Ruffus was an

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

that was originally known as Claire's Birthday. They represented their country in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2003 The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the 48th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Riga, Latvia, following the country's victory at the with the song " I Wanna" by Marie N. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ...

Members

Vaiko Eplik Vaiko Eplik (born 1 August 1981) is an independent music, independent Estonian pop-composer, record producer, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. Eplik was born in Rapla, Estonia, into a music-loving family. Eplik studied music at the ...

(vocals) was born in 1981 in

Rapla Rapla ( (the name ''Rappel'' was also used in other languages in the past) is a Populated places in Estonia, town in north-central Estonia'','' the capital of Rapla County and the centre of Rapla Parish. History The oldest records date back ...

, into a music-loving family (as most of the band) of

collective farm Collective farming and communal farming are various types of "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member-o ...

workers. Eplik studied music at the Tallinn Music School, specialising in pop-jazz singing and also studied the guitar, which he now teaches. *

Jaan Pehk Jaan Pehk (also known as Orelipoiss; born 13 June 1975 in Palivere) is an Estonian writer, singer and guitarist. Pehk is a member of the Young Authors' Association in Tartu and the Estonian Writers' Union. Discography Collaborations ; Clai ...

(

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

) was born in 1975 in Palivere. He has a degree in

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

. He studied pop-jazz singing at the Tallinn Music School and is now an active

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

in the literary group Tartu Young Poets' Club (NAK). *Ivo Etti (bass) was born in 1979 in Väike-Maarja. He studied at the Children's Music School in Rakvere and graduated from the Tallinn Music School, where he specialised in playing the

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

. He is also the brother of former Estonian Eurovision representative,

Ines Ines or INES may refer to: People * Ines (name), a feminine given name, also written as Inés or Inês * Saint Ines or Agnes (), Roman virgin–martyr * Eda-Ines Etti (stage name: ''Ines''; born 1981), Estonian singer Places * Doña Ines, a volca ...

. *Margus Tohver (drums) was born in 1971 in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. During the 1980s he played in the first Estonian

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band Palat. *Siim Mäesalu (keyboards) was born in

Kohila Kohila (formerly also Kapa-Kohila, ) is a Populated places in Estonia, borough () in Rapla County, northern Estonia. It is the administrative center of Kohila Parish. Kohila has a population of 3,505 (as of 1 January 2006). Kohila has a railway ...

in 1984. While he has been a keen music student, he has also studied other subjects. He graduated from the Tallinn Secondary School of Music and is currently studying electronic music at the

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') began as a mixed choir of the Estonia Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn Higher Musi ...

History

Vaiko Eplik formed the band Claire’s Birthday in 1997. It became a national pop sensation, releasing three albums and winning Estonian Music awards. As a joke in 2003, the band entered the Estonian selection of

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

and won it with the song "

Eighties Coming Back Estonia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Eighties Coming Back", written by Vaiko Eplik, and performed by the band Ruffus. The Estonian participating broadcaster, (ETV), organised the national final ''Eurolaul 2 ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Estonian indie rock groups Estonian pop music groups Estonian pop rock music groups Musical groups established in 2003 Eurovision Song Contest entrants