Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 explained

Year:2018
Country:Estonia
Preselection:Eesti Laul 2018
Preselection Date:Semi-finals:
10 February 2018
17 February 2018
Final:
3 March 2018
Entrant:Elina Nechayeva
Song:La forza
Sf Result:Qualified (5th, 201 points)
Final Result:8th, 245 points

Estonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "La forza" written by Mihkel Mattisen, Timo Vendt, Ksenia Kuchukova and Elina Nechayeva. The song was performed by Elina Nechayeva. The Estonian broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organised the national final Eesti Laul 2018 in order to select the Estonian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The national final consisted of three shows: two semi-finals and a final. Ten songs competed in each semi-final and five from each semi-final as determined by a jury panel and public vote qualified to the final. In the final, the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, "La forza" performed by Elina Nechayeva was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.

Estonia was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 8 May 2018. Performing during the show in position 9, "La forza" was announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 12 May. It was later revealed that Estonia placed fifth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 201 points. In the final, Estonia performed in position 6 and placed eighth out of the 26 participating countries, scoring 245 points.

Background

See main article: Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Prior to the 2018 contest, Estonia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twenty-three times since its first entry in 1994, winning the contest on one occasion in 2001 with the song "Everybody" performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL.[1] Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004, Estonia has, to this point, managed to qualify to the final on five occasions. In 2017, "Verona" performed by Koit Toome and Laura failed to qualify Estonia to the final where the song placed fourteenth in the semi-final.

The Estonian national broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), broadcasts the event within Estonia and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. ERR confirmed Estonia's participation at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 2 May 2017.[2] Since their debut, the Estonian broadcaster has organised national finals that feature a competition among multiple artists and songs in order to select Estonia's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eesti Laul competition has been organised since 2009 in order to select Estonia's entry and on 19 September 2017, ERR announced the organisation of Eesti Laul 2018 in order to select the nation's 2018 entry.

Before Eurovision

Eesti Laul 2018

Eesti Laul 2018 was the tenth edition of the Estonian national selection Eesti Laul, which selected Estonia's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The competition consisted of twenty entries competing in two semi-finals on 10 and 17 February 2018 leading to a ten-song final on 3 March 2018.[3] All three shows were broadcast on Eesti Televisioon (ETV) and on ETV+ with Russian commentary as well as streamed online at the broadcaster's official website err.ee. The final was also broadcast via radio on Raadio 2 with commentary by Erik Morna, Margus Kamlat, Bert Järvet, Kristo Rajasaare and Mihkel Ulk.[4] [5]

Format

The format of the competition included two semi-finals on 10 and 17 February 2018 and a final on 3 March 2018.[6] Ten songs competed in each semi-final and the top five from each semi-final qualified to complete the ten song lineup in the final. The results of the semi-finals was determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from a professional jury and public televoting for the first four qualifiers and a second round of public televoting for the fifth qualifier. The winning song in the final was selected over two rounds of voting: the first round results selected the top three songs via the 50/50 combination of jury and public voting, while the second round (superfinal) determined the winner solely by public televoting. In addition to winning the right to represent Estonia at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, the winning songwriters and producers were also awarded monetary prizes of €3,000 and €1,000, respectively. The Estonian Authors' Society and Estonian Performers Association also awarded a monetary prize of €1,000 to the top three entries.[7]

