🇪🇪 Estonia: Karl-Erik Taukar and Korea to Host Eesti Laul 2026

Karl-Erik Taukar and Korea have been revealed as the hosts of Eesti Laul 2026.

Karl-Erik Taukar and Korea will host Eesti Laul 2026. Both presenters have competed in and hosted Eesti Laul before. Karl-Erik competed in Eesti Laul 2015 with “Päev korraga”, which failed to qualify from the first semi-final. He then returned to host the contest in 2019 and 2020. Korea won Eesti Laul 2024 as part of 5Miinust x Puuluup and represented Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with “(Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”. This year, he hosted Eesti Laul alongside Ines, who represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000.

Although neither Karl-Erik nor Korea have presented together, both of them had high praise for each other. Korea stated:

“If we, Estonians, needed our own James Bond, then Karl-Erik Taukar would be the main candidate – a cinematic profile, athletic posture, confident and articulate. “Producers are not looking for new presenters, but the next Karl-Erik Taukar. A class of his own.”

Karl-Erik added:

“As we all clearly saw on ETV in the spring: this man was born to be broadcast on TV and also presents a big contest like his own rap verse – sharply, vigorously and without compromising on good taste.”

Earlier tonight, the first six participants of Eesti Laul 2026 were revealed on Ringvaade on ETV. The first six participants are:

NOËP – “Days like this”
Grete Paia – “Taevas jäi üles” (The sky remains above)
Marta Pikani – “Kell kuus” (At six o’clock)
Ollie – “Slave”
Uliana Olhyna – “Rhythm of Nature”
Vanilla Ninja – “Too Epic to Be True”

Eesti Laul 2026 will be held on February 14 in the Unibet Arena in Tallinn. As in previous years, the winner will be determined in two rounds. In the first round, three songs will be selected through a combination of jury voting and televote. In the superfinal, the winner will be chosen solely by televote. The jury for the final will consist of at least seven members, including international music experts actively involved in the making, publishing, or teaching of pop music.

Estonia finished 3rd in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, the country’s best result since the 2002 contest in Tallinn. Tommy Cash performed “Espresso Macchiato” and scored 356 points, including 12 points from the public in Armenia, Croatia, Latvia, Malta and Serbia.

Image source:  | Source: ERR

Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Estonia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 alongside six other countries. At the contest in Dublin, they were represented by Silvi Vrait, who finished second last, scoring just 2 points. In 2001, Estonia won the Eurovision Song Contest for the only time to date. They were represented by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL, who performed the song “Everybody” and took a surprise victory in Copenhagen. After the success of the late-90s and early 00s, Estonia failed to qualify for the final from 2004-2008. In 2009, Estonia launched a new selection show, Eesti Laul, and has since qualified for the final on nine out of fourteen attempts.

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