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Birgit Õigemeel has beat out nearest rival Grete Paia to take the top spot in the Eesti Laul, the national competition that determines Estonia's Eurovision Song Contest entry, ERR News reported.
Estonia Picks Birgit Õigemeel for Eurovision
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In the competition's final round, held in Tallinn's Nokia Concert Hall on March 2, the two contenders scored the highest marks in a 50-50 combination of jury and televoting. The two then faced each other in a televoting "Superfinal," which ended with Estonian viewers picking Õigemeel's "Et uus saaks alguse" (The New Would Begin Again) to represent Estonia in Malmö this May.
Speaking to ERR News directly after the win, Õigemeel said that the result came as a shock. "Last year I was in seventh place and two years ago third. This year I just took it really slow and easy and didn't have any expectations," she said.