Estonia: EER releases the dates and rules for the national selection Eesti Laul 2022

Estonia: EER releases the dates and rules for the national selection Eesti Laul 2022
Thursday, 02 September 2021

  • The Estonian national broadcaster, ERR, has released the dates and rules of the country's national selection for next year's Eurovision, Eesti Laul 2022. 

    Estonia will be competing in Eurovision for the 27th times since its debut back in 1994 and will be selecting their Eurovision 2022 hopeful once again through the traditional national selection show of Eesti Laul. 

    With the next edition taking place with some changes the Estonian broadcaster released the dates along with the rules and regulations of the selection process. 

    In the next edition of Eesti Laul a total of 40 entries will compete for the right to represent Estonia in Eurovision 2022. This number is increased from the 24 that competed in previous edition.  The format will see also the addition of 4 quaterfinals which means that the national selection will consist of seven shows in total. Precisely the Estonian national selection will include four quaterfinals, two semi final rounds and one Grand final show.

    The four quarterfinal rounds will unfold from 20 November 2021- 11  December 2021 with the two semi finals to follow on 3 and 5 March 2022. The selection will conclude with the Grand final show on March 12, 2022 which will determine the next Estonian Eurovision representative.  

    Before the Quarter finals kick off there will be a pre-audition stage which will shorlist the 40 acts to compete in the upcoming national selection shows. Thus this is how Eesti Laul 2022 will unfold over the next months: 

    • 20/11/2021 - 1st Quarterfinal
    • 27/11/2021 - 2nd Quarterfinal
    • 04/12/2021 - 3rd Quarterfinal
    • 11/12/2021- 4th Quarterfinal
    • 03/02/2022 - First Semifinal
    • 05/02/2022 - Second Semifinal
    • 12/02/2022 - Grand Final

    Interest acts that ambition to take part in the national selection and claim the right to defend the Estonian colors in Italy next May will have to submit their songs from September 2 until October 20, 2021. 

     

    Estonia in Eurovision 

    Estonia joined the Eurovision family in 1994 . On their debut participation they were represented by Silvi Vrait, who finished 2nd last with only 2 points. Seven years later the country was crowned winner of  Eurovision Song Contest 2001 for the first and only time until today. Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL, performed the song Everybody and against all odds achieved to bring the trophy from Copenhagen in Estonia.

    However this success didn’t continue as Estonia failed to qualify for the final from 2004-2008. In 2009 after successive bad results led to the establishment of Eesti Laul, as the show through which the country has been selecting its Eurovision entries the last ten years, having seven times qualified to the final.
    In 2019 with Swedish singer, Victor Crone won Eesti Laul 2019 and rerpesented Estonia with his song, “Storm”. The Estonian representative finished in 20th place in the final with 76 points, marking Estonia’s qualification to the final for a second year in a row.

    Uku won the Estonian national final back in February 2020 with his entry “What Love Is” and along with it the right to reprsent Estonian at Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam. Unfortunately the contest never took place cause of the coronavirus pandemic leaving Uku’s ESC journey incomplete.

    However, the Estonian act was given a pass to compete in Eesti Laul 2021 finals, which he eventually won again with his song 'The Lucky One' and went off to representing the country in Rotterdam. Uku competed in the second semi final and depsite his strong performance didn't make it to the Grand Final. 

     

    News Source: ERR/  ESCToday

    Images: EBU / ANDRES PUTTING