Junior Eurovision 2024: Stage construction completed | A preview of the stage in action!

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In just one week, the vibrant stage of the 22nd Junior Eurovision Song Contest will come to life at Madrid’s iconic Caja Mágica. Seventeen talented young artists from across Europe will take the stage to compete for the prestigious title, performing in front of millions of viewers worldwide.

As the event draws closer and the first delegations begin arriving in Madrid, preparations at the host venue are reaching their peak. Notably, the construction of the stage has been completed, and the first technical rehearsals for the competing countries are set to begin in the coming days.

In anticipation of the big event, RTVE, the Spanish national broadcaster, has shared a timelapse video showcasing the process of building the spectacular stage. The video offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the transformation of the venue, culminating in a preview of the stage in action as it gets ready to host this year’s Junior Eurovision performances.

With the stage now set and rehearsals about to kick off, the excitement continues to build for what promises to be an unforgettable edition of Junior Eurovision in Madrid.

Junior Eurovision 2024

Seventeen countries will take part in the 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest:

  1. Italy: Simone Grande – “Pigiama Party”
  2. Estonia: Annabelle – “Tänavad”
  3. Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Vallëzoj”
  4. Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
  5. Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
  6. France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
  7. North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
  8. Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
  9. Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
  10. Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Como la Lola”
  11. Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
  12. Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
  13. San Marino: Idols SM – “Come noi”
  14. Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
  15. Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Esperança”
  16. Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le Chéile”
  17. Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”

The 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on November 16 in Madrid, Spain, following the country’s second-place finish last year and the refusal of the winning country, France, to host for the second year in a row. The slogan for this year’s contest is “Let’s Bloom!”, while Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Clotet and Melani Garcia will serve as this year’s hosts.

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Source: RTVE

Croatia: Dora 2025 to take place in the second half of February!

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The national final of Croatia for Eurovision Song Contest 2025, will take place in the second half of February, according to the Head of the Croatian delegation.

In detail, Tomislav Štengl, stated in an interview in HRT earlier today, that Dora 2025 will air live, in late February. However, he did not answer, whether the festival will be hosted in Opatija, as it did in previous years, or in Zagreb, as was the case in 2024.

Dora 2025

The submission window is still open, until November 15. After that, and according to the rules, a jury panel will listen and assess the songs submitted, and they will select 24 entries and four reserves, to take part in the national final.

The previous winner of Dora and Croatia’s representative in Eurovision 2024, was Baby Lasagna with his song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” who ended up in second place, after winning the public vote:

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Source: magazin.hrt.hr

The Netherlands: Douwe Bob will also submit song for Eurovision 2025!

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Douwe Bob is the last artist so far who has already competed in the Eurovision Song Contest and will submit an entry for Eurovision 2025!

The Netherlands‘ Eurovision 2016 representative Douwe Bob confirmed in an interview with Radio538 that he has a song ready to submit in order to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland.

Douwe Bob is the third Dutch artist who have appeared on the Eurovision stage in the past. The other two artists are Gerard Joling (1988) and Anouk (2013).

The process of songs submission is going end on Friday, November 22 and the entry will be chosen by a special committee of AVROTROS which consists of the following people:

  • Jacqueline Govaert
  • Jaap Reesema
  • Carolien Borgers
  • Hila Noorzai
  • Cornald Maas
  • Sander Lantinga

Source: RTL

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Eurovision 2025: There will be no changes in the voting system.

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There will be no changes in the voting system through which the Eurovision Song Contest winner is emerged!

The Croatian Head of Delegation and member of the Reference Group Tomislav Štengl confirmed to the national broadcaster of Croatia, HRT, that no changes are considered to the voting system of Eurovision, in which 50% of the result comes from the televoting and the other 50% from the national juries.

