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 travelling back to 2014, where Malta hosted their first Junior Eurovision Song Contest! A total of 16 nations participated in this contest, including a few debut nations! We saw Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia all participate for the first time, while Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Serbia all made a return to the contest. Unfortunately we saw three nations withdraw which were Azerbaijan, FYR Macedonia and Moldova. Now, let’s get into our Top 5.
5. Dreamer – Alisa Kozhikina (Russia)
There’s always a song or two at the contest which you pay no attention to prior to the contest, but then down the track you finally understand what all the fuss is about. This is that song for this contest, and it’s taken a few years but I can finally get on board with this entry. Melodically, this is a beautiful song, and although Alisa perhaps isn’t the strongest vocalist of this edition of the contest, she is incredibly charming and she is given the chance to shine with the simple stage performance of the song.
4. Tu Primo Grande Amore – Vincenzo Cantiello (Italy)
It would be impossible to discuss our Top 5 without at least mentioning Italy’s debut entry which as we know, ended up winning the contest. Being the only male lead performer of the entire show provided a point of difference for Italy, and mix that with a touching song performed by a confident singer definitely led to their win. Although for me it isn’t the best song of the night, I can see why this won as it is one of the best vocal performances of the night.
3. People of the Sun – Betty (Armenia)
This is another case of Armenia understanding Junior Eurovision and how to capture youthful energy in a song that can appeal to both children, but also adults watching the contest. People of the Sun is catchy even from the first few seconds, and it’s easy to tell that you are in for a wild ride just from the staging alone. Compared to some of the more subdued stage performances of the night, this is loud, colourful and dynamic which matches the song completely. Both Betty and Armenia left nothing in the tank for this performance, and that’s part of the reason why Armenia finished this contest in the Top 3.
2. Diamonds – Federica Falzon (Malta)
This song is incredibly unique for Junior Eurovision, and before the contest it was difficult to determine where this would sit on the results table. The drama of this song is unchallenged in this contest, and the staging of the performance really helped increase the theatrical nature of the song. There’s no denying that Federica is a unique artist and her vocal performance was truly one of the best of the night. Many still believe that this song should have given Malta back to back wins, and honestly it wouldn’t have been surprising if it did, but 4th place is an incredible result for a song that is quite niche and new for Junior Eurovision.
- Planet of the Children – Krisia, Hasan & Ibrahim (Bulgaria)
Bulgaria really managed to pull this one out of the bag, as it’s not only arguably Bulgaria’s best at Junior Eurovision, but one of the best Junior Eurovision songs in the history of the contest. Although the subject of the song focuses on children, the song is in fact very mature, and it then becomes even more impressive that Krisia, at the time only 10 years old, could absolutely belt out this incredible song – PLUS she was ill at the time of the performance. The stage performance of the song is theatrical and feels quite Disney-like, which would have also appealed to the youth audience. Overall, this is just a mind-boggling performance that will be remembered for many years to come.
Check out the previous posts in this series here: