Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2018 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal.

Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Country Estonia
National selection
Selection processEesti Laul 2018
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
10 February 2018
17 February 2018
Final:
3 March 2018
Selected entrantElina Nechayeva
Selected song"La forza"
Selected songwriter(s)Mihkel Mattisen
Timo Vendt
Ksenia Kuchukova
Elina Nechayeva
Finals performance
Semi-final resultQualified (5th, 201 points)
Final result8th, 245 points
Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2017 2018 2019►

Background

Prior to the 2018 Contest, Estonia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-three times since its first entry in 1994,[1] winning the contest on one occasion in 2001 with the song "Everybody" performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Estonia has, to this point, managed to qualify to the final on five occasions. In 2017, Estonia failed to qualify to the final, placing fourteenth in the semi-final with the song "Verona" performed by Koit Toome and Laura Põldvere.

The Estonian national broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), broadcasts the event within Estonia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. ERR confirmed Estonia's participation at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 2 May 2017.[2] Since their debut, the Estonian broadcaster has organised national finals that feature a competition among multiple artists and songs in order to select Estonia's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eesti Laul competition has been organised since 2009 in order to select Estonia's entry.

Before Eurovision

Eesti Laul 2018

Eesti Laul 2018 was the tenth edition of the Estonian national selection Eesti Laul, which selected Estonia's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The competition consisted of 20 entries competing in two semi-finals on 10 and 17 February 2018 lead to a ten-song final on 3 March 2018.[3] All three shows were broadcast on Eesti Televisioon (ETV) as well as streamed online on the broadcaster's official website err.ee.

Format

The format of the competition included two semi-finals on 10 and 17 February 2018 and a final on 3 March 2018.[4] Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final qualified to complete the ten-song lineup in the final. The results of the semi-finals were determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from a professional jury and public televoting for the first 4, then the final spot was decided in a second round of voting by televote only. The winning song in the final was selected over two rounds of voting: the first round results selected the top three songs via the 50/50 combination of jury and public voting.

Competing entries

In early September 2017, ERR opened the submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries up until 1 November 2017.[5] Eligible artists and songwriters were required to have Estonian citizenship or be permanent residents of Estonia. For the 2018 competition, foreign collaborations were allowed as long as 50% of the song authors were Estonians. Artists and songwriters were allowed to submit up to three songs each with an exception to this rule for songwriters who participated in songwriting camps organised by the Estonian Song Academy in spring and autumn 2017. A jury selected 15 songs for the competition with the remaining 5 entries being chosen by the Eesti Laul Editor. The selected entries were announced on 10 November 2017.[6]

Artist Song (English translation) Composer(s)[7]
Aden Ray "Everybody's Dressed" Nikita Bogdanov
Desiree "On My Mind" Amiran Gorgazjan
Elina Nechayeva "La forza" (Force) Mihkel Mattisen, Timo Vendt, Ksenia Kuchukova, Elina Nechayeva
Eliis Pärna & Gerli Padar "Taevas" (Sky) Imre Sooäär
Etnopatsy "Külm" (Cold) Aile Alveus-Krautmann
Evestus "Welcome to My World" Ott Evestus
Frankie Animal "(Can’t Keep Calling) Misty" Marie Vaigla, Jonas Kaarnamets, Jan-Christopher Soovik
Girls in Pearls "Spellbound" Vivi Maar, Viveli Maar, Rasmus Lill
Iiris & Agoh "Drop That Boogie" Ago Teppand, Iiris Vesik
Indrek Ventmann "Tempel" (Temple) Allan Kasuk, Siim Koppel, Indrek Ventmann
Karl Kristjan & Karl Killing feat. Wateva "Young" Karl-Kristjan Kingi, Karl Killing, Kris Evan Säde, Hugo Martin Maasikas
Marju Länik "Täna otsuseid ei tee" (Today we don’t make decisions) Liina Saar, Herman Gardarfve, Axel Ehnström, Marju Länik
Metsakutsu "Koplifornia" Meelis Meri, Rainer Olbri
Miljardid "Pseudoprobleem" (Pseudoproblem) Miljardid, Marten Kuningas
Nika "Knock Knock" Nika Prokopjeva
Rolf Roosalu "Show a Little Love" Rolf Roosalu, Priit Uustulnd, Maian Kärmas
Sibyl Vane "Thousand Words" Sibyl Vane, Helena Randlaht
Stig Rästa "Home" Stig Rästa, Fred Krieger
Tiiu x Okym x Semy "Näita oma energiat" (Show your energy) Kaido Luht, Sergei Morgun, Tiiu Kaarlõp, Meiko Umal
Vajé "Laura (Walk with Me)" Karl-Ander Reismann

