Review: Junior Eurovision 2022

16 countries will compete this time in the “Junior Eurovision Song Contest“.
Armenia is the host country this year.

In this article, we will give a short review of the songs

#1. 🇳🇱 The Netherlands: Luna – La Festa

As promised in the title – this is a party (or Festa).
The song starts with keyboards playing and Luna’s soft voice.
The rate is slow, even though we can hear the beat building up, little by little.
Pre-chorus prepares us for the “real” beat of the song.
The chorus is catchy and festive. We can hear string elements in the production.
Light motives of wind instruments build the second part of the song’s melody.
This part of the song has a faster growth.
The chorus even has some Latin music influences.
The bridge of the song is almost entirely instrumental and goes even faster.
Luna sings the last part on a higher note.
The song suggests an uplifting atmosphere and its structure makes it even more enjoyable.

#2. 🇵🇱 Poland: Laura – To The Moon

The song starts with a mysterious atmosphere.
Laura opens the song with her angelic voice, the tension is slowly built by the beat.
The pre-chorus includes backing vocals, and she sings it faster.
The chorus has a very strong volume, and we are moving to the Polish language.
Electronic production decorates the chorus, and in a specific sense, takes over it.
I am not sure about the fit of her voice to this upbeat part of the song.
Thereafter, the second verse arrives. We still can hear the motives from the chorus but now they are much calmer.
The second chorus is almost identical to the first one.
The bridge is beautiful, it opens with a falsetto singing with keyboards playing.
Laure gives us a long note that leads us to another chorus, this time with some English lyrics.
It is probably one of the most modern songs in the lineup.
The songs might be considered a combination of 2 different songs, melody wisely.
I think the general outcome is decent, but some moments sound too shouty.

#3. 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan: David Charlin – Jer-Ana (Mother Earth)

The song begins with a violin/cello playing.
The atmosphere suggests ethnic elements.
David opened the singing part with a stable voice.
The melody is built on simple accords. Keyboards playing with string elements are the basis of the melody. The first verse is performed in English.
The chorus is powerful and performed in the native language.
David sings it the majority of it with a high tone and some manners.
As the chorus ends, a very fast keyboard improvisation leads us to the second verse.
We can hear a bagpipe or flute at the beginning. The second verse is similar to the first one but it is shorter. The chorus arrives again, and this time it sounds less stressed.
The bridge is mostly acoustic, and mainly focused on David’s voice.
The last part includes heavy production with plenty of instruments, however the instruments slowly decay towards the end of the song.
The song sounds similar to the previous entries of Kazakhstan‘s in the contest.
However, there is something less memorable in this piece.
The chorus on one side is the strong part of the song, but it is too melodramatic.
David is a great performer though.

#4. 🇲🇹 Malta: Gaia Gambuzza – Diamonds In The Skies

It is a dance pop with the influence of 1980’s music.
The song starts with an electric dance beat, with a digital “metallic” production.
The intro is promising and a little bit long.
Gaia sings it very easily. The first verse is quite short.
The chorus has a different rate, and the beat keeps on getting bolder and stronger.
It is catchy, memorable and enjoyable.
The second verse relies on the same motives as in the chorus, but this time they are “lighter”.
Once again we get the chorus with the dance pop package it should serve.
On the bridge, we can hear backing vocals and some effects over them.
The advantage of the song is that there aren’t similar songs in the contest this year.
In addition, it is super catchy and has a strong production. Well Done!

#5. 🇮🇹 Italy: Chanel Dilecta – BLA BLA BLA

The song starts with vocal effects.
The first verse relies on a unified pop beat. Chanel sings the first verse almost effortlessly.
Shortly after, we are moving to the chorus which is mainly composed of one structure and combines 2 languages together: Italian and English. The melody is quite basic and involves different cutting of the words towards the end.
The second verse shows more of her vocal abilities, the melody is based on a slower beat that becomes faster towards the chorus.
The bridge is the strongest part of the song, where we can get evidence of Chanel’s singing technique.
For me, the song is too simple and sounds like it was made without any effort.
The only thing I could remember was “Bla Bla Bla, Parole parole”.

#6. 🇫🇷 France: Lissandro – Oh Maman!

The song starts with electric guitar stringing.
Production gives us an atmosphere of enjoyable summerish hits.
The first verse is performed in almost speaking.
You can hear the keyboard playing as well.
The chorus is faster and relies on a jazzy pop beat. The chorus ends with backing vocals singing and humming.
The second verse is performed at a faster rate with the sound of finger tips.
In this part, we can hear more sides of his voice, as the interpretation is a little bit more theatrical.
Some English lyrics come across the second chorus.
The second part of the song gives it a cabaret pop style, the melody changes to a one with a thinner production, and the focus is on his voice.
The song ends on a bigger note, drum playing and a guitar solo.
The song felt a little bit repetitive to me, but it is friendly to the listener.
To be honest, I wanted France to change direction in Junior Eurovision.
I feel like they use the same tricks and style for several years in a row.
The French music industry stands for many aspects, not only on one flavour.

