Estonia is aiming to achieve results similar to those of Elina Nechayeva or Ott Lepand, and this time, they will do it with the very young Alika, who, after winning Eesti Laul 2023, became the representative of the Baltic country. The song “Bridges” is her bet for the contest, a ballad enhanced by her powerful voice that leaves no one indifferent. Moreover, the singer has confirmed that the piano with which she performed in the pre-selection will also be in Liverpool.
Get to Know Alika
Alika Milova was born in the city of Narva, in northeastern Estonia, on September 5, 2002. Although she was born in this Baltic country, she is of Russian origin due to her family, and her first language is Russian.
Alika became known thanks to her passion for music competitions, as she has participated in The Baltic Voice, New Wave Junior, Kaunas Talent, Bravo Song Contest, and Berlin Perle, but it was the Eesti otsib superstaari (Estonian Idol) that really catapulted her to fame when she won the eighth edition. Moreover, she won a contract with Universal Music Group as a prize.
The Estonian singer has three more singles such as “C’est La Vie,” “Bon Appetit,” and “Õnnenumber” that performed very well in the country’s charts. But music is not her only passion because she also likes boxing and breakdancing.
“Bridges” Her Song for Liverpool
In an interview, Alika revealed that she was inspired to write “Bridges” during a recording session that took place in the Netherlands with her composing partner Wouter Hardy. According to the singer, she felt “some kind of anxiety” and went to cry in a nearby bathroom. Hardy then suggested that they go out for lunch to help her release her anxiety. Although hesitant, the singer accepted the proposal and later decided to write some music on the piano with Hardy, composing “Bridges” in three hours.
For Alika, “Bridges” represented the feelings she had on that day in the recording studio. The reason she chose the title of the song was that she wanted people who listened to it to communicate with themselves and with those around them, even when feeling “lost in a big world, with a lot of people around you.”
“Bridges” by Alika Lyrics
Original lyrics
Now I’m heading home
To solid ground
Realised that all the lies I’ve told myself have died
Bring me to the place
Where I belong
Filled with all the memories and dreams I have ignored
Aaaaa Aaaa Aaaaa
There is always time
To get back on track
Tearing down the walls
Slowly every step
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
There is one more thing
You need to know
That I forgive myself for all the lies I said before
Now I see the road
Of leading lights
Showing me where I should go and what to leave behind
Aaaa Aaaa
There is always time
To get back on track
Tearing down the walls
Slowly every step
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
You will find a way
To begin again
No more time to waste
Or to play pretend
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
I remember all the things that I went through
All the lies and blurry lines and city lights I knew
Now I’m strong enough to see what lays inside
And I can feel it all
There is always time
To get back on track
Tearing down the walls
Slowly every step
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
You will find a way
To begin again
No more time to waste
Or to play pretend
Now I see myself
Building up а world of bridgeѕ
Estonia in Eurovision
Estonia made its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, and has participated a total of 28 times. Prior to that, in 1993, the Baltic country had attempted to participate through the Millstreet qualification, but was unsuccessful. This was a kind of pre-selection to include Eastern European countries in the contest.
Estonia achieved great results until its first and only victory in 2001 at the contest held in Copenhagen with Tanel Padar, Dave Benton, and 2XL and their song “Everybody”. They made history by being the first former Soviet country to win the trophy. Since the introduction of the semi-finals in the contest, Estonia has failed to qualify for the final on five consecutive occasions. Since then, the country has had ups and downs in the rankings of its proposals.
Stefan was the last representative of Estonia in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin with the song “Hope”, achieving a 13th place in the grand final.