Stig Rästa

Raul-Stig Rästa, born on 24 February 1980 in Tallinn, is an Estonian singer and songwriter. 

Rästa’s musical journey includes being part of various bands and projects. From 2002 to 2006, he formed a band called Slobodan River with Ithaka Maria and Tomi Rahula. He played in the bands Traffic from 2006 and Outloudz from 2010. Additionally, in 2011, Rästa participated as a contestant in the fifth season of Let’s Dance, finishing in fourth place with his partner Karina Vesman. In 2012, he played the role of Moritz in the Estonian production of the musical Spring Awakening. He is also involved in the electronic music duo Kisma, alongside Vallo Kikas.

Rästa made multiple attempts to represent Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. He competed with Slobodan River in Eurolaul 2003 and 2004, with Traffic in Eurolaul 2008 and Eesti Laul 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2020. He also finished as a runner-up with Outloudz in Eesti Laul 2011.

In Eesti Laul 2015, Rästa entered with the duet “Goodbye to Yesterday” performed with Elina Born. The song won by a significant margin in the superfinal, receiving 79% of the popular vote. In the Eurovision Song Contest, the entry qualified for the grand final and achieved 7th place.

Rästa co-wrote the song “Play” by Jüri Pootsmann, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 but failed to qualify.

In Eesti Laul 2017, Rästa returned as a composer for Elina Born’s entry “In or Out,” which finished 10th in the final. He also wrote her song “Enough” for her first Eesti Laul in 2013, which placed 8th in the final.

He competed as a solo artist in Eesti Laul 2018 with the song “Home,” securing a second-place finish.

Rästa co-wrote the song “Storm” by Victor Crone, which represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, placing 20th in the final with 76 points.

In Eesti Laul 2022, he participated with the song “Interstellar,” earning a 9th place in the final.

Rästa took part in the 2023 Estonian parliamentary election as a candidate for Estonia 200 but did not get elected as a member of Parliament for electoral district no. 4 (Harju and Rapla counties, excluding Tallinn).