Lets take a trip down memory lane...My favourite winners!

After ten years of Junior Eurovision, we have had some amazing winners! But here is my personal top ten, of the winning songs!

Coming in at Number 10 is  Alexey Zhigalkovich who won the 2007 JESC (junior Eurovision song contest) in Rotterdam (Netherlands). Alexey was Belarus's second win, after they won in 2005. The song was called 'S Druz'yami', which translates to 'With rubble'.  Okay, What? That was my reaction to the title translation anyway, it sounds much better in Belarusian. Personally, I didn't take to the song. In fact I rather dislike it. I think Alexeys performance was great and the dancers were amazing but I felt it was either too much, or there was something missing. I still enjoyed watching it though, but as I said before it is not my favourite.

At Number 9 is Kseniya Sitnik who won the2005 JESC in Hasselt (Belguim). Kseniya also represented Belarus. Her song was called 'My Vmeste', which in English means 'We are together'. The song is extremely catchy. I honestly sung it for days after I first heard it! But again, something about the performance was off. I remember first seeing the performance and thinking 'that is she wearing' but, that probably helped her stand out from the crowd! Everything was bouncy and playful, yet still simple and catchy. I much prefer this one to my number 10, but it is not quite as good as the others.

My Number 8 is Candy who won the 2011 JESC in Yerevan (Armenia). Candy represented Georgia with their song 'Candy Music'. Candy's victory was the second celebrated by Georgia as they won the contest once before in 2008. This song is like sugar, so sweet it will rot your brain and give you cavities because you would have sung it too much! I find myself singing this when I got to buy candy or if I ever hear the word 'candy'. Georgia really pull out the most infectious and different entries and always leave a lasting impression. Candy did not fail to disappoint, the choreography was spotless, the costumes were eye catching and the vocals were on point. Personally, I think that Ana's solo at the end really made the song. Her vocals were INSANE. The band as a whole were fantastic, but still I will go on!

At Number 7 is Vladimir Arzumanyan who won the 2010 JESC in Minsk (Belarus). Vladimir represented Armenia with his song 'Mama' and is the only Armenian contestant to win the contest so far. I love this song. Nearly everything worked together. The story book that featured throughout was literally picture perfect. It really gave people who did not understand the lyrics, a clear idea of the songs meaning. I looked up the English lyrics for the song, and it is about Vladimir falling for a girl and asking his mother for advice. Absolute genius! (Credit to the writers on this one!) But the only downside to this, was that it sounded very much like Sirusho's song 'Qele Qele' which was Armenia's entry into the 2008 Eurovision song contest which also did very well. I think this may be one of the reasons this great song is not at the top. But all that said, amazing!

At Number 6 is Ralf Machenbach who won the 2009 JESC in Kyiv (Ukraine). Ralf represented the Netherlands with his song 'Click Clack'. Ralf was the first  (and only so far) contestant to win for The Netherlands, who take the contest very seriously. This song is very catchy! I think that the song won because the majority of the lyrics are words that anyone of any nation can sing because they have no set meaning. The other lyrics are not particularly amazing or creative, but that is made up for by the amazing choreography of the piece. The song is about Ralf's love for tap dancing (hence the 'click clack') and the choreography is primarily made from tap, which is a great change from most of the 'modern' dancing seen in the contest. Ralf's passion really comes out in his performance, bravo!

Now starting the top 5 is The Tolmachevy Sisters who won JESC 2006 in Bucharest (Romania). The Twins represented Russia with their song 'Spring Jazz'. The Tolmachevy sisters are the only Russian contestants to take first place so far, but Russia have placed second many times. I really like this song. This is also so catchy! The simple dancing from the girls, paired with the backing dancers and jazzy song really bring the whole thing to life! I love this song, because it is so different from the cookie cut pop that Eurovision brings! My favourites from most the JESC's are normally the  performances that are different. The girls are very lovable and their vocals are outstanding! Brillant work Russia!

