Estonia's Eesti Laul 2023 will not include quarter-finals and will go back to using semi-final/final system.
Eesti Laul producer Tomi Rahula broke this news on Estonian radio this morning:
“The quarter-finals were worth trying, because we got a lot of new music and many artists got a chance to show and prove themselves. This year we will take the semi-finals more calmly, but we will still make the final grand.”
Last year 40 songs took part in the quarter-finals, which used music videos for juries and the public to vote on. Half were then eliminated before the semi-finals where acts would perform their songs live.
This year’s contest will only have 20 songs, with 12 advancing to the final.
As well as this news, song submissions for Eesti Laul have opened. The submission period will close October 20.
Despite the last 4 winners of Eesti Laul being sung in English, Rahula has encourage artists to submit songs in Estonian. Rahula believes a song in their own language would be more special for Estonia and would sound better at Eurovision. Estonia last sent a song in Estonian in 2013.
Key dates for Eesti Laul 2023:
- Artist reveal: Beginning of November
- Song reveal: December 3
- Semi Final 1: January 12
- Semi Final 2: January 14
- Grand Final: February 11
Stefan won the most recent Eesti Laul with his song “Hope“. He placed 13th at Eurovision in Turin with 141 points.
What do you think of Estonia’s approach to Eurovision 2023? Are you happy quarter-finals have been removed? Let us know in the comments below!
