For over five years now, the Eurovision Family has gained a considerable amount of fans from the Philippines. In fact, Filipino presence in the Eurovision Family is not just found within the fandom but even in the contest with Filipino diaspora members such as Vincent Bueno, Sheldon Riley, Montaigne and Laurita Kästel participating at the Eurovision in the last three years.
Today’s article focuses on the Filipino fans of the Eurovision Family’s youngest (in terms of its target audience) member – the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. For its 2022 edition, we interviewed two Filipino Eurovision fans on their favorites from this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
Mike Carvajal
When asked for his favorites from this year’s Junior Eurovision, Mike Carvajal told us that he did not only have one favorite, but five!
First, I like Diamonds in The Skies by Gaia Gambuzza. Her song is simple but quick to get along to, especially with its lyrics and the dance beats.
Next would be Solas by Sophie Lennon as I am a sucker for Irish ballad songs in the contest.
Then there’s Bla Bla Bla by Chanel Dilecta as I like the catchiness of the chorus and I am also a fan of the recent entries of Italy in JESC.
I also like Freya Skye’s Lose My Head because the song is a nice debut song in the contest that has a good combination of danceable beats and meaningful lyrics.
Lastly, I like Svet Bez Granica by Katarina Savić because her song sounds like something that I can hear in a fairy tale show. I also like how Katarina’s trumpet solo is standing out in the song.
John Christian Ambion
John Christian Ambion is also another Filipino Eurovision fan whom we got to reach out for this interview and he has told us that he has three favorites from this year’s Junior Eurovision.
My favorites for JESC 2022 are Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Ireland because any one of the three songs has the winning potential, ignoring any flaws from the staging and the vocals. Moreover, these three will definitely put the pressure on the juries for convincing since these three have the charisma to tilt them in their favor.
Of course, it is not only Mike and John Christian who have something to say about this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. We have also taken a look at social media to see what other Filipino Eurovision fans have to say in anticipation for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest this year:
The ESC PH Team
The ESC PH Team, a group of Filipino Eurovision fans who have a podcast and a fan jury, went on their Twitter account to release a pubmat (publication material) to remind Filipino fans to set their clocks to 11PM for the most awaited Eurovision event this month:
🎙️ Hello Philippines and Europe!
We're about to spin the magic in Yerevan, Armenia for Junior Eurovision 2022! 🇦🇲
— Jury & Podcast Team | #JESC2022 (@theescphteam) December 11, 2022
Horehronian
Horehronian is the handle of a Filipino Eurovision fan who flew up to Yerevan to personally watch the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. For this fan, the Junior Eurovision is not only an opportunity for them to enjoy the music but to meet up with the Filipinos in Yerevan as well:
We're now here in Armenia aside from attending the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, before the Final, time to meet and greet with the Filipinos here in Yerevan who are a Fans of
Junior Eurovision is also a time for Filipinos to become proud of their Hispanic heritage in their own terms which is what Nico Angelo Vallejos is conveying in his post below where he showed his support for Spanish Entrant Carlos Higes:
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 will be held today in Yerevan, Armenia at 4 PM Central European Time (or 11 PM, Philippine Standard Time for those in the Philippines). Viewers in the Philippines can watch the contest through a livestream at the Junior Eurovision channel. Viewers in the Philippines can also participate in the online vote both during the pre-show and during the show itself after the last country performs. Head on to jesc.tv to cast your online votes.
We would like to thank Mike Carvajal and John Christian Ambion for agreeing to be interviewed for this article.