At Number 4 is Dino who won the first every JESC in Copenhagen (Denmark). Dino represented Croatia with his song 'Ti Si Moja Prva Ljubav' which in English translates to 'Your my first love'. Dino is the only Croatian to win the competition and may be this way for a long time because unfortunately Croatia do not enter JESC anymore. The song is beautiful with lyrics that have a meaning. But I think Dino's performance is what Junior Eurovision is about, having fun while doing what you love! Dino's pure passion and drive is what made him stand out! He didn't have a full dance routine, he didn't have crazy backing dancers. It was Dino, his piano and a microphone. Dino will truly go down in JESC history!

Number 3 goes to Anastaysia Petryk who won last year's JESC in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Anastaysia represented Ukraine with her song 'Nebo' translating to 'The sky' in English. I have given and full and detailed analysis on this song in a previous post (so check it out if you are interested) but this song is just amazing. It is faultless. It is simple, it is unique and it is beautiful. I simply can not agree with anything negative about it because Anastaysia's vocals were on point, strong and solid. Her staging and wardrobe were fabulous and I have listened to the song so many times I know the words by heart in English and Ukrainian. Beautiful.

At Number 2 is Maria Isabel who won JESC in Lillehammer (Norway). Maria Isabel represented Spain with her song 'Antes Muerta Ques Una Sencilla' translating to 'I'd rather be dead than normal' in English. Maria Isabel is the only ever Spanish winner and may well ever be because Spain also do not compete in JESC anymore. I will begin by saying that I do not speak full Spanish and I am not Spanish. But this song makes me want to move to Spain or learn flamenco or something do something Spanish. I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS. The song is what fuelled my JESC addiction when I was little. At around age nine or ten I learnt all of the words in Spanish which took me weeks! I learnt the dance moves and even convinced my parents to buy me a fan. I taught all of my friends and we formed a tribute band and performed in my school's talent show. Its catchy, its simple, its brilliant. You didn't need to know what any of the lyrics meant, you just sang it anyway! I could talk for hours about this song, but it is so close to my heart and that is why it is at my number 2.

At Number 1 is Bzikebi who won the 2008 JESC in Lemesos (Cyprus). Bzikebi represented Georgia with there song 'Bzz'. They were the first victory for Georgia. The reason why this is my number one, is because it really took Europe by surprise. Nobody would have every expected that three small Georgian children could turn the sound 'Bzz' into a three and abit minute song! Its crazy! I should be so wrong, but it is SO right! The costumes were fabulous (shout out to the stylists the boys hat made the performance!) The tune is infectious and could be a literal disease because writing this is making me sing it over and over in my head! If you haven't seen this performance, give it a watch on you tube. You will see the absolute brilliance behind it. It is brilliant. Everything about it is brilliant. I could again, go on and on but I will spare you the boredom.

This is all of my own personal opinions and the list took me ages to decide who went where. All of the winners are so deserving and I could not think of a more amazingly talented group of people to go down in the JESC hall of fame. However, I would love to hear from you! But before you voice your opinion check out all of the winning performances on you tube as they are all worth the watch.


*Quick little update* The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 has not released any more songs yet, not since I posted about Ukraine. So I will voice my opinions of the constants when the songs are officially released! Sorry!

The Dutch National Selection is coming up...who's your favourite?

The Netherlands is in the process of selecting their entry for Kyiv! Question is, who should win?

(Note: this blog will be a series of mini evaluations, it will also contain how well I think each song will do in Kyiv. I will do a more detailed evaluation when the winner has been selected!)

The Netherlands are known for entering some of the catchiest songs, such as Ralf's 'Click Clack' and Rachel's 'Teenager', but who will follow in the footsteps of these Junior Eurovision favourites? Only the Dutch public can decide, but I have all of my fingers and toes crossed that they  select the right contestant!

