Estonia's Haunted Piano Ballad Finishes Sixth

MAY 15 2012 · 12:20

Ott Lepland · "Kuula" · Estonia · 2012 Placement: 6 · Score: 120 · Language: Estonian · Composers: Sven Lõhmus · Venue: Crystal Hall · Host: Baku, Azerbaijan · Type: performance innovation · Broadcast: streaming era Lepland takes the Baku Crystal Hall stage alone with a grand piano. He sings 'Kuula' — 'Listen' in Estonian — as a quiet, devastating ballad about hearing the voice of someone no longer present. No dancers, no effects, no key change gimmick. His vocal is clean and close-miked. Estonia ends up 6th with 120 points. Loreen wins with 'Euphoria'. Context Sven Lõhmus is Estonia's dominant 21st-century Eurovision composer. Lepland had won the Estonian Eesti Laul national final over stronger pop favorites by performing the song with disarming restraint. The Estonian-language choice was a deliberate gamble against Eurovision's English-language gravity. Legacy 'Kuula' remains one of Estonian pop's most revered ballads and the country's highest-charting Eurovision entry. Lepland continued a successful Estonian recording career. The 2012 entry is taught in academic studies of minority-language Eurovision entries that score strongly despite language friction.