“Different combinations were changed at the Eurovision Song Contest. There was only the jury, then the audience, and half-and-half jury, then only the audience. There is always some flaw, it cannot be 100 percent good for everyone. For two years now, the audience winner has finished second. However, the position of the EBU at the moment is that nothing will change. The principle of 50:50 jury and audience remains”

There has been considerable debate among Eurovision fans and delegations about whether the voting approach for the contest should change. Since the voting was split into two, 50% jury and 50% televoting, there have been several occasions where the televoting favorite did not win. The results from 2016 are as follows:

  • 2016 – Russia – Sergey Lazarev – “You are the only one” – 1st televote, 5th jury – 3rd overall
  • 2017 – Portugal – Salvador Sobral – “Amor pelos dois” – 1st televote, 1st jury – 1st overall
  • 2018 – Israel – “Netta” – “Toy” – 1st televote, 3rd jury – 1st overall
  • 2019 – Netherlands – Duncan Laurence – “Arcade” – 2nd televote, 3rd jury – 1st overall
  • 2021 – Italy – Måneskin – “Zitti e buoni” – 1st televote, 4th jury – 1st overall
  • 2022 – Ukraine – Kalush Orchestra – “Stefania” – 1st televote, 4th jury – 1st overall
  • 2023 – Finland – Käärijä – “Cha Cha Cha” – 1st televote, 4th jury – 2nd overall
  • 2024 – Croatia – Baby Lasagna – “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” – 1st televote, 3rd jury – 2nd overall

Source: HRT

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Junior Eurovision: Croatia plans to return in 2025!

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After a decade-long hiatus from the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Croatia is set to make a significant move. The Croatian broadcaster, HRT, will broadcast the 22nd edition of the contest live on November 16, even though the country will not be participating. This marks an interesting shift, raising the possibility that Croatia may be considering a return to the contest in the near future.

Croatia’s potential return in 2025

Tomislav Štengl, the Head of Croatia’s Eurovision Delegation, shared some exciting news in an interview, revealing the country’s interest in returning to Junior Eurovision, potentially as soon as 2025. According to Štengl, the Croatian broadcaster hopes to send the winner of The Voice Kids Hrvatska to the competition in the following year, provided certain criteria are met.

We would like to return next year. For example, the winner of The Voice Kids Hrvatska could represent us at Junior Eurovision.

He also highlighted that the song chosen for the contest must be an original work, ideally written by a child with the help of adults, emphasizing the importance of creativity in the process.

Croatia’s Junior Eurovision history

Croatia has a rich history in Junior Eurovision, being one of the founding members of the contest back in 2003. The country made an unforgettable debut by winning the inaugural competition with Dino Jelusićk’s “Ti si moja prva ljubav.” However, after a string of less favorable results, Croatia withdrew from the contest in 2007, returning again in 2014. Unfortunately, the return saw a disappointing last-place finish, and Croatia subsequently withdrew once again, citing a decline in public interest.

Despite the setbacks, the recent move by HRT to broadcast the event may signal that Croatia is reevaluating its approach to the contest and could be looking to return in the coming years.

More countries engaging with Junior Eurovision

Croatia is not alone in considering its future involvement in Junior Eurovision. Lithuania and Montenegro, both absent from the competition for several years, have also confirmed that they will broadcast the 2024 edition. Meanwhile, Luxembourg, which has never participated in the event, will air Junior Eurovision for the first time.

This increasing number of non-participating countries choosing to broadcast the contest suggests a growing interest in Junior Eurovision across Europe. These countries may be using the broadcast as a way to gauge public interest and potentially reintroduce their audiences to the format, with an eye toward rejoining the competition in the future.

It’s worth noting that countries like Cyprus and San Marino have also returned to the competition after several years away, indicating a growing interest in the Junior Eurovision format across Europe.

Junior Eurovision 2024

Seventeen countries will take part in the 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest:

  1. Italy: Simone Grande – “Pigiama Party”
  2. Estonia: Annabelle – “Tänavad”
  3. Albania: Nikol Çabeli – “Vallëzoj”
  4. Armenia: Leo – “Cosmic Friend”
  5. Cyprus: Maria Pissarides – “Crystal Waters”
  6. France: Titouan – “Comme ci, comme ça”
  7. North Macedonia: Ana and Aleksej – “Marathon”
  8. Poland: Dominik Arim – “All Together”
  9. Georgia: Andria Putkaradze – “To My Mom”
  10. Spain: Chloe DelaRosa – “Como la Lola”
  11. Germany: Bjarne – “Save the Best For Us”
  12. Netherlands: Stay Tuned – “Music”
  13. San Marino: Idols SM – “Come noi”
  14. Ukraine: Artem Kotenko – “Hear Me Now”
  15. Portugal: Victoria Nicole – “Esperança”
  16. Ireland – Enya Cox Dempsey – “Le Chéile”
  17. Malta: Ramires Sciberras – “Stilla ċkejkna”

The 22nd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on November 16 in Madrid, Spain, following the country’s second-place finish last year and the refusal of the winning country, France, to host for the second year in a row. The slogan for this year’s contest is “Let’s Bloom!”, while Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Clotet and Melani Garcia will serve as this year’s hosts.

