09 February 2026

Could Valentine’s Day 2026 be a day that’s too epic to be true when the winner of Estonia’s Eesti Laul 2026 is decided? This year’s Eesti Laul happens to fall on 14 February and coincidentally includes my favourite band ever, Vanilla Ninja, performing Too Epic To Be True. Since they appeared at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland and when my enduring love affair began with them, this will be only their second attempt to reach Eurovision for their home country. While individual members, notably Lenna Kuurmaa (on four occasions and finishing second twice), have tried themselves, the band’s only subsequent attempt from 2005 was in 2007, when they finished fourth with Birds Of Peace. Not long after their formation, Vanilla Ninja did compete at Euro Laul in 2003 (as Eesti Laul was known at the time) with Club Fung Fu when they were more a girl band than an actual band, and won the popular vote. Unfortunately, that year, the national final was decided entirely by a jury, who ranked Vanilla Ninja last.

Eesti Laul returns as just a single show after dispensing with any sort of semi final in 2025. It will be a leaner show of just 12 songs, compared to 16 last year, too. The year is definitely a case of quality over quantity as Vanilla Ninja will face a stacked field in their mission to represent Estonia at Eurovision. Returning previous Eurovision participants include Getter Jaani (2011) and the members of Stockholm Cowboys, Stig Rästa (2015) & Victor Crone (2019). Familiar Eesti Laul names also return, like Grete Paia, Ollie, and the respective ones in Ant & Minimal Wind.

Playlist of My Top 12 Here

My Top 12

12 Clicherik & Mäx – Jolly Roger
11 Noëp – Days Like This
10 Robert Linna – Metsik roos
09 Marta Pikani – Kell kuus
08 Stockholm Cowboys – Last Man Standing
07 Uliana Olhyna – Rhythm of Nature
06 Getter Jaani – The Game
05 Laura Prits – Warrior

Clicherik & Mäx are simply not my style. Noëp repeats a dull chorus. Robert Linna, Marta Pikani and Stockholm Cowboys are fine, that’s all. Estonian folk music is represented quite well by Uliana Olhyna and it’s reminiscent of Latvia’s Eurovision entry last year by Tautumeitas. Getter Jaani’s song is contemporary without really distinguishing itself. Warrior, from Lauri Prits, brings great energy while lacking some nuance.

04 Ollie – Slave

Ollie’s third attempt since 2022, where he finished second with Venom to Alika and repeated that result in 2023 with My Friend (losing to 5miinust & Puuluup). Slave is not as good as those two, with it sounding more like screaming than singing at times. Being on the harder side could be the whole point as Ollie attempts to create a real point of difference to the other acts and his previous entries.

03 Ant & Minimal Wind – Wounds

An excellent collaboration in this stunning and quite beautiful ballad. Minimal Wind can often sound like minimal energy, so adding Ant’s powerful vocals really elevates this effort.

02 Grete Paia – Taevas jäi üles

Grete is one of my favourite artists since the very first time I saw her at Eesti Laul 2013. There, she narrowly lost to Birgit Õigemeel, who also became a huge favourite. Sad to see Grete up against Vanilla Ninja this year! Grete brings quite the evocative and intoxicating dance song, all wrapped in her unique vocal style. The best I can wish for Grete is that if Vanilla Ninja loses, I hope it’s to her!

01 Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic To Be True

There was never any doubt that Vanilla Ninja would be my number one. Beyond the obvious bias that gives them a head start, returning to their original songwriter, Sven Lõhmus for Too Epic To Be True, this collaboration would always be interesting. Sven Lõhmus was honoured at the 2025 Estonian Music Awards in January of that year for his 20+ years of work in the Estonian music scene, which includes several Eurovision entries, with Getter Jaani’s in 2011 among them, and her Eesti Laul 2026 entry. Vanilla Ninja, whose first album was primarily written by Sven, were one of the acts involved in the tribute performance and, if the translation is correct, that’s when ideas sprung for an Eesti Laul song. In contrast to the typical pop-rock of Vanilla Ninja, Sven leans more into the pop, and that infusion has created a legit, epic song. It has that instant hook and just never lets up. Lenna sounds as awesome as usual, and Kerli, who was added to the band in 2022 and is the younger sister of former member, Triinu, adds her own little slices of magic. Piret, who is the other foundation member with Lenna, keeps being Piret by rocking the guitar and complimenting the vocals.

Running Order

01 Clicherik & Mäx – Jolly Roger
02 Robert Linna – Metsik roos
03 Grete Paia – Taevas jäi üles
04 Laura Prits – Warrior
05 Uliana Olhyna – Rhythm of Nature
06 Ollie – Slave
07 Marta Pikani – Kell kuus
08 Noëp – Days Like This
09 Getter Jaani – The Game
10 Ant & Minimal Wind – Wounds
11 Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic To Be True
12 Stockholm Cowboys – Last Man Standing

Second last is almost the designated spot for the favourite of the producers these days, with Tommy Cash winning from that position last year, and the entry performing last now notoriously the one designated to finish the show with a bit of harmless fun. With Ant & Minimal Wind performing from 10th with their ballad, Vanilla Ninja are in prime position to really pop. Ollie gets a nice spot at sixth and with lesser songs around him. The betting markets have it between Ollie and Vanilla Ninja, with a gap to Clicherik & Mäx in third. The latter are likely some local novelty that appeal to younger people, hence, I don’t like them. They start the show, which, again, shows the mentality of the producers to give the main favourites space to shine.

As usual, I will enjoy the show and appreciate the performances. The nerves and anxiety can wait until the voting phase, and especially for the likely proposition of the final showdown in the super final between Ollie and Vanilla Ninja. The hope is with a phenomenal performance, all those young fans from 20 years ago and the long time between Eesti Laul appearances, that will generate a wave of nostalgia and sentiment for Estonia to send one of their most iconic and stellar acts to Eurovision. As sad as the scenario seems, it will either be an epic night for Vanilla Ninja and their fans, or the end of Vanilla Ninja ever appearing at Eurovision for Estonia.

Eesti Laul 2026 takes place on 14 February 2026 at 19:15 local time.

Estonia: Tommy Cash wins Eesti Laul 2025 with Espresso Macchiato