Eesti otsib superstaari

Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonia is Searching for a Superstar) is an Estonian reality-competition gameshow airing on TV3. It debuted on 11 March 2007 and it has since become one of the most popular shows in Estonia. Part of the Idol franchise, it originated from the reality program Pop Idol created by the British entertainment executive Simon Fuller, first aired in 2001 in the United Kingdom.

The program seeks to discover the best singer in Estonia through a series of nationwide auditions. The outcomes of the later stages of the competition are determined by the viewers. Through telephone and SMS text voting, viewers have chosen as winners Birgit Õigemeel, Jana Kask, Ott Lepland, Liis Lemsalu, Rasmus Rändvee and Jüri Pootsmann (listed in chronological order).

The format features a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The judges are former recording artist, music critic and journalist Mihkel Raud (all 5 seasons), singer Maarja-Liis Ilus (since season 3) and singer, actor and conductor Mart Sander (since season 5). Composer and pianist Rein Rannap and Radio DJ, journalist and TV producer Heidy Purga belonged to the judging panel of the first season.

Current judges

Rein Rannap

Maarja-Liis Ilus

Tanel Padar

Jarek Kasar

Seasons

Seasons summary

To date, five seasons have been broadcast, as summarised below.

Season 1

The superfinal of season one. From the left: Aigi Vahing, Luisa Värk, Birgit Õigemeel, Jüri Nael

Main article: Eesti otsib superstaari (season 1), victory to Birgit Õigemeel, before Luisa Värk

Eesti otsib superstaari logo as of 2007–11

The first season of Eesti otsib superstaari debuted on 11 March 2007 and instantly became one of the most popular television shows in Estonia, following in the success of other Idol competitions around the world. The hosts were actress Aigi Vahing and choreographer Jüri Nael. The judging panel consisted of singer, guitar player, music critic and journalist Mihkel Raud, composer and pianist Rein Rannap and radio disc jockey and television producer Heidy Purga.

The winner of the series was Birgit Õigemeel, who won a recording contract and 100 000 kroons. She used the money dedicated for the recording contract on building her own recording company MTH Publishing. In January 2008 she released her self-titled debut album and held the number one spot for several weeks. Since winning the show, Õigemeel has released three studio albums and several singles. The runner-up, Luisa Värk also has released an album and several singles.

Season 2

Main article: Eesti otsib superstaari (season 2), victory to Jana Kask before Arno Suislep

The second season of Eesti otsib superstaari debuted on 3 February 2008. Actors and comedians Ott Sepp and Märt Avandi emerged as the new presenters. The judging panel remained the same. The Finale of the series was held in the Linnahall arena to an audience of 3000 people. More than 70 000 calls and text messages were sent during the televoting.

The series was won by Jana Kask, who collected 52,9% of the votes in the Finale. Kask signed a record dea while the album was not released by the recording company because of 'riskful situation in the local music market'.^[1] In late summer, Kask started collaboration with manager Ivar Must and her debut album Face in the Mirror was finally released in December 2009.

Season 3

Main article: Eesti otsib superstaari (season 3), victory to Ott Lepland before Birgit Varjun

The third season of Eesti otsib superstaari premiered on 6 September 2009. In autumn 2008, TV3 announced that the third season would be postponed due to the recession. The auditions for the third series started in August 2009.

The Eurovision Song Contest-winning singer and guitar player Tanel Padar and singer Ithaka Maria Rahula emerged as the new presenters of the show. There were also changes in the judging panel, Heidy Purga was replased by singer Maarja-Liis Ilus.

The Finale of the series was held on 20 December 2009 once again in the Linnahall, Tallinn. The series was won by Ott Lepland, who won a recording contract with Crunch Industry. Ott Lepland's self-titled debut album was released on 13 April 2010. Getter Jaani, who finished fourth in the series, got also signed by Moonwalk Records and released her debut album in May 2011. She also represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.

Season 4

Main article: Eesti otsib superstaari (season 4), victory to Liis Lemsalu before Artjom Savitski

The fourth season of Eesti otsib superstaari premiered on 13 February 2011. The judging panel remained the same, consisting of Mihkel Raud, Rein Rannap and Maarja-Liis Ilus. Once again new presenters were introduced, they were actors and singers Hele Kõrve and Evelin Pang.

The series was won by Liis Lemsalu, who was awarded with € 10,000 and a record contract with the Universal Music Baltics. The show was followed by a tour "Eesti superstaar - Live tuur" around the country in June 2011.^[2]

Season 5

"Eesti otsib superstaari" fifth season premiered on 9 September 2012. The hosts of the season are actors Karl-Andreas Kalmet and Mihkel Kalmet. Two of three judges from the fourth season, Mihkel Raud and Maarja-Liis Ilus, continued their job as the judges.^[3] Rein Rannap was replaced by Mart Sander.^[4]

Auditions for the fifth season took place in Narva (August 11, 2012), Viljandi (August 18), Tallinn (August 25–26) and Tartu (September 1–2).^[5]

Season 6

"Eesti otsib superstaari" sixth season premiered on 15 February 2015. The host of the season was singer Karl-Erik Taukar. Judges were Jarek Kasar, Tanel Padar, Maarja-Liis Ilus and Rein Rannap^[6]

The series was won by Jüri Pootsmann.

References

External links

• Official website (Estonian)