Review: “Eesti Laul 2024” (Estonia)

Doron Lahav

2 years ago

20 artists will compete in “Eesti Laul 2024”: 15 of them will compete in the semi-final, while additional 5 have already secured their place in the final.
The Semi-Final will be held in Tartu on Saturday, the 20th of January 2024 (15 artists will compete for 5 spots in the final).
The Grand Final will be held in Talinn on Saturday, the 17th of February 2024

You can listen to the songs on ERR in this link

Spotify

Apple Music

YouTube

Semi-Finalists

#1. 5MIINUST x Puuluup – (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi (Eng: We (do) know nothing about (these) drugs)

It is a techo song with rap elements.
The song opens with some vocal improvisiations and humming.
The first verse is quite speedy, the lead singer sings it with a mid tone of voice. He is accompanied by backing vocals with lower tones.
The chorus is a short instrumental part, composed of strings and electronic elements. Not much is going on singing wisely in this part. We can hear some reciting in a bass voice.
Thereafter, we get a short transition part, which I find too messy. The song is finalized by humming and reiciting again.
Overall, I see it as an effort to showcase creativity, but I was left confused at the end of listening. Not one of the songs that impresses me.

#2. Anet Vaikmaa – Serotoniin

It is a pop-rock song with wide influences of the 1990’s-2000’s music.
The song opens with drums and bass. Anet sings in a sweet (half smokey voice)
The first verse relies mainly on the bass playing.
The pre-chorus is a bit darker, and the production is simpler.
The chorus is catchy and sounds familiar in the sense of remisice of hits from the early 2000’s.
The second verse is shorter, and the melody is based on electric keyobards as well.
The second chorus is more retro. Thereafter, we got a short instrumental part of bass and electric guitar playing. This continues into an additional chorus and bridge.
I see it somehow as the more optimistic version of Avril Lavinge’s music.
The song gives a throwback to the 2000’s music, but still has its own character. Probably part of the magic is obtained from the language,

#3.Antsud – Vetevaim (Eng: Water Spirit)

It is a traditional folk song
The song starts with a magical humming.
In the first verse, we can hear two leading vocalists sing together. There’s something very melodic even in the sung words themselves.
After the first verse, we get the same part as in the introduction once again.
This is followed by a short instrumental part which is composed of bass guitar, electric guitar and drums.
The second verse is based on bass stringing and accordion. It is longer. The structure is of 2 musical bars with duplication of each line.
From there we are moved to another humming section, this time with greater presence of the guitars.
Later on, they are moved to modulation where sing is much more challenging tone.
The song ends with an additional verse, which is less “rocky” compared to the others.
The combination of ethnic elements with rock hook creates an interesting framing of the song. Vocally, they are flawless. However, I can’t see Estonia taking the risk of selecting such a song. In fact, I regret to say I can’t see them qualifying

#4. Cartoon, Ewert Sundja – Oblivion

It is an Indie-rock song.
The song opens with a long humming and guitar and drums hook (that for some reason reminded me of “Stones” – the Swiss entry for Eurovision 2018).
The first verse’s melody is based on a “guitar sawing” sound. Ewert sings in a crystal clear voice, and you can tell the text is meaningful for him.
The chorus is based on keyboards playing. As this part progresses, the hook is built by percussion elements, bass and drums. The outro is the same humming part from the introduction. However, this time we get it under cover of more electronic production.
The second verse continues the electronic production, and therefore it is more upbeat.
The second chorus starts in a darker way, and once again the basis is keyboards playing. This time, he also uses some vocal improvisations.

