Russia is consistently a strong competitor when it comes to Junior Eurovision, having won the contest twice since their debut at the contest in 2005. Hoping to score a third win is this year’s participant Sofia Feskova, who won the opportunity to represent Russia through a national selection. She will be performing the song My New Day on the Junior Eurovision stage this year.
Song + Vocals
It’s not uncommon to see a female led ballad for Russia at Junior Eurovision, and this year, we’re getting just that. Historically, female led ballads have done well for Russia, with Alisa Kozhikina, Water of Life Project and of course, Polina Bogusevich a few examples. In comparison, Sofia has a unique voice that helps her stand out from the crowd, both from previous Russian ballads, and in this year’s line-up. Since Sofia was selected during a national final, we know that she has a strong set of pipes. Her performance is almost identical to her studio performance which is an impressive feat for someone so young.
As for the song, I will say, it has taken a few listens to really start to enjoy. My first impression of the song was that it was too much of a ‘safe’ option for Russia. An inoffensive ballad with a generic uplifting message. I still agree to that even after hearing the song a number of times, but what has changed is that I’ve started to appreciate the melodies more. The studio version does well at using the backing music to really back her vocals. The instrumentals are stunning, from the piano to the strings section. This is a decent entry from Russia, but not ground-breaking.
Act + Performance
I won’t lie, I’ve seen the snippet of the live performance, and it’s what I would have expected. It’s a ‘stand and sing’ type of song, meaning I was expecting Sofia to be middle of stage belting out the vocals – and that she is. The fireworks were a nice colourful addition to the performance, which is what was missing from the national final performance.
Conclusions
Overall, this is a nice entry from Russia. While it doesn’t give me winner vibes, I think this will be rewarded by the jury for the strong vocals, and may even get a decent televote, putting it in the middle region of the table.
Rating
7/10
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