Shows

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final took place on 10 February 2018. Ten songs competed for five spots in the final with the outcome decided upon by the combination of the votes from a jury panel and a public televote. The jury panel that voted in the first semi-final consists of Lenna Kuurmaa, Eeva Talsi, Hanna Parman, Mariliis Mõttus, Kristjan Hirmo, Tomi Rahula, Jaanus Nõgisto, Dave Benton, Rainer Ild, Aleksandr Žemžurov and Erik Morna.[8]

  First round (jury and televote) qualifier   Second round (televote-only) qualifier

Semi-final 1 – 10 February 2018[9]
Draw Artist Song Round One Round Two
Jury Televote Total Place Votes Place
1 Vajé "Laura (Walk with Me)" 22 3 1,620 8 11 5 3,254 1
2 Iiris & Agoh "Drop That Boogie" 97 10 872 4 14 4
3 Etnopatsy "Külm" 34 4 1,268 6 10 6 1,861 3
4 Sibyl Vane "Thousand Words" 78 7 1,449 7 14 3
5 Aden Ray "Everybody's Dressed" 59 5 978 5 10 7 2,454 2
6 Tiiu x Okym x Semy "Näita oma energiat" 10 1 556 1 2 10 432 6
7 Stig Rästa "Home" 86 8 2,999 10 18 2
8 Miljardid "Pseudoprobleem" 61 6 686 2 8 8 1,447 5
9 Desiree "On My Mind" 12 2 765 3 5 9 1,461 4
10 Elina Nechayeva "La forza" 113 12 11,792 12 24 1
Semi-final 2

The second semi-final took place on 17 February 2018. Ten songs competed for five spots in the final with the outcome decided upon by the combination of the votes from a jury panel and a public televote. The jury panel that voted in the second semi-final consists of Lenna Kuurmaa, Eeva Talsi, Hanna Parman, Mariliis Mõttus, Kristjan Hirmo, Tomi Rahula, Jaanus Nõgisto, Dave Benton, Rainer Ild, Aleksandr Žemžurov and Erik Morna.[10]

  First round (jury and televote) qualifier   Second round (televote-only) qualifier

Semi-final 2 – 17 February 2018[9]
Draw Artist Song Round One Round Two
Jury Televote Total Place Votes Place
1 Marju Länik "Täna otsuseid ei tee" 39 4 566 1 5 10 635 6
2 Rolf Roosalu "Show a Little Love" 57 6 862 4 10 7 1,500 2
3 Frankie Animal "(Can't Keep Calling) Misty" 112 12 972 7 19 1
4 Eliis Pärna & Gerli Padar "Sky" 22 1 1,303 10 11 6 1,764 1
5 Indrek Ventmann "Tempel" 38 3 957 6 9 8 1,333 4
6 Evestus "Welcome to My World" 75 8 873 5 13 4
7 Karl Kristjan & Karl Killing feat. Wateva "Young" 50 5 1,791 12 17 2
8 Metsakutsu "Koplifornia" 30 2 734 3 5 9 1,454 3
9 Girls in Pearls "Spellbound" 91 10 705 2 12 5 1,234 5
10 Nika "Knock Knock" 58 7 1,019 8 15 3

Final

The final took place on 3 March 2018 at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn. The five entries that qualified from each of the two preceding semi-finals, all together ten songs, competed during the show. The winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury (50%) and public televote (50%) determined the top three entries to proceed to the super final. In the super final, the winner was selected entirely by a public televote. The running order was revealed on 20 February 2017.[11] In the first round, a jury (50%) and public televote (50%) determined the top three entries to proceed to the super final: "La forza" performed by Elina Nechayeva, "Home" performed by Stig Rästa and "Laura (Walk With Me)" performed by Vajé. In the super final, "La forza" performed by Elina Nechayeva was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote.[12][13] The jury panel that voted in the final consisted of Valter Soosalu, Maiken, Grits Majors, Nicola Caligiore, Laura Prits, Sten Teppan, Joana Levieva-Sawyer, Helena Sildna, Ole Tøpholm, Marina Kesler and Ivar Must.[14]