#5. Cecilia – FOMO

It is a dance club song, in a hyper-techno style.
The song opens with synth elements. The introduction is quite short, but impactful enough.
The first verse is quite dark. She sings with a growing fast beat in the background. The whole atmosphere is quite mysterious. Towards the end of the first verse, she sings more powerfully.
The pre-chorus is faster, and she sings it in a lower-tone voice. The melody is based a constant beat with some “glitters” of electronic flashes.
The chorus continues the same line, she sings even faster and the beat becomes more dominant. This part is performed in a higher tone of voice.
Thereafter, we get the second verse. The electro club beat continues to this part as well. This time we can hear the “FOMO” word, as well as some backing vocalists.
The 2nd pre-chorus is similar to the first one, It is followed by an additional chorus.
The outro is catchy as well, and she sings it with a fading voice.
Overall, one of the most impactful songs in the line-up. The song doesn’t progress in a linear way, which is a good thing. Cecilia catches our attention from the very first beat, through the pre-chorus and the chorus. Vocally, she supplies an impressive package: relying on a wide range of vocals.
I hope this will work in live performance as well. There are traps in this kind of a song. Live performance should also suggest a proper staging.
For me, it is one of the best songs in the running.

#6. Ewert and the 2 Dragons – Hold Me Now

It is an indie-rock song.
The song opens with a quite long introduction of guitar stringing.
The first melody relies on the same melody. Ewert sings it with a mid-low tone of voice. The focus on this part is his voice.
The first chorus is finalized by a more rocky singing. The last lines are performed by the backing vocals.
The second verse is quite similar to the first one, and in fact shares some parts with it.
The chorus is quite short and repetitive. It is the last part of the verse. The melody is based on a classic and electric guitar playing.
The third verse is similar to the first one.
Overall, the song suggests a cyclic structure and it is radio-friendly. But maybe this is the problem: It takes 0 risks and steps into the safest path of radio-friendly songs that tend to be forgotten.
I love Ewert’s singing, but sometimes it isn’t enough.

#7. Inga – No Dog On a Leash

It is an alt-electro pop song, with dance club elements
The song starts immediately with singing. The tempo of the song cuts the phrasing of the lines uniquely. The melody of the first verse is based on electronic paraphrasing of keyboard string elements with a fading beat. She sings the first 2 verses in a mid-low tone of voice
The chorus is more laid back, but that’s the reason why it stands out. It suggests a change of direction, and therefore breaks the melody. Inga sings it with passion, emotion and some soul music manners. This part enables her showcasing her wide vocal range.
The chorus melody is slower until we reach the second half of the chorus where the electro beat is deeper.
The second verse is more sassy, faster and she sings it in a lower registry, the rhyming is kind of sophisticated. Part of this is performed as a spoken work.
The second chorus is a more sparse production wisely.
The chorus that comes after features some backing vocals and a light techno production.
It is one of the most modern songs in the running. The video clip gives a very good basis for potential staging.
It is dark alt pop, yet accessible and danceable. The whole package is attractive and sticky. This is what I call an excellent effort. Well done!

#8. Ingmar – Dreaming

This is a theatrical/musical mid-tempo ballad.
Ingmar opens the song with a quite low tone of voice and vibrato singing. The melody is based on simple piano playing.
The pre-chorus steps into a different kind of melody. This time we can hear sparse melody with long amplitude composed of classic string elements. He performs in a chest vocal.
The chorus is full of pathos, and the string element plays a bigger role. He sings it more loudly (and maybe too loud). There are light elements of percussion, alongside the piano playing.
The second chorus has a similar structure to the first one. The pre-chorus is more choir oriented, as we can hear backing singing.
The second chorus features violin playing and the singing is more powerful, but sometimes pushed too much. Towards the end of the chorus, we can hear some bass and drum.
The bridge starts with softer falsetto singing. This is a build-up for the last chorus which is based on a cyclic tempo.
Unfortunately, I felt this one was too much for me. The manners, the pushing singing and above all the over-acting. It can be a great song for the line-up of musicals, I can’t see its place at Eurovision.

#9. Laura – Here’s Where I Draw The Line

It is a mid-tempo mature pop.
The song starts with the sound of a clock ticking. Thereafter, comes the intro: we can hear some vocal duplication with effects like vocoder .
The first verse is more of a ballad flavor. The melody is based on a slow piano playing, and Laura sings it in a mid-high tone of voice. It has a light dark/cold vibe.
The transition to the chorus is almost intermediate. The chorus feels more optimistic and warm. Laura sings it with longer notes. The melody is still based on piano playing. This time we can hear some backing vocals.
The introduction appears again as a transition to the second part of the song.
The second verse is a bit faster, and the melody features string elements.
Towards the end of the second verse, the clock ticking is included and builds the chorus.
Later on, we get an additional chorus that is followed by a short dramatic pause.
Towards the end of the song. the last chorus is performed in a higher more, this means we come across a modulation.
Overall, this is the kind of song that grows on you as you listen to it more. It has something sweet and almost naive in its interpretation. However, I fear it isn’t competitive enough.
I believe that with something extra, let’s say changes in the melody in the second verse, it would have the potential to do better. It’s a decent song, but it could have been better.

