Junior Eurovision 2019! Meet the Participants! (Part 3)

This year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest is quickly approaching, with the contest to be held on the 24^th of November at the Gliwice Arena in Gliwice-Silesia, Poland. This is the first time the contest will be held in Poland, and the show will be hosted by the trio, Ida Nowakowska, Aleksander Sikora and last year’s Junior Eurovision winner, Roksana Węigel.

The contest will feature a total of 19 participants, with Spain returning to the contest after a 13 year break. Both Azerbaijan and Israel have withdrawn from the contest this year. The winner of the contest will be decided through a mix of public and jury vote, with the online voting format continuing this year. The first phase of online voting will begin on the 22^nd of November, and will conclude prior to the live show on the 24^th of November. The second online phase of public voting will occur during the live show.

Now, let’s ‘Share the Joy’ and meet the competitors, from Poland to Wales! (Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2)

Poland

Poland used a national selection to decide on their Junior Eurovision entrant this year, with three semi-finals leading to the final which featured three participants. Each participant presented their potential Junior Eurovision entry, but it was Viki Gabor who topped the point scoring in both the jury vote and televote. She will be performing the song Superhero at Junior Eurovision on home soil. The song was written by Małgorzata Uściłowska, Patryk Kumór and Dominic Buczkowski-Wojtaszek.

Viki Gabor is 12 years old, and was born in Germany. She began her education in Britain, but currently lives in Poland. Viki participated in the second season of the Voice Kids in Poland where she was mentored under the team of Tomson and Baron. She continued through to the final, where she was announced as the runner up of the competition.

Listen to her Junior Eurovision entry below:

Portugal

Portugal used an internal selection to choose their Junior Eurovision participant and entry this year, with the broadcaster announcing that Joana Almeida would be representing the nation with the song Vem Comigo (Come With Me). The song written by João Pedro Coimbra.

Joana is just 10 years old, however the broadcaster saw potential in the young artist after she had won a popular singing contest for children in Portugal, ‘Gala Internacional dos Pequenos Cantores da Figueira da Foz.’ Her song speaks of the awareness that the younger generation have about the environment, a theme that is running across many of this year’s entries.

Watch the official video below:

Russia

Russia once again used a national final to select their Junior Eurovision entrant, and this year the nation selected the duo Tatyana Mezhentseva and Denberel Oorzhak. The song that they will be performing at Junior Eurovision is titled A Time For Us, and features lyrics in both Russian and English. The song was written by Dmitry Northman.

Tatyana Mezhentseva is just 9 years old and comes from Moscow, while Denberel Oorzhak hails from Kyzyl and is 13 years old. Denberel was the winner of the super season of the show, You Are Super in Russia. The duo met at the Children’s New Wave contest, where they became friends and decided to participate together in the Junior Eurovision selection!

Listen to their entry below:

Serbia

The Serbian broadcaster internally selected Darija Vračević to represent the nation at Junior Eurovision this year with the song Podigni Glas (Raise Your Voice). The song will feature both English and Serbian, and it was written by Aleksandra Milutinović, Leontina Vukomanović, Darija Vračević and Aleksandar Sablić.

Darija is 12 years old and comes from the nation’s capital, Belgrade. Darija has also featured in a children’s musical titled Tesla and the Battle at the Magnetic Field, and she has also done dubbing for Disney/Pixar, Paramount and Nickelodeon.

Watch the official music video below:

Spain

Spain is returning to Junior Eurovision after a 13 year absence, and representing the nation in their returning year is 12 year old Melani García. Melani had previously participated in the Spanish version of the Voice Kids as part of the fourth season. She won the contest under team Melendi. Her music style is influenced by classical music, after she took an interest in the genre at just 8 years old.

The song she will be performing at Junior Eurovision is titled Marte, and was written by Pablo Mora and Manu Chalud. Like many of her competitors, Melani will be singing about the environment and our need to take care of our Earth.

Listen to the entry below:

Ukraine

Ukraine held an online national selection to choose their Junior Eurovision entrant this year, however the decision ultimately came down to a jury of music professionals and representatives of the television broadcaster. Sophia Ivanko was selected as the participant with her song Koly Zdaietsia, which has since been given the English name, The Spirit of Music. The song was written by Sophia herself, alongside Mykhalio Tolmachov.

Sophia is 13 years old, and comes from Kiev in Ukraine. She participated in The Voice Kids Ukraine in season five, where she selectedr Jamala’s team. She reached the battle rounds of the competition however was eliminated at that stage of the competition.

Watch the official video below:

Wales

This year will mark Wales’ second Junior Eurovision participation, and this year they went with a national selection to decide their next Junior Eurovision participant. The winner was Erin Mai, who will be performing the entry Calon yn Curo, which was pre-written specifically for the contest. The song was written by Ed Holden, and composed by Sylvia Strand and Jonathan Gregory.

13 year old Erin attends a performing arts school, and spends her time doing a range of activities, from dancing to acting, as well as swimming and mountain biking. Last year, Erin attended the Welsh Junior Eurovision national final as part of the audience, and now she will be representing Wales at Junior Eurovision!

Listen to her song below: