In a special aired Thursday, Estonian artist Tommy Cash opened up about growing up in Tallinn’s Kopli neighborhood, pushing boundaries in music, art and fashion, and what his grandmother thinks of his Eurovision journey.
The overwhelming winner of this year’s Eesti Laul with the dance-pop hit „Espresso Macchiato,“ rapper and visual artist Tomas Tammemets — better known as Tommy Cash — first began releasing music on Soundcloud in 2012. Just four years later, he launched his first international tour, propelled by the breakout success of his trap-pop single „Winaloto.“
Today, Cash remains a source of fascination for millions of online followers. His work is absurd, vulgar, often shocking — but also humorous. He says much of the inspiration for his work is drawn from his own life, especially his childhood.
On ETV’s „Tommy Cash: Espresso Estonia,“ Karmel Killandi sat down with the artist at Tallinn’s ArtDepoo Gallery ahead of his live Eurovision semifinal performance next week.
‚I don’t like studios‘
„This is a magical place for me, because I recorded ‚Espresso Macchiato‘ here,“ Cash revealed.
„I don’t really like studios; I prefer to approach it in a weird way somehow,“ he explained. „For a while, I even had a studio up in a tower in the Old Town. We try to pick a new and interesting place each time — somewhere with an atmosphere, a different energy.“
A native of Põhja-Tallinn’s Kopli neighborhood, Cash says that the district has changed a lot.
„I remember always hiding my phone in my underwear just in case, but I was never afraid to walk around alone or anything,“ he recalled.
Even so, living in Kopli made him cautious. „You subconsciously scan for who gets off the tram with you at the last stop,“ he noted. „You’re just careful. You’re more present.“
All of the musician’s friends were from Kopli too, some of whom still work on his team today.
„Unfortunately, they’re not from the same hood, but they’ve been with me for a long time — I think 15 years,“ he highlighted. „I treat it like it’s a little Italian joint, where all your family and relatives work. That’s what my team feels like.“
Not your typical debut show
Everyone wants to be friends with Tommy Cash. That’s how visionary American designer Rick Owens noticed him, and the two ended up doing an art exhibition together at Kumu Art Museum.
Both men are interested in fashion design, as well as designer furniture, video art and installations. They take a bold approach to the human body and different genders, deliberately drawing on fetish culture.
„It was a huge step into the art world, when I had to do that exhibition with Rick at Kumu,“ Cash admitted. „Artists don’t usually get that kind of debut show. It was definitely a success, but I had a limited time to come up with those works. But I’m still proud of every step I’ve taken. Everything is me.“
He wants to own and build his own world, he said. „I want people to remember me afterward.“
Clothes play an important role for Cash. He first got interested in clothing when he was around 17.
„For me, I’m already pretty subdued in what I wear,“ he admitted. „Depends on the style. Normcore is also a really cool style, where you’re not wearing anything too crazy. There’s actually beauty in it too.“
Fashion Week fashions
One of the Estonian artist’s passions is attending world-famous fashion shows, where he has turned heads by portraying a homeless person or bringing an entire bed along with him.
Cash recalled that this started around two years ago, at a festival in Greece that summer.
„Yulya Shadrinsky was with me — she’s an excellent visual artist,“ he noted. „I got a lot of invitations, and Paris Fashion Week started right after that festival, so I told Yulya we should go, but do something interesting. So we started brainstorming about what we’d like to do and see that people don’t do at Fashion Week — to let loose. Tommy doesn’t care. That’s where it began. Every costume has its own idea behind it.“
Tommy Cash is perhaps best known for his provocative lyrics and off-the-wall videos. A master of shock value, he’s always finding new ways to turn heads.
Last summer, he dropped a new song, „Sex Olympics Untz Untz,“ not on Youtube, but on Pornhub.
„I’d wanted to do that for four, five years,“ he acknowledged.
„Porn once had a golden age, when porn was used as an art medium,“ the artist explained. „Nowadays it’s gotten very cheap and basic. I looked back to that golden era, when people were still making art with it, and there really were films in movie theaters where people went, and critics loved those movies. That was my idea.“
In Cash’s Eurovision performance for „Espresso Macchiato,“ however, it’s dance that takes center stage — especially the now-iconic routine that exploded on social media after Eesti Laul.
„I always knew I wanted a dance solo for the first chorus,“ he noted. „The security guards aren’t dancing yet — it’s all me. There was no choreography. Just Tommy, vibing. And that’s how it happened.“
‚Espresso Macchiato‘ brought grandmother to tears
A very special person in Tommy Cash’s life is his grandmother, Nadežda Tammemets.
„I have a very cool grandma!“ he beamed. „When the parents are at work, their kid gets taken over to grandma’s house. Later on, I even lived at her place for a little while.“
Speaking about her grandson, Nadežda Tammemets shared how, when „Titanic“ came out in 1997, young Tomas fell in love with Celine Dion’s „My Heart Will Go On.“
„That ‚Titanic‘ song was always on the radio,“ she recalled. „Back then, he attended an Estonian kindergarten. We said, ‚Sing that song.‘ He started singing in English — and sang the entire ‚Titanic‘ song in full. Can you imagine? It was something! I still remember it.“
Cash’s grandmother is no big fan of Eurovision, saying the contest doesn’t place enough emphasis on the songs themselves. She was, however, won over by „Espresso Macchiato.“
„When he called me to come listen, I honestly cried,“ Tammemets confessed. „I was so happy — not because of that specific song, but because he was singing!“
She was a strong proponent of Cash singing. „I’d always told him, ‚Toma, start singing already — enough!'“ she recalled. „Even back when Grandpa was still alive, I suggested he get vocal coaching. I said, ‚Go, I’ll pay for those lessons out of my pension money.'“
How her grandson places at Eurovision doesn’t interest her.
„I told him, ‚Please treat this like advertising,'“ Tammemets said. „‚Thanks to this, now the entire world knows about Estonia. Imagine what a joy that is! It’s a huge gift for us. How you place doesn’t matter to me personally. What’s important is that you don’t worry and don’t let it get to you.‘ That’s my opinion; that’s exactly what I told him.“
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