Who are Vanilla Ninja? Meet Estonia’s Eurovision 2026 entry

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Vanilla Ninja, an all-female rock band, will be performing at Eurovision. Interestingly, the band members also run an ice cream business – quite a unique combination of careers!

The band is already well-known and successful, even beyond Eurovision. They’re experienced performers with a dedicated fanbase, who also seem to enjoy the band’s ice cream!

Vanilla Ninja’s music mixes early 2000s pop-rock with strong female vocals, and they’re bringing a bit of the excitement from Eurovision to their performance. The big question is: will that be enough for Estonia to win the contest for the second time?

While we find out if they’ll make it to the Grand Final, here’s a quick look at Estonia’s contestant, Vanilla Ninja.

Who are Estonia Eurovision 2026 entry Vanilla Ninja?

Instagram: @thisisvanillaninja

Vanilla Ninja is a rock band consisting of Lenna Kuurmaa and Piret Järvis-Milder, who were original members, and newer member Kerli Kivilaan. All three women contribute vocals, and Piret and Kerli also play guitar, with Kerli additionally playing bass.

The band formed in 2002 and soon became internationally known. Their debut album, Traces Of Sadness, was especially well-received in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Vanilla Ninja isn’t new to Eurovision – they previously performed for Switzerland in 2005 with their song ‘Cool Vibes,’ achieving an eighth-place finish. But this year is particularly meaningful for the group, as it marks the first time they’ll be representing their own country.

Even if you don’t enjoy their music, you might like the band’s ice cream, which comes in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, caramel, and peppermint. Personally, I prefer rum and raisin! This ice cream launched in 2003 and has been a top seller in Estonia ever since.

How old are Vanilla Ninja?

Lenna Kuurmaa is 40 years old, Piret Järvis-Milder is 42 years old and Kerli Kivilaan is 33 years old.

What nationality are Vanilla Ninja?

All the members of Vanilla Ninja are from Estonia, and both Lenna Kuurmaa and Piret Järvis-Milder were born in the capital city, Tallinn.

What have Vanilla Ninja said about representing Estonia at Eurovision 2026?

As a huge Eurovision fan, I was thrilled when Vanilla Ninja won Eesti Laul 2026! They immediately said they were aiming to really deliver their best performance in Vienna. What’s even more exciting is that they’ve been working on the song, making it sound more powerful and giving it a rockier edge specifically for the Eurovision stage. I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

What is Estonia’s Eurovision 2026 song called?

This year, Vanilla Ninja is bringing the song Too Epic To Be True to the Eurovision stage.

Written by Sven Lõhmus – known for writing several popular Eurovision songs – this is a heartfelt love song about a seemingly perfect relationship. It perfectly captures the authentic Euro pop-rock sound of Vanilla Ninja from the early 2000s.

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Where did Estonia come in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest?

Last year, Estonia’s Tommy Cash had a great showing at the competition, finishing in third place with his incredibly catchy song, Espresso Macchiato.

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The Eurovision Song Contest has received a lot of criticism for letting Israel participate this year, given the current war happening in Gaza.

Several countries are choosing not to participate in the contest this year because the organization in charge, the European Broadcasting Union, decided against banning Israel from competing.

During a December 2025 meeting, the European Broadcasting Union voted to establish rules preventing governments or outside groups from unfairly boosting certain songs to sway voting results. However, they did not vote on whether Israel would be allowed to participate in the competition.

The EBU announced that most of its members decided another vote on participation wasn’t necessary, and the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest will go ahead as scheduled, with extra safety measures in place.

After this announcement, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland all stated they would not be competing in Eurovision this year.

Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTÉ, has decided not to participate in this year’s competition, stating that it doesn’t feel right given the tragic loss of life and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which continues to endanger civilians.

The BBC, the UK broadcaster for the competition, backs the EBU’s decision. In a statement, they explained it’s about following the competition’s rules and ensuring everyone feels welcome.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 final will take place on Saturday 16 May 2026.

You can find a complete list of Eurovision winners, as well as see how many times the United Kingdom has been victorious in the competition.

Authors

Phoebe Kowhai BarnesFreelance Writer

Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a freelance writer specializing in pop culture and entertainment for TopMob. Before that, she was a Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab, where she oversaw their local team. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Nottingham.

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2026-05-12 09:12