The Dutch final will take place on the 28th of September (I believe), so that means eight acts will battle it out for a place in Kyiv! Now, some of the songs, in my opinion, aren't suited for Kyiv but are more suited to be released as singles. However a selection of the songs are perfect and I hope the Dutch select the right song.

As they do every year, the finalists have released a song together. This year the song is called 'Glitter and Glamour' and is very catchy. It also catches the Eurovision spirit with its uplifting and catchy tune, which is what the Dutch do best!

The eight finalists consist of Dali, Giorgio, Sarah and Julia, Loeki, Kim, Mylene and Rosanna, Mathilde and last, but not least Roan.

Dali is 15 and her song is called 'Mijn eigen lied' which translates to 'My own song'. Now I can not view the lyrics for any of the songs, but I have listened to them all. Dali's vocal is strong, but not as strong as some of the contestants. The song is a ballad, what the meaning behind it is, I am not sure. The song is very beautiful, but I am not convinced it is right for Kyiv, based on the strength of the Sofiya (Ukranie), Dayana (Russia) and Elias (Sweden) who are all extremely strong.

Giorgio (left) is 14 and his song is called 'Whatever'. I love Giorgio's stage presence. You can tell he truly loves to sing and be on stage! The song is very very catchy and would go down a treat in Kyiv. But, there is also a space on the market for Giorgio's style of music, so he could sell records on his own in my opinion. One thing I find hilarious about Giorgio is in his interview, he said one of his favourite Junior Song Festival finalists in the past was (right) Allesandro (2012) who came second. I find this so funny, because I think they're similar in the way that both of their songs could sell and were at a more professional level. However, both would have gone down a treat in the grand final.

Sarah is 15 years old and Julia is 12 and they form a double act called 'Sarah en Julia'. Their song is titled 'Live life'. I personally dislike the song, only because I feel it is 'try hard'. I say this because I feel that the song has been written for Kyiv in mind. Which all of the songs have, but I feel 'Live life' has come to win. Part of me thinks that the final may be rigged...but I hate to think like that. The publicity for the two girls is very large and often outshines the other contestants. But, a few of the other constants power through! Don't get me wrong, I love the girls! I think they are a great pair with great vocals, but the song is so repetitive and is very 'cookie cut pop-star' which I dislike. The great thing about Ralphs song, was that it was edgy and different compared to the other finalists, like Anastaysia's (JESC 2012 winner) song Nebo. This is why they won. I feel that Sarah en Julia would be better trying to make it onto the pop scene and they would succeed greatly in this! But their song would be good in Kyiv but would not necessarily win.

Loeki (left) is 11 years old and her song is called 'Gewoon in love' and this translates to 'Just in Love'. This song is super cute! Again, I do not know what is means but the idea is super super cute! The song is cute, Loeki is cute and the melody is cute! Cute Cute CUTE! I think that if Loeki won, the song would probably not win, but do quite well. Loeki also reminds me abit of Femke (right), who was the Belgium entry into the 2011 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Armenia. This is because both songs are catchy, memorable and you guessed it, cute!

Kim is 12 years old and his song is called 'Ik ben verliefd'. This translates to 'I'm in love' (awh). The song is so nice to listen to! He reminds me of Bruno Mars in this way, as when you listen to the words and vocals, he begins to melt your heart. The song would go down a treat in Kyiv! Kim has an extraordinary vocal for someone who is only twelve. I also think this would be a good move for the Netherlands, as they haven't really entered any ballads into the contest before and Kim can sure show off The Netherlands natural born talent!

 Mylene and Rosanna (left) are both aged 13 are their song is called 'Double me'. This title and song fit perfectly well because they are identical twins!  Now, which pair of identical twins have done amazing for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest? (2011 and 2012) JEDWARD. These girls are the Netherlands answer to Jedward (right)! They have the catchy song, eye catching dance moves and not to mention the memorable hair! These girls have 'Eurovision' written all over them. I think this would be a strong contender in Kyiv as there is not many faults with the contestants or song. The only thing that could hold it back would be the staging. But this has not yet been released. The song is so catchy and has stuck in my head since I first herd it! Also, their harmonies are faultless.

