Sandra Nurmsalu

Early life

Sandra Nurmsalu was raised in the Alavere village, Harju County. She made her first musical steps in the Kose music school, where she learned to play the violin.

Nurmsalu began to sing as part of the group Pillipiigad for seven years and Virre for three. During her teenage years Nurmsalu was also part of the Estonian pop group Pink Tank.

Participation in the youth soloist competition 2 takti ette, held biennially by the Eesti Televisioon and broadcast nationwide gained Sandra national recognition, she finished in 4th place in the competition. It was through her uniquely styled performances during this competition that Nurmsalu's future producer, Sven Lõhmus, first noticed her and from there collaboration started, which ultimately lead to the formation of the group Urban Symphony.

Career

Sandra Nurmsalu became nationally known through participation in the Eurovision Song contest with the band Urban Symphony. Their début single, Rändajad won the national selection and went on to finish 6th during the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. Since taking part in the contest, Nurmsalu has gained a considerable fan base in Europe.

Nurmsalu performed on the reality-competition show Eesti otsib superstaari (part of the Idol series). Each contestant had to choose an Estonian singer to perform a duet with. Contestant Ott Lepland, later winner of the contest, choose Nurmsalu to perform "Rändajad".

In May 2010, Sandra Nurmsalu and Urban symphony announced a hiatus, so that Sandra could concentrate on raising a child and the other band members could continue their studies and pursue other interests.

Return to Music

In July 2012 after two years of concentrating on raising her newborn child, Nurmsalu returned to her singing career by featuring on the single "Sel Teel" from the Estonian artist Sinine. "Sel Teel" topped the Radio Elmar chart for two weeks and remained in the chart for 10 weeks. The single achieved success throughout many countries in Europe including France and Germany, where it reached first position on the Deutsche Alternative Charts during week 44 of 2012.

Since her return, Nurmsalu has focused on performing a variety of traditional Estonian songs at musical events throughout Estonia.

In October 2012, Nurmsalu went on tour alongside many other Estonian artists to celebrate 100 years of Estonian film and music, performing concerts at venues in Tallinn, Pärnu and Tartu.

In late 2012, Nurmsalu announced a concert tour named "Rändajad" after her first popular single with the group Urban Symphony. The tour played at venues around the Harju County which she grew up in, including her home town of Alavere. In July 2013 the tour continued with the addition of 2 further band members.

In December 2012, to coincide with her return to the music scene, Nurmsalu formed her own music company named Muusikalind to promote her music.

Nurmsalu performed at the Estonian musical concert Öölaulupidu Järjepidevus where she made the début of her new single "Väike Eestimaa". On September 26, the studio version of Väike Eestimaa was revealed by Moonwalk Studios and included an announcement that Nurmsalu is working on a new album with her former producer Sven Lõhmus.

In December 2013, she was announced in the 20 semi-finalists of Eesti Laul 2014, with her song "Kui tuuled pöörduvad". On 21 February 2014, she advanced from the second semi-final to the final. She placed fifth in the final on 1 March 2014.

She performed at a gala her next single, in December 2014, "Mängurõõm".

Personal life

Sandra Nurmsalu has been in a relationship with Tarmo Kask, a former physical education teacher and professional gambler since 2004.

On 11 March 2010 it was confirmed that Sandra was pregnant with her first child, a girl, to whom she gave birth on the 26 July 2010. After the pregnancy Nurmsalu decided to put her music career on hold to concentrate on raising her newborn child, who she named Crystal Ingrid Nurmsalu.

Nurmsalu campaigns for animal rights and has voiced her opposition to animal abuse and abandonment.