| Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) | |||
| Country |  Estonia | |||
| Selection process | Eesti Laul2024 | |||
| Selection date | 17 February 2024 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" | |||
| Artist | 5miinust andPuuluup | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Placement | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (6th, 79 points) | |||
| Final result | 20th, 37 points | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
| ||||
Estonia was represented at theEurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" performed by5miinust andPuuluup. The Estonian participating broadcaster,Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), organised the national finalEesti Laul2024 in order to select its entry for the contest. The national final consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final. Fifteen songs competed in the semi-final and five were automatically qualified for the final. A total of five songs qualified from the semi-final: three were determined by a jury panel and public vote and two were selected solely by the public vote. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" performed by 5miinust and Puuluup was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Estonia was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 2024. Performing during the show in position 13, "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 11 May. It was later revealed that Estonia placed sixth out of the 16 participating countries in the semi-final with 79 points. In the final, Estonia performed in position 9 and placed twentieth out of the 25 participating countries, scoring 37 points.
Prior to the 2024 contest,Eesti Televisioon (ETV) until 2007, andEesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) since 2008, had participated in theEurovision Song Contest representing Estonia twenty-eight times since ETV's first entry in1994, winning the contest in2001 with the song "Everybody" performed byTanel Padar,Dave Benton and2XL. Following theintroduction of semi-finals in2004, they had, to this point, managed to qualify to the final on nine occasions, including in2023, when "Bridges" performed byAlika placed eighth in the final.[1]
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, ERR organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. Since its debut, the Estonian broadcaster had organised national finals that featured a competition among multiple artists and songs in order to select its entry for the contest. TheEesti Laul competition had been organised since 2009, and on 5 July 2023, ERR announced that it would organise the 2024 edition of the competition, thus confirming its participation in the 2024 contest.[2]
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Eesti Laul2024 was the sixteenth edition of the Estonian national selectionEesti Laul, which selected the Estonian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The competition was held between 20 January and 17 February 2024 and was hosted byTõnis Niinemets [et] andGrete Kuld.[3][4] Like in previous editions, Aleksandr Hobotov and Julia Kalenda provided Russian-language commentary in the live shows ofEesti Laul onETV+.[5]
In July 2023, ERR announced their intention to apply changes to the production team of the selection, withTomi Rahula stepping down from his position as chief producer after five editions, as well as to the format of the competition.[2]Karmel Killandi [et] was later revealed as his successor.[6]
On 15 September 2023, ERR specified the details of the new format. This included only one semi-final on 20 January 2024 and a final on 17 February 2024. 15 songs competed in the semi-final and the top five qualified for the final, joining five automatic qualifiers for a ten-song final. The results of the semi-final were determined by the combination of votes from a 35 (or more)-member jury and public televoting for the first qualifiers, and a second round of public televoting for the remaining qualifiers. The winning song in the final was also selected over two rounds of voting: the top songs selected via the combination of a 9-member international expert jury and public voting went through a second round of televoting to determine the winner.[3][7]
A submission window for interested artists was open from 15 September until 23 October 2023, with each applicant able to submit a maximum of five entries. At least 50% of the artists and/or songwriters for a submission were required to be nationals or residents of Estonia, with a lower fee imposed on Estonian-language songs compared to songs in other languages; both of the fees were doubled for entries submitted in the last two days before the deadline.[3][7] At the closing of the application period, 215 entries had been received – 88 in Estonian, 126 in English and one in Italian.[8]
The 15 semi-finalist entries and 5 finalist entries (plus two backups) were selected by a 41-member jury composed both of professionals and non-specialist music listeners, who were not informed about the identity of the applicants until after the selection took place. Selected artists and entries were announced during the daily broadcasts of the ETV entertainment programRingvaade on 6 and 7 November 2023.[7][9][10][11] Despite being set to be released on 8 December 2023, some were leaked the previous day.[12]
Among the selected competing artists wasLaura, who represented Estonia in2005 as part of the groupSuntribe and in2017 alongsideKoit Toome.
