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 9 days 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 review JESC defending champions and hosts France. And for a country that will be making only its 7th appearance at the contest, they have completely dominated and are now the Number 1 country to beat.
France’s history at Junior Eurovision:
2023 is only France’s seventh tilt at Junior Eurovision, despite it feeling like they’ve been dominating the contest forever. They debuted in 2004 with Thomas Pontier’s “Si on voulait bien,” came in 6th, and then vanished.
Until 2018. And when they came back, they meant business, coming in 2nd with Angelina’s “Jamais Sans Toi.”
Though Carla’s “Bim bam toi” only came in 5th at Junior Eurovision 2019, it went on to become a huge viral hit in France after the contest. In December 2019, Juju Fitcats laid down a “Bim bam toi” challenge on TikTok, where users upload videos of themselves lip-synching to the song.
Angelina and Carla provided Junior Eurovision classics that will be fondly remembered above a lot of winners. However, they did not provide the win for France. Step forward Valentina and her whimsical number “J’Imagine,” written by Barbara Pravi, who came in 2nd at Eurovision 2021. Valentina crushed both the fan and jury votes and stormed into 1st, giving France their first victory at Junior Eurovision.
And though Enzo’s “Tic Tac” narrowly won the jury vote at Junior Eurovision 2021, Malena’s “Qami Qami” crushed the online vote to bring the win for Armenia.
France, however, went to Armenia and smashed the jury vote to win Junior Eurovision 2022 with Lissandro’s “Oh maman!,” giving France their second win in three years. And since returning in 2018, France has not once finished outside of the Top 5.
Before Junior Eurovision 2023:
For the sixth year in a row, France made an internal selection for their JESC representative. In a press conference on September 27, 2023, France Televisions unveiled Zoé Clauzure and her entry “Cœur.”
The Artist:
13-year-old Zoé Clauzure hails from Montrouge, France.
To say she is an accomplished artist at a young age is an understatement. She was a semi-finalist on France’s edition of The Voice Kids in 2020, and has studied piano.
She also composes her own songs and is proficient on Logic Pro. She’s already performed with Amir (France’s Eurovision 2016 representative) and French singer-songwriter Yseult.
The Song:
“Cœur” (“Heart”) is, according to Zoe, a song about bullying. And it is not the first time she has addressed the topic. In her unveiling interview, she told France Televisions, “Ma Place was a dark ballad full of restrained emotion. Cœur is its opposite: a positive track, full of hope and light. Music is a way of expressing myself outside language, and I’m quite talkative, but that’s not enough for me.”
“Cœur” has lyrics written by Noée Francheteau. A singer-songwriter in her own right, Noée Francheteau released “C’est comme ça” earlier this year, and is also a semi-finalist on The Voice.
The song is composed by Julien Comblat and Jérémy Chapron.
With the background out of the way, here is what we at ESC United think of France’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 – 9 – “The artistry encapsulated in this dynamic shift, from delicate beginnings to a triumphant climax, underscores the entry’s prowess. The nuanced interplay of musical elements demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of composition, ensuring a resonant and impactful experience for listeners. This carefully crafted journey positions France’s entry not only as a contender but as a potential victor in the 2023 Junior Eurovision Song Contest.”
Boris – 8 – “The French song is one of those that addresses a personal issue (bullying) and transforms it into a positive experience for everyone to partake in. “Coeur” is uptempo fun number in which Zoé declares that no matter how downtrodden she is by others, she can always make her voice known through her music. A sweet message of healing in a sugary-sweet bouncy package. I don’t think France are going to pull a double W here, but they have delivered a good entry to defend their crown with. France’s streak of top fives, the longest in JESC history, is likely to remain unbroken.”
James – 8.5 – “In a way, this is an oddity, with an almost funereal mood bobbing along bouncy disco beats. But the French do quirky disco well (e.g. Daft Punk, Sandra), and it’s no surprise they pull a slick yet moody one out of the hat for JESC as well. Additionally, France has a knack of finding charismatic performers for JESC. I have no doubt she will be the most prepared for the live stage of her peers, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she can steal a win again for her country in the jury vote (the televote, though, may pose a challenge, but she won’t be far off).”
William – 8 – “No country in recent years has better perfected the balance between slick production and kid appeal at JESC quite like France … so it was a bit of a surprise to hear something more adolescent and moody this time around. Zoé comes across very game and charismatic in the music video, so I know she’s going to put on a good show. While very catchy, this doesn’t sound like a contest winner to me. But, then again, France is coming off two victories in three years. This is just a victory lap, and it’s always refreshing to see countries flexing their creative muscles a little more in years when they have nothing to prove.”
Yehonatan – 9 – “France is indeed coming in for that double with this entry. I love that they switched styles from their 2018 – 2022 joyful, innocent songs to a more serious tone that still feels appropriate for JESC and still feels so distinctly French. This would have scored very well even in the adult ESC as it is now.”
Total: 42.5 points (Average = 8.500)
We have 12 more entries to go, and France is now in the lead with an average of 8.5. Though we may not 100% accurately predict the winner, many entries that have won JESC have averaged more than 8.0 in ESC United’s writer poll. So even though a couple of resident contrarians say they don’t think France is winner material, our individual and aggregate scores suggest otherwise.
Additionally, our lowest score thus far has an average of 6.5. Not to jinx it, but in our scores, ESC United is beginning to formulate the opinion that Junior Eurovision 2023 is going to be an excellent year.
Four countries in, here are our current rankings in editor scores:
1.) FRANCE – 42.5 points (Average = 8.500)
2.) Armenia – 38.0 points (Average = 7.600)
3.) Albania – 33.5 points (Average = 6.700)
4.) Estonia – 32.5 points (Average = 6.500)
What do #YOU think of France’s entry for Junior Eurovision? Do #YOU think France can pull off a double a la Poland and equal Georgia’s three win record? Let us know in the comments below, on our social media, or in our forum.
