Disclaimer: contains opinions. All opinions stated belong to the quoted person, and do not represent the views of ESCUnited as a whole.
Happy Junior Eurovision Day, everyone! We’ve been publishing our reviews for the 17 songs hoping to win the upcoming JESC in Madrid tonight and the time has come for one final update.
Of course, we wrote our little think-pieces ahead of rehearsals, so bear that in mind going forward. We’re also publishing them late as to not influence the process.
At the moment, Armenia lead the editor poll with 83% Will Alexandros, Boris, Holly, Rebecca and Sam find another favourite in this final set of reviews?
Let’s find out as we rate the entries from Portugal, Ireland and Malta!
#15. PORTUGAL
Victoria Nicole- “Esperança”
Languages: Portugese & Spanish
Title in English: “Hope”
Music & Lyrics: Victoria Nicole.
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 7 – What a song, what a ballad, Portugal you slayed this year. Victoria’s vocals are incredible, and the lyrics are incredibly inspiring. I’m excited to see what they’ll bring to the stage and how they’ll transform the performance. The song needs a powerful ending to match its intensity, and a great light show to create a dynamic and immersive atmosphere that reflects the story she tells. I have no doubt that this song will not be in the top five.”
BORIS – 9.5 – “I’m not a piano ballad man. I find them cloying and tedious. “Esperança” however shatters my anti-biases. Although it has a slow minute, it doesn’t feel that way. It has brisk pacing, and gets to the point quickly. There’s something captivating, powerful and hauntingly authentic about a young girl screaming that she NEEDS HAVE HOPE!!!!! TO BELIEVE IN A BETTER DAY!!! (k, kalm down, Nagito) with no further nonsense or embellishment. It’s *real*. Especially with the knowledge that she wrote the song by herself. If Ukraine don’t win, surely Portugal do? “The Start” won with far fewer qualities in its favour. If Victoria gets even somewhat near Gaia in terms of live vocal, she should be in a medal winning position on Saturday. Right?”
HOLLY – 6.5 – “This has some very sweet moments of vulnerability, but my goodness, does Victoria pack a punch when she wants to! Her vocal control and power is astonishing.”
REBECCA – 7.5 – “A simple song that really lets Victoria’s vocals shine. The music video shows off her piano-playing talents, and I hope that that’s something we get to see on stage, too! Those high notes at the end were really amazing! Whenever I hear those kinds of notes in a studio version, however, it always makes me worry about how it will sound in the live performance. It’s a bit of a risk, but one that might pay off incredibly well.”
SAM – 10 – ““Esperança” joins Ukraine and Spain as one of the strongest contenders for the win. Victoria Nicole is probably the most powerful vocalist in the competition, and if she can hit those high notes live on the night – and based on her first live performance of the song on Portuguese TV, she most certainly can with a bit of practice – she may well win the whole thing. The song itself is genuinely beautiful – and was written by Victoria Nicole herself, making an already impressive entry that much more so”
STATISTICS
Total score: 40.5/50
Highest mark: 10 (Sam)
Lowest mark: 6.5 (Holly)
Percentage: 81%
#16. IRELAND
Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le chéile”
Languages: Gaelic
Title in English: “Together”
Music & Lyrics: Ian James White, Laoise Ní Nualláin & Nicky Brennan.
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 5 – “This is a refreshing departure from the traditional cultural ballads we’ve witnessed from Ireland over the years in JESC. I particularly enjoyed the disco-pop element and the nostalgic 80s vibe. However, I believe the song lacks something that I’m not sure what it is, which could elevate it to a more remarkable level. While I may not personally enjoy it, I acknowledge that it’s a suitable entry for Junior Eurovision.”
BORIS – 8.5 – “Always love it when the adolescents show up in JESC because they bring something different to the table than all those twee prepubescents singing hokey tunes by cynical adults. “Le Chéile” is a surprising, zesty blend of genres, Pop-rock Rhythms with EDM instrumentation. Edgy and fun in the right ways. I have no idea how competitive it is (probably not at all </3), but I really enjoy it and if you don’t then YOUR LOSS!!!”
HOLLY – 7.5 – “The first verse feels like golden age Sia – the highest of compliments. A lovely song that takes a couple of awesome and unexpected dynamic turns, but not so fast that it gives you whiplash. I’m so excited to see Enya perform this one on the stage – her voice has a gorgeous purity and strength, but I feel like she gets a little bit lost in the studio mix in the big moments.”