|
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 5miinust andPuuluup | "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" |
|
| Anet Vaikmaa [et] | "Serotoniin" | Sven Lõhmus |
| Antsud | "Vetevaim" |
|
| Brother Apollo | "Bad Boy" |
|
| Carlos Ukareda [et] | "Never Growing Up" | Carlos Ukareda |
| Cartoon andEwert Sundja [et] | "Oblivion" |
|
| Cecilia | "FOMO" |
|
| Daniel Levi [et] | "Over the Moon" |
|
| Ewert and The Two Dragons | "Hold Me Now" |
|
| Inga [et] | "No Dog on a Leash" |
|
| Ingmar [et] | "Dreaming" | Ingmar Erik Kiviloo |
| Laura | "Here's Where I Draw the Line" |
|
| Nele-Liis Vaiksoo | "Käte ümber jää" |
|
| Ollie | "My Friend" | Oliver Mazurtšak |
| Peter Põder [et] | "Korra veel" | Peter Põder |
| Silver Jusilo | "Lately" |
|
| Sofia Rubina [et] | "Be Good" |
|
| Traffic | "Wunderbar" | |
| Uudo Sepp and Sarah Murray | "Still Love" |
|
| Yonna | "I Don't Know About You" |
|
The semi-final took place on 20 January 2024 at theUniversity of Tartu Sports Hall inTartu.[9][16] The city, electedEuropean Capital of Culture for 2024, featured in promotional segments aired during the show.[17] The show also featured guest performances by dance crewPõmaki! (directed byIngmar Jõela [et]) and formerEesti Laul participantAnett Kulbin [et] withAngus [et], who sung "Tattoo".[18]
First round (jury and televote) qualifier Second round (televote-only) qualifier
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Points | Votes | Points | |||||
| 1 | 5miinust andPuuluup | "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" | 218 | 4 | 6,794 | 12 | 16 | 2 |
| 2 | Inga | "No Dog on a Leash" | 269 | 8 | 640 | 2 | 10 | 7 |
| 3 | Ollie | "My Friend" | 242 | 7 | 3,242 | 10 | 17 | 1 |
| 4 | Yonna | "I Don't Know About You" | 151 | 0 | 343 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 5 | Peter Põder | "Korra veel" | 117 | 0 | 323 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 6 | Cartoon andEwert Sundja | "Oblivion" | 286 | 10 | 640 | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| 7 | Traffic | "Wunderbar" | 242 | 6 | 983 | 6 | 12 | 4 |
| 8 | Ingmar | "Dreaming" | 195 | 3 | 1,868 | 8 | 11 | 5 |
| 9 | Anet Vaikmaa | "Serotoniin" | 170 | 0 | 892 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| 10 | Laura | "Here's Where I Draw the Line" | 174 | 1 | 1,321 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| 11 | Sofia Rubina | "Be Good" | 236 | 5 | 188 | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| 12 | Antsud | "Vetevaim" | 121 | 0 | 394 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | Silver Jusilo | "Lately" | 99 | 0 | 305 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 14 | Cecilia | "FOMO" | 185 | 2 | 720 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 15 | Ewert and The Two Dragons | "Hold Me Now" | 295 | 12 | 802 | 4 | 16 | 3 |
| Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anet Vaikmaa | "Serotoniin" | 1,864 | 1 |
| Antsud | "Vetevaim" | 199 | 10 |
| Cartoon andEwert Sundja | "Oblivion" | 850 | 5 |
| Cecilia | "FOMO" | 515 | 6 |
| Inga | "No Dog on a Leash" | 435 | 7 |
| Ingmar | "Dreaming" | 1,078 | 4 |
| Laura | "Here's Where I Draw the Line" | 349 | 8 |
| Peter Põder | "Korra veel" | 1,413 | 2 |
| Silver Jusilo | "Lately" | 109 | 11 |
| Sofia Rubina | "Be Good" | 102 | 12 |
| Traffic | "Wunderbar" | 1,278 | 3 |
| Yonna | "I Don't Know About You" | 213 | 9 |
The final took place on 17 February 2024 at theTondiraba Ice Hall inTallinn.[22] The members of the international jury were William Lee Adams (founder ofWiwibloggs),Ole Tøpholm (DR Eurovision commentator),Anna Sahlene (Swedish singer whorepresented Estonia in 2002), Julian Gutierrez, Andrew Rogers,Annely Peebo (2002 Eurovision co-host), Henkka Remes, Liam Clark (former Eurovision head of press for Estonia) andÞórunn Lárusdóttir [is].[23] The show featured guest performances byAlika (2023 Estonian Eurovision representative) featuringBedwetters,HND [et],Gameboy Tetris [et],Eleryn Tiit [et], Muteko Taiko, Dance RepublicTantsukool andArop [et].[24]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Points | Votes | Points | |||||
| 1 | Brother Apollo | "Bad Boy" | 43 | 3 | 413 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Carlos Ukareda | "Never Growing Up" | 54 | 6 | 634 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | Ewert and The Two Dragons | "Hold Me Now" | 43 | 4 | 806 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 4 | Anet Vaikmaa | "Serotoniin" | 63 | 7 | 2,945 | 6 | 13 | 5 |
