somebody on Instagram, together with that band performance of the video, can all be captured at Eesti Laul itself, this could be a well deserved sleeper hit and would bring a totally different and yet fun feel to Estonia's entry at Tel Aviv...


Grete Paia "Kui isegi kaotan"


First off, I have to say well done to Grete Paia for having the most imaginative promo video of Eesti Laul 2019 - I am 99% sure that 3D technology has been used here but I only had a pair of poor quality glasses linked to an old tv of mine to look through, so if anyone else could confirm?  Enough of the video, Grete will start off as one of the favourites this year, given that she just missed out going to Eurovision in 2013, losing out at the SuperFinal stage to our friend Birgit!  A stickler for singing in Estonian, this lady has yet another contender with this powerful ballad that shows off her incredible voice so well, her control and passion with every word sung coming to the fore.  The chorus of "Kui isegi kaotan" isn't that distinctive but the story of the tale being told kept me listening all the way to the end - another track that could well be a winner if Estonia want to send their native tongue to Tel Aviv...


Kadiah "Believe"


Now this is a very interesting listen - Kadiah has a very cute, almost childlike quality to her voice and that enhances "Believe", a really interesting ballad that has a story that keeps you listening all the way through.  The pace of this might be slow but the strings and synth arrangement make this one of my six to go through - it will be one where the crowd watching will be totally silent, maybe even holding their mobiles with lights on, and then erupt into applause at the end of the song.  The video has a poignant quality about it too - perhaps that could be utilised somehow in the performance in Tartu...

My SF2 picks?

It was an interesting listen, playing all 24 entries, as there was, for me at least, six definites from each SF, no real maybes.  If I had to pick a top three, based solely on these videos, it would be this:


We almost had another former Eurovision star singing at Eesti Laul - this lady submitted an entry but missed the cut:



The last artist to give Estonia a top three, albeit in 2002 - I wonder if we will ever get to hear what she was going to sing?  She still had that star quality two years ago...

We've got a bit of time before that first SF takes place in Tartu on Thursday 31st January - ERR are always bold enough to put their Eesti Laul entries out there to be listened to, watched and analysed by the Eurovision fandom long before the songs are ever heard live.  Hopefully some of these tracks will make it onto social media somewhere, just so we can check if live sounds like studio - otherwise the Estonian public and jurors will sort it out for us.  So who will end up here in February?
It won't quite be my birthday then but hopefully the twelve singers there will bear a resemblance to those I've picked out here - the two I really want at the Saku Suurhall will be...