What Ever Happened to Estonia’s 2001 Eurovision Winners? Spoiler: They Didn’t All Vanish
The Night Estonia Surprised Europe With a Friday Night Anthem
2001 was a weird year. Wikipedia had just launched, iPods didn’t have colour screens yet, and Estonia — a country most people still confused with Latvia — won the Eurovision Song Contest.
Tanel Padar, Dave Benton, and a soulful quartet called 2XL stormed the Copenhagen stage with “Everybody”, a disco anthem celebrating, essentially, how great Friday nights are. The song picked up 198 points, beating Denmark at home and becoming Estonia’s first ever Eurovision win.
And there’s more: Dave Benton, then 50, became the oldest ever winner, and still remains the only Black artist to win the contest. A record that is both inspiring… and, frankly, a little depressing for 2025.
Tanel Padar: From Eurovision to Rock God (and Back Again)
Tanel was just 20 when he won Eurovision — Estonia’s answer to Robbie Williams, but with more leather and less tabloid drama.
He went on to form a rock band called Tanel Padar & The Sun, which dominated Estonian charts through the 2000s with a mix of blues-rock and power ballads. In 2017, he parted ways with the band and launched a solo career. He’s still performing, still stylish, and probably still being asked to sing “Everybody” at weddings.
Dave Benton: A Eurovision Gentleman and Estonian Treasure
Born in Aruba, raised across the globe, and eventually settling in Estonia, Dave Benton had one of the most fascinating CVs of any Eurovision winner. Before 2001, he sang with the likes of José Feliciano, The Platters, and Tom Jones — which may explain why he looked so chill on the Eurovision stage while everyone else was sweating glitter.
After the contest, he became a local celebrity in Estonia. In 2010, he joined Dancing with the Stars Estonia (yes, really). More recently, his daughter Sissi came within inches of representing Estonia at Eurovision 2021 — clearly, it’s a family business.
2XL: Estonia’s Unsung R&B Pioneers
Backing group 2XL, later renamed Soul Militia, were Lauri Pihlap, Kaido Põldma, Sergei Morgun and Indrek Soom. They were smooth, stylish, and very early-2000s.
In 2007, they attempted a comeback at Estonia’s national final, finishing 5th — ironically losing to Gerli Padar, Tanel’s sister. Eurovision: it’s all in the family.
They’ve since continued performing and occasionally pop up in nostalgia events — and honestly, Soul Militia still sounds cooler than half the Spotify Top 50.
That year’s competition was packed with very early-millennium energy. Think denim, hair gel, and songs with key changes so aggressive they could cause altitude sickness.
Estonia’s win was seen as a turning point. A small post-Soviet nation hosting Eurovision in Tallinn the following year? It was like being handed the keys to Europe’s glittery VIP room.
The press called “Everybody” a “fun but forgettable” track. But more than two decades later, people still remember the joy, the vocals, and the fact that — for once — the underdogs won without needing wind machines.
