Well - this is a bit awkward...
Usually we'll get out the old audio equipment, get into the brace position and make some podcasts, but this year it hasn't quite worked out (personally I blame the powers that be for moving it a good 3-5 weeks early from it's pre Christmas slot)
But I am not letting this contest pass without some form of critique. This year, we will watch the clips as usual and this time I'll add a short pithy comment from Marcus (11yo)and Ann (very much not 11yo) about each song and a score from 0-5. Once all the songs are reviewed we have made a podium of our top faves!
On the plus size, now that we are a little bit more aware of what is coming up on the Eurovision horizon, this does leave us open to reviewing the upcoming Eurovision Asia 2026 in podcast form - so watch this space...!
For ease of working we are reviewing the songs in performance order and are using the videos that are available on the official video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/@junioreurovision/videos
1. Netherlands - Maria "Stronger Together"
MARCUS - pretty good. I felt like it had a meaning to it and you could understand it through the video. I think I'd remember it after I'd watched everything else on the night 4
ANN - a shame this is the opener to the show. It could be a stand out opening gambit that no-one else can achieve or easily forgotten after a plethora of bops and stage school turns. Sounds nice, although I wish the chorus popped more in the instrumental - not just a choir. I hope she can do this live 3
2 Cyprus - Harry Georgiou "Who I Can Be"
MARCUS - the storyline in the video was amazing but I thought the chorus being almost all in English was a bit too much. The tune is quite catchy and Harry has a nice clear voice 3
ANN - this video is clever and it'd be great to have the puppet theming on stage as the narrative of the boy growing up is very symbolic. The song builds well and the chorus has a simple earworm that isn't annoying. This should get a good score but fear it might get lost - I still really like it though 4
3 Portugal - Salvador Rio "Alma"
MARCUS - I enjoyed the shifts between different styles and genres and the meaning is really deep and meaningful. The setting of the video was a little awkward which was a shame 4
ANN - Portugal always brings something out of the box for the adult and junior shows and this does does not disappoint - waltz trip hop is the genre we didn't know we needed. The repetition of the title is catchy and memorable.. Hopefully the stage show will be more expressive than the video 4
4 Montenegro - Mija Vujović "Muzika nas spaja"
MARCUS - most of that was just the same bits of text repeated over again which I don't like. I liked the settings used in the video but they chopped and changed too quickly 2
ANN - the first of the pop songs with a video from the tourist board. The chorus has a millennial whoopiness that sticks in your head. The backing track is rather thin in the verses but is better in the chorus. The song needs dancers and a simple waving arms dance routine to really make a mark 2
5 San Marino - Violamarie "Ruota panoramica"
MARCUS - I liked the crowds of children and how everyone was enjoying themselves with friends. The location of the video looked interesting. The song good but the video was amazing! 4
ANN - has a Disney/musical theatre feel then leans into a chilled out 'Golden' - but in Italian. The video is simple and I think the teeny girl audience would relate if this was replicated on the stage. The video was simple but effective. Maybe some roller-skating dancers! 3
6 France - Alec "Comment tu vas?"
MARCUS - wow! I quite like the fact it was a stage setting and the focus was one him. The piano solo was the best and I think this is a really catchy song - it may even win! 5
ANN - an unexpected start with which could make people curious or turn them off. The chorus kicks in with a strong beat and an unusual chord structure before an elongated jazzy piano solo. An interesting song with a very professional set up (do they actually want another win...?) 3
7 Poland - Wiktor Sas "Gravity"
MARCUS - hmmmm, I didn't think the English was needed. and the effects in the video were too literal. I don't remember much about the song even thought I just heard it 1
ANN - the change from English into Polish works really well and wasn't obvious. Does feel like the jesc version of Naughty Boy's "Runnin" The flying objects might be a good theme to have one stage or backdrop. The last 20 seconds feels like a real push to the end only to peter out. Shame! 3
8 Armenia - Naré "Boo!"
MARCUS - this was very repetitive which made it boring quite quickly. The video has a good theme but too many chops. More for girls and TikTok people - not me 2
ANN - the usual Armenian jesc fayre. A lot of audio and visual production which may not be achievable live. It almost feels too polished and pointed to the tween/teen market and Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra" and the French songs from a few years back are both doing a lot of heavy lifting here! 2
9 Malta - Beppe "Blue Bird"
MARCUS - the little whistles were interesting and catchy. The narrative of the video was a nice accompaniment to the song. He has a 'young boy' voice not a powerful booming one 3
ANN - the video blurb was a bit too much. An old fashioned Disney feel to the song and sounds very Eurovisiony too. Not a fan of the do-do-do parts which could've been actual words Was just getting through it when there was a very unneeded key change followed by a very abrupt ending 1
