Eesti Laul 2025: New rules and key dates for the Estonian national selection
The road to Eurovision 2025, to be held in Basel, Switzerland, is already mapped out in Estonia, where songwriters can submit their songs to take part in the Eesti Laul 2025 national selection. The grand (and above all unique!) final of this selection will take place on 15 February 2025 and will crown the artist who will represent Estonia at the contest.
Changes for Eesti Laul 2025
This year, the format of Eesti Laul ("Estonian Song »"), the Estonian national selection for Eurovision, is undergoing some changes. Due to budgetary constraints, the selection will not include semi-finals and will be held over a single evening, a first for the competition, which has been held since 2009. "Our biggest aim with Eesti Laul has always been to support the creation of new music and enable artists to make a name for themselves not only in Estonia, but throughout Europe, » said Karmel Killandi, Head of Entertainment Programmes at ERR, Estonian national television.
Killandi also pointed out that, although the competition would be reduced to a single grand final, this would allow the team to concentrate more on putting on a quality show. This decision will also give more artists the opportunity to perform on stage during the final.
Songwriters can submit their songs until 21 October 2024. The competition is open to Estonian citizens and foreign residents in Estonia. Each song must have at least one author who is an Estonian citizen or resident, but performers may be citizens, residents or non-residents of the country.
For this year's competition, the rules have been adjusted to encourage international cooperation between artists. "We have noticed that many Estonian authors are actively collaborating with musicians from other countries, and we have decided to offer them more opportunities so that these joint projects can be part of Eesti Laul ». explained Riin Vanni, producer of the competition. In her opinion, these international collaborations not only enhance the quality of the productions, but also enrich the Estonian music scene through the exchange of diverse experiences.
From preselections to the superfinal...
As soon as the applications close, a panel of experts will select 15 songs that will qualify directly for the grand final on 15 February. In addition, a 16th song will be chosen by the public after a preliminary round. The shortlisted songs will be announced in November, and the first extracts will be broadcast in December, giving the public a taste of the finalists.
The Eesti Laul final will take place on a single evening, 15 February 2025. The jury and the public will decide together on the three superfinalists, and the winner will be chosen exclusively by a public vote during the superfinal. The winner will then have the honour of representing Estonia at Eurovision in Basel in May 2025.
Eesti Laul 2025 represents a unique opportunity for Estonian artists and songwriters to make a name for themselves on the European stage. Estonia has managed to qualify for the Eurovision final nine times, with very, very good performances every year. Last year, the contest delighted us with 5miinust x Puulup who finished 20th in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Join us on 15 February to find out who will fly the flag for Estonia at Eurovision 2025!
