28 November 2020

It’s the best news since… ever!

The famous all-girl pop-rock group from Estonia is back, releasing a new album in 2021, complete with Lenna Kuurmaa, Piret Järvis, Katrin Siska and Triinu Kivilaan from their halcyon days. They are working with David Brandes, the German producer behind their second and third albums, Traces Of Sadness and Blue Tattoo, and their Eurovision Song Contest entry of 2005, Cool Vibes.

It’s an interesting return to Brandes and his Bros Music record label, as the girls (now Lenna, Piret and Katrin) were involved in a bitter separation, moved to EMI for their fourth album, Love Is War, and even had to fight in court to keep using their own name.

2020 has been a tough year for many people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s been an especially tough period for me after losing my mother in April last year. Hearing that familiar, warm tone of Lenna’s voice, it brought a sense of hope and joy that’s been missing from my life for so long.

For those unaware, my connection with Vanilla Ninja goes back a long time, upon first hearing Cool Vibes on the Eurovision 2005 CD, to seeing them live in Estonia in 2008 (which turned out to be their final tour), to meeting the band then, and meeting and seeing Lenna at a 100 year-old barn in southern Estonia in 2017.

Cool Vibes is my favourite Eurovision song of all time. Representing Switzerland, Vanilla Ninja finished 8th in the grand final.

Since Vanilla Ninja broke up, Lenna has embarked on a solo career that has produced three albums, and another album from a side project in the pop-rock style called Moonland. She’s also had several attempts to return to Eurovision, the most recent in 2017.