Tonight, the 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will take place live from Caja Mágica in Madrid, Spain. And while we have a few hours left before the live broadcast, the Eurovoix team has decided to reveal some of our all-time favourite Junior Eurovision entries.
17 countries will compete during the 2024 Junior Eurovision Song Contest this evening from 18:00 CET from Madrid, but we will reveal some of the favourite entries of Junior Eurovision’s past from the team below:
James S: ???????? Armenia 2021 – Malena – “Qami Qami”
“The first, and so far only, time that I’ve heard a Junior Eurovision song and thought it could compete at the adult contest. Exceptionally produced, sung and crafted, this is one of those rare pop songs that just works on every level – and it’s sneaked into a kids show!”
Rafaell: ???????? Georgia 2022 – Mariam Bigvava – “I Believe”
“’I Believe’ is such a monumental moment for what a Junior Eurovision song can be. An excellent blend of contemporary and traditional Georgian sounds with talented Mariam’s great vocals. Although a simple English chorus, it doesn’t need to be more complicated for such a simple message.”
Fran, Steven and Emily: ???????? Poland 2019 – Viki Gabor – “Superhero”
“My favourite JESC entry is Superhero by Viki Gabor. When the song was selected as the host country’s entry, I instantly knew it was going to be tough one to beat. Such a catchy tune!
Fast forward to the day of the contest, myself and Anthony were sat in the arena in Gliwice, ready for the show to start. Surrounded by hundreds of Polish families and many international Eurofans, the screams and cheers of support when Viki entered the stage was something else! Her performance alongside her dancers was excellent, and came across really well on-stage as well as on the tv.
During voting time, it was incredibly tense. But I (and I’m sure Anthony and Neil too) will never forget the roar in the arena when Poland was announced as the winners on home soil! They made history that day at the first country to win back-to-back contests, and rightfully so. What a banger.” – Emily
“My favourite JESC entry ever is Superhero. I think 2019 was an excellent year, I really liked Bim Bam Toi and Pepelny as well.” – Fran
“Not only is it the best winning song, but it’s the best song to come out of JESC period. It is such a fantastic pop song filled with so much positivity. Being half Polish, I know how beautiful the country is and how poetic at times the language can be, so I really appreciate these lyrics.
Viki sings about climbing to the top of the mountain, being free and finding ourselves. There is a subtle warning as well, that the clock is ticking, but if we come together we can make the difference.It truly is a song for our time. A song of hope and what can be.” – Steven
Darshan: ???????? United Kingdom 2022 – Freya Skye – “Lose My Head”
“2022 was the year when I properly immersed myself in the Junior Eurovision atmosphere, as it was the year I joined Eurovoix. And in the same year, the United Kingdom made a historic return to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, after an immensely successful result at Eurovision 2022 earlier in the year.
Freya Skye added even more success to Sam Ryder’s 2nd place at Eurovision 2022 – finishing 5th and winning the televote. Everything about the song, the staging and performance was just 100% impeccable. She persevered on stage while ill, but she delivered an even stronger performance in Yerevan. Words couldn’t describe how proud everyone was of Freya and we do hope she could represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in future with a song and performance that’s just as high-quality (as ‘Lose My Head’).”
Anthony: ???????? Sweden 2009 – Mimmi Sandén – “You”
“(Du) is the first ever song that I saw in a Junior Eurovision Song Contest and it left a lasting impression on me. It was exciting to see kids of my age performing songs in languages I’d never really heard before. The song sounded so modern yet different to what I was used to and made me curious about the wider world. Looking back it’s stood the test of time and really wouldn’t be out of place at Eurovision. While Junior has massively evolved since 2009, the kid inside me gets taken back to that year every time the contest roles around.”
Rebecca: Belarus 2017 – Helena Meraai – “I Am The One”
“(I Am The One) resonated with me so much at the time of the 2017 contest. It was honestly such an amazing performance and it was a pure bop.”
Alistair and Meg: ???????? France 2020 – Valentina – “J’imagine”
“My favourite is “J’imagine” because for me it was when we were all going through crazy uncertain times in lockdown at the time and this performance was just 3 minutes of pure happiness. No giant gimmicks, nothing too over produced just a group of kids having the time of their lives. Thoroughly deserved the win and paved the way for things to come for France.” – Alistair
“I’d say J’imagine is my fave, as JESC that year came after a cancelled Eurovision and it felt like a bit of a return to normal even if it was still affected by covid. This happy little song about imagining a world where we can hug each other again just felt like a light in the dark, so I have a really positive memory from it.” – Meg
Yesaac: ???????? Spain 2019 – Melani Garcia – “Marte”
“It’s been really hard to just pick one JESC entry as an all time favourite. But I decided to go with Spain 2019 – Melani Garcia’s “Marte”. It was their big return after years of not participating at JESC, and they absolutely nailed it.
The song’s theme of conservation and protecting our planet hit hard, especially with those powerful vocals [those last few notes were wow!!] and the stunning staging that brought the message to life. The camera work and overall performance were so polished. It was captivating and impactful. Even years later, this is one of the performances that my family still talks about.”
Tonight seventeen countries will compete to win the Junior Eurovision 2024 trophy, in the running order as listed below:
- ???????? Italy: Simone Grande – “Pajama Party”
- ???????? Estonia: Annabelle – “Streets”
- ???????? Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Dance”
- ???????? Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
- ???????? Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
- ???????? France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
- ???????? North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
- ???????? Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
- ???????? Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
- ???????? Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Like Lola”
- ???????? Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
- ???????? Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
- ???????? San Marino: Idols SM – “Like us”
- ???????? Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
- ???????? Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Hope”
- ???????? Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “I’m Not Afraid”
- ???????? Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Little Star”
Image Source: EBU / Corinne Cumming
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Posted by:Darshan Bijuvignesh
Graphic Designer and Editor