#7. 🇦🇱 Albania: Kejtlin Gjata – Pakëz Diell

It is a power ballad.
The song starts with piano playing and Kejtlin singing with her soft voice.
The melody is calming and slow.
The chorus is more powerful, with a kind of Disney vibe. She shows her vocal abilities, but I’m not sure about how it combines with the melody.
The second verse has a dreamy production, the melody is pretty constant and sharpless.
In the chorus, she sings with a high operatic voice.
The bridge continues with the same line, but with a richer melody, as more instruments are included.
The song closed with an electric guitar solo and whistle.
I wasn’t impressed by the song. I find the verse quite forgetable.
It looks like the song was built on the foundation of her wonderful voice, but not to stay and stand out with its presence.

#8. 🇬🇪 Georgia: Mariam Bigvava – I Believe

This is a power ballad.
The song starts with humming and guitar stringing.
Violin is sampled as a repetitive beat, combined with several effects and backing vocals.
Mariam has a mature voice with a wide range.
The chorus has a very specific style and structure, but it helps it to stand out.
In the chorus we get the impression of her excelence as a performer.
The second verse is opened with ethnic elements, we can hear guitar and viola playing. The second chorus has a more rocky character with an electric guitar decorating it.
The second chorus ends with a long note that precedes humming and backing vocals.
The third chorus is very powerful and performed with great vocal abilities.
I was wondering if Georgia could bring something similar to this for Eurovision, if it can really work.
The song has made smart progress and it elevates the message and her voice.
Mariam is probably one of the best performers in this contest.

#9. 🇮🇪 Ireland: Sophie Lennon – Solas

It is a ballad with classical elements.
First of all, it is always great to hear the national language, in the case of Ireland.
The melody is based on harp playing. The song opens with a humming of a high tone voice.
Sophie’s voice is gentle, angelic and she is very accurate.
The production builds a kind of tension before the chorus.
The chorus is powerful even though it is pretty calm.
But this song shows us that this isn’t about volume, but about emotions showcasing what has been done perfectly here.
The second verse continues along the same line, her voice is divine and fits the challenging production. The second chorus arrives immediately after and this time is even more powerful.
The last part is performed almost acoustically, until we get a long high note that brings back the original melody. Then, the song ends out of the blue.
Sophie is a great singer and you can tell how connected she is to the text.
The song is a high quality Disney ballad with Irish elements.
It is one of the strongest songs in the line-up

#10. 🇲🇰 North Macedonia: Lara feat. Jovan & Irina – Životot E Pred Mene

The song starts with a keyboard playing.
The melody is pretty repetitive and theatrical. The first verse is performed almost effortlessly.
In the pre-chorus Lara and Irina sing together.
The chorus has a more optimistic character, but something feels flat about this.
Their voices combine well together.
Thereafter, we get a rap session with Jovan, which is its connection to the song I still struggle to find.
The melody is similar to the one in the first verse but it is similar.
The second chorus is performed by the 2 girls with some backing vocals, this time in English.
This time some whistles were added as well.
The last verse has a different structure, it is unplugged and we can hear a choir singing.
I found the song blended and a little bit dated.
The only thing I can remember are the first 2 lines of the chorus.

#11. 🇪🇸 Spain: Carlos Higes – Señorita

It is a Latin pop song.
The song starts with Latin guitar stringing.
Carlos is singing with a crystal clear voice, the first verse is mainly based on guitar.
The pre-chorus is upbeat and builds quickly to its peak point where we can hear wind instruments as well. In the chorus, he is accompanied by backing vocalists.
The second verse is based on the guitar playing, but we can still hear the beat from previous parts.
Before the chorus, he uses a special cutting of the words.
The Latin elements are stronger in the bridge, and this is where we can hear him in a different color.
The melody is also based on trunprt playing.
The last part of the song begins with flure playing and choir singing.
The song is uplifting and catchy. I feel like they could have done more with the lyrics diversity.

#12.🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Freya Skye – Lose My Head

It is a pop song.
The song begins with an electric dance beat.
Freya opens the song with a fantastic voice and high confidence.
The electric elements continue to the first verse. She sings with a mid-high voice.
Pre-chorus is performed with a higher tone of voice. The beat’s amplitude is now longer.
The chorus starts with fast singing and backing vocals. The chorus is catchy, upbeat and includes modern musical influences.
The second verse arrives just after, it is more about her voice this time.
In the second pre-chorus she sings with an even higher voice.
The backing vocals accompanied her with lower notes.
The chorus this time comes with a short duration and the beat is slightly different.
Thereafter, she uses some vocal improvisations as the backing singers supporting her.
Freya is a wonderful performer with a mature approach. The song is modern, original and could have even competed in the Eurovision Song Contest.
It is one of those songs which stays with the listener a lot of time after and this is a very good sign.
It’s been worth the wait for the UK’s comeback at Junior Eurovision for so long.
Might it be a contender for the trophy? Definitely yes

