By: eurovisionunion
Reviews, Top 5, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 5 Junior Eurovision Entries of 2018!

In the lead up to the upcoming edition of Junior Eurovision, we are looking back on the previous editions of the contest to rediscover the songs we love!

For this Top 5, we are heading to Belarus, the hosts of the 2018 edition of Junior Eurovision. A total of 20 participants performed their entries on the Junior Eurovision stage, including two debuting nations. Kazakhstan and Wales both made their debut, while Azerbaijan, France and Israel returned. Unfortunately, Cyprus withdrew from the contest. Who will reach our Top 5? Time to find out!

  1. Marija Spasovska – Doma (North Macedonia)

North Macedonia struck gold with this combination of singer and song. Doma was written by Darko Dimitrov and Elena Risteska, both of which have had Eurovision experience either as a singer or songwriter. The song is definitely something that we were more likely to hear at Eurovision rather than Junior Eurovision, but Marija does a beautiful job at selling this Balkan ballad. There were some shaky vocal moments throughout, but overall, it’s a strong performance where Marija certainly has the ability to share emotion through her voice.

  1. Efi Gjika – Barbie (Albania)

This Top 5 would have to be one of the most difficult, with 2018 proving to be one of the strongest years of Junior Eurovision. This could be a controversial choice, however there was something about the Albanian entry which captured my attention prior to the contest. Even watching the performance now, I feel strongly that this was severely underrated! The song itself is super catchy, especially the choruses. Efi is a strong singer, and I love that she is so confident on stage. The performance could have benefitted from dancers on stage, but Efi managed to fill the space in the song with dance. Efi really is living her best life on this stage, and it makes it a joy to watch.

  1. Darina Krasnovetska – Say Love (Ukraine)

Talk about a song with a meaning! The pocket-sized Darina absolutely sold us on her message of love with her strong vocals and eye-catching visual performance. The mixture of red, black and white made for a really modern performance where the message of the song was the core focus. The song itself is powerful, but still very catchy. The mix of languages works well, and the use of the megaphone really pushed the idea of getting the message out.

  1. Daniel Yastremski – Time

This has to be one of my all-time favourite Junior Eurovision entries, in both song and performance. The song is modern, catchy and the vocal tone of Daniel is dreamy. He absolutely nails this performance, both vocally, and in terms of the choreography. The stage show was really a stand out with the neon lights and the changing scenes. They used props in a creative way and made it really interactive with the backing screens, which I thought was very innovative. I definitely think this was underrated in the results!

  1. Angélina – Jamais Sans Toi

If the previous song ranked high on my all-time favourite Junior Eurovision song list, you can be certain that this French entry also ranks high. This entry marked the French return to the contest, and what an entry to return with. Jamais Sans Toi is such a catchy, upbeat song that is both appealing for the young and old. The staging was adorable, and really suited the vibe of the song. It can’t have been easy to follow that choreography while also singing a fast paced song, and at times Angélina fell a bit behind on the beat, but for me, it didn’t take away from the joy.