Competing entries

On 19 September 2017, ERR opened the submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries up until 1 November 2017. All artists and composers were required to have Estonian citizenship or be a permanent resident of Estonia and each artist and songwriter was only able to submit a maximum of three entries, with an exception for composers who participated in songwriting camps organised by the Estonian Song Academy in spring and autumn 2017. Foreign collaborations were allowed as long as 50% of the songwriters were Estonian.[8] A record 258 submissions were received by the deadline—breaking the previous record of 242, set during the 2017 edition. A 15-member jury panel selected 15 semi-finalists from the submissions with the remaining 5 semi-finalists selected by members of the Eesti Laul editorial board. The selected songs were announced during the ETV entertainment program Ringvaade on 10 November 2017.[9] [10] The selection jury consisted of Karl-Erik Taukar (singer), Koit Raudsepp (Raadio 2 presenter), Alon Amir (music manager), Mariliis Mõttus (Müürileht music editor), Andres Puusepp (DJ), Jaane Tomps (Delfi music journalist), Harri Hakanen (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu music manager), Mingo Rajandi (musician), Siim Nestor (music critic), Getter Jaani (singer), Sten Teppan (Vikerraadio music editor), Mari-Liis Männik (Radio Elmar), Toomas Puna (Raadio Sky+ program director), Irina Svensson (Raadio 4 editor) and Valner Valme (music critic), while the Eesti Laul editorial board members consisted of Ove Musting (director), Ingrid Kohtla (editor), Mai Palling (editor), Filip Adamo (consultant), Ruth Heinmaa (producer) and Mart Normet (producer).[11]

Among the competing artists were previous Eurovision Song Contest entrants Gerli Padar, who represented Estonia in 2007, and Stig Rästa, who represented Estonia in 2015 together with Elina Born. Iiris, Indrek Ventmann, Karl Kristjan, Rolf Roosalu and Semy have all competed in previous editions of Eesti Laul. Marju Länik's entry was written by Axel Ehnström, who represented Finland in 2011 as Paradise Oskar.

ArtistSongSongwriter(s)
Aden Ray"Everybody's Dressed"Nikita Bogdanov
Desiree"On My Mind"Amiran Gorgazjan
Eliis Pärna and Gerli Padar"Sky"Imre Sooäär
"Taevas"
Elina Nechayeva"La forza"Mihkel Mattisen, Timo Vendt, Ksenia Kuchukova, Elina Nechayeva
Etnopatsy"Külm"Aile Alveus-Krautmann
Evestus"Welcome to My World"Ott Evestus
Frankie Animal"(Can't Keep Calling) Misty"Marie Vaigla, Jonas Kaarnamets, Jan-Christopher Soovik
Girls in Pearls"Spellbound"Vivi Maar, Viveli Maar, Rasmus Lill
Iiris and Agoh"Drop That Boogie"Ago Teppand, Iiris Vesik
Indrek Ventmann"Tempel"Allan Kasuk, Siim Koppel, Indrek Ventmann
Karl-Kristjan and Karl Killing feat. Wateva"Young"Karl-Kristjan Kingi, Karl Killing, Kris Evan Säde, Hugo Martin Maasikas
Marju Länik"Täna otsuseid ei tee"Liina Saar, Herman Gardarfve, Axel Ehnström, Marju Länik
Metsakutsu"Koplifornia"Meelis Meri, Rainer Olbri
Miljardid"Pseudoprobleem"Miljardid, Marten Kuningas
Nika"Knock Knock"Nika Prokopjeva
Rolf Roosalu"Show a Little Love"Rolf Roosalu, Priit Uustulnd, Maian Kärmas
Sibyl Vane"Thousand Words"Sibyl Vane, Helena Randlaht
Stig Rästa"Home"Stig Rästa, Fred Krieger
Tiiu x Okym x Semy"Näita oma energiat"Kaido Luht, Sergei Morgun, Tiiu Kaarlõp, Meiko Umal
Vajé"Laura (Walk with Me)"Karl-Ander Reismann