Mathilde (Right) is 15 years old and her song is called 'Wondergirl'. The song is a mainly acoustic track. I'm not a huge fan of the song, but I feel it could do well in Kyiv if she chooses to play the guitar. This would be such a stand out performance as it has never been done before! This would also be a big shout out to hopeful singer songwriters or Taylor Swift fans. Mathilde also reminds me abit of the Swedish contestant from last year (left) and if Mathilde does go to Kyiv I would guess that she would place s
imilarly to her.

Roan is 12. Roan's song is called 'Welkom in mijn Dromen' which translates to 'Welcome to my dreams'. Roan has a Eurovision song quality about him. He is abit camp, but in a positive way! He is so loveable. The song is very catchy and I feel it would do very well in Kyiv.





Overall, I would guess that Sarah en Julia will go to Kyiv, which disappoints me abit. Only because this result is expected. I would LOVE for Mylene and Rosanna, Mathilde, Kim, Roan or Giorgio to be in Kyiv. But my favourite song is 'Double me' by Mylene and Rosanna. But any of the songs would do well in Kyiv.

I wish all contestants in the Dutch National final the best of luck! I can not wait to see the outcome!

What do you think of the contestants? Leave a comment, I would LOVE to hear from you, as always!

To watch all of the songs, click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acg60A-0HgQ

'We are One' With Sofiya Tarasova and Ukraine!

Sofiya Tarasova will defend Ukraine's current Eurovision title, with her song 'We are one!'

12 year old Sofiya Tarasova won her place at the final in Kyiv (her home capital) in November! Sofiya had to battle 19 other contestants, to win the spot to fly the home flag!

Now, the decision for who would represent Ukraine, was not an easy one. There was actually a tie for first place! Sofiya did however come out on top, which was not a huge surprise.

Sofiya's song 'We are one' has the strongest vocals I have herd on someone as young as her, since last years performance of 'Nebo' by Junior Eurovision Winner herself, Anastaysia Petryk. Sofiya's vocals remind me very much of Christina Aguilera. The song has a very catchy beat, and the repeated English lyrics allow anyone from any country to sing along with her! However, the dancing is abit repetitive, but the song does NOT need a full on dance number.

The staging for 'We are one' is mostly Sofiya in the foreground, with another girl backstage left in a shadow copying the moves Sofiya does. I think this is very effective. But maybe, for the final, there could be more than just one backing singer/dancer to create the idea that 'We are one'.

Also, Sofiya has an amazing stage presence. Her outfit, among with many of the other Ukrainian hopefuls, was white. Sofiyas costume was accented with daisies (yellow) and the daisies were also put through her hair. Her make-up was just the right amount to accent her eyes. But the main attention, aside from the vocals, is her hair. It truly is amazing. But So was Anastaysia's hair! Maybe the Ukrainians just have beautiful hair and vocals? Hmm...


Sofiya has been compared to Zlata Ognevich, who represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest, held earlier this year in Malmo (Sweden). Both have an insanely beautiful vocal, both look stunning and both have very distinctive staging.

But Ukraine normally always enters girls/women with amazing vocals, who are beautiful and role models into Eurovision. This may begin to loose its effectiveness! Although the talent is so strong, I would love to see what the Ukrainian men/boys have to offer!

I do think that Sofiya has a chance of winning, well as much as any other of the contestants so far. But as I love the song, I will rate her chances at 8 out of 10, if a few minor adjustments are made. However, I wish Sofiya (and all the contestants) the best in Kyiv!

Sofiya also has a hard job of trying to win, because she is representing the country that won last year. No other country has been successful in maintaining the first place prize two years running! Do you think Sofiya could be the first to do this? Tell me what you think! Leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!

Sweden say 'There we go' with Elias!

