Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Encyclopedia
Estonia first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
The Eurovision Song Contest 1994 was the 39th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 30 April 1994 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenters were Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan. The pair hosted the evening in French, English and Irish...

. Its first appearance would have taken place in 1993
Eurovision Song Contest 1993
The Eurovision Song Contest 1993 was the 38th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 15 May 1993 in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. The presenter was Fionnuala Sweeney. Niamh Kavanagh was the winner of this Eurovision for Ireland with the song, "In Your Eyes"...

 with Janika Sillamaa and "Muretut meelt ja südametuld", however a
qualification round
Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
Kvalifikacija za Millstreet was the preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Seven countries took part, none of which had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest before, although songs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia had represented Yugoslavia in past contests...

 was just installed for former Eastern bloc countries and she did not manage to qualify to the Grand Final. Its first contest participation in 1994 was not a successful one, coming second last only to Lithuania
Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Lithuania has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 11 times, debuting at the 1994 contest. After Ovidijus Vyšniauskas finished last without a single point Lithuania withdrew from the contest, not returning until the 1999 contest, where Aistė Smilgevičiūtė sang "Strazdas", a song in the...

. As such, the country was relegated from the 1995 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1995
The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 1995 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenter was Mary Kennedy. This contest broke the chain of victories that Ireland enjoyed in 1992, 1993, and 1994...

. Its second entry, Maarja-Liis Ilus
Maarja-Liis Ilus
Maarja-Liis Ilus, sometimes better known by her performing name Maarja is a pop musician. Maarja has achieved some chart success in a number of countries across Europe and Asia...

 and Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna is an Estonian singer.He represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "Kaelakee Hääl" which would go onto finish 5th at the contest, held in Oslo that year....

 with "Kaelakee hääl
Kaelakee hääl
"Kaelakee hääl" is a song performed by Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna that represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. The composer was Priit Pajusaar and the lyrics were written by Kaari Sillamaa....

", in 1996
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...

 was the complete opposite, coming 5th with 94 points. This was the first top 5 ranking for a former USSR country. However, Estonia is now the most successful Baltic country in the eurovision after the restored independence of the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...

.

History of Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest

Estonia's record at the contest was a successful one from 1996 to 2002, only failing once to make the top 10 (in 1998 when it ended up in 12th place). The country's first win came in 2001
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...

, when Tanel Padar
Tanel Padar
Tanel Padar is an Estonian singer. He is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Padar became famous by winning the Kaks takti ette, a biennial televised competition for young Estonian singers, in 1999...

 and Dave Benton
Dave Benton
Dave Benton is a pop musician and 2001 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.Benton was born on the Caribbean island of Aruba in 1951 and in his 20s moved to the United States...

, along with 2XL
Soul Militia
Soul Militia is an Estonian hip-hop act, internationally most notable for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 as backing singers for Tanel Padar and Dave Benton, with the song "Everybody". The group consists of Lauri Pihlap , Sergei Morgun and Kaido Põldma . A fourth member, Indrek Soom ,...

, sang "Everybody" and received 198 points, therefore making Estonia the first former USSR country to win the Contest. As such the 2002 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

 was held in Estonia, in the capital city Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

.

From 2004 to 2008 Estonia failed to qualify to the finals, mostly receiving poor results – during that period its best entry was 12th place in the 2004 semi-final by Neiokõsõ
Neiokõsõ
Neiokõsõ is an Estonian group who represented their country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Tii" and came 12th in the Semi-Final with 57 points. The song was sung in the Võro language, spoken in South-Eastern Estonia....

 with the "Tii
Tii
"Tii" was the entry of Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed by Neiokõsõ. It was composed by Priit Pajusaar and Glen Pilvre, and the lyrics, written in the Võro language, spoken in South-Eastern Estonia, were written by Aapo Ilves."Tii" was the first Estonian entry that was chosen...

" (The Way), sung in the Võro language
Võro language
The Võro language is a language belonging to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. Traditionally it has been considered a dialect of the South Estonian dialect group of the Estonian language, but nowadays it has its own literary language and is in search of official recognition as an...

, a southern-Estonian dialect.

Despite news that Estonia might withdraw from the 2009 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....

, set to be held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, due to the war in South Ossetia
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....

, Eesti Rahvusringhääling
Eesti Rahvusringhääling
Eesti Rahvusringhääling – Estonian Public Broadcasting – is a publicly funded radio and television organisation created in Estonia on 1 June 2007 to take over the functions of the formerly separate Eesti Raadio and Eesti Televisioon , under the terms of the Estonian National...

 (ERR) confirmed that, due to public demand, Estonia would send an entry to Moscow. After a new national final, Eesti Laul
Eesti Laul
Eesti Laul is the national selection process in Estonia for the Eurovision Song Contest. The contest was introduced in 2009, replacing the former Eurolaul festival, used since Estonia's first participation in Eurovision in 1993.The contest was introduced by ERR, the organisers of the contest, with...

