#ESC2016: EESTI LAUL PARTICIPANTS REVEALED

The line-up for Estonia's national final was revealed last week and below you can see the participants. Tanja returns as part of La La Ladies! The songs will be released soon.. Stay tuned for some reviews.

Semi-final 1 –13th  February 

1. The Jingles – Love a Little Bit
2. Würffel – I’m Facing North
3. Mick Pedaja – Seis
4. Indrek Ventmann – Hispaania tüdruk
5. Cartoon feat. Kristel Aaslaid – Immortality
6. Kéa – Lonely Boy
7. Kati Laev – Kaugel sinust
8. Zebra Island – How Many Times
9. Laura – Supersonic
10. Windy Beach – Salty Wounds

Semi-final 2 – 20th February 

1. Go Away Bird – Sally
2. Jüri Pootsmann – Play
3. Meisterjaan – Parmupillihullus
4. I Wear* Experiment – Patience
5. Púr Múdd – Meet Halfway
6. Grete Paia – Stories Untold
7. Põhja-Tallinn – Ei ole mul olla
8. Anett Kulbin – Strong
9. Gertu Pabbo – Miljon korda
10. La La Ladies – Unikaalne

ELINA BORN & STIG RÄSTA TO REPRESENT ESTONIA!

YES! Moments ago, Elina Born & Stig Rästa won Eesti Laul and therefore will indeed represent Estonia in Vienna. They were in the 'Super-final' with Daniel Levi and Elisa Kolk. It was an amazing show tonight - and the best song defiantly did win. Tallinn 2016? Don't rule it out.

The moment they won....

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #5!

Another national final weekend awaits us, ahh I love this time of year :-) Three countries will be selecting their song for Vienna whilst Finland, Hungary and Sweden continue their selections.

ESTONIA
Eesti Laul concludes tonight. Ten songs are in the running to represent Estonia and the winner will be decided by a 50/50 combination of jury and televote.

1. Luisa Värk - Minu päike
2. Maia Vahtramäe - Üle vesihalli taeva
3. Elina Born & Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday
4. Kali Briis Band - Idiot
5. Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers - Troubles
6. Daniel Levi - Burning Lights
7. Elisa Kolk - Superlove
8. The Blurry Lane - Exceptional
9. Elephants From Neptune - Unriddle Me
10. Triin Niitoja & John4 - This is Our Choice

Will Elina Born & Stig Rästa win as predicted or could there be a major upset? This blogger would devastated if they didn't win.. it's an amazing song!!

LITHUANIA
Mia, Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila will tonight fight for the Lithuanian ticket to Vienna. All three have previous national final experience.. The song was decided last week and it's This Time. Interestingly, Monika and Vaidas both performed the song amazingly together. They even kissed - it was a lovely performance and I would love to see them both win. But I don't know if that's possible as it would be rather unfair on Mia I guess.....

• Mia - This Time
• Monika Linkytė - This Time
• Vaidas Baumila - This Time
• Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila - This Time

You will be able to watch the show at 19:00 CET

FINLAND
The final semi final of Finland's UMK is set to take place tonight.

1. Ida Bois - Kumbaya
2. Aikuinen - Kyynelten lahti
3. Solju - Hold Your Colours
4. Järjestyshäiriö - Särkyneiden sydänten kulmilla
5. Angelo de Nile - All for Victory
6. Heidi Pakarinen - Bon voyage

Find out here what myself and Blogilkar thought of tonight's line-up!

SWEDEN
Another seven acts are aiming to make the final of Melodifestivalen as the 3rd semi final will be held tonight. I will be focusing on Estonia and Lithuania and therefore won't watch the show tonight..

• Andreas Weise – Bring Out the Fire
• Isa – Don’t Stop
• Kalle Johansson – För din skull
• Kristin Amparo – I See You
• Ellen Benediktson – Insomnia
• Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Jag är fri (Manne Liem Frije)
• Andreas Johnson – Living to Die

HUNGARY
Nine acts will be hoping to qualify to the final of A Dal although only four will make the cut.

