This year, France will be participating at Junior Eurovision for the first time since 2004, with this being only their second participation at the contest. The nation finished in 6th place back in 2004, a very respectable result, but will they be able to pick up where they left off with Angélina and her song Jamais Sans Toi?
If this isn’t a contender, I don’t know what is. France is returning with an incredibly strong entry performed by perhaps one of the most charming participants of this year’s competition. The French team have managed to create the perfect balance between something kid-friendly that also appeals to the older viewers, and that’s a balance that hasn’t been reached by many of this year’s competitors.
This track is incredibly bubbly and upbeat while still being very contemporary. The melodies are incredibly smooth, and so is the transition between languages. It’s not that often that we see language changes almost mid-sentence, and I think that’s a unique point of difference for this song. It is a nice way to briefly share the message of the song to non-French speakers without creating an isolated verse or chorus in the second language which can often be jarring to a song.
I think there is huge potential for this to do well, but a well-produced stage show will certainly help this out. If they manage to capture the fun of this performance and not let it get too static, this will come across very well on camera. Speaking of which, I think if she can connect with the camera at all the right times, it will add to the charm of this performance as she has a nice stage presence, albeit somewhat unenergetic, but backing dancers can take some of that pressure off her to create movement in the performance. Vocally, I think she is incredible and I’m not too worried about that element of the performance.
This is an easy 10/10!
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