5Miinust and Puuluup achieves the 'Eesti Laul' win in Estonia

The Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn played host to Eesti Laul on Saturday 17 February. 10 songs competed for the Eesti Laul win, following a semi-final in January which saw 5 songs voted through to the final, joining the 5 songs that Estonian broadcaster ERR had internally selected for an automatic place there.

Voting on the initial lineup of 10 songs was done via both a public vote and an international jury vote. This determined a Top 3, which took 3 songs into a 'superfinal'. Those selected few were My Friend by OLLIE, Käte ümber jää by Nele-Liis Vaiksoo and our eventual winner (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi by 5Miinust and Puuluup.

These 3 songs were performed again and voting was opened once more. But this time, it was solely the Estonian public that got a say in deciding the winner.

5Miinust and Puuluup were the Estonian people's champs with their song (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi.

Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Estonia made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, when the late Silvi Vrait took to the stage in Dublin with Nagu Merelaine. 

The early years of Estonia's participation in the competition were particularly successful. Between 1996 and 2002 the country finished in the Top 10 in 6 out of 7 Contests including 4th in 2000, winning in 2001 and finishing 3rd in 2002.

In 2001, Estonia became the first former Soviet country to win the Contest, and went on to host in 2002 in the country's capital of Tallinn. 

After Estonia failed to qualify for 5 consecutive Contests between 2004 and 2008, the Estonians overhauled their national selection, and in 2009, Eesti Laul was born. The competition saw a reversal in Estonia's fortunes and the country went on to achieve its first top 10 placing in the Grand Final in 7 years. Perhaps even more importantly for Estonian musicians, Eesti Laul has also become a launch pad for new talent in the country.