• Bálint Gájer - That's How It Goes
• Bogi Dallos - World of Violence
• Gabi Szűcs - Úgysem felejtesz el
• Gergő Oláh - A tükör előtt
• Gyula Éliás Jr. feat. Fourtissimo - Run to You
• Ív - Fire
• Kati Wolf - Ne engedj el
• Other Planet - Untold Story
• Passed - Mesmerize

Of course I want to see Kati Wolf make the final.. I expect Passed and Bogi will also sail through to the final too, but who will join them?

LATVIA
All attention will be on Latvia tomorrow, as Supernova finally concludes. Only four acts remain in the competition. Aminata Savadogo seems to be the big favourite, with Markus Riva also a big contender for victory. Maybe. Although don't rule out MNTHA. Her song is weird yet somehow wonderful - and the Latvians don't always select the most internationally friendly songs..ElektroFence's song isn't bad but come on.. the other three are so much better! More here

Estonia: Here are the finalists for Eesti Laul 2015!

The line-up for Estonia's national final is complete! Check out who made it below:

• Elina Born & Stig Rästa "Goodbye to Yesterday"
• Daniel Levi "Burning Lights"
• Triin Niitoja & John4 "This is Our Choice"
• Kali Briis Band "Idiot"
• Luisa Värk "Minu päike"

They will join last weeks qualifiers:

• The Blurry Lane "Exceptional"
• Maia Vahtramäe "Üle vesihalli taeva"
• Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers "Troubles"
• Elephants From Neptune  "Unriddle Me"
• Elisa Kolk "Superlove"

Of course I am thrilled to see Elina Born & Stig Rästa qualify. Now let's hope Estonia send them!!

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #4!

No less than ten selections are taking place this weekend - including two national finals and Sanremo!

ICELAND
Iceland will be selecting their Eurovision entry tonight. The show will take place at 19:45 CET and be seen here. Who should win? I did a little review and you can read that HERE

• Haukur Heiðar Hauksson - Milljón augnablik 
• María Ólafsdóttir - Lítil skref
• Sunday - Fjaðrir
• Cadem - Fyrir Alla
• Björn and friends – Piltur og stúlka
• Elín Sif Halldórsdóttir – Í kvöld
• Friðrik Dór – Í síðasta skipti

This blogger would be delighted to see Sunday win - although I expect the Icelanders will opt for either Cadem or Björn and friends.. but who knows!

SWEDEN
Eric Saade and Jessica Anderson qualified directly to the final last week - so who will join them in Friends Arena on 8th March?

• Mariette – Don’t Stop Believing
• Emelie Irewald – Där och då med dig
• Linus Svenning – Forever Starts Today
• Magnus Carlsson – Möt mig i Gamla stan
• Samir & Viktor – Groupie
• Neverstore – If I Was God For One Day
• Marie Bergman & Sanne Salomonsen – Nonetheless

Y'all can watch Melodifestivalen here at 19:00 CET.

ITALY
Throughout the previous week, the amazing festival of Sanremo will conclude tonight. The winner will maybe go to Eurovision but if they decline, a special jury will select the Italian representative although it won't necessarily be from tonight's participants. Arisa, who openly wanted to go to Copenhagen, said she'll be up for it IF the winner of Sanremo isn't interested. More of this weeks goings on here. Nek and Il Volo are joint favourites to win tonight!

• Annalisa – Una Finestra Tra Le Stelle
• Bianca Atzei – Il Solo Al Mondo
• Malika Ayane – Adesso E Qui (Nostalgico Presente)
• Alex Britti – Un Attimo Importante
• Chiara – Straordinario
• Dear Jack – Il Mondo Esplode Tranne Noi
• Lorenzo Fragola – Siamo Uguali
• Irene Grandi – Un Vento Senza Nome
• Gianluca Grignani – Sogni Infranti
• Il Volo – Grande Amore
• Marco Masini – Che Giorno È
• Grazia di Michele & Mauro Coruzzi – Io Sono Una Finestra
• Moreno – Oggi Ti Parlo Così
• Nek – Fatti Avanti Amore
• Nesli – Buona Fortuna Amore
• Nina Zilli – Sola

Watch the show here.

LITHUANIA 
The Lithuanian song will be chosen tonight. Once the song has been selected, the three remaining artists will perform it next week and then the overall winner will be chosen. The show will start at 19:00 CET and can be watched here. These songs remain in the competition....