#10. Ollie – My Friend

It is a classic-teenage rock.
The song starts with a short instrumental part, composed of piano playing.
The first verse is based on piano playing. Ollie sings in a mid-low tone of raspy voice. The singing is accompanied by effects like echo and revarb.
The second verse is less slower. Ollie sings it more powerfully and this is where the song becomes more rocky.
The chorus is based on electric, drums and powerful smokey singing. Ollie sings it energetically, sometimes almost with growling.
The third verse continues the line of the chorus. It is faster than the first 2 verses, as the melody is based on keyboards, alongside mid-drum beat.
The second chorus comes immediately afterward and it is more or less the same as before.
The bridge is more laid back, it is based on keyboards playing, but later on explodes into growling with electric guitar and bass.
The song is finalized by an additional chorus.
Overall, a solid rock song that can do well in the contest. I liked the way it builds, from a piano ballad to a rock hymn. The general style reminds of rock bands from the 2000’s or early 2010’s, something like Linkin Park.
Some might see this as a bit dated, but I still believe it is impactful.

#11. Peter Põder – Korra Veel (Eng: One More Time)

It is a synth pop song.
The song opens with a synth melody, while Peter sings a short introduction.
The first verse is based on a mid beat, and airy singing.
The chorus is quite short, and he sings it with longer notes, husky voice, and it sounds almost like a piece of rock song. The dance beat is faster, and we can hear background effects like digital processed backing vocals.
The chorus is followed by a short instrumental part.
Thereafter, an additional verse comes, it is a bit faster. The beat differs as this part progresses.
After the chorus, we can hear an additional chorus that’s followed by an instrumental synth part.
The production is quite modern, even though this genre has to do more with 1980’s music.
Peter is a great vocalist, and this song isn’t an easy one to perform.
However, something about its structure makes it a bit messy.

#12.Sofia Rubina – Be Good

This is a jazz song with pop and R&B influences.
The song opens with a drum beat.
The first verse is based on keyboards playing and wind instruments like trumpet, while the drums are still in the background. She sings the first verse quite simply.
The chorus is more festive and uplifting. It is quite short and also features some backing vocals. The emphasis is on her vocals.
The second verse comes immediately afterwards. It is similar to the first one, but ricker on the melody level, with more instruments involved.
The second chorus is similar to the first one. The chorus is followed by a short part that sounds like improvisations with the backing vocalists.
The bridge is slower, and the emphasis is on Sofia’s voice. As it progresses, the hook is built. We can hear some synth sounds as well. The trumpet appears once again and closes the song more festively.
Unfortunately, the overall product isn’t impactful enough. Sofia is a great performer, but the song itself doesn’t stand out. It is a genre that lost its chances in Eurovision.

#13.Silver Jusilo – Lately

It is a mid-tempo electro-indie song.
The song opens with a quite calm intro, based on sampled digital keyboards.
The first verse relies on a cyclic beat, and from time to time we can hear the piece of melody from the intro. He sings this part in a mid-low tone of voice and sounds great.
Pre-chorus is richer. We can hear an additional layer added to the lyrics: it is a kind of beat that’s composed of percussion. bass and digital keyboards.
The chorus is built on a very specific structure. The different lines are separated by fragmentary melody, where some short pauses are included. There is a use of effects like vocoder. The beat is short and dense. In some sense, the chorus takes one step backward with melody complexity (compared to the verses).
The second verse reminds of the first verse, but the production is richer, with multi-layers. In this sense, it is similar to the pre-chorus. Later on, we get the second pre-chorus.
The second chorus features a continuous soft electro beat. It is built on sampling of digital keyboards and more instruments. He sings this part effortlessly, but still effectively.
Overall, it is one of the modern songs in the line-up. Silver shows another side of him as an artist, and it works well. It is a kind of song with great existence at studio, but live performance must be a little challenging, due to the multiple effects and non-trivial production.