13 year old Elias Elffors Elfström has been selected to represent Sweden in Kyiv!

Lilla Melodifestivalen 2013, the Swedish national final for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest held in Gröna Lund ( a Swedish amusement park) where 13 year old Elias Elffors Elfström won the ticket to Kyiv with his song 'Det Är Dit Vi Ska' translating to 'There we go' in English.


Elias competed with 7 other songs to win the prize! His competitors all had very strong songs, but to me, Elias's vocals really stood out!




Elias reminds me of a younger Robin Stjernberg, who represented Sweden in the Eurovison song contest earlier this year.  Robin Stjernberg's song 'You' placed 14th overall in the grand final in Malmo (Sweden) earlier this year. Robin had an extremely strong performance that stood out, a lot like Loreens in 2012. The song 'There we go' could be covered beautifully by Robin Stjernberg as they have a very similar vocal style. Who knows! Maybe we will see a duet from these two in the future? Sweden, the people want to hear this!

Elias also reminds me of Dino, who was the first ever winner of the Junior Eurovision song contest in 2003. They have the same young, fun quality about them. I really hope that the choreography team in Sweden keep the routine really simple like Dino's and just allow Elias to 'rock it out' with his own moves, doing whatever he feels the song is telling him!

Elias is obviously very passionate about what he does, you can hear that when he sings! I think Elias's chances are quite high for Kyiv. I'd rate him 7 out of 10 if the staging is kept basic and Elias (along with some help from coloured and strobe lighting) can show Europe what Sweden is amazing at! (and that is Eurovision!) 'There we go'! To listen to Elias, click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61m1fTw1J0o

                          What do you think of Elias? Drop a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Russia hopes other conestants will 'dream on' when they see Dayana Kirillova!

The first selected entrant in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013, is Dayana Kirillova of Russia!

Dayana Kirillova is the first act to be selected to compete in Kyiv (Ukraine) on November 30th!

Dayana Kirillova was first place, out of 18 acts in her national selection, which took place in the State Kremlin Palace in Russia. Dayana performed her song 'Mechtay' translating to 'Dream on', which won her the ticket to Kyiv.

As with every performance, I will pick it apart and evaluate the song, costume, choreography, staging etc. Then I will give it a rate out of ten, on how I think it will do in the final.



'Mechtay' (or 'dream on') has a quite catchy rhythm. However, I don't feel the song will have quite the same reaction as 'Sensatsiya' (Sensational) which was performed by Lerika last year in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and that only placed 4th over all.





Dayana's Vocals are strong, and she manages to maintain a strong sound throughout. She is obviously a highly trained singer, which is a great skill to have at only age 11. The verses of the song have actually stuck in my head more than the chorus, which is interesting as its normally the other way around, although the chorus is very catchy.


Dayana's make-up and costume were vaguely similar to Lerika's last year also. Dayana wore a Silver leather (or faux leather) jacket, a white top with a silver sequined star in the centre, a blue puff-ball skirt accented in silver and by the looks of it in the video, silver ballet pumps. Her make-up was pretty much non-excitant but she may have been wearing abit of mascara and lip-gloss. Her hair was loosely braided into a long side ponytail which draped over her right shoulder.

The staging was rather weird in my personal opinion. Well, I do not speak any Russian but Dayana entered on a boat. I do not feel this went with the song. Although upon reflection, it could just be a play on the idea of 'dreaming'. If I was to stage this, keeping the boat I would have Dayana wearing bright clothes to fit with the theme. I feel the song is a happy song and should be shown using bright colours to allow the audience to feel the emotion of the smiley Dayana!

If I had to rate Dayana's chances out of ten, I would go for about 5 or 6. This is because I feel the performance is at the standard Russia always have their performances. Sometimes having a ridiculously high standard can be off putting. But this also shows the rest of Europe that Russia know how to put on a show!