, was introduced to select the Estonian entry, the winner was Urban Symphony with "Rändajad
Rändajad
"Rändajad" is a song by the Estonian band Urban Symphony, composed by Sven Lõhmus, and represented Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia....

" (Nomads or Travellers), which had beaten the televoting favourite, Laura
Laura Põldvere
Laura Põldvere also known as Laura is an Estonian singer perhaps mostly known for representing Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 as part of the girl group Suntribe.- Career :...

, by the votes of a jury.

At the second semi-final of the 2009 contest, Urban Symphony qualified Estonia to the final of the contest for the first time since 2003, receiving 115 points and placing 3rd. The group performed 15th in the final, where it received 129 points, placing 6th of 25 competing entries as well as being the highest placing non-English language song at the 2009 competition.

Contestants

Year Artist Title Final Points Semi Points
1994
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
The Eurovision Song Contest 1994 was the 39th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 30 April 1994 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenters were Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan. The pair hosted the evening in French, English and Irish...

Silvi Vrait
Silvi Vrait
-Biography:Vrait graduated from the Kehra Music School in 1968 on piano.In 1974 she was graduated from the Tartu University on English philology and from 1994, she teaches English in a secondary school in Tallinn...

"Nagu merelaine
Nagu merelaine
"Nagu merelaine" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994. It was the first time Estonia participated in the contest, after Janika Sillamaa had failed to qualify from the East European final in 1993. The lyrics were written by Leelo Tungal, a well-known Estonian poet and writer...

"
24 2
1996
Eurovision Song Contest 1996
The Eurovision Song Contest 1996 was the 41st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 18 May 1996 in Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway. The presenters were Ingvild Bryn and Morten Harket. Harket, lead singer of a-ha, opened the show with a performance of his single "Heaven's Not For Saints". Eimear...

Maarja-Liis Ilus
Maarja-Liis Ilus
Maarja-Liis Ilus, sometimes better known by her performing name Maarja is a pop musician. Maarja has achieved some chart success in a number of countries across Europe and Asia...

 & Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna
Ivo Linna is an Estonian singer.He represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 with the song "Kaelakee Hääl" which would go onto finish 5th at the contest, held in Oslo that year....

"Kaelakee hääl
Kaelakee hääl
"Kaelakee hääl" is a song performed by Maarja-Liis Ilus and Ivo Linna that represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996. The composer was Priit Pajusaar and the lyrics were written by Kaari Sillamaa....

"
5 94
1997
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....

Maarja Liis-Ilus "Keelatud maa
Keelatud maa
"Keelatud maa" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, performed in Estonian by Maarja....

"
8 82
1998
Eurovision Song Contest 1998
The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 was the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1998 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The presenters were Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson...

Koit Toome
Koit Toome
Koit Toome is an Estonian singer and musical actor.-Career:In late 1994 the highly successful pop duo Code One consisting of Koit Toome and Sirli Hiius was formed by the producer Mikk Targo...

"Mere lapsed
Mere lapsed
"Mere lapsed" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Estonian by Koit Toome.The song was performed twenty-third on the night, following Norway's Lars Fredriksen with "Alltid sommer" and preceding Turkey's Tüzmen with "Unutamazsın"...

"
12 36
1999
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel after Dana International won the contest the previous year in the United Kingdom. The venue for the contest was the International Convention Center...

Evelin Samuel
Evelin Samuel
-Career:Evelin Samuel has been singing since childhood and was even recorded by the studios of the Estonian Radio at a very early age. In late 1980s, Evelin joined the children's musical theatre Colombina whom she performed with at the 1992 Roskilde Festival in Denmark.In 1993, she finished 4th at...

 & Camille
"Diamond of Night
Diamond Of Night
"Diamond of Night" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in English by singer Evelin Samuel and violinist Imbi Rätsep as "Camille"...

"
6 90
2000
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...

Ines
Eda-Ines Etti
Eda-Ines Etti is a singer and celebrity in Estonia, also known for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. Under her abbreviated stage name Ines, she was Estonia's representative for the contest in Sweden. Her song "Once in a Lifetime" received fourth place in the contest...

"Once in a Lifetime" 4 98
2001
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...

Tanel Padar
Tanel Padar
Tanel Padar is an Estonian singer. He is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Padar became famous by winning the Kaks takti ette, a biennial televised competition for young Estonian singers, in 1999...

, Dave Benton
Dave Benton
Dave Benton is a pop musician and 2001 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.Benton was born on the Caribbean island of Aruba in 1951 and in his 20s moved to the United States...

 & 2XL
Soul Militia
Soul Militia is an Estonian hip-hop act, internationally most notable for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 as backing singers for Tanel Padar and Dave Benton, with the song "Everybody". The group consists of Lauri Pihlap , Sergei Morgun and Kaido Põldma . A fourth member, Indrek Soom ,...

"Everybody" 1 198
2002
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

Sahlene "Runaway
Runaway (Eurovision song)
"Runaway" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, which took place in Tallinn, Estonia. It was performed in English by Sahlene...

"
3 111
2003
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...

