Estonia’s Eurovision 2025 Entry: Meet Tommy Cash, the Post-Soviet Rapper with a Controversial Song

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This year at the Eurovision Song Contest, Estonia is adding a caffeine-fueled vibe to the competition, making it an enjoyable experience for coffee enthusiasts.

Known as Tommy Cash, this accomplished artist has gained international recognition for his music, boasting a massive following on various social media platforms.

Blending Europop with a rap twist, will this be enough to cement the country’s victory?

Here’s everything you need to know about the entrant.

Who is Estonia’s Eurovision 2025 entry Tommy Cash?

Instagram: @tommycashworld

TikTok: @tommycashofficial

Tommy Cash – real name Tomas Tammemets – is a performance artist.

In his career, he has become known for sexually explicit lyrics and drug references.

Since 2012, he’s been putting out music, identifying as a “rap artist from the post-Soviet era.” He frequently infuses humor into both his songs and their accompanying visuals.

In the year 2016, he clinched the title of Music Video of the Year at the Estonian Music Awards for his song “Winaloto”. This video now boasts over 16 million views on YouTube.

Ever since our paths crossed, I’ve been amazed by his creative journey. He’s collaborated with Diplo and Charli XCX on some amazing tracks, not to mention the two full-length albums and three extended plays he’s put out all by himself.

In the year 2021, the collaboration between him and Oliver Tree, titled Turn It Up, along with Little Big, went viral and was streamed approximately 27 million times on Spotify.

Last year, he released track Tango with bbno$.

How old is Tommy Cash?

Estonia’s Eurovision entry Tommy Cash is 33 years old.

What is Estonia’s Eurovision 2025 song called?

This year, Estonia is bringing the song Espresso Macchiato to the Eurovision stage.

The tune, a mix of broken English and Italian, blends rap, electro-swing, and dance-pop genres, aiming to inspire dancing among its listeners.

The composition was penned by Tommy Cash and Johannes Naukkanen, the duo responsible for penning Finland’s Eurovision frontrunner, “Cha Cha Cha,” performed by Käärijä in 2023.

The tune was selected following Tommy Cash’s victory at Eesti Laul, the Estonian Eurovision television contest, broadcasted in February 2025.

What is the controversy around Estonia’s Eurovision Song Contest song?

After selecting Espresso Macchiato as the entry, there were appeals from Italy to disqualify the song for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Italian representatives felt the song was mocking Italian culture with stereotyping in its lyrics.

– Instead of “sweating like a mafioso,” consider using “I’m sweating bullets, just like a mob boss.”
– For “life is like spaghetti, hard until you make it,” a possible rephrase could be “Life can seem tough and tangled, but with effort, you can create something beautiful.”
– Regarding the repeated references to drinking coffee, try using expressions such as “I’m fueling up on caffeine” or “Coffee is my fuel for the day.

As reported by The Guardian, Codacons, a consumer association, has filed a complaint with the European Broadcasting Union, expressing concern over the song’s suitability because it is perceived as disrespectful towards a nation and its people.

Many people have shown disapproval towards a song due to its use of stereotypes about Italy and Italians. The song perpetuates common tropes such as coffee, spaghetti, mafia, and ostentatious wealth, which gives the impression that the Italian population is linked to organized crime.

he adores the country and holds it in high esteem.

In a different conversation with NME, Cash was also questioned about the controversy and whether he finds the song offensive. He responded, “Not at all, absolutely none whatsoever. I never even considered it, but isn’t it strange; when you fear something might be offensive, it rarely is. And when it’s actually not, it seems to follow Murphy’s Law.

Where did Estonia place in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest?

Last year, Estonia came in 20th place in the Eurovision Song Contest final.

The song “Nendest” made by 5miinust X Puuluup left them clueless about its meaning, as they didn’t understand anything, despite its performance.

In English, the title translates to (We Still) Don’t Know Anything About (These) Drugs.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 final will take place on Saturday 17th May 2025.

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2025-05-05 09:37