France have had a very brief history at the contest, having participated only twice prior to this year’s entry. The first participation was way back in 2004, where the nation placed 6th however after their debut, the nation took an extended break. Fast forward to 2018, France decided to return to the contest and it was a strong return, as they finished in 2nd place. This year, Carla will represent France with the song Bim Bam Toi – can it do one better than last year?
Song + Vocals
Last year’s entry, Jamais Sans Toi is up there with my favourite Junior Eurovision entries, so the bar was set high for France, at least for me. Bim Bam Toi is another great song from France, but it doesn’t quite reach Angélina status.
This seems to be a big favourite among fans, and one of the songs tipped to win the contest. I can see why. This is one of the most kid-friendly entries of the 2019 line-up, as it’s upbeat and has that whimsy factor. It’s not a song trying to save the world, it’s just a nice, energetic song and I think there’s always a place for that at Junior Eurovision.
The chorus is easily the highlight of the song, as that where all the whimsy lies. The melody is extremely catchy and even if you don’t know French, it’s easy to sing along with ‘Bim Bam Boom.’ It might also be the downfall of this song, because as you listen to it more, the chorus becomes slightly repetitive. Now that I’ve heard the song multiple times, I feel less inclined to listen to it because of that repetition. Of course, this should be irrelevant in the jury vote, and for the viewers and voters at home who are hearing the songs for the first time.
Carla has performed this live, and for the most part I think she pulls it off well. It’s a fast paced song that may have been hard to execute live, but she keeps up and keeps her pitch.
Act + Performance
To stay in that winning region, I think France will need a strong stage show to match the energy of the song. I would hope that Carla doesn’t have too much choreography in order to maintain the vocals throughout, but instead I hope that backing dancers will be used. If they keep a similar vibe to the music video, I think it will be a strong competitor.
Conclusions
Could this win? It’s certainly possible but I think seeing the full performance or even rehearsal will make it clearer. I think there are stronger entries, but since this is a Junior contest, I can see this being a hit with juries but also with the televote.
Rating
8/10
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