I personally feel that the Russians are entering songs that sound like they have already won. I do not know how to explain this in writing, but if you listen to both the 2012 and 2013 entries, they sound like they are singing the song after being awarded the first place prize. Not that this is a negative, but when voting other counties may feel threatened by this, and give less points. But this is only my opinion.

Russia have only won the contest once in 2006. The Tolmachevy Twins sung their song 'Vesenniy Jazz' which came first place at the contest in Bucharest (Romania). This song was simple, but brilliant and is one of my favourites from all of the years (2003-2012). The staging, costumes and choreography all fit brilliantly with the song! This also was, as I like to phrase it, 'the underdog' of the competition as it just sounded like a regular song, not a 'winning' song. It was overall True brilliance.


One thing I like about the Russian entrants over the years, is the fact the natural make-up allows them to look like children. This is the case in a lot of countries now, but as the contestants get older they tend to wear a bit more make-up which I feel is acceptable.

I wish Dayana the best of luck in Kyiv! I think she will be an interesting performance to watch! If you want to watch Dayana's performance of 'Mechtay' click the link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPesJC3J4gQ

Whats your opinion on Russia's Entry? Agree or disagree with me? Leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!

Kyiv 2013- 11th Junior Eurovision Song Conest.

We've had piano playing, flamenco, tutus, singing twins, parkour, songs in the language of a bee, tap dancing, story's coming to life, costumes as sweet as candy and not to mention dry ice and exceptional vocals. What is to come? Next stop...Kyiv!

Kyiv is the Capital of the Ukraine and has hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest once before in 2009, Where Ralf Makenbach (Netherlands) took the prize with his song 'Click Clack'.







This year brings strong attention to the capital, as it is not only hosting the contest, but is also home to last years winner Anastasiya Petryk. Anastasiya won the contest last year in Amsterdam (Netherlands) with her song 'Nebo' translating to 'The Sky' in English. The performance seriously stood out against the other 'cookie cut' Eurovision songs. The song had almost a dark aspect to it. Along with the dry ice, strobe lighting, simple staging and costume and extraordinary vocals the performance was a clear winner. Anastaysia was awarded 183 poins, which was 35 points ahead of 2nd place (Georgia).



I personally felt Anastaysia's performance was closely linked with Loreen's 'Euphoria' performance at the 2012 Eurovision song contest in Baku (Azerbaijan). Both stood out, but both included a different staging and choreography to the other contestants. Loreen's choreography had almost a martial arts feel to it, and it was as if she truly was fighting off everyone else's opinions on her and her lover, that she was actually moving 'up'! Where as Anastaysia made very sharp movements and poses, making the audience intrigued into what she was singing about. This also allowed the audience to focus on the vocal, rather than the over the top staging which is typically expected in the contest.

 So what is expected of this years competition? Well there has been a slight change to the rules. This year, the top three contestants will be in the focus, not just the first place winner. The executive Supervisor of the contest, Vladislav Yakovlev described this as "A way to acknowledge the enormous range of talent that our young performers possess." I think this will be a good so that you have more of a chance for your favourite to be recognised. But I do feel this may take away from the original drive to win first place. But this will work out for the competitors feeling a larger sense of accomplishment for all of their efforts in the contest. (What is your opinion on this matter? Drop a comment I would love to hear from you!)

At this time, only four constants and three songs have been released. Russia, Ukraine and Sweden have released contestants and songs. Georgia has only released the contestants. However National selections are underway in Belgium, the Netherlands, Belarus and other countries. Individual reviews of  all the contestants will be posted sometime in the near future, hopefully upon release.

The Date of the contest has been set as, November 30th 2013. I feel this contest will be one to watch. I am mostly looking foreword to seeing the songs, choreography, costumes, hair, make-up and overall staging of all the contestants. As when it comes to Eurovision, its about the overall package on stage.

Tell me your opinions! Are you excited to see the competition? Already got a guess at which country may pull out all of the stops? Drop a comment! I'd love to hear from you all!