Our Best of the Bunch series continues, but this time, we’re crossing over between the two main formats of Eurovision, the Eurovision Song Contest and the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The concept is simple, we take the Eurovision and Junior Eurovision entries of a certain year and put them up against each other in a poll to find out which is your Best of the Bunch! Our focus will be between 2016 and 2018, so let’s find out who you think is the Best of the Bunch!
2016
Eurovision:
North Macedonia were in the midst of yet another long non-qualification streak, and at the time, their most recent qualification was back in 2012 with Kaliopi. In 2016. Kaliopi returned to Eurovision with a ballad titled Dona, and after her successful performance back in 2012, there was a possibility that North Macedonia would break the non-qualification streak and return to the final. Unfortunately that was not the case, although she was not far off, finishing in 11th place, the closest to qualifying they had been during that non-qualification streak.
Junior Eurovision:
With their most recent two entries being last place finishes, North Macedonia put a renewed effort in for their 2016 selection. The result of that was the song Love Will Lead Our Way, a modern pop number performed by Martija Stanojković. It was a hit with fans, but didn’t quite reach the Top 10, finishing in 12th place.
Which is your Best of the Bunch? Vote below!
2017
Eurovision:
Another year, another hope that the nation would finally qualify after many years missing out on the final. This time it was up to Jana Burčeska with her modern but yet retro track, Dance Alone. It had received perhaps the most hype for North Macedonia for a while, so it felt like their qualification could happen. Alas, it was not meant to be with the nation once again failing to qualify, finishing in 15th place.
Junior Eurovision:
The following year, North Macedonia put their hopes in Mina Blažev with the song Dancing Through Life. It had a similar modern pop vibe to their previous entry, but a different concept for staging. Mina gave a strong performance solo on stage, but when it came to the voting, North Macedonia finished in 12th place once again.
Which is your Best of the Bunch? Vote below!
2018
Eurovision:
With five years of non-qualification and counting, North Macedonia selected the group Eye Cue with the song Lost and Found. The song featured different elements, which was bound to be off-putting to some fans and voters, however the song did still appeal to some. Unfortunately, with a misguided staging concept, North Macedonia plummeted down towards the bottom of the table, finishing in 18th place.
Junior Eurovision:
That leads us to (currently) North Macedonia’s most recent Junior Eurovision entry, which was the beautiful ballad Doma performed by Marija Spasovksa. The nation ticked all the boxes, a strong ethno ballad matched with a strong vocalist and strong staging. Surely this would be North Macedonia’s year to return to the Top 10? It was close, but for the third time in a row, and 8th time overall, North Macedonia finished in 12th place.
Which is your Best of the Bunch? Vote below!