Robin Mäetalu releases genre-blending debut album

Estonian guitarist and composer Robin Mäetalu has released his debut album, “Round One,” blending influences from hip-hop, R&B, jazz, funk and neo-soul, ERR reported.

The album presents his original music to a wider audience for the first time. Mäetalu has performed in the bands of Tanel Padar, Karl-Erik Taukar, Eleryn Tiit and Jüri Pootsmann, and with the groups Da Why Not and Svjata Vatra.

Mäetalu said the album grew out of a desire to create music that reflected his own artistic identity. A conversation with a young musician who knew him as a backing musician prompted him to consider where people could hear his own work.

“I’ve shared stages with other artists for years, but increasingly felt that I wanted to create something truly my own that would stay with me for life,” Mäetalu said. “Round One is much more than just a first album for me. It is something that will remain after me even decades from now.”

The album was recorded at Selektor Studios. Mäetalu produced it, while Karl-Erik Sepp handled mixing and mastering.

Mäetalu graduated in jazz music from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. He has also played in the studio bands for the television shows “Eesti otsib superstaari” and “Laula mu laulu.” In 2025, he received the Tiit Paulus Award for Young Guitarists at the Viljandi Guitar Festival.