10 Italy - Matteo Trullu "Che cos'è l'amore?"
MARCUS - really good. A little repetitive in the lyrics but still a good tune. The fact the people the video were having a good time made me feel like I was having a good time! 4
ANN - this feels like quite the gear change from the last song with a more mature feel. Not a bad tune but doesn't really go anywhere lyrically or musically. Would not feel out of place at the adult contest or Sanremo. The video is rather basic and I am expecting more in a live performance 2
11 Ukraine - Erika Kolesnichenko "Not a Lullaby"
MARCUS - too much English for me and felt a bit meh. I found most of it, apart from the chorus forgettable. I think there was too much going on to really concentrate on one bit 1
ANN - the way this song looks is very confusing and feels a bit too much. Although I am not a fan of literal staging, this is not too bad but I don't like the outfits The song itself is a little messy and I don't like how she whispers the word lullaby - this may also sound rather awkward live 2
12 North Macedonia - Ana Stojanoska "Idnata jas"
MARCUS - it was catchy without needing any English. I liked the dancing parts as they gave the song oomph but didn't take away from the singing. Made me want to boogie 4
ANN - another tourist board video!. There is a nice Balkan feel in the beat. Wondering if there will be something happening on stage during the long instrumental part. It feel like half a song has been strung out to make a whole one. Another song where the hook is lacking which is a shame 2
13 Ireland - Caleb Kirwan & Naomi Gribben "Níos láidre"
MARCUS - this was quite catchy and made me feel good - it has a reassuring message too. The dancing matched the song and the language sounded nice too. 5
ANN - both of their voices blend well and I hope this can be replicated on stage. Was hoping for more of a build up during the bridge making into something a little more anthemic. Production should have gone fully 80s coded musically to give it some personality to kids and adults alike 1
14 Albania - Eslin Kurti "Kërce me mua"
MARCUS - I liked quite a lot tof it but found it a bit off putting that there were no boys in teh video although it was very cool. Song was reptitive but that made it catchy 3
ANN - the music is really interesting but the music video is so busy and choppy it's hard to concentrate on - hopefully the stage show will be more focused. Too much ooooh-ing and shouting. This could have been a really intriguing song if given a bit more space rather than fill the silences 2
15 Georgia - Davit Lomidze "Sun on the Rooftops"
MARCUS - I liked this one and enjoyed the long sections of the video in different settings. The Italian bits were catchy and it made me sway about. The lyrics were thoughtful too 5
ANN - this was really unexpected as it has a very jazzy 80s feel, almost Sanremo-esque - as well as a well well used wind machine. The video has almsot a Fame feel too it with Davit singing and dancing over the streets - and waves. However the key change at the end was really too much 3
16 Spain - Lucas Paulano "Cuore bello (te quiero, te quiero)"
MARCUS - the repetition of the chorus got on my nerves by the end. I think the glowing balls gave the video some good colour and I liked that more than the room of things 2
ANN - this feels like a strange song to finish with although I may have just been tired/fed up after all listening to all the songs It had some very odd stylistic choices with the dancers (and their dancing) and the strange fade outs during the chorus. All of this took me away from his singing 2
After collating the scores - we have three songs with 8 points!!!! After talking about the songs in question and which we prefer - we have our top3 fave songs
1st - PORTUGAL
2nd - FRANCE
3rd - GEORGIA
An honourable mention to these countries who got 7 points:
Cyprus, Netherlands, San Marino
A reminder that jESC is on Saturday 24th October and everyone can watch the Junior Eurovision 2026 final on you tube here or on your local channel if your country is taking part.
In addition, you can also vote for your faves no matter where you are in the world!
Online audience voting has been a staple of the show for may years now and you can vote for 3 of your favoutite tracks per voting window. Vote by visiting is available via JESC.tv and you can even vote twice! The first, longer voting window occurs from 23:59 CEST on Friday 23 October until 20:59 CEST on Saturday 24 October, then you can vote again once all the songs have performed during the live show but beware - that window lasts for only 15 minutes!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment