Russia have had a lengthy and quite successful run at Junior Eurovision, with their first participation back in 2005 – two years after the debut of the contest itself. The nation has since participated each year with consistently impressive results, many of which reach the Top 5. Today we’ll be going back to where it began for Russia and recapping the entries over the years, and once we’ve reached the end of the journey, we want you to vote for your Best of the Bunch!
Today we’re starting in 2005, where Russia first made their debut with the young star Vladislav Krutskikh. Vladislav and his backing dancer friends brought the energy on stage with the song Doroga K Solntsu. Although in the scheme of things, it wasn’t Russia’s most successful entry, finishing at 9th place with 66 points, it was still a strong start for what would become a powerhouse in the contest.
The following year ended up being Russia’s most successful in their entire Junior Eurovision history, and that was due to the twin power of the Tolmachevy Twins! The song they performed was called Vesenniy Jazz, which was incredibly charming and cute! The sisters found a place in the hearts of the voters who gave Russia their first win at Junior Eurovision, only in their second appearance! The song won the contest with a total of 154 points.
In 2007, representative Alexandra Golovchenko had tough shoes to fill, with her predecessors winning the contest! The song she performed was called Otlichnitsa, a song and performance which felt very grown up! It was very theatrical, and this was something that resonated with voters, who placed her 6th with 105 points.
The next year, it was up to Mikhail Puntov to continue the good results of previous years. The song he performed was called Spit Angel, and as you may expect, the performance was very angelic. The typical Eurovision gimmicks were employed by Russia, including the fog machine, the disco balls and the white outfits! The song finished in 7th place with a total of 73 points.
In 2009, Russia sent one of their most successful acts, which was Ekaterina Ryabova with the song Malenkiy Prints. Ekaterina, although small, had a huge personality on stage, plus an incredible voice! It’s certainly one of Russia’s catchiest entries, and it showed in the results. The nation finished in 2nd place with 116 points.
The following year, the adorable pair of Sasha Lazin and Liza Drozd were selected to represent Russia with the song Boy and Girl. It was a song inspired by Big Band, and the performance really went along with the genre. Not only was the performance cute to watch, but their voices were incredible together! It was another successful entry for Russia, which finished in 2nd place for the 2nd year in a row, this time with 119 points.
In 2011, we saw the return of Ekaterina Ryabova, and you may or may not have known, but the rules of Junior Eurovision stated that artists who have participated once before cannot participate in the contest again, however special permission was granted for Ekaterina to participate again, and this time it was with the song Romeo and Juliet. It was yet another success for Russia, with Ekaterina finishing in 4th place with 99 points.
In 2012, Lerika was chosen to represent Russia with the song Sensation. Interestingly, Lerika had already participated at the contest before, however for Moldova in the previous year. She achieved a 6th place for Moldova in 2011, but took it even higher with Russia with another 4th place, this time with 88 points.
The girl power continued into 2013, where Dayana Kirillova was chosen to represent Russia with the song Dream On. The performance featured a big ship as the prop, but her big voice was the focus of the performance! For the third year in a row, Russia finished in 4th place, this time with 106 points.
In 2014, it was Alisa Kozhikina to represent Russia with the song called Dreamer. Her simple performance of a simple, but beautiful song was a stand out in the line-up, and it gave Russia yet another Top 5 finish, this time with 5th place and a total of 96 points.
That brings us to 2015, where Mikhail Smirnov broke the girl power streak, but brought the beautiful song Mechta to the stage. It was the third year in a row to feature the word ‘dream’ in some form, so it’s clear that the kids of Russia always dare to dream! Mikhail gave a great performance, and finished in 6th place with 80 points.
We finish our journey here, in 2016, with one of our personal favourite entries from Russia! That is, the Water of Life Project with their song Water of Life. It was an enchanting entry that was a favourite amongst fans. The beautiful vocals were good enough to give Russia another 4th place, this time with 202 points!
Now it’s time for you to vote for your Junior Best of the Bunch of Russia!