Ruffus
Ruffus
Ruffus was a britpop band from Estonia that was originally known as Claire's Birthday. They represented their country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003.-Members:...

"Eighties Coming Back
Eighties Coming Back
"Eighties Coming Back" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in English by Ruffus.The song was performed twenty-third on the night...

"
21 14
2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...

Neiokõsõ
Neiokõsõ
Neiokõsõ is an Estonian group who represented their country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Tii" and came 12th in the Semi-Final with 57 points. The song was sung in the Võro language, spoken in South-Eastern Estonia....

"Tii
Tii
"Tii" was the entry of Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed by Neiokõsõ. It was composed by Priit Pajusaar and Glen Pilvre, and the lyrics, written in the Võro language, spoken in South-Eastern Estonia, were written by Aapo Ilves."Tii" was the first Estonian entry that was chosen...

"
X X 11 57
2005
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...

Suntribe
Suntribe
Suntribe was an Estonian girl-band, composed entirely of students, which represented their country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine. The original four-strong line-up was Mari-Leen Kaselaan , Rebecca Kontus, Laura Põldvere and Jaanika Vilipo...

"Let's Get Loud" X X 20 31
2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...

Sandra Oxenryd
Sandra Oxenryd
Sandra Oxenryd is a Swedish singer who won Fame Factory in 2005.Oxenryd is a former economics student and floorball player. Aged eleven, she started her singing career by performing on national television. At 18, she placed second in a look-alike competition, where she mirrored Swedish superstar...

"Through My Window
Through My Window
"Through My Window" was the Estonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English by Sandra Oxenryd.As Estonia had not qualified for the final in their previous appearance, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed twenty-first...

"
X X 18 28
2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...

Gerli Padar
Gerli Padar
Gerli Padar is an Estonian singer who represented her country in Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Partners in Crime", it failed to make it through the semi-final stage...

"Partners in Crime" X X 22 33
2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...

Kreisiraadio
Kreisiraadio
Kreisiraadio is an established Estonian comedy act, made up of Hannes Võrno, Peeter Oja and Tarmo Leinatamm.They have been around since 1993 with radio and TV sketch shows...

"Leto svet
Leto svet
"Leto svet" was Estonia's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performed in Serbian, German and Finnish by Hannes Võrno, Peeter Oja and Tarmo Leinatamm from the Estonian comedy group Kreisiraadio...

"
X X 18 8
2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....

Urban Symphony "Rändajad
Rändajad
"Rändajad" is a song by the Estonian band Urban Symphony, composed by Sven Lõhmus, and represented Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia....

"
6 129 3 115
2010
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...

Malcolm Lincoln
Malcolm Lincoln
Malcolm Lincoln are an Estonian band that formed in October 2009. The members are Robin Juhkental, Jakob Juhkam, Siim Raidma, Ott Adamson, Johan Alexander Petti and Hans Kurvits. The original lineup consisted of Robin Juhkental and Madis Kubu . Juhkental has described their style as "electronic...

 & Manpower 4
Manpower 4
Manpower 4 was a vocal quartet from Estonia, which took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway. Manpower 4 consisted of Jaanus Saago, Andrei Ozdoba, Mick Pedaja and Kristjan Knight. They performed "...

"Siren
Siren (Malcolm Lincoln song)
"Siren" is a song written and composed by Robin Juhkental, and represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 as a result of winning the national contest Eesti Laul 2010. It was co-produced by Vaiko Eplik, who has worked with such people as ex-Eurovision contestants Jack Lucien and Ruffus...

"
X X 14 39
2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...

Getter Jaani
Getter Jaani
Getter Jaani is an Estonian pop singer. She represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with her entry "Rockefeller Street"...

"Rockefeller Street
Rockefeller Street
-Charts:-Release history :-External links:...

"
24 44 9 60
2012
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,...


Voting history (1994–2011)

Estonia has given the most points to...
Rank Country Points
1 118
2 100
3 67
4 65
5 61


Estonia has received the most points from...
Rank Country Points
1 61
2 60
3 57
4 49
5 48


NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.

Since introducing the semi-finals in 2004

Estonia has given the most points to...
Rank Country Points
1 76
2 66
3 52
4 39
39
5 37
37
6 26
26
7 24


Estonia has received the most points from...
Rank Country Points
1 75
2 67
3 38
4 22
5 21
6 19
19
7 18


NOTE: The tables with points from 2004 include points awarded in both finals and semi-finals where the highest point from the final/semi-final is picked.

Hostings

Year Location Venue Presenter
2002
Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

  Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

Saku Suurhall Annely Peebo
Annely Peebo
Annely Peebo is a mezzo-soprano from Estonia. She gained a diploma for choral conducting and completed vocal studies in song and opera. She studied at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Vienna in Vienna, Austria...

 and Marko Matvere
Marko Matvere
Marko Matvere is an Estonian actor. He was the front actor of the Tallinn City Theatre since graduating from the Higher Theatre School of the Estonian Academy of Music in 1990, but was to go freelance in 2004. Matvere is one of the most famous and expensive Estonian actor. He made his first movie...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK