The second round of Ranina, Georgia’s method of selection for Junior Eurovision, kicked off this evening with the first five of the ten hopefuls performing songs with young Georgian pianist and composer Giorgi Gigashvili.
Gigashvili, born in Tblisi in 2000 and a student of piano in Berlin, Germany, led five Ranina kids in song, with all five contestants having successfully worked on the critiques in performance and vocal technique they had received in the first round.
Marta Nozadze overcame her first round jitters and scored a perfect 120. Mate Martiashvili also overcame his first round deficit with a perfect 120. Allround improvement was the order of the day as Giorgi Shashiashvili also scored a perfect 120.
Barbara Morgoshia did not have as much ground to make up as the prior three, but she too earned a perfect 120. Considering the rowdy audience reaction and standing ovation from the judging panel, it was no surprise when they handed 120 points to Andria Putkaradze.
After tonight’s performances, here is how the first five currently rank.
- Andria Putkaradze: 117 + 120 = 237
- Barbara Morgoshia: 116 + 120 = 236
- Marta Nozadze: 114 + 120 = 234
- Mate Martiashvili: 114 + 120 = 234
- Giorgi Shashiashvili: 113 + 120 = 233
Last week, Andria Mishvelidze scored 120, followed by Anastasia Iremadze on 119, Sandro Ashotia and Sandro Gurgenadze on 118, and Ia Lachelle on 117.
This round’s judging panel included Ranina regulars Dato Evgenidze and Nato Metonidze, with Beka Gochiashvili the guest judge. Gochiashvili is a 28-year-old jazz pianist who has studied and performed abroad, even earning accolades from surprising figures such as former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
Each contestant can potentially earn up to 120 points per round. There’s 10 points available for each judge across the four judging categories of vocals, performance, artistry and collaboration.
The five contestants with the highest scores after four tours (usually spread over eight weeks) progress to the Semi-Finals, where the top three progress to the Grand Final.
Hosted by David Aladashvili, with Ranina 2022 finalist Vache Ghviniashvili as co-host and green room interviewer, this is the seventh time that Ranina will be used to select Georgia’s representative at Junior Eurovision. The song is usually released close to the European Broadcasting Union deadline, with the songwriter selected internally (more often than not, it’s serial JESC winning songwriter Giga Kukhianidze, who was seated in the audience tonight alongside former Georgia JESC contestants Anastasia Vasadze and Niko Kajaia).
The best performance by Georgia in the Ranina era is Mariam Bigvava, who came in 3rd at Junior Eurovision 2022 with “I Believe,” one year after Niko Kajaia’s 4th place with “Let’s count the Smiles.”
Last year, 1TV mixed up the formula slightly by pairing Season 6 winner Anastasia Vasadze with Season 5 finalists Nikoloz Kharati and Oto Bazerashvlili on “Over the Sky.” Georgia came in 14th, equaling their lowest ever placement of Giorgi Rotiashvili’s “We Need Love” from 2019.
Overall, Georgia has the most wins among Junior Eurovision nations with three victories (all Kukhianidze compositions) in 2008, 2011, and 2016.
Tune in to Ranina next Saturday, April 13, 2024, for the second half of the second round on 1TV Georgia.
Do #YOU think Georgia should persist with “Ranina” as its method of selection for Junior Eurovision? If so, do #YOU want to mix up the formula with a new type of singing challenge for the contestants? Let us know in the comments, in our forum, or in our social media.