#14.Traffic – Wunderbar

It is a dance club schlager, with wide influences of the 1990’s and the early 2000’s music.
The title of the song is in German and means “Wonderful”.
The song opens with a short instrumental part where we can hear pre-recoded vocals as well.
The first verse starts with a mid-slow dance beat. The lead singer sings in a mid-low crystal clear voice.
The pre-chorus is faster, as the featured beat is faster, we can hear guitar playing as well.
The chorus starts almost acoustically, and we can hear processed backing vocals (that sound a little bit childish). The chorus continues in a more danceable direction with a corresponding beat.
The second verse relies on a uniform beat, and we can hear more effects. It is followed by another pre-chorus.
Thereafter, we get an additional chorus. This part relies on the acoustic guitar is longer, and later on it is followed by the dance beat from previously, The presence of pre-recorded singing with the multiple effects is now dominant.
The song is finalized with one last chorus.
For some reason, it doesn’t work for me. I feel like the effects are too much.
In some cases, the mid-low tone of voice of the lead singer didn’t combine well with the melody.
In addition. it is one of the fewer original entries in the line-up. It reminds me of plenty of other songs from the 1990’s. However, I feel it is one of the most successful efforts of the Traffic band at “Esti Laul”.

#15. Yonna – I Don’t Know About You

It is a mid-tempo indie ballad.
The song starts immediately with singing. There are some effects over her voice, like vocoder. It reminds a little bit of elements that were included in the Greek entry for Eurovision 2022. I can also hear some references of “Hide&Seek” by Imogen Heap .
We can also hear some vocal duplication in the first lines. The singing is slow and clear, and her voice is soft.
The chorus comes afterwards. It is very intimate and exposed. Yonna sings this with a warm and soft voice. The melody is mainly based on piano playing and finalized by guitar stringing.
The second verse comes without any effect, we can hear some backing vocals as well.
The second chorus is a different one, it is more of the nature of modern light electro indie. The melody is based on digital keyboards, piano and electro beat.
The bridge is based on simple singing, with a keyboard melody and a bit of effects over the singing.
It follows another chorus of previous fast beats and digital keyboards. The song ends with humming.
There’s something heart-warming in this song, and that’s why it captivates the listener. This will help you identify with the story
Personally, it is a song of genre I use to connect with.
I adore the non-linear production and progress of the song. Each part of it caught you surprised, and that’s why I will never get bored of this.
It isn’t only a song that conveys emotions, but also creativity and character.

Pre-Qualifiers

#16. Brother Apollo – Bad Boy

It is a rock song, with the influence of boy band music
The song opens with a short instrumental part composed of bass and electronic guitar. You can hear backing vocals as well
The first verse is based on a cyclic electronic beat composed of a keyboard loop, and accompanied by an electric guitar. The singing is quite unified and clear.
Pre-chorus is less rocky, it is performed slowly, in an almost childish interpretation. The melody is quite simple and based on sparsed drum beat.
As for the chorus, it gets more intense as the electric guitar dominates the melody. The chorus is mainly based on the phrase “I’m a bad boy”.
The second verse is a little bit faster and based on the same beats, but this time the guitars play a greater role as well as in the pre-chorus.
The second chorus starts differently compared to the former one, but continues in the same line.
Thereafter we get a piece of spoken work with a heavier character of rock. At this point, it turns into a more semi-glam rock.
Overall, the song progresses interestingly, however it sounds like a lot of other existing songs. And yet, this genre can have great success at Eurovision

#17. Carlos Ukareda – Never Growing Up

It is a radio-friendly ballad.
The song starts with a short intro, and then the first verse comes. The melody is based on acoustic guitar. Carlos sings quite slowly.
Thereafter, a drum beat is added, and the guitar stringing is more dominant, that’s where he sings in a higher tone of voice.
The chorus is more hymn, the meldy is based on guitar playing. He lengthenes some of the words.
Towards the end of the second chorus, a percussion/stringing beat starts and it continues to the following parts.
The bridge is simpler, with minimal production.
He moves to more powerful singing in the last part.
The general style reminds me of Sean Mendez‘s music
In my opinion, the song is developed predictably. For me it is even a big generic.

