Estonia only has 1.3 million people, yet the country has left a mark on contemporary music, art, design, and sports. Even though most of these Estonians are not household names around the globe, these famous Estonians are at the top of their fields worldwide.
This list of famous Estonians comprises of contemporary important figures. It does not include many historically renowned writers, scientists, and artists.
Arvo Pärt
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One of the most famous contemporary composers in the world, Arvo Pärt, has shaped the way we think of music and has influenced modern music immensely. He started composing at a young age and has not stopped since. He is one of the world’s most performed living composers.
He is known for creating a new original musical language called tintinnabuli (meaning “little bell” in Latin), which is highly concentrated and reduced to the most important, where rhythm and melody gradually progress into complicated polyphonies and silence plays an essential part.
After premiering his first tintinnabuli-style compositions in the 1970s, he was forced to emigrate from the Soviet Union due to confrontations with Soviet officials due to the avant-garde nature and religious aspects of the music. He re-established his connection to Estonia after the independence and moved back to the country permanently in 2010.
His music has enchanted lovers of classical music all over the world. It can also be heard in the background of many films, including “The Lovers on the Bridge”, “The Insider”, “Gravity”, “There Will Be Blood” and many others.
In 2010, the Arvo Pärt Centre was established in Laulasmaa. Nowadays, people are welcome to visit the center for a better overview of Pärt’s creation, with concerts and performances also happening.
Tommy Cash
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Tommy Cash, or TOMM¥ €A$H, is an Estonian rapper and singer. He is known all over the world for his innovative and provocative music videos, as well as for using Eastern European styles and influences in his rap.
Besides taking the stage in many parts of the world, he is probably the only Estonian artist who has performed at the legendary Glastonbury festival. His style is provocative and raunchy and mostly not safe for work or kids. Listen and watch if you dare. His latest release was done in collaboration with the Finnish Eurovision star Käärijä.
Recently, Tommy Cash has taken to fashion and surprising onlookers with outrageous performances at fashion shows. He has also collaborated with Rick Owens to put on an exhibition in the Kumu Art Museum in Tallinn.
Roberta Einer
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High-end fashion designer Roberta Einer has worked for luxury fashion houses Balmain and Alexander McQueen before making a brand of her own name. She is known for knitwear and the use of crystals.
Einer learned how to sew, crochet, and embroider from her grandmother and made her first collection when she was 12. At 16, she started working as an embroidery assistant at Balmain and a year later won the Saks Emerging Designer Showcase. She was invited to join the London Fashion Week only one year after establishing her own brand.
She has designed dresses worn by Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Megan Fox, Dua Lipa, and others. Her rise to fame in the fashion world led her to be featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2020. Her designs are on sale all over the world in shops from New York to Seoul.
Carmen Kass
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Carmen was 14 when she was discovered in a supermarket by a model scout from Milan. She took off to model in Italy and quickly started modeling for bigger and bigger brands.
She has been on the covers of Vogue, Elle, Madame Figaro, and many other magazines, as well as collaborated with the biggest fashion brands in the world like Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, and many more. In 2000, Vogue awarded Kass the prestigious title of “Model of the Year”, and she has also appeared on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show numerous times.
She is not just a good model. She was also the president of the Estonian Chess Federation from 2004 to 2011 as she is an avid chess player. Besides modeling and chess, she even ran for the European Parliament in 2004. She now models fairly rarely but pops up on the covers of Vogue, Bazaar and other fashion magazines.
Mark Kostabi
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Born in the USA to Estonian immigrant parents, Mark Kostabi is known for contemporary art that comments on political and societal issues. Kostabi is a somewhat of a controversial figure in the art world.
He was prominent in the American contemporary art scene of the ’80s and ’90s, but he has not stopped producing art. He is a prolific artist who even received the “Proliferation Prize” from the East Village Eye for being in more art exhibitions than any other New York artist.
His works are in the permanent collection in museums across America – the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, Brooklyn Museum, National Gallery in Washington DC, and many others.
Edward von Lõngus
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This Tartu-based Estonian stencil artist has been coined the Estonian Banksy due to social commentary and unknown identity. He is one of the most famous street artists of Estonia with his works focusing on politics and society.
The art of Edward von Lõngus can be seen all over Estonia, as well as numerous European towns where he has stencilled scenes connected to Estonian cultural history. You can find his works in Brussels, Rome, Berlin, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Vilnius, Rīga, Vienna, and Budapest.
Kelly Sildaru
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Kelly Sildaru is an Estonian Olympic freestyle skier who has impressed the world with her athleticism and surprised the world by achieving so much at such an early age. Her immensely popular YouTube videos helped her gain international fame already as a child. This led to her taking part in more and more big international competitions, surprising onlookers as well as competitors with her audacious skills.
Her collection of medals is impressive. She was only 13 when she won her first gold medal at the Winter X Games and has not stopped since. Seven medals (6 of which are gold) from the Junior World Championships, gold for halfpipe in the World Championships in 2019, gold in the Winter Youth Olympics in 2020 for slopestyle, numerous Winter X Games wins throughout the years and bronze from the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Her technical ability along with her courage to try difficult tricks make her one of the best freestyle skiers in the world.
Ragnar Klavan
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Mostly known for playing football under Liverpool from 2016-2018, this professional footballer has played in many different clubs throughout his career, including FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga and Cagliari.
He also became somewhat of an internet meme due to a trademark move now coined the “Klavan Turn”. The internet had their fun with this strange move so much that it was later even featured in the FIFA video game.
He has now returned to Estonia and plays on a local team called Tallinna Kalev and has been on the Estonian version of Dancing with the Stars. He most recently surprised the Liverpool fans when the city hosted Eurovision in 2023 and he presented the points for Estonia.
Kaja Kallas
Kaja Kallas is the current (2023) prime minister of Estonia. She stepped into the world of international politics and gained recognition across continents for her steadfast stances on security in Eastern Europe. She has helped put Estonia even more so on the political map and get a seat behind the table where the most important international decisions are made.
Kallas, the leader of the liberal Reform party in Estonia, is the first female prime minister of Estonia in position since 2021. Before this she was a a member of our parliament, also known as Riigikogu, form 2011-2014 and 2019-2021, and a member of the European Parliament in 2014-2018 where she belonged to the liberal Renew Europe political group.
She comes from a political family and her father Siim Kallas served as prime minister of Estonia in 2002-2003 and as the European Commissioner in 2004-2014. Before getting into politics, Kaja Kallas worked as a lawyer.
Margus Hunt
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Margus Hunt moved to the USA to train as a track and field athlete. Closing the track program at his University led to him trying out American football, and he has yet to look back since. He was drafted into the NFL in 2013 and has played on many American Football teams.
His athleticism carries across sports. Before taking up American football, he was the Junior World Champion in both shot put and discus throw in 2006, along with many other accomplishments.
Baruto
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Kaido Höövelson, known for his sumo wrestling name Baruto, is big in Japan. He used to be one of the top sumo wrestlers in the world, elevating him to celebrity status in Japan even after retiring from professional sports.
Even these days, Baruto sometimes has to stop for fan pictures with Japanese tourists visiting Estonia who know him from the time he sumo wrestled in Japan. He is currently an entrepreneur and a politician.
* Cover photo: Linda De Volder