Semi-finals

The two semi-finals took place on 10 and 17 February 2018, hosted by Kristel Aaslaid and Martin Veisman. The live portion of the shows were held at the ERR studios in Tallinn where the artists awaited the results while their performances, which were filmed earlier at the ERR studios between 2 and 4 February 2018, were screened. In each semi-final ten songs competed for the first four spots in the final with the outcome decided upon by the combination of the votes from a jury panel and a public televote which registered 22,985 votes in the first semi-final and 9,782 votes in the second semi-final; the fifth qualifier was decided by an additional televote between the remaining non-qualifiers which registered 10,909 votes in the first semi-final and 7,920 votes in the second semi-final. The jury panel that voted in the semi-finals consisted of Lenna Kuurmaa, Eeva Talsi, Hanna Parman, Mariliis Mõttus, Kristjan Hirmo, Tomi Rahula, Jaanus Nõgisto, Dave Benton, Rainer Ild, Aleksandr Žemžurov and Erik Morna.[12] [13] [14]

Semi-final 1 (First round) – 10 February 2018
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
VotesPointsVotesPoints
1Vajé"Laura (Walk with Me)"2231,6208115
2Iiris and Agoh"Drop That Boogie"97108724144
3Etnopatsy"Külm"3441,2686106
4Sibyl Vane"Thousand Words"7871,4497143
5Aden Ray"Everybody's Dressed"5959785107
6Tiiu x Okym x Semy"Näita oma energiat"1015561210
7Stig Rästa"Home"8682,99910182
8Miljardid"Pseudoprobleem"616686288
9Desiree"On My Mind"122765359
10Elina Nechayeva"La forza"1131211,79212241
Semi-final 1 (Second round) – 10 February 2018
ArtistSongTelevotePlace
Aden Ray"Everybody's Dressed"2,4542
Desiree"On My Mind"1,4614
Etnopatsy"Külm"1,8613
Miljardid"Pseudoprobleem"1,4475
Tiiu x Okym x Semy"Näita oma energiat"4326
Vajé"Laura (Walk with Me)"3,2541
Semi-final 2 (First round) – 17 February 2018
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
VotesPointsVotesPoints
1Marju Länik"Täna otsuseid ei tee"3945661510
2Rolf Roosalu"Show a Little Love"5768624107
3Frankie Animal"(Can't Keep Calling) Misty"112129727191
4Eliis Pärna and Gerli Padar"Sky"2211,30310116
5Indrek Ventmann"Tempel"383957698
6Evestus"Welcome to My World"7588735134
7Karl-Kristjan and Karl Killing feat. Wateva"Young"5051,79112172
8Metsakutsu"Koplifornia"302734359
9Girls in Pearls"Spellbound"91107052125
10Nika"Knock Knock"5871,0198153
Semi-final 2 (Second round) – 17 February 2018
ArtistSongTelevotePlace
Eliis Pärna and Gerli Padar"Sky"1,7641
Girls in Pearls"Spellbound"1,2345
Indrek Ventmann"Tempel"1,3334
Marju Länik"Täna otsuseid ei tee"6356
Metsakutsu"Koplifornia"1,4543
Rolf Roosalu"Show a Little Love"1,5002

Final

The final took place on 3 March 2018 at the Saku Suurhall in Tallinn, hosted by Kristel Aaslaid and Martin Veisman. The five entries that qualified from each of the two preceding semi-finals, all together ten songs, competed during the show.[15] The winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, a jury (50%) and public televote (50%) determined the top three entries to proceed to the superfinal. The public vote in the first round registered 70,755 votes. In the superfinal, "La forza" performed by Elina Nechayeva was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote. The public televote in the superfinal registered 61,637 votes.[16] [17] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Koit Toome and Laura, who represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Leslie Da Bass with Evelin Võigemast, and Rasmus Rändvee with X Faktors winner Arturs Gruzdinš performed as the interval acts.[18] The jury panel that voted in the first round of the final consisted of Valter Soosalu (conductor), Maiken (singer), Ģirts Majors (Positivus Festival organizer), Nicola Caligiore (Italian Eurovision Head of Delegation), Laura Prits (singer), Sten Teppan (Vikerraadio music editor), Joana Levieva-Sawyer (Bulgarian Eurovision Head of Delegation), Helen Sildna (Tallinn Music Week organizer), Ole Tøpholm (radio presenter), Marina Kesler (choreographer) and Ivar Must (composer).[19]

