The grand final of Estonian national selection for Eurovision 2025, Eesti Laul is taking place this Saturday, a total of 16 acts will be competing for a chance to represent this Baltic state in Basel. One of the artists is Richard Sepajõe who goes by Gem98 and he will be performing “Psycho” you can find out more about him and his entry below.

Hello Gem98, can you tell us more about yourself and how did Gem98 came to life?
I think it’s best to say that it’s a search. The song, which already existed, was looking for a character and it found one. The author of the song is certainly also on a search, and gem98 is one way of searching.

What inspired you to take part at Eesti Laul 2025?
This song. Sometimes you make a song, at first it seems like a good tune, but then it deteriorates and you forget about it. This song has stayed with me for a while.

How was the creative process behind “Psycho” can you tell us more about the inspiration for the song and what does it mean for you?
I started playing four very jazzy chords and I was just living it out lyrically. Once I had it out in some form, I shared it with my friend Gevin, who took it back to its original parts, and then we started rebuilding it. This process took six or seven years. In the simplest terms, this song is about how I felt at that moment, and it’s still relevant today. Maybe if I were writing this lyric today, I would express myself a little differently, but that something inside is still the same.

What can we expect from your performance at Eesti Laul 2025? Maybe something similar from what we saw in the music video?
I believe there will be recognition from the music video and also something unexpected.

Which artist competing at this year’s Eesti Laul do you see as your biggest competitor? Whose performance are you most excited for?
Choosing the biggest competitor is incredibly difficult, everyone has their own strengths, some songs are more similar to mine, some are completely different. So, clichédly, I say that the most important thing is to do your own thing and not become your own competitor. I haven’t thought much about the potential performances of the other contestants. I think that’s natural – my thoughts are on my own business, but I would say that there is a certain amount of anticipation for all the performances, because there are definitely some differences compared to the studio version and the video.

Do you watch Eurovision regularly? Which song is your favourite?
I would say yes. I definitely took it more seriously when I was younger, but I still keep up to date. I have generally liked songs that have a humorous effect, or songs that are intended to be funny. One that comes to mind is the old Belgian song “O Julissi”, which is so wonderfully silly in every way. But of course it is important to mention musically and pop-culturally important works such as the songs of Salvador Sobral and Måneskin.

Which musicians inspire you?
Who are a little crazy or who are verbally skilled.

Which 3 things you always have with you when you leave your house?
Open eyes, open ears and a phone.

What do you do when you are not singing?
I speak or I remain silent.

Any hobbies?
Besides music – football, literature, theater.

What are your plans after Eesti Laul 2025?
Richard is going to have a few beers with one of his good friends, because he hasn’t been able to do that in a while. But gem98 will continue his search and will definitely release some new songs.

Thank you so much for your time Gem98. We wish you the best of luck at Eesti Laul 2025. Do you want to share something else or you maybe have a message for followers of escbubble?
Thank you! I think if every person made it their goal to be a better person every day, we would save this world.

You can check “Psycho” by gem98 below:

In the case Psycho is your favourite of Eesti laul 2025 don’t forget to vote for it in our poll below: