Ele Kõlar stopped singing after sister Kaja’s death

Ele Kõlar told ERR’s Hommik Anuga that she often thinks about her sister Kaja, who battled cancer for almost 10 years before dying. Kõlar said she stopped singing after her sister’s death but still enjoys dancing, especially to house and techno music.

“There was a Radar concert at Pärnu vallikääru where Tanja and Liis were singing our songs. I could not stay backstage, so I went on stage myself. I realised I could still repeat the dance moves from that time because I remembered them,” Kõlar said.

She added that she had not sung since then because she needed a partner. “My voice is low, and an alto cannot do this alone,” said Kõlar, who once performed in the pop duo Ele and Kaja Kõlar.

Kaja Kõlar succumbed to cancer in the mid-1990s after fighting the disease “very stubbornly”. She wanted to remain on stage until the very end despite the difficulties, Ele Kõlar said.

Dancer and choreographer Mait Agu created the duo’s dance moves. Kõlar said she still danced, although not on stage. She preferred clubs with a good DJ playing house or techno and said retro music did not suit her.

Kõlar said she enjoyed seeing other artists reinterpret her songs, but decided not to continue singing after Kaja’s death. “When we were so popular at the time and people generally loved us, I thought it should remain that way. There was no need to keep extending it,” she said.

After her sister’s death coincided with an economic downturn, Kõlar worked in Finland and began selling products for the Bastion company. She said she enjoyed sales work and gradually stopped listening to the duo’s songs.