Final – 3 March 2018[9]
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
1 Karl Kristjan & Karl Killing feat. Wateva "Young" 47 3 5,786 8 11 6
2 Eliis Pärna & Gerli Padar "Taevas" 34 1 2,308 3 4 10
3 Nika "Knock Knock" 50 4 1,991 1 5 9
4 Sibyl Vane "Thousand Words" 86 10 2,898 4 14 4
5 Stig Rästa "Home" 79 7 5,714 7 14 3
6 Vajé "Laura (Walk with Me)" 51 5 5,995 10 15 2
7 Elina Nechayeva "La forza" 113 12 37,628 12 24 1
8 Frankie Animal "(Can’t Keep Calling) Misty" 85 8 2,031 2 10 7
9 Iiris & Agoh "Drop That Boogie" 52 6 3,427 6 12 5
10 Evestus "Welcome to My World" 41 2 2,977 5 7 8
Super Final – 3 March 2018[9]
Draw Artist Song Televote Place
1 Stig Rästa "Home" 9,686 (16%) 2
2 Vajé "Laura (Walk with Me)" 8,506 (14%) 3
3 Elina Nechayeva "La forza" 43,445 (70%) 1

At Eurovision

Nechayeva performing at the Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 29 January 2018, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Estonia was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 8 May 2018, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[15]

Once all the competing songs for the 2018 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Estonia was set to perform in position 9, following the entry from Belarus and preceding the entry from Bulgaria.[16]

Although there were initially some logistical troubles in replicating the projection dress effect from Eesti Laul, they were ultimately resolved by the time the Estonian delegation arrived in Lisbon. Estonia performed ninth in the first semi-final. At the end of the night, Estonia was one of the ten countries announced as having qualified for the final, the first time they had made the final since 2015. Following the semi-final, Elina Nechayeva joined the other qualifying nations for a press conference in which they drew which half of the grand final they would participate in. Estonia was drawn to perform in the first half of the final.It was later revealed that Estonia placed fifth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 201 points: 120 points from the televoting and 81 points from the juries.

Dress

Nechayeva's dress at the contest measured 52 m2 and weighted around 8 kg.[17] Light projections of the song's theme were beamed continuously on the dress. According to Estonia's video artist Alyona Movko, the projections began with an ice queen imagery whose heart is melted by love, as the snow turned into water.[17] Afterwards a fairytale-like glow followed and then the growing of flowers which were sent out by Nechayeva as a symbol of love.[17] A team of at least eight people moved Nechayeva's dress onto the stage, in the exact position required by the projectors.[17] The entire preparation for the performance (finding a dress, creation and generation of the animations, mapping the projections onto the dress, synching with television when captured by a camera and finalising the choreography) took two weeks.[17]

Final

Estonia performed sixth in the grand final, following Austria and preceding Norway. They received sixth place from the jury vote and ninth from the televote, allowing them to finish eighth.

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.[18] In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.[19]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Estonia and awarded by Estonia in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Estonia

Points awarded to Estonia (Semi-final 1)
Televote
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Jury
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Points awarded to Estonia (final)
Televote
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
Jury
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point

Points awarded by Estonia

Split voting results

The following five members comprised the Estonian jury: [20]