• Dangerous (S.O.S.)
• This Time
• The Right Way

FINLAND 
The 2nd semi final of UMK will be held tonight and these are the participants will be aiming to make the final in a fortnights time:

• Jouni Aslak – Lions and lambs
• Eeverest – Love it all away
• Otto Ivar – Truth or dare
• Opera Skaala – Heart of light
• Shava – Ostarilla
• Siru – Mustelmat

This blogger predicts that Siru, Shava and Opera Skaala will qualify. Catch the show here. I only care for Siru tonight and Eeverest are pretty good too. Here's some special reviews myself and Blogilkar did - read them here.

ESTONIA 
There very well may be ten acts participating in Eesti Laul tonight, although all eyes will be on Elina Born & Stig Rästa's Goodbye to Yesterday. Will they sail through to next weeks final as expected?

• Wilhelm - Light Up Your Mind
• Kruuv - Tiiu talu tütreke
• Demie feat. Janice - Kuum
• NimmerSchmidt - Kellega ma tutvusin?
• Elina Born & Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday
• Daniel Levi - Burning Lights
• Triin Niitoja & John4 - This is Our Choice
• Kali Briis Band - Idiot
• Luisa Värk - Minu päike
• 1Mari - Kolm päeva tagasi

HUNGARY
A Dal also continues tonights at 19:25 CET - and the show can be seen here. This is tonight's lineup:

• Ádám Szabó – Give Me Your Love
• Boggie – Wars For Nothing
• Karmapolis – The Time Is Now
• New Level Empire – Homelights
• Pankastic! – Kicsi A Világ, De Nagy Világ!
• Spoon – Keep Marching On
• Timi Antal – Woke Up This Way
• Vera Tóth – Gyémánt
• Zoltán Mujahid – Beside You

SERBIA 
Serbia are going to chose their song for Vienna tomorrow. Although first, there'll be an introduction show tonight. The three competing acts will be officially reveal their songs and the the winner will be chosen tomorrow night via a 50/50 mix of televoting and a jury.

• Danica Krstić - U ime ljubavi
• Bojana Stamenov - Ceo svet je moj
• Aleksa Jelić - Vodi me

LATVIA 
The first semi final will be held in Latvia tomorrow night.

• ElektroFolk - Sundance
• MNTHA - Nefelibata
• Antra Stafecka - It's the Night
• Framest - Ziemā
• Aminata - Love Injected
• Markus Riva - Take Me Down
• Rihards Bērziņš - Your Eyes
• Euphony - Home

Big favourites to take the crown next week are ElektroFolk, Antra Stafecka, Markus Riva and Aminata.. will they all make the final or could there be any surprise elimination?

Here's the favourite (or at least my favourite) to win in Iceland:

Vienna 2015: Super Weekend #3!

Another Super Weekend awaits us with no less than eight shows for us to enjoy. Here's a little breakdown of what's planned for the weekend, including Denmark's national final tonight.

DENMARK
The Danish entry will be chosen tonight. Ten participants will all be hoping to win the right to represent Denmark and they are:

1. Sara Sukurani – Love me love me 
2. Tina & René – Mi amore 
3. Marcel & Soulman Group – Når veje krydses 
4. Cecilie Alexandra – Hotel A
5. Andy Roda – Love is love 
6. Julie Bjerre – Tæt på mine drømme 
7. Anti Social Media – The way you are 
8. Anne Gadegaard – Suitcase
9. Babou – Manjana 
10. World of Girls – Summer without you

Read my little review here! The show will take place at 19:00 CET and international viewers can watch the show here.

FINLAND
This years edition of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu will start tonight with the first semi final. Six acts are aiming to make the grand final on 28th February. Big favourites Satin Circus and Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät will both participate tonight.. Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät have even made headlines here in the UK, as they want to raise awareness for Down's Syndrome. Will they sail through to the final as expected? The show can be seen here at 18:00 CET.

• Hans on the Bass - Loveshine
• Vilikasper Kanth - Äänen kantamattomiin
• Pihka & Myrsky - Sydän ei nuku
• Norman El Misionario - No voy a llorar por ti
• Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää
• Satin Circus - Crossroads

SWEDEN
The much anticipated return of Melodifestivalen will be take place tonight, in Gothenburg. The favourites seem to be Eric Saade and Jessica Andersson... will they both make the final? Will Eric flop? The first semi final of Melodifestivalen can be watched here at 19:00 CET.