REBECCA – 7 – “What a fun dance song! The Irish language is a refreshing sound to hear, and I really enjoyed Enya’s voice. I also loved the little bits of choreography I saw in the music video—it gave the song a bit more energy without feeling too overpowering. Not much else to say, but that’s because I think it’s a very solid entry!”
SAM – 5.5 – ““Le Chéile” seems to have been written by the same AI bot that wrote Ireland’s 2023 ESC entry, Wild Youth’s “We Are One.” Just kidding – but in all seriousness, like France’s entry, the doesn’t provide much of a showcase for its singer, who is very talented but isn’t given a whole lot to work with. The “na na na…” refrain is catchy, but “Le Chéile” is up against other songs that are catchier, bolder, and more interesting.”
STATISTICS
Total score: 33.5/50
Highest mark: 8.5 (Boris
Lowest mark: 5 (Alexandros)
Percentage: 67%
#17. MALTA
Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”
Languages: Maltese
Title in English: “Little Star”
Music & Lyrics: Peter Borg, Aleandro Spiteri Monseigneur & Lon Kirkop.
THE REVIEWS:
ALEXANDROS – 3 – “The music video has some very nice visuals, but it misses a little bit of salt, something is missing. Maybe I’m not fond of ballads in a kids show cause, too much seriousness is tacky for me. I think the song itself is quite okay, but it doesn’t really match the lyrics. I don’t think Malta can be places within the top10 with this one, but staging, staging, staging. It can fix everything!”
BORIS – 7 – “An all-round decent ballad. Builds up well, good tempo shifts, does not tire out. It’s what I ask for in my ballads, JESC or otherwise. The problem with it is the competition – this JESC has already has a large amount of other good ballads: Albania’s art ballad, Portugal’s power vocal ballad and Georgia’s Disney Princess Ballad all have a clear musical identity and a target audience. I think they’re all better too. So, I’m not sure what Malta’s unique selling point is here. Closing can be an advantage but only if you can also leave an impact, and that’s where I expect them to fall short.”
HOLLY – 6 – ” Sometimes less really is more. Soaring strings, soulful piano and a voice that would make the staunchest beefcake shed a tear. And how wonderful to finally hear a song fully in Maltese! This will be an emotional closer.”
REBECCA – 6.5 – “Somehow both soft and epic at the same time. A lot of the lyrics really grabbed my attention, and the drum beat that comes in before the second chorus is very powerful. Ramires strikes me as a talented performer, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this song is like on the stage.”
SAM – 8.5 – ““Stilla Ċkejkna” is a lovely song, and Sciberras has a lovely voice – while his national final performance was a tad shaky, I don’t doubt he’ll perform well in Madrid. The sentimental story behind the song – which is inspired by Sciberras’ adoption from Cambodia – strengthens this entry further, as does coming last in the running order. The music video is a little trite, but with good staging on the night and a strong vocal performance, this entry should do very well.”
STATISTICS
Total score: 31/50
Highest mark: 8.5 (Sam)
Lowest mark: 3 (Alexandros)
Percentage: 62%
THE SCOREBOARD
- ARMENIA (Cosmic Friend) – 83%
- PORTUGAL (Esperança) – 81%
- SPAIN (Como La Lola) – 76%, Highest 10, Median 8.5
- UKRAINE (Hear me now) – 76%, Highest 10, Median 8
- ALBANIA (Vallëzoj) – 75%
- GEORGIA (To my mom) – 73%
- CYPRUS (Crystal Waters) – 72%
- ESTONIA (Tänavad) – 70%
- IRELAND (Le Chéile) – 67%
- MALTA (Stilla ċkejkna”) – 62%
- NETHERLANDS (Music) – 61%
- ITALY (Pigiama Party) – 60%, Highest 7.5
- NORTH MACEDONIA (Marathon) – 60%, Highest 7
- FRANCE (Comme ci, comme ça) – 58%
- GERMANY (Save the best for us) – 51%
- POLAND (All Together) – 41%
- SAN MARINO (Come noi) – 37%
ARMENIA win our editor poll with 83%!! But the final reviews did matter, as PORTUGAL come second with only 2% behind our winner. SPAIN snag the bronze medal over UKRAINE after the tiebreaker rule. ALBANIA rounds out our top five.
So, if it were up to our editors, these five are the five to look out for later today. Are we going to be proven right? Probably not. Is someone else going to shatter our expectations and do very well? Probably, maybe! We will know in a few hours!
Junior Eurovision 2024 will start at 18:00 CET (two hours after this post goes live), so don’t miss it!
Do #YOU agree with our editors? Who do #YOU favour in JESC 2024? Let us know in the comments, or join the discussion with our readers on our forum or in our Discord!
