This year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest is quickly approaching, with the contest to be held on the 24th 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 Both Azerbaijan and Israel have withdrawn from the contest this year.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 22nd of November, and will conclude prior to the live show on the 24th of November. The second online phase of public voting will occur during the live show.
Together with our Australian partner website Eurovision Union, we introduce all the participants for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Now, let’s ‘Share the Joy’ and meet the competitors, from Albania to Georgia!
Albania: Isea Çili – Mikja ime fëmijëria
Albania will be represented by 11 year old Isea Çili and her song, Mikja ime fëmijëria (My Childhood Friend). Isea was selected through the national selection, Junior Fest which featured 18 participants this year. Despite being a televised final, the results were decided by a jury only. The ballad style song was composed by Saimir Çili and the lyrics were written by Jorgo Papingji.
Isea Çili recently participated in the third season of the Voice Kids Albania where all three judges turned their chairs in the audition phase. With the coaching of the duo Aleksandër and Renis Gjoka, Isea continued through to the semi-final where she was eliminated from the competition.
Armenia: Karina Ignatyan – Colours of Your Dream
Once again, Armenia selected their Junior Eurovision participant through the national selection format, Depi Mankakan Evratesil. A total of 10 acts participated with original songs, where the winner as decided by both public and jury voting would represent Armenia at Junior Eurovision this year. It was a close result, however it will be Karina Ignatyan representing Armenia with her song, Colours of Your Dream.
The 13 year old singer is no stranger to music competitions and festivals, having participated in New Wave Junior and The Voice Kids Russia, just to name a few. Karina participated in Dima Bilan’s team on The Voice Kids Russia in 2017, however was eliminated in the battle rounds of the show. This is the same season that last year’s Armenian representative, Levon Galstyan participated in, where he was eliminated in the live playoffs.
Colours of Your Dream was written by Taras Demchuk, Avet Barseghyan and Margarita Doroshevish. The song features lyrics in both Armenian and English.
Australia: Jordan Anthony – We Will Rise
Like in previous years, Australia once again decided to internally select their Junior Eurovision participant. 14 year old Jordan Anthony will represent the nation with the song We Will Rise which was written by Jordan himself, in collaboration with MSquared. The song is about times of doubt and struggle, and overcoming those moments with the strength from within.
Like many of his Junior Eurovision counterparts, Jordan also participated on The Voice, however it was not the kids version of the show. By the time of his audition, three of the four coaches already had full teams, however Delta Goodrem turned her chair and mentored Jordan through the show and to the final where he finished in fourth place.
Belarus: Liza Misnikova – Pepelny
This year, Belarus will be represented by 14 year old Liza Misnikova who was selected through a national selection. A total of 10 participants competed in the national final, and Liza opened the show with what would become her Junior Eurovision entry, Pepelny (Ashen). The upbeat pop number received 10 points from both the jury and the televote, giving her the highest score and therefore the opportunity to represent Belarus at Junior Eurovision.
France: Carla – Bim Bam Toi
This year will mark the third French participation at Junior Eurovision, having participated in 2004, then taking an extended break from the contest up until last year when they returned. Their return was successful, finishing up in 2nd place with Angélina and her song, Jamais Sans Toi. This year, France will be represented by 14 year old Carla and her upbeat entry, Bim Bam Toi. The song was written by former French national finalist, Igit alongside Barbara Pravi.
Carla has also participated on the Voice Kids in the French version of the show, where she finished in fourth place under the guidance of Patrick Fiori. Listen to Bim Bam Toi below:
Georgia: Giorgi Rostiashvili – We Need Love
Georgia was the first nation to select their entrant for the 2019 season, and in fact, their representative Giorgi Rostiashvili was chosen way back in May this year. Georgia used the national selection format Ranina which began in March, and featured a total of 10 participants. Giorgi was triumphant in the national selection, then the wait for the song release began! Now we know that the 13 year old singer will be performing the song We Need Love which was written and composed by David Evgenidze.
That wraps up part 1 of our ‘Meet the Participants’ series for Junior Eurovision 2019. Stay tuned for part 2, where we will meet more of this year’s competitors. Meanwhile, support your favourite acts in the Junior Eurovision 2019 poll on Eurovision Union.