• Jessica Andersson – Can’t Hurt Me Now
• Behrang Miri feat. Victor Fritz Crone – Det rår vi inte för
• Dolly Style – Hello Hi
• Molly Pettersson Hammar – I’ll Be There
• Elize Ryd & Rickard Söderberg – One By One
• Daniel Gildenlöw – Pappa
• Eric Saade – Sting

LITHUANIA
The sixth show of Lithuania's selection will also air tonight. It's going to be a very hectic night, y'all!! Mia, Monika Linkytė, Vaidas Baumila, Edgaras Lubys and Jurgis Brūzga will all be hoping to make the next stage of competition. Who will be eliminated and who will survive? The show can be watched here at 19:00 CET

ICELAND
The 2nd semi final of Söngvakeppnin is set to take place tonight. Six artists will be hoping to make the final but only three will make the cut. This bloggers favourite Regina Ósk will compete tonight and I really hope to see her qualify!

• Regína Ósk - Aldrei of seint
• Bjarni Lárus Hall - Brotið gler
• SUNDAY - Fjaðrir
• CADEM - Fyrir alla
• María Ólafsdóttir - Lítil skref
• Haukur Heiðar Hauksson - Milljón augnablik

The show will take place at 19:45 CET - and you will be able to watch the show live here..

HUNGARY 
The final heat of A Dal is also scheduled for tonight. Once again, ten acts will be hoping to make the next stage of the Hungarian selection. Kati Wolf is one of those acts.. will she grace the Eurovision stage once again? Here's the line-up for tonight:

• Bálint Gájer - That's How It Goes
• Barbara Péter - Listen to the Universe
• Boglárka Csemer – Boggie - Wars for Nothing
• Fool Moon - Back 2 Right
• Ildikó Keresztes - Hazám hazád lehet
• Kati Wolf - Ne engedj el
• Other Planet - Untold Story
• Proof of Life - Hol a határ
• Spoon - Keep Marching On
• Zoltán Mujahid - Beside You

And if you fancy seeing Kati's big return tonight, you will be able to watch the show here at 19:25 CET.

ESTONIA 
And if all that wasn't enough, Eesti Laul will also be held this evening. Y'all can catch the show at 19:15
here. The Estonian semi final will feature the following songs:

• Karl-Erik Taukar - Päev korraga
• Miina - Kohvitassi lugu
• The Blurry Lane - Exceptional
• Liis Lemsalu & Egert Milder - Hold On
• Airi Vipulkumar Kansar - Saatuse laul
• Maia Vahtramäe - Üle vesihalli taeva
• Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers - Troubles
• Elephants From Neptune - Unriddle Me
• Elisa Kolk - Superlove
• Bluestocking - Kordumatu

LATVIA
On Sunday, Latvia's Supernova will be held where another ten acts will be hoping to make the next stage of the competition. Watch the show at 19:20 HERE.

Stay tuned... 

Estonia: "Eesti Laul" entries revealed!

Elina Born & Stig Rästa

Eesti Laul once again proves to be the most interesting and diverse national selections. Elina Born & Stig Rästa's entry is the immediate favourite and I do love it. The Estonian selection will start on 7th February. Take a listen to all the entries here. Ten songs are in Estonian and that's fantastic! In 2012, Estonia sent a song in their native tongue and still managed to achieve 6th place. Language is no barrier for good music.

Estonia: Eesti Laul 2015 contestants revealed!

Elina Born will duet with Stig Rästa

Estonia's national final is fast approaching and today, the twenty participating acts were officially revealed!

