Contestant

Laura Põldvere

Estonia

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Bio

''I love the excitement I get from unknown territories and music, which reflects this crazy world. Playing with voice – that's what I love.''

Laura loves to speed from free improvisation to jazz music and from pop music to giving lectures at big conferences.

In 2007 she got the scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston after what she studied at the Jazz & Rock Schule in Freiburg, Germany. In 2012 she finished her Bachelor studies at the Estonian Academy of Music in jazz vocals and after that she did her Master's degree in contemporary improvisation.

Parallel to studying she took part in international workshops in Finland, Germany, Switzerland, France and took part in different vocal competitions (Lady Summertime, Riga Jazz Stage, Nõmme Jazz, etc).

She has released 7 albums – 3 in the field of jazz music. LP Memories of Tomorrow, which was recorded with Tõnu Naissoo, was released in Japan in 2012. In 2014 she gave out an improvisational pop/jazz album with the band Carrot Lights due to what they toured a lot in Europe to promote their music. In 2015 saw the light a duo album with Joel Remmel consisting of jazz standards in their own arrangements.

At the moment she is actively collaborating with the Estonian saxophone players Raivo Tafenau and Villu Veski. With W aka Villu Veski they are going to record an alternative- rave-club-jazz music compilation in 2018. Regarding free improvisation she is always making new connections with great players to seek inspiration from: Han Bennink, Theo Bleckmann, Sid Hille, DI (with Ivi Rausi).

Laura became known to the Estonian audience in 2005 when she got the chance to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Competition with a group called Suntribe in Kiev, Ukraine. Fun fact, but in 2017 Laura got to represent Estonia again at the Eurovision and this time again in Kiev.
She has released 4 solo albums in the pop field and was titled in 2013 as the most played artist in Estonia during past 5 years. Already in 2008 she was given the title Female of the Year at the Estonian Music Awards.
Besides music she is the head of the Estonian Jazz Union and is leading the schooling department at Studio Lingua HR Agency.