Judging by the last couple of Eurovision entries we gather Estonia must be the smugness capital of Europe. This bolstering self-confidence strikes us a wee bit unwarranted for a tiny, insignificant country tucked away on the outskirts of Europe, but we must admit we find it kind of sexy too. Maybe it’s just an act for all we know, and if so well played.
The Estonians did incredibly well last year with sober noir pop, competently performed by preppy Stig Rästa and the eye catching Elina Born. And finding a successful formula makes it safe and easy to stick to it. If it’s wise and whether it will continue to garner support is an entirely different question. Last year’s success did pave the way for Jüri Pootsmann and we don’t mind making his acquaintance, but let’s hope this doesn’t mark the beginning of a decade with retro pop penned by the same guy.
There’s just something so unbearably pretentious with Jüri’s acutely slapable face, yet so thrillingly intriguing. And when he opens his mouth and reveals that deep gravelly bass-baritone voice, we can’t deny we’re smitten.
Hopefully something has been done with the staging since Eesti Laul. Showing up in a yacht club blazer looking like a brat who took the wrong turn on his way to Stockholm School of Economics will be off putting to quite a few people. Topping that with using a close up of Jüri’s face as a backdrop further amplifies the impression of a self absorbed douche, which surely is not the image the Estonians want to project.
We can easily see Play picking up support from the juries and quite a few viewers on the lookout for a real song to place their votes on. It has all the hallmarks of a credible entry considered to be safe getting behind. But there’s also a chance it will not make much of an impression and end up getting left behind in the semi-final. There will be carnage in the first semi-final and somebody’s gotta go.
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