#13. 🇵🇹 Portugal: Nicolas Alves – Anos 70

It is a rock song, maybe for the first time in Junior Eurovision.
The song starts with a bass playing and background echo singing.
Nicolas begins with a soft low voice. It seems like a ballad at the beginning.
In the chorus, we get a surprise: Nicolas sings with a very mature rapsy voice, not far from growling. Electric and bass guitar builds a strong massive beat, but still Nicolas stands out.
The second verse takes us back to the calm ballad style.
He sings it beautifully with a soft voice with decorations and frills.
The second pre-chorus includes percussion elements as well. The cyclic structure leads us to the second chorus, which is performed more silently this time.
Bridge starts with a solo guitar that’s slowly replaced by stringing on the electric guitar.
Towards the end, he shows us the soft sided of his voice.
Initially, I wasn’t a big fan of the song, but you can’t ignore the fact that this is a very brave effort.
Bringing something different has always been a key note for Portugal and it continues this time as well. I think that in some ways, Nicolas doesn’t use his vocals wisely, and he should care about it.

#14. 🇷🇸 Serbia: Katarina Savić – Svet Bez Granica

The song starts with wind instruments and keyboards playing.
Katarina opens the song with a soft high voice. The melody is a classical piece which is based on keyboards, string and wind instruments. In some parts, you can hear the sound of a magical musical box. The part after the first chorus is an instrumental piece that sounds like a valse dance’s track. The key is decreased in order to bring a heavier influence of the wind instruments.
The second verse is performed with a fascinating simplicity. The classical elements wrap the melody. We get the familiar chorus again with an accurate vocal performance. At this time, Katarina plays a solo of the trumbune. In the part that comes after we can hear more of the keyboard playing. She ends the song with a higher tone and more of the Balkan elements.
This wonderful song is a combination of Balkan ballad with Disney influences.
It is one of the most unique songs that have competed in the contest recently.

#15. 🇦🇲 Armenia: Nare – DANCE!

It is a dance pop song with K-pop elements.
The song begins with an electric beat that sounds like a whistle.
Nare sings with a powerful and warm voice. The melody is based on bass playling and drum beat.
The chorus is based mainly on the word “Dance” as the title suggests.
The chorus is based on a 1980’s dance pop beat.
The second verse is very powerful and she stretched her vocal limits. We can hear her doing some vocal improvisations that fit the melody.
The bridge of the songs is based on guitar playing and drum beat. Nare gives us a kind of Armenian rap. Thereafter, we get an instrument part that’s composed of drum beat alongside the K pop elements from the introduction. Towards the end, we get the chorus once again.
The song sticks to your mind immediately after the first listening.
The combination of 2 languages works nicely.

#16. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Zlata Dziunka – Nezlamna (Unbreakable)

It is a power ballad.
The song starts with a guitar playing and an echo effect.
Zlata sings it in a dramatic-theatratical way.
Her voice sounds mature and she has a warm sound.
In the pre-chorus we can hear bass guitar and keyboards playing.
The chorus starts with a repeat of several words. It is catchy and radio-friendly.
What is also strong about this chorus is the fact that it sounds like a hymn.
The second verse is performed mostly in English and we can understand that the song speaks about the war. Towards the end of this verse, she moves to sing in Ukrainian and closes it with a very long note. Once again we get the chorus, which is accompanied by keyboards, drum beat and guitar playing. The chorus ends with humming. The bridge is built on dramatic fast singing with backing vocals and string instruments, such as violin.
The last chorus starts with a different key, so we can hear more orchestra elements.
The song ends on a high note.
It is a decent song and she sounds great. Not sure if it is one of the best in the line-up, but it serves the message very well and quite memorable.

Personal Ranking

1. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Freya Skye – Lose My Head
2. 🇮🇪 Ireland: Sophie Lennon – Solas
3. 🇷🇸 Serbia: Katarina Savić – Svet Bez Granica
4. 🇬🇪 Georgia: Mariam Bigvava – I Believe
5. 🇦🇲 Armenia: Nare – DANCE!
6. 🇲🇹 Malta: Gaia Gambuzza – Diamonds In The Skies
7. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Zlata Dziunka – Nezlamna (Unbreakable)
8. 🇪🇸 Spain: Carlos Higes – Señorita
9. 🇳🇱 The Netherlands: Luna – La Festa
10. 🇵🇱 Poland: Laura – To The Moon
11. 🇵🇹 Portugal: Nicolas Alves – Anos 70
12. 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan: David Charlin – Jer-Ana (Mother Earth)
13. 🇫🇷 France: Lissandro – Oh Maman!
14. 🇮🇹 Italy: Chanel Dilecta – BLA BLA BLA
15. 🇦🇱 Albania: Kejtlin Gjata – Pakëz Diell
16. 🇲🇰 North Macedonia: Lara feat. Jovan & Irina – Životot E Pred Mene

Potential Winners

I predict the following countries to be potential winners:

• UK
• Armenia
• Georgia
• Ukraine

Which song do you like the most?
What do you think about our review?
Who will win the contest?

Don’t miss all the news about the upcoming JUNIOR EUROVISION 2022 on our HOMEPAGE.
Junior Eurovision 2022 will take place at Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, on the 11th of December 2022.
The grand final will start at 16:00 CET.