Final – 3 March 2018
DrawArtistSongJuryTelevoteTotalPlace
VotesPointsVotesPoints
1Karl-Kristjan and Karl Killing feat. Wateva"Young"4735,7868116
2Eliis Pärna and Gerli Padar"Taevas"3412,3083410
3Nika"Knock Knock"5041,991159
4Sibyl Vane"Thousand Words"86102,8984144
5Stig Rästa"Home"7975,7147143
6Vajé"Laura (Walk with Me)"5155,99510152
7Elina Nechayeva"La forza"1131237,62812241
8Frankie Animal"(Can't Keep Calling) Misty"8582,0312107
9Iiris and Agoh"Drop That Boogie"5263,4276125
10Evestus"Welcome to My World"4122,977578
DrawSongMaikenTotal
1"Young"1 2 1 5 6 1 5 1 5 10 10 47
2"Taevas"2 1 2 2 2 8 4 2 4 4 3 34
3"Knock Knock"4 4 7 1 4 4 2 7 8 7 2 50
4"Thousand Words"6 6 6 10 10 7 7 8 6 8 12 86
5"Home"3 5 8 8 5 12 6 4 10 12 6 79
6"Laura (Walk with Me)"5 8 5 6 1 3 10 3 7 2 1 51
7"La forza"12 12 12 12 12 10 8 10 12 6 7 113
8"(Can't Keep Calling) Misty"8 10 10 7 7 6 12 12 2 3 8 85
9"Drop That Boogie"7 7 4 4 3 5 3 6 3 5 5 52
10"Welcome to My World"10 3 3 3 8 2 1 5 1 1 4 41
Superfinal – 3 March 2018
DrawArtistSongTelevotePlace
1Stig Rästa"Home"9,6862
2Vajé"Laura (Walk with Me)"8,5063
3Elina Nechayeva"La forza"43,4451

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 29 January 2018, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Estonia was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 8 May 2018, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[20]

Once all the competing songs for the 2018 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Estonia was set to perform in position 9, following the entry from Belarus and before the entry from Bulgaria.[21]

The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Estonia on ETV with commentary in Estonian by Marko Reikop and on ETV+ with commentary in Russian by Aleksandr Hobotov and Julia Kalenda. The first semi-final and final were also broadcast via radio on Raadio 2 with Estonian commentary by Mart Juur and Andrus Kivirähk. The Estonian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Estonian jury during the final, was Ott Evestus.

Semi-final

Elina Nechayeva took part in technical rehearsals on 29 April and 3 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 7 and 8 May. This included the jury show on 9 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.

The Estonian performance featured Elina Nechayeva performing on stage in a dress which measured 52 m2 and weighted around 8 kg, on which numerous moving patterns reminiscent to flowers, galaxies and paint are continuously projected.[22] [23] In regards to the projections, video artist Alyona Movko stated: "There is a girl. She is an icy queen where love will melt her heart. The snow will become water. And after there is glowing, like a fairytale. And with Elina's hands there is growing of flowers – and after that she sends out these flowers, sending her love. And she is filled with love. It's the same story with colours in the song. They go from pastel colours to full red flowers. It's about love." A team of at least eight people moved Nechayeva's dress onto the exact position of the stage, as required by the projectors, with the entire preparation for the performance (finding a dress, creation and generation of the animations, mapping the projections onto the dress, synching with television when captured by a camera and finalising the choreography) taking two weeks. Although there were initially some logistical troubles regarding the projection effect, they were ultimately resolved by the time the Estonian delegation arrived in Lisbon. Elina Nechayeva was joined by two backing vocalists: the co-composers of "La forza" Mihkel Mattisen and Timo Vendt.[24]

At the end of the show, Estonia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Estonia placed 5th in the semi-final, receiving a total of 201 points: 120 points from the televoting and 81 points from the juries.[25]

Final

Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the order the countries were announced during the semi-final. Estonia was drawn to compete in the first half.[26] Following this draw, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final, as they had done for the semi-finals. Estonia was subsequently placed to perform in position 6, following the entry from Austria and before the entry from Norway.

