All opinions expressed in this article are those of the person quoted and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the other team members or ESC United as a whole.
It’s one day to go until Junior Eurovision 2023, and we are counting down the 16 nations who are participating in Nice, France on Sunday, November 26, 2023.
Every day we will do an overview of a participating nation in alphabetical order, recapping how they got to Junior Eurovision, a brief history of the nation’s participation, a brief biography of the artist, and finally, our “expert” panel of editors give the entries a score out of 10 and a brief review.
Next up, we look at Spain, a Big Five member determined to win both versions of Eurovision with a vengeance.
Spain’s history at Junior Eurovision:
You’d think that a country that participated four times in a row since the inaugural competition in 2003 and then withdrew would be one with a terrible record. But no, Spain’s first run at Junior Eurovision was 2nd, 1st, 2nd and 4th, which is very impressive. And then they left for 13 years.
Oddly enough, the 4th placed performer Dani Fernandez is the most high profile of the first four entries as he was a member of Auryn, a boy band that also features Spain’s Eurovision 2020 and 2021 representative Blas Canto. Auryn made it to the final of Spain’s national selection back in 2011 with “Volver.”
Maria Isabel won Junior Eurovision 2004 for Spain with “Antes muerta que sencilla,” a title that’s a riff on the Mickey Rourke quote “Better to be dead and cool, than alive and uncool” from the classic 1991 action film “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.” Okay, that was probably not the specific inspiration for the song, but it stands out among Junior Eurovision winners in sentiment and sound.
Spain bowed out of the contest after 2006, allegedly for the vision of Junior Eurovision not lining up with Spanish broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española’s (RTVE) for what they both want out of a kids singing contest.
Out of the blue, on June 25, 2019, RTVE announced that Spain would be returning for the Junior Eurovision 2019 contest.
And they came back strong as Melani Garcia surged to 3rd place with her stunning eco-popera entry “Marte,” best known for the atom-bombesque dropping of “Ahora!,” “Perdona!,” and “Funciona!” at key moments in the song. This is how you make a comeback to a song contest after a long absence.
But wait, there’s more! The following year, they dropped Solea, the fourth generation of the famous flamenco Farruco family and “Palante”. A pre-tournament favorite, “Palante” was not quite able to take advantage of the jury and televote split between Kazakhstan and France, but once again, they put in one hell of a performance and came in 3rd.
Levi Diaz came in 15th for Spain at Junior Eurovision 2021, Spain’s first ever outside the Top Four. Carlos Higes had a much improved showing at Junior Eurovision 2022, though, coming in 6th with “Señorita.”
Before Junior Eurovision 2023:
114 young hopefuls sent in applications to Spain’s Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), and an internal panel selected 19 of them to enter a round of auditions.
The panel consisted of The jury, composed of Ana María Bordas, César Vallejo, Miriam García Corrales, Pablo Cebrián, Tony Sanchez-Ohlsson, Rayden and María Eizaguirre.
RTVE announced on July 7, 2023, that Sandra Valero was the unanimous number one pick.
The Artist:
12-year-old Sandra Valero hails from Valencia, and is also an aspiring actress and model.
As with most of the kids who will be on stage in Nice, Valero has also participated in her country’s version of The Voice Kids and Idol Kids.
Valero’s acting credits include major roles in stage productions of The Bodyguard Musical and The Jungle Book.
The Song:
“Loviu” is an entreaty to learn about the world and spread love around it.
“Loviu” was co-written by Luis Ramiro, a popular Spanish singer-songwriter who was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2009 for his album “Drama y Caballeros.” In 2012, Ramaro won a Best Songwriter Award at Spain’s Premios Guilles Awards.
David Parejo Martín is a young Spanish performer who has his first co-writing and production credit here, and Alejandro Martínez Valderrama is also credited as a composer.
Rounding out the writing and production team is Diego Cantero, the vocalist of Spanish band Funambulista, has released several albums over the past 20 years with the group and as a solo singer-songwriter.
With the background out of the way, here is what we at ESC United think of Spain’s entry for Junior Eurovision 2023.
Providing their thoughts for Junior Eurovision this season: Alexandros (Greece), Yehonatan Cohen (Israel), Boris Meersman (Belgium), James Maude (Los Angeles, California), and William Carter (Dallas, Texas).
The Verdict:
Alexandros – 5 – “The song has left a positive impression, with its endearing qualities evoking a sense of charm and cuteness. While the anticipation lingers regarding the translation of these elements onto the stage, there is a confident expectation that the live performance will be both delightful and joyful. The song’s inherent likability and the prospect of a dynamic stage presentation set the stage for a potentially engaging and memorable contribution.”
Boris – 9 – “Spain have done their homework, for cheer sells. No time is wasted creating an atmosphere of unadulterated mirth in this adorable anthem. “Loviu” is irritatingly charming and charmingly irritating, its multilingual energy bouncing off the wall left and right in every direction, like a runner’s high on serotonin. Sandra is both convincing and precious in her role as a lovestruck adolescent smitten with an unnamed idol. I think it should be a contender to win, though with such high octane energy it might be a challenge to recreate a live performance with the same vigor and tenacity.”
James – 10 – “For me, the best Junior Eurovision song since Angelina’s “Jamais sans toi.” This is what you want out of a childrens’ song contest – fun, brightness, contagious cheer. And it comes in a modern, slick production that even eye-rolling pre-teens will appreciate.. The world needs love and optimism right now, and given Eurovision’s mission statement “Loviu” is 2023’s perfect ambassador.”
William – 9 – “THIS is what I come to Junior Eurovision for. ‘Loviu’ is young without being juvenile. It’s joyful without being corny. It’s slickly produced without being overly mature. It’s the kind of perfect JESC entry France has perfected over the last 5 years or so. I love Sandra’s look and attitude, and the sound of the song gives me nostalgic throwback vibes to the kind of pop I came across on Latin radio stations in the early ’00s. This is the one to beat, as far as I’m concerned.”
Yehonatan – 9 – “Out of all the songs, this is probably the one that got the assignment of a proper JESC song the best. It’s joyful and unbelievably catchy, plus Sandra is insanely charismatic. Such a fun entry!”
Total: 42 points (Average = 8.400)
Spain’s entry has met with near universal praise at ESC United, with only one dissenting score bringing down the score slightly. As such, “Loviu” is a close second to France in our rankings thus far. But an average way above 8.0 means we believe this is a potential JESC winner.
Fourteen countries in, here are our current rankings in editor scores:
1.) France – 42.5 points (Average = 8.500)
2.) SPAIN – 42 points (Average = 8.400)
3.) Armenia – 38.0 points (Average = 7.600)
4.) Ireland – 37.5 points (Average = 7.500)
5.) Georgia – 35.0 (Average = 7.000)
6.) North Macedonia – 34.5 points (Average = 6.900)
7.) Albania – 33.5 points (Average = 6.700)
8.) Estonia – 32.5 points (Average = 6.500)
9.) The Netherlands – 31.0 points (Average = 6.200)
10.) Germany – 30.5 points (Average = 6.100)
11.) Poland – 27.5 points (Average = 5.500)
12.) Portugal – 27.0 points (Average = 5.400)
13.) Malta – 26.5 points (Average = 5.300)
14.) Italy – 23 points (Average = 4.600)
What do #YOU think of Spain’s entry? Do #YOU think this is a potential JESC winner? Let us know in the comments below, on our social media, or in our forum.
