Eesti Laul Has Begun! But What Do i Think Of The First Songs?

Estonia’s national selection for their 2022 Eurovision song has begun and the first songs are competing to stay in the running! I give my breakdown of these songs as we prepare to see what the Estonian public decide!

The songs were presented and results announced on ETV here

Traffic –  Kaua Veel

Opening the show with an emotional sounding ballad. It’s rather minimalistic in the verses but the chorus packs a fair punch. The melody is catchy and after one listen I could essentially hum the melody but whether or not it is the most memorable track is a different story. This song could either thrive or sink dependent on the live, in my opinion. A beautiful emotive performance could be enough to connect with the audience and reel in those votes. Equally however, it runs the risk of being just another mid-tempo ballad in the running order.

Jaagup Tuisk – Kui Vaid

Very different from his previous attempt at Eesti Laul, Jaagup has a far darker sound in this track. The string heavy, almost rock-esque ballad moves along at a rapid tempo. This creates many energetic and dynamic moments through the track, keeping me for one engaged throughout the track. It is a lot to take in all at once but it creates an atmosphere that instantly draws your attention. Structurally, I am left a bit confused as to how far through the track we are as it progresses but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Certainly a unique song in the line-up.

Kéa – Every Time

So this is the first song in English in the line-up and it is probably the most traditional pop ballad song yet as well. This is leaving it a tad underwhelming for me, especially with the constant repetition of Every time. Its fine but it is a safe pick in my opinion. We will see if that in itself draws it a voter base in Eesti Laul. I also feel like this song would sound much better live when Kéa can really show off her vocal ability in those high notes.

Fiona and Me – Feel Like This

The most obvious thing with this track is the stylised vocals to sound almost robotic. I have no idea how this would sound at Eurovision as a result which has chopped and changed with its vocal effects rules over the years.  Asides from that it is a half decent soft indie rock track that has quite a mellow mood. What it probably lacks is that wow factor especially if the vocals have to be ‘normalised’ a fair bit for Eurovision.

Peter Põder – Koos lõpuni

Yet another mid-tempo ballad, we have Peter next with his guitar. The song has a rather charming melody that is very easy-listening and I think would be fairly easy to translate onto stage well. The song is sweet enough but also impactful enough that it will most likely muster a decent amount of support. Much like Traffic’s song the fact it is in Estonian is an added nice touch which helps add a dreamy feel to the song.

Stig Rästa – Interstellar

If you have been following Eurovision for a while then you will likely already know Stig from being a half of the duo who represented Estonia with the song Goodbye To Yesterday. This time around his song is very reminiscent of Coldplay and is just an all around solid pop song. Is it as wow as Goodbye To Yesterday, probably not but at the end of the day that doesn’t matter. Against the competing songs in this heat, this is excellent and should advance. Well… at least that is my opinion!

Maian – Meeletu

Next up, serving those tropical vibes is Maian. In a juxtaposition to the winter climate we are heading into this number brings memories of a warmer day. Despite all this the track is still pretty calm and I’m not the most confident it won’t get lost in the line-up.  Saying that it’s got a great rhythm to it that makes me want to shuffle my feet. Yes, this may well be one reason this is a blog and not a videoed reaction!

Little Mess – Hea päev

I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch to guess this group were inspired by Little Mix? The song offers plenty of opportunities for awesome harmonies if everything comes together and has a sweet, groovy feel. Equally it could all fall apart if the group don’t gel together well live. Certainly if it all comes together I can see juries eating this up but I’m less persuaded it is a sure hit with a televote.

Boamadu – Mitte kauaks

It’s good to see Eurovision back in its rock era, albeit if national finals never really stopped giving us rock songs. The song is maybe a bit to tame for my liking though. The melody is great but personally I’m looking for energy in the song that matches the band’s dancing. This will maybe feel more powerful live but the studio is just holding back a bit too much for me to fall in love entirely. In this line-up though it is standing out well and should be able to monopolise the votes of any rock lovers out there.

Evelin Samuel – Waterfall

I can just tell from the first notes this is going to be a guilty pleasure of mine. The harmonies in this are beautiful and really make the track (hopefully she can pull them off live). Even with the unusual metaphors throughout the lyrics, the song drives forward in a very sing-a-long manner which just gives the track that feel good vibe I needed after listening to all these songs. Does it have great potential for Eurovision? Probably not but do I want it to advance tonight? One hundred percent.

So what’s my ranking for tonight?

Well after my first listen tonight, when it is still raw in my head I would probably go for this:

1. Waterfall

2. Interstellar

3. Kui Vaid

4. Koos lõpuni

5. Kaua Veel

6. Meeletu

7. Hea Päev

8. Mitte Kauaks

9. Every Time

10. Feel Like This

With five songs advancing to the next round of the competition the question remains! Do you agree (probably not) with the songs I have qualifying? Let me know in the comments or on social media!

But we will see what Estonia has to say! This article will be updated later when the results are known!

And Now For The Actual Results

The Estonian public chose to save the following five songs:

• Waterfall
• Interstellar
• Mitte Kauaks
• Meeletu
• Kui Vaid

So my top three all advanced, which is not too bad a result for me! Hopefully your favourites did equally as well!