#18. Daniel Levi – Over The Moon

It is a piano singer-songwriter ballad.
Daniel opens the song with a crystal clear voice, he sings with a mid-low tone of voice. The melody is based on piano playing.
The pre-chorus is quite short, and he sings it with some special phrasing of the words.
The chorus is more dreamy, and Daniel sings it with a high tone of thin voice.
The post-chorus has a clear flow, and he puts more emphasis on his voice.
The second verse is based on piano playing alongside orchestra string elements.
Pre-chorus arrives again and this time the chorus is richer (melody wisely). The part that comes after is a more instrumental one, while he sings with some vocal improvisations
For some reason, it reminds me of Bryan Adams’ music
The song works effectively. It proves that sometimes simplicity is more than enough. The arrangement is also excellent.

#19. Nele-Liis Vaiksoo – Käte ümber jää (Eng: Hands Around Ice)

It is a dynamic Estonian ballad.
The song starts with a mid-rate piano playing. Nele-Liis sings the first verse with a soft angelic voice. As the first verse progresses, a weak percussion beat is added.
The chorus has a different flow, it is slower and feels more nostalgic. We can hear backing vocals in the background. She starts singing it with a low tone of voice, but later on sings it with high notes and vibrato. The chorus is finalized by recicitng.
The second verse features more elements, like a beat with some digital effects.
The second chorus is similar to the first one.
After a short instrumental part, we move to modulation over the chorus and even more powerful singing.
It is a great vocal effort, but something isn’t memorable enough about this song.

#20. Uudo Sepp & Sarah Murray – Still Love

It is a kind of teenage music in the custom of a ballad.
Uudo opens the song with a mid-tone voice. The first verse is quite slow. We can also hear backing vocals and guitar.
Uudo and Sarah sing the pre-chorus together. The chorus follows immediately and it is based on a simple acoustic melody as well.
The second verse is performed by Sarah, who has a beautiful color of voice. Uudo joins in as a secondary voice.
They sing the chorus again, this time the tempo is different, as drums and guitar are added.
The bridge features some nice moments, vocals wisely.
They finalize with an additional chorus.
I have tried to give it more and more chances, but I couldn’t find anything notable about this song. It just went next to me, another radio-friendly ballad with predictable production.

My Personal Ranking

In general, I want to mention that for me most of the pre-qualifiers songs aren’t that strong. I think the committee could have easily found another 5 songs in this line-up with much more potential. It looks like they chose the 5 less-divisive songs to get a direct path to the final.

Inga – No Dog On a Leash
Yonna – I Don’t Know About You
Cecilia – FOMO
Ollie – My Friend
Daniel Levi – Over The Moon
Silver Jusilo – Lately
Laura – Here’s Where I Draw The Line
Cartoon, Ewert Sundja – Oblivion
Antsud – Vetevaim
Anet Vaikmaa – Serotoniin
Brother Apollo – Bad Boy
Peter Põder – Korra Veel
Nele-Liis Vaiksoo – Käte ümber jää
Traffic – Wunderbar
Carlos Ukareda – Never Growing Up
Sofia Rubina – Be Good
Ewert and the 2 Dragons – Hold Me Now
Uudo Sepp & Sarah Murray – Still Love
5MIINUST x Puuluup– (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi
Ingmar – Dreaming

My Prediction

I tend to think it will be between Ollie and 5MIINUST x Puuluup.
However, I can easily see Daniel Levi in the top 5.
Yonna can be a dark horse, as long as she conveys a convincing performance.

Estonia is known for having a tendency to select a male performer with radio-friendly songs, so any song in this range of genre, can do well.

Who would you like to see representing Estonia at Eurovision 2024?
Eurovision 2024 will be held in Malmö, Sweden.
The semi-finals will be held on the 7th and 9th of May 2024, and the grand final will be held on the 11th of May 2024

Don’t forget to visit our Eurovision 2024 Homepage