In the lead up to this year’s Junior Eurovision, we are looking back on the previous editions of the contest to rediscover the songs we love! Our Top 5 will likely be different to yours, but that’s part of the joy! We encourage you to join the discussion by sharing your Top 5 too!
Today we are looking back on the 2017 contest which saw a total of 16 nations compete. Featured in that list was Portugal who were returning to the contest for the first time in a decade, but unfortunately both Bulgaria and Israel withdrew from the contest. For the first time in history, the contest was held in Georgia, a nation which had not yet held an event part of the Eurovision family of events. Without further ado, let’s get into our Top 5!
5. FOURCE – Love Me (Netherlands)
This song may not be to everyone’s tastes, and boybands can often be divisive, but there’s something about this song that still manages to be charming, even a year later. The song is a fairly generic pop song, but a catchy one at that and the blend of English and Dutch was done very well. The melody is easy to follow along with, and the chorus is an earworm. The four boys may not have the most extensive vocal ranges compared to some of their fellow participants, but they certainly put in a great effort on the night.
4. Wings – Polina Bogusevich (Russia)
Speaking of vocal talent, Polina was definitely a standout in that respect. There’s a reason why this song won the competition, and that’s down to Polina’s incredible vocal performance of a very moving song. This is a ballad that could easily fit into Eurovision, let alone Junior Eurovision, and it’s perhaps one of the best ballads we’ve seen at Junior Eurovision. Polina can very successfully transmit her message in the emotion she gives throughout the performance, and the message is reiterated through the stage performance as well as the translated portion of the song.
3. Speak Up – Isabella Clarke (Australia)
There may be a little bit of Australian bias with this one, but the results of the actual competition say it all. This is currently Australia’s best placing at Junior Eurovision, and I think there’s good reason for that. This is a contemporary song with a universal message but the performance still had a strong element of fun. The performance features a lot of choreography which Isabella still nails even while keeping pitch perfect, and that energy that is brought on stage is truly infectious.
2. I Am The One – Helena Meraai (Belarus)
Arguably one of the most sophisticated entries from Belarus, I Am The One Is surely of quality that is beyond some of the Belarusian entries we’ve seen at Eurovision recently. The song is extremely contemporary and complex, and it’s matched by a truly incredible vocal performance from Helena Meraai. It’s not exactly the easiest song to perform with a fair few difficult notes to hit, but she manages whilst still oozing confidence. I would say the main disappointment with this performance is actually how they decided to stage it which feels underwhelming in comparison with the intensity of the song. Despite that, it’s a memorable entry that is definitely worthy of its spot in our Top 5!
- Voice of the Heart – Grigol Kipshidze (Georgia)
There have been some incredible Junior Eurovision songs over the years, and this is well and truly up there. The song feels quite retro but not outdated, but has such a beautiful melody that’s actually very addictive. Hearing the song completely is Georgian is also a huge positive, and since Georgia often sends quite nonsensical Junior Eurovision entries, this made for a refreshing change. As for vocals, this is arguably one of the best we’ve heard at Junior Eurovision. Literally every single note is perfect as per the studio version of the song, and that shows incredible talent on Grigol’s part.
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