Uku Suviste did not require a wildcard to be selected to compete in Eesti Laul 2021 according to Tomi Rahula.
Eesti Laul Producer and Head of Delegation Tomi Rahula has explained that Uku Suviste was selected to compete in Eesti Laul 2021 on merit. He explained during Ringvaade that despite being promised a place in the contest should he wish to compete, Uku was selected by selection committee on merit.
He said on the broadcast that:
Uku Suviste’s song is very strong. I like this one (song) more than the previous one.
He went on to add that Uku specifically asked for his song to go before the selection committee as he did not think he should compete if they didn’t think it was strong enough. Tomi explained that the song was then subsequently selected as one of the twenty-four acts.
A full reveal of the songs competing in Eesti Laul will take place in early December in a televised show on ETV.
The semi-finals of Eesti Laul will take place on February 18 and 20. 12 songs will then qualify for the Grand Final on March 6. All three shows will take place in Tallinn for the first time since 2018, due to the current Covid-19 restrictions on gatherings in Estonia.
156 songs were submitted, 63 were in Estonian. Of the 93 non-Estonian songs, English was the most common language used but the songs also featured lyrics in Russian, Spanish and French.
Image Source: ERR / Source: ESC Portugal
Estonia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 alongside six other countries. At the contest in Dublin they were represented by Silvi Vrait, who finished 2nd last scoring just 2 points. In 2001 Estonia won the Eurovision Song Contest for the only time to date. They were represented by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL, who performed the song “Everybody” and took a surprise victory in Copenhagen. After the success of the late-90s and early 00s, Estonia failed to qualify for the final from 2004-2008. In 2009 Estonia launched a new selection show, Eesti Laul, and has since qualified for the final six out of ten attempts.