| 5 | Ollie | "My Friend" | 74 | 12 | 7,384 | 10 | 22 | 1 |
| 6 | Daniel Levi | "Over the Moon" | 43 | 5 | 4,040 | 8 | 13 | 4 |
| 7 | Uudo Sepp and Sarah Murray | "Still Love" | 33 | 1 | 1,179 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Peter Põder | "Korra veel" | 33 | 2 | 1,092 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| 9 | 5miinust andPuuluup | "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" | 67 | 8 | 16,740 | 12 | 20 | 2 |
| 10 | Nele-Liis Vaiksoo | "Käte ümber jää" | 69 | 10 | 3,152 | 7 | 17 | 3 |
| Draw | Song | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bad Boy" | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 43 |
| 2 | "Never Growing Up" | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 54 |
| 3 | "Hold Me Now" | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 43 |
| 4 | "Serotoniin" | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 63 |
| 5 | "My Friend" | 7 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 74 |
| 6 | "Over the Moon" | 2 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 43 |
| 7 | "Still Love" | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 33 |
| 8 | "Korra veel" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 33 |
| 9 | "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" | 10 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 67 |
| 10 | "Käte ümber jää" | 4 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 69 |
| Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5miinust andPuuluup | "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" | 26,422 | 1 |
| Nele-Liis Vaiksoo | "Käte ümber jää" | 5,014 | 3 |
| Ollie | "My Friend" | 12,494 | 2 |
| Show | Air date | Average viewership | Share (%) | Average rating (%) | Total viewership | Total rating (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final | 20 January 2024 | 155,000 | 36.7% | 13.6% | 255,000 | 22.4% |
| Final | 17 February 2024 | 191,000 | 41.5% | 16.6% | 297,000 | 25.9% |
In accordance with Eurovision regulations, which prohibit any reference to trademarks, mention ofLay's chips was removed from a verse of "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" ahead of the contest.[28] As part of their participation in the contest,5miinust andPuuluup attended theBarcelona Eurovision Party on 6 April 2024,[29] theLondon Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024[30] and the Nordic Eurovision Party inStockholm on 14 April 2024.[31]
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (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. TheEuropean 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 30 January 2024, an 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 second semi-final, to be held on 9 May 2024, and was scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[32][33]
Once all the competing songs for the 2024 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 13, following the entry fromBelgium and before the entry fromIsrael.[34]
In Estonia, all shows were aired onETV with Estonian-language commentary byMarko Reikop, onETV+ with Russian-language commentary by Aleksandr Hobotov and Julia Kalenda, as well as onETV2 withEstonian Sign Language interpreters.[35]
In addition, ahead of the contest, ERR again organised and broadcast the Eurovision preview showEurovisiooni laulud [et] between 31 March and 5 May 2024; hosted byEesti laul presenters Grete Kuld and Tõnis Niinemets, each episode featured a panel composed of television personalities and members from the public who discussed and evaluated the competing entries,[36] ultimately decreeing a number of favourites – namelyAustria,Cyprus,Ireland,Italy,Norway andUkraine.[37] As part of the Eurovision programming, ERR also cooperated withDR andSVT alongside other EBU member broadcasters – namelyARD/WDR, theBBC,ČT,ERR,France Télévisions,NRK,NTR,RÚV,VRT andYle – to produce and air a documentary titledABBA – Against the Odds, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary ofSweden's first victory at the contest with "Waterloo" byABBA.[38]
In late March 2024, the Estonian postcard, to be shown before the country's performance in each show, was filmed. Filming took place in the same industrial area in Estonia where the music video for "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" was set.[39]
5miinust andPuuluup took part in technical rehearsals on 30 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 8 and 9 May.[40] For their performance of "(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi" at the contest, they were all dressed in black.[41]
