Vanilla Ninja Are Back: Estonia Sends a 21-Year Throwback to Vienna

Darlings, Estonia just did the most… and honestly, thank you for that

Some national finals give you a winner and a polite clap. Estonia, on the other hand, has looked Eurovision season straight in the eye and said, “What if we made it feel like 2005 again, but with better Wi-Fi and a bigger arena?” Because yes: Vanilla Ninja are going back to Eurovision, 21 years after their last appearance, having just been crowned champions of Eesti Laul at Tallinn’s Unibet Arena, in a final that had twelve acts on stage and a room full of people quietly realising they were about to become emotional about a band they thought lived safely in their teenage playlists.

The show was hosted by Karl-Erik Taukar and Köre, and it had that classic Eesti Laul vibe: sleek enough to feel modern, relaxed enough to let the songs breathe, and just tense enough in the results to keep everyone pretending they’re “fine” while refreshing their group chats.

The running order: twelve acts, one arena, and Estonia doing Estonia

Here’s how the night rolled out, in the exact performance order you’ll want for your notes, your recaps, and your “but why was THAT placed there?” theories: Clicherik & Mäx – “Jolly Roger”; Robert Linna – “Metsik roos” (Wild rose); Grete Paia – “Taevas jäi üles” (The sky remains above); Laura Prits – “Warrior”; Uliana Olhyna – “Rhythm of Nature”; Ollie – “Slave”; Marta Pikani – “Kell kuus” (At six o’clock); NOËP – “Days Like This”; Getter Jaani – “The Game”; ANT x Minimal Wind – “Wounds (Don’t Wanna Fall)”; Vanilla Ninja – “Too Epic to Be True”; Stockholm Cowboys – Stig Rästa, Victor Crone – “Last Man Standing”.

No hand-holding, no filler, just twelve chances to make an impact before the numbers started doing what numbers do: ruining someone’s night.

How the winner was chosen: juries, televote… and the world joining in

The winner was decided through a combination of jury and televote, and Estonia also opened the door to fans abroad, who could vote through the eestilaul.vote app, with up to 20 votes allowed. It’s the kind of detail that matters because Eesti Laul has always understood something crucial: Estonia may be small, but its Eurovision fandom absolutely is not.

Rankings, kept exactly as they happened

Jury (Top 3): Ollie – “Slave”; Stockholm Cowboys – “Last Man Standing”; ANT x Minimal Wind – “Wounds (Don’t Wanna Fall)”.

Jury + Televote (Top 3): Ollie – “Slave”; NOËP – “Days Like This”; Vanilla Ninja – “Too Epic to Be True”.

Final results (Round 2): Vanilla Ninja – “Too Epic to Be True”; NOËP – “Days Like This”; Ollie – “Slave”.

And that’s the headline with glitter and a time machine attached: Vanilla Ninja won the second round, which means Estonia is officially sending a comeback story to Vienna that practically writes itself.

A new chapter after Tommy Cash’s Basel bronze

Vanilla Ninja will follow Tommy Cash, who represented Estonia last year in Basel and finished third, which is not only a tough act to follow but also a very Estonian problem to have: “Our last entry did brilliantly, so now everyone expects us to keep doing brilliantly, please and thank you.”

Still, if you’re going to follow a podium finish, doing it with a band returning after 21 years is a pretty strong opening move. It says: Estonia isn’t just trying to compete, Estonia is trying to create a moment.

Vienna, get ready. Estonia just pressed play on a nostalgia button, and it’s somehow sounding very current.