Elina Nechayeva once again took part in dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show. Elina Nechayeva performed a repeat of her semi-final performance during the final on 12 May. Estonia placed 6th in the final, scoring 245 points: 102 points from the televoting and 143 points from the juries.[27]

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act.[28] In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.[29]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Estonia and awarded by Estonia in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Estonian jury:[32]

+
DrawCountryJuryTelevote
RankPointsRankPoints
013 8 14 8 14 8 3 11
0212 5 9 9 17 11 16
0310 10 13 5 8 10 1 13
047 11 3 15 10 7 4 8 3
0518 6 6 18 16 14 4 7
0613 3 1 2 2 2 10 2 10
0717 14 2 17 18 12 10 1
088 12 18 16 15 17 5 6
09
104 15 12 6 3 4 7 17
1116 16 15 14 13 18 18
129 13 7 10 5 9 2 15
132 1 8 1 1 1 12 3 8
146 7 16 12 12 13 14
155 2 10 13 11 6 5 1 12
1614 18 17 7 7 15 12
1715 17 11 11 6 16 9 2
1811 9 5 3 9 5 6 6 5
191 4 4 4 4 3 8 7 4
+
DrawCountryJuryTelevote
RankPointsRankPoints
0119 17 11 14 18 19 19
0220 20 6 9 9 13 18
0322 25 17 13 19 23 24
0411 4 1 2 1 2 10 1 12
053 1 3 1 2 1 12 5 6
06
076 6 14 8 12 7 4 9 2
085 19 12 10 7 8 3 22
0912 9 5 19 17 12 21
1025 24 23 20 21 25 25
1117 7 2 4 3 5 6 15
1218 18 19 18 10 20 20
138 10 15 17 16 14 12
1423 11 8 25 24 15 6 5
1514 12 16 21 14 17 3 8
1613 13 24 12 20 18 14
177 5 18 11 15 9 2 2 10
182 15 4 5 4 4 7 23
1910 16 25 23 23 22 10 1
204 3 20 7 11 6 5 17
2121 23 22 22 13 24 8 3
2224 22 7 24 25 16 16
239 8 21 15 5 10 1 11
2415 21 10 6 8 11 13
251 2 9 3 6 3 8 7 4
2616 14 13 16 22 21 4 7

