Combining private-school boy good looks with yachtsman chic, young Estonian Jüri Pootsmann will up the cool at this year’s contest crooning his way through the deceptively strong “Play”.
Pootsmann has a lush and syrupy voice and comes to the contest with serious pedigree having won the most recent installment of Estonian Idol and being the recipient of Best Male Act from the 2015 Estonian Music Awards…in other words he’s big in the Baltics.
Add to this, the fact that “Play”, which could easily be a James Bond theme tune, is penned by the team who successfully delivered Estonia’s Top 10 finish last year with “Goodbye to Yesterday” and we will expect young Jüri will be parking his yacht well up the leaderboard in 2016. Watch him Dami – he just hit Play!
Watch Jüri Pootsmann's official video for 'Play':
Four Questions with Jüri Pootsmann
What are the three most interesting aspects about your entry?
- Play was written by the same successful songwriting team who wrote Estonia's entry last year
- The song was written especially for me
- The song has a brassy, retro vibe which is really cool
What are the three most impressive facts about you?
- I like to walk alone in nature, especially in Estonian forests
- Nobody believes it, but when I was a child the tone of my voice was so high that I had to sing together with girls, not boys
- I spent a year in Denmark as an exchange student, so I can speak fluent Danish
Do you have a (lucky) routine before you go on stage?
Before going on a stage I always try to find a quiet place and really relax myself and have positive thoughts in my head. I think it is very important to have your own space before an important performance, and this really works for me
Why is the Eurovision Song Contest important for you?
Watching the Eurovision Song Contest has always been a tradition in my family! We have been watching it every year since I can remember. I was planning on coming to watch the show this year anyway, so it's so awesome that now I am actually in it. It really means so much to me that I can represent my country in Stockholm and have this amazing and unique experience. It is the biggest music event in the world and it might open so many new opportunities, which is very important for an artist.