  • Eva Palm – Chairperson – head promoter of Live Nation Baltics
  • Alan Roosileht – radio host and DJ
  • Anett Kulbin – artist
  • Karl Killing – artist
  • Rainer Ild – artist
Split voting results from Estonia (Semi-final 1)
Draw Country Jury Televote
E. Palm A. Roosileht A. Kulbin K. Killing R. Ild Average Rank Points Rank Points
01 Azerbaijan38148148311
02 Iceland12599171116
03 Albania1010135810113
04 Belgium711315107483
05 Czech Republic186618161447
06 Lithuania133122210210
07 Israel17142171812101
08 Belarus8121816151756
09 Estonia
10 Bulgaria41512634717
11 Macedonia16161514131818
12 Croatia91371059215
13 Austria2181111238
14 Greece671612121314
15 Finland5210131165112
16 Armenia141817771512
17  Switzerland1517111161692
18 Ireland1195395665
19 Cyprus144443874
Split voting results from Estonia (final)
Draw Country Jury Televote
E. Palm A. Roosileht A. Kulbin K. Killing R. Ild Average Rank Points Rank Points
01 Ukraine19171114181919
02 Spain20206991318
03 Slovenia22251713192324
04 Lithuania114121210112
05 Austria3131211256
06 Estonia
07 Norway66148127492
08 Portugal519121078322
09 United Kingdom129519171221
10 Serbia25242320212525
11 Germany1772435615
12 Albania18181918102020
13 France8101517161412
14 Czech Republic2311825241565
15 Denmark14121621141738
16 Australia13132412201814
17 Finland7518111592210
18 Bulgaria2154544723
19 Moldova101625232322101
20 Sweden43207116517
21 Hungary21232222132483
22 Israel2422724251616
23 Netherlands982115510111
24 Ireland152110681113
25 Cyprus129363874
26 Italy16141316222147

References

  1. "Estonia Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  2. Granger, Anthony (2 May 2017). "Estonia confirms participation in Eurovision 2018". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  3. Weaver, Jessica (10 November 2017). "Estonia: Here are the Eesti Laul 2018 semi-finalists". esctoday.com. Esctoday.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  4. Weaver, Jessica (10 November 2017). "Estonia: Here are the Eesti Laul 2018 semi-finalists". esctoday.com. Esctoday.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  5. Agadellis, Stratos (19 September 2017). "Estonia: Eesti Laul calls for songs celebrating its 10 years". esctoday.com. Esctoday.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  6. Ko, Anthony (10 November 2017). "ESTONIA: STIG RÄSTA AMONG THE EESTI LAUL 2018 SEMI-FINALISTS". wiwibloggs.com. wiwibloggs. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  7. "Räppi, poppi ja klassikat: Eesti Laul 2018 poolfinalistid on selgunud!". menu.err.ee. Eesti Laul. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  8. "Eesti Laulu esimesed finalistid selged: Finaali pääsesid Iiris & Agoh, Stig Rästa, Elina Nechayeva, Sibyl Vane ja Vajé". publik.delfi.ee (in Estonian). Delfi (web portal). 10 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  9. https://menu.err.ee/687477/elina-voitis-maekorguselt-vaata-kuidas-jagunesid-zurii-ja-publiku-haaled-eesti-laulu-poolfinaalides-ja-finaalis
  10. "Palju õnne! Eesti Laulu finaali pääsesid Nika, Frankie Animal, Karl-Kristjan & Karl Killing, Evestus ja Eliis Pärna & Gerli Padar". publik.delfi.ee (in Estonian). Delfi (web portal). 17 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  11. Quinn, Angus (20 February 2017). "EESTI LAUL 2018 FINAL RUNNING ORDER: ELINA NECHAYEVA PERFORMS SEVENTH, STIG RÄSTA FIFTH". wiwibloggs.com. Wiwibloggs.
  12. Jordan, Paul. "Elina Nechayeva wins 'Eesti Laul' in Estonia". Eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  13. Mercereau, Damien (7 March 2018). "Eurovision 2018 : Elina Nechayeva, une chanteuse d'opéra pour l'Estonie" (in French). Le Figaro. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  14. "Pildid ja täispikk saade: Eesti Laul 2018 võitis Elina Nechayeva". menu.err.ee. ERR. 4 March 2017.
  15. Jordan, Paul (29 January 2018). "Which countries will perform in which Semi-Final at Eurovision 2018?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  16. "Running order for Eurovision 2018 Semi-Finals revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  17. "Eurovision 2018: the story behind THAT mesmerising Estonian dress". RadioTimes. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  18. "Here are the judges for Eurovision 2016!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  19. Jordan, Paul (18 February 2016). "Biggest change to Eurovision Song Contest voting since 1975". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  20. Groot, Evert (30 April 2018). "Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.