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Estonia Country Profile. 5 November 2015. EBU.
  2. Web site: Granger. Anthony. 2 May 2017. Estonia confirms participation in Eurovision 2018. 2 May 2017. eurovoix.com. Eurovoix.
  3. Web site: Weaver. Jessica. Estonia: Here are the Eesti Laul 2018 semi-finalists. esctoday.com. 11 November 2017. 10 November 2017.
  4. Web site: 19 February 2018. Selgus Eesti Laul 2018 finaali laulude järjekord. 21 August 2021. ERR. Estonian.
  5. Web site: 3 March 2018. Eesti Laul 2018 finaal Saku Suurhallist. 21 August 2021. r2.err.ee. Estonian.
  6. Web site: Weaver. Jessica. 10 November 2017. Estonia: Here are the Eesti Laul 2018 semi-finalists. 11 November 2017. esctoday.com.
  7. Web site: Eurovision 2018 - Elina Nechayeva (Estonia). 12 November 2020. ESCKAZ.
  8. Web site: Agadellis. Stratos. 19 September 2017. Estonia: Eesti Laul calls for songs celebrating its 10 years. 11 November 2017. esctoday.com.
  9. Web site: Ko. Anthony. 10 November 2017. ESTONIA: STIG RÄSTA AMONG THE EESTI LAUL 2018 SEMI-FINALISTS. 11 November 2017. wiwibloggs.com. wiwibloggs.
  10. Web site: 10 November 2017 . Räppi, poppi ja klassikat: Eesti Laul 2018 poolfinalistid on selgunud! . 11 November 2017 . menu.err.ee . Eesti Laul.
  11. Web site: 11 November 2017. Vaata, kes kuulusid Eesti Laulu eelžüriisse. 21 August 2021. err.ee. Estonian.
  12. Web site: 10 February 2018 . Eesti Laulu esimesed finalistid selged: Finaali pääsesid Iiris & Agoh, Stig Rästa, Elina Nechayeva, Sibyl Vane ja Vajé . 22 February 2018 . publik.delfi.ee . . et.
  13. Web site: 5 March 2018 . Elina võitis mäekõrguselt: Vaata, kuidas jagunesid žürii ja publiku hääled Eesti Laulu poolfinaalides ja finaalis .
  14. Web site: 17 February 2018 . Palju õnne! Eesti Laulu finaali pääsesid Nika, Frankie Animal, Karl-Kristjan & Karl Killing, Evestus ja Eliis Pärna & Gerli Padar . 22 February 2018 . publik.delfi.ee . . et.
  15. Web site: Quinn. Angus. 20 February 2017. EESTI LAUL 2018 FINAL RUNNING ORDER: ELINA NECHAYEVA PERFORMS SEVENTH, STIG RÄSTA FIFTH. wiwibloggs.com. Wiwibloggs.
  16. Web site: Jordan. Paul. 3 March 2018. Elina Nechayeva wins 'Eesti Laul' in Estonia. 4 March 2018. Eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest.
  17. News: Mercereau. Damien. 7 March 2018. Eurovision 2018 : Elina Nechayeva, une chanteuse d'opéra pour l'Estonie. fr. Le Figaro. 9 March 2018.
  18. Web site: 3 March 2018. Estonia: Elina Nechayeva to Lisbon with her song "La Forza". 22 August 2021. eurovisionworld.com.
  19. Web site: 4 March 2017. Pildid ja täispikk saade: Eesti Laul 2018 võitis Elina Nechayeva. menu.err.ee. ERR.
  20. Web site: Jordan. Paul. 29 January 2018. Which countries will perform in which Semi-final at Eurovision 2018?. 29 January 2018. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union.
  21. Web site: 3 April 2018. Running order for Eurovision 2018 Semi-finals revealed. 3 April 2018. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. dmy-all.
  22. Web site: Eurovision 2018: the story behind THAT mesmerising Estonian dress. 14 May 2018. RadioTimes.
  23. Web site: Zwart. Josianne. 29 April 2018. Estonia's Elina projects confidence as she sparkles on stage. 21 August 2021. eurovision.tv.
  24. Web site: Estonia 2018. 21 August 2021. Six on Stage.
  25. Web site: First Semi-final of Lisbon 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210508165744/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/first-semi-final. 8 May 2021. 8 May 2021. European Broadcasting Union.
  26. Web site: 9 May 2018. First Semi-final qualifiers talk emotions at Press Conference. 21 August 2021. eurovision.tv.
  27. Web site: Grand Final of Lisbon 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210508165804/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/grand-final. 8 May 2021. 8 May 2021. European Broadcasting Union.
  28. Web site: 29 April 2016. Here are the judges for Eurovision 2016!. 29 April 2016. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union.
  29. Web site: Jordan. Paul. 18 February 2016. Biggest change to Eurovision Song Contest voting since 1975. 18 February 2016. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union.
  30. Web site: Results of the First Semi-final of Lisbon 2018 . European Broadcasting Union . 10 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210510082752/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/first-semi-final/results/estonia . 10 May 2021 . live.
  31. Web site: Results of the Grand Final of Lisbon 2018 . European Broadcasting Union . 10 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210510082743/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/grand-final/results/estonia . 10 May 2021 . live.
  32. Web site: Groot. Evert. Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 30 April 2018. 30 April 2018.