At the end of the show, Estonia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Estonia placed sixth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 79 points.[42]
Following the semi-final, Estonia drew "producer's choice" for the final, meaning that the country performed in the half decided by the contest's producers.[43] It was later revealed that Estonia would perform in position 9, following the entry fromSpain and before the entry fromIreland.[44]
Estonia once again took part in dress rehearsals on 10 and 11 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. 5miinust and Puuluup performed a repeat of their semi-final performance during the final on 11 May. Estonia placed twentieth in the final, scoring 37 points: 33 points from the televoting and 4 points from the juries.[45]
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Estonia in the second semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public.[46] The Estonian jury consisted of Alice Aleksandridi, Olavi Pihlamägi,Rolf Roosalu, Sten Teppan, andKaire Vilgats.[47] In the second semi-final, Estonia placed sixth with 79 points, receiving maximum twelve points fromLatvia. In the final, Estonia placed 20th with 37 points, receiving twelve points from Latvia in the televote. Over the course of the contest, Estonia awarded its 12 points to Latvia in the second semi-final, and toSwitzerland (jury) andUkraine (televote) in the final.[48][49]
ERR appointedBirgit Sarrap, who representedEstonia in the 2013 contest, as its spokesperson to announce the Estonian jury's votes in the final.[50]
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Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. 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.[51] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
The following members comprised the Estonian jury:[47]
| Draw | Country | Televote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  Malta | 14 | |
| 02 |  Albania | 15 | |
| 03 |  Greece | 12 | |
| 04 |  Switzerland | 4 | 7 |
| 05 |  Czechia | 9 | 2 |
| 06 |  Austria | 8 | 3 |
| 07 |  Denmark | 6 | 5 |
| 08 |  Armenia | 7 | 4 |
| 09 |  Latvia | 1 | 12 |
| 10 |  San Marino | 13 | |
| 11 |  Georgia | 10 | 1 |
| 12 |  Belgium | 11 | |
| 13 | Estonia | ||
| 14 |  Israel | 3 | 8 |
| 15 |  Norway | 5 | 6 |
| 16 |  Netherlands | 2 | 10 |
| Draw | Country | Jury | Televote | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  Sweden | 5 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| 02 |  Ukraine | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
| 03 |  Germany | 15 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 16 | |
| 04 |  Luxembourg | 14 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 20 | ||
| Netherlands | N/A | |||||||||
| 06 | Israel | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 07 |  Lithuania | 6 | 8 | 12 | 22 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 08 |  Spain | 22 | 14 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 14 | ||
| 09 | Estonia | |||||||||
| 10 |  Ireland | 21 | 25 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 2 | |
| 11 | Latvia | 20 | 11 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| 12 | Greece | 9 | 24 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 19 | ||
| 13 |  United Kingdom | 24 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 22 | 11 | 18 | ||
| 14 | Norway | 7 | 15 | 21 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 11 | ||
| 15 |  Italy | 4 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 15 | |
| 16 |  Serbia | 16 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 24 | 14 | 23 | ||
| 17 |  Finland | 23 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 3 | 8 | |
| 18 |  Portugal | 17 | 20 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 21 | 22 | ||
| 19 | Armenia | 11 | 23 | 14 | 23 | 4 | 12 | 12 | ||
| 20 |  Cyprus | 18 | 19 | 10 | 24 | 18 | 22 | 17 | ||
| 21 | Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 7 |
| 22 |  Slovenia | 19 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 23 | 24 | 24 | ||
| 23 |  Croatia | 10 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| 24 | Georgia | 12 | 17 | 22 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 21 | ||
| 25 |  France | 3 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| 26 | Austria | 8 | 16 | 25 | 21 | 14 | 19 | 13 | ||