• Daniel Levi – Burning lights (Daniel Levi Viinalass)
• The Blurry Lane – Exceptional (Kristina Bianca Rantala)
• Elina Born & Stig Rästa – Goodbye to yesterday (Stig Rästa)
• Liis Lemsalu & Egert Milder – Hold on (Liis Lemsalu, Madis Lett, Egert Milder, Henri Kuusk, Rob Montes)
• Kali Briis Band – Idiot (Alan Olonen)
• NimmerSchmidt – Kellega ma tutvusin? (Fredy Schmidt, Andero Nimmer)
• Miina – Kohvitassi lugu (Miina Rikka)
• Mari – Kolm päeva tagasi (Mariliis Jõgeva)
• Bluestocking – Kordumatu (Maria Soikonen)
• Demie feat. Janice – Kuum (Raimo Ugast, Jaanika Merelaht)
• Wilhelm – Light up your mind (Anett Kulbin, Paul Neitsov, Jorven Viilik)
• Luisa Värk – Minu päike (Mikk Tammepõld, Luisa Värk)
• Karl-Erik Taukar – Päev korraga (Karl-Erik Taukar, Mark-Eric Kammiste, Fred Krieger)
• Airi Vipulkumar Kansar – Saatuse laul (Urmas Kõiv, Anneli Kõiv)
• Elisa Kolk – Superlove (Vahur Valgmaa)
• Triin Niitoja & John4 – This is our choice (Jaanus Saago, Triin Niitoja)
• Kruuv – Tiiu talu tütreke (Allan Kasuk)
• Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers – Troubles (Robin Juhkental & The Big Bangers)
• Elephants From Neptune – Unriddle me (Jon-Arnold Mikiver, Robert Linna, Rain Joona, Markko Reinberg)
• Maia Vahtramäe – Üle vesihalli taeva (Olav Osolin)

Listen to the songs here!

Estonia: Eesti Laul to be held on 21st February!

There will be some changes to Eesti Laul next year. Firstly, it's been revealed the grand final will take place on 21st February with semi finals being held on 7th and 14th February. Normally, the selection is held in March! The top three acts will advance to a super-final. previously only two acts have made the super-final. Submissions are now open and artists have until 1st December to submit their offerings. But following Tanja's disappointing result in Copenhagen, who should fly the Estonian flag? I would like to see Grete Paia in Vienna!!

Estonia: Tanja wins Eesti Laul!

Great! Tanja has won Eesti Laul! I wanted Sandra, like almost everyone else, although I'm still content with Tanja. Her song is amazing although I think they need to re-work the stage performance... Tanja won 53% of the public vote in the superfinal - and The Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band came 2nd, respectively. Enjoy!

Estonia: Eesti Laul final tonight!

Ten acts are in the running to represent Estonia. The line-up isn't great but there are three songs that I really like - and these come from Sandra, Tanja and Lenna. Sandra Nurmsalu is without a doubt the fan favourite to win.

Lenna is also a strong contender - she's participated in Eesti Laul on numerous occasions and even represneted Switzerland in 2005, as part of Vanilla Ninja where they came 8th. This blogger wants Sandra to win. Her song is unique and beautiful.. plus she has a great draw!! It'll be a great show as these clows are the interval act I think. Here are the Estonian hopefuls:

1. Brigita Murutar - Laule täis taevakaar
2. Traffic – Für Elise
3. Norman Salumäe – Search
4. Wilhelm – Resignal
5. Lenna – Supernoova
6. Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band – Maybe Maybe
7. Maiken - Siin või sealpool maad
8. Kõrsikud – Tule ja jää
9. Tanja – Amazing
10. Sandra Nurmsalu - Kui tuuled pöörduvad

Estonia: Final line-up revealed!

Eesti Laul is one of my favourite selections and the line-up is incredibly strong this year, too. Anyway, we now have our finalists who qualified through their respective semi finals. Here are the list of finalists:

• Traffic – Für Elise
• Maiken - Siin või sealpool maad
• Sandra Nurmsalu - Kui tuuled pöörduvad
• Norman Salumäe – Search
• Brigita Murutar - Laule täis taevakaar
• Tanja – Amazing
• Wilhelm – Resignal
• Super Hot Cosmos Blues Band – Maybe-Maybe
• Kõrsikud – Tule Ja Jää
• Lenna – Supernoova

Fingers crossed for Sandra Nurmsalu! She does seem the favourite - but I also like Lenna, Tanja and Traffic. Estonia will select their representative next weekend.

Estonia: Eesti Laul songs released!

The Estonian songs have been released online. It's another great line-up from Estonia however Sandra Nurmsalu's song isn't there. Why hasn't it been released? Her track is probably the most anticipated from Eurovision fans... I guess we will have to wait a little longer for that.

Listen to the songs here. Lenna's song is very good and I also like Tanja and August Hunt.

UPDATE - Sandra's song has now been released too. Enjoy it here. It's my favourite without a doubt.... strange, mysterious and fantastic!