Earlier in the Eurovision season, changes to the Eesti Laul format in Estonia were announced. The selection will feature quarter-finals, and the first participants are now known.
A total of 10 artists will compete in the first quarter-final, with some familiar faces included. The first quarter-final will take place on the 20th of November. The participants of the following quarter-finals will be revealed on the Monday prior to the show.
Here are the competitors:
- Jaagup Tuisk – “Kui vaid” (If only)
- Boamadu – “Mitte kauaks” (Not for long)
- Evelin Samuel – “Waterfall”
- Fiona and Me – “Feel Like This”
- Kéa – “Everytime”
- Peter Põder – “Koos lõpuni” (Together until the end)
- Little Mess – “Hea päev” (Good day)
- Maian – “Meeletu” (Crazy)
- Stig – “Interstellar”
- Traffic – “Kaua veel” (For a long time)
Evelin Samuel represented Estonia at Eurovision in 1999 alongside Camille. Fans will also recall Stig Rästa, who represented Estonia in 2015 alongside Elina Born.
Changes to the Eesti laul Format
In the quarterfinals, five songs from each show will progress to the semi-finals. Three qualifying songs will be chosen by the public, and two by a jury. The semi-finals will feature two rounds. The first round will see the jury vote winners qualify to the final, while the public vote determines the winners of the second round.
The Grand Final will follow a familiar format, with the show split into two rounds. The first round will determine the acts in the Super Final, and those acts are decided equally between jury and public vote. In the Super Final, solely the public vote will determine the winner.
There are additional plans to host a show between April and May called Eesti Laulu, which will feature performances from the Super Finalists. Here is the schedule for the competition:
- Quarterfinal 1 – November 20th
- Quarterfinal 2 – November 27th
- Quarterfinal 3 – December 4th
- Quarterfinal 4 – December 11th
- Semi-Final 1 – February 3rd
- Semi-Final 2 – February 5th
- Grand Final – February 12th
Stay tuned for more news from Estonia!