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Source: HRT

Poland: TVP launches a national selection for Eurovision 2025!

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TVP, the national broadcaster of Poland, has officially confirmed the country’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. To select the Polish representative, TVP will organize a national final, and has launched an open submission process for interested artists. The live televised final will take place on February 14, 2025, with the winner chosen exclusively by public vote.

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Source: eurowizja

Israel: KAN’s independence in danger according to the EBU!

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In an unusual move, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is responding to the Public Broadcasting Bill, which threatens KAN’s independence, potentially leading to Israel’s exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), responsible for the Eurovision Song Contest, has come out against a proposed bill that threatens to put Israel Public Broadcasting’s budget under state control. This move would effectively give the government the ability to step in and cut the company’s budget when it is not satisfied, which is currently impossible due to the company’s independence from government influence.

In a statement, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) commented:

“We are deeply concerned about the proposed legislation from the Israeli government that would allow them to change or cancel items in the public broadcaster’s budget, putting at risk the editorial and financial independence of public media. This development could be interpreted as an attempt by the Israeli government to exert greater direct control over KAN.”

The EBU calls for an immediate end to attempts by politicians to interfere with the company’s budget. Israel Public Radio commented in turn:

“The proposed bill is another attempt to harm the independence and existence of the public broadcasting corporation.”

Political Incentives and Economic Justifications

The bill was introduced by Avihai Boaron of the Likud party. The explanatory notes to the proposal state:

“The State of Israel is in the midst of the Swords of Iron war. In January 2024, the Governor of the Bank of Israel issued a press release stating that the total war expenses for 2023 to 2025 are expected to amount to about 220 billion new shekels. The government approved across-the-board cuts in all government ministry budgets to meet the commitments required due to the war.”

Despite this explanation, it’s hard not to take the company’s and the EBU’s statements into account. Communications Minister Shlomo Kar’i also opposes the company’s existence, at least in its current structure. He had previously stated:

“There is no place for public broadcasting that enjoys a public budget and harms competition.”

Consequences for Israel’s participation in Eurovision

If the independence of the public broadcaster is at stake, this situation could also jeopardize Israel’s ability to send an entry to Eurovision. If the government’s planned reform passes, Israel will stop sending an entry to the Eurovision contest like Russia, whose TV network independence was compromised, leading to its expulsion from the European Broadcasting Union.

Source: Euromix

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Poland: Participation confirmed for Eurovision 2025!

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Poland is officially the 36th state that confirms its participation in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest the upcoming May 2025 in Basel, Switzerland!

According to the Polish website Wirtualnemedia, Poland will be present at Eurovision 2025, putting an end to the deafening silence surrounding the country’s participation. Also according to the same website, the state broadcaster, TVP, will announce today the call for artists interested in representing the country. At the moment there is no information on the method by which Poland’s participation in Basel Switzerland will be chosen.

This year Poland was represented by Luna with the song “The Tower” without however managing to qualify for the grand final as she finished in 12th place in the first semi-final with 35 points.

https://youtu.be/ESKG8Uo1YaU

Source: Wirtualnemedia

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The Netherlands: Anouk submitted a bid for Eurovision 2025!

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As the deadline for artists to submit their entries for Eurovision 2025 approaches, AVROTROS, the Dutch broadcaster, has experienced a surprising surge of interest. Among the most notable developments is the confirmation of Anouk’s participation, a speculation that began earlier this summer but has now been officially confirmed.

Anouk to Eurovision 2025: A Long-Awaited Return?

In July, Anouk, who represented The Netherlands at Eurovision 2013 with her hit “Birds,” expressed her desire to return to the contest. She had hinted at the possibility of participating in Eurovision 2025 with a new track, mentioning at the time:

I have recorded a strong track… perfect for the Eurovision Song Contest, but there’s no committee anymore, so I don’t know who to send it to.

Since AVROTROS confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2025 and the submission process began, fans were eager to find out whether Anouk would indeed submit her song. The Dutch singer had stated that she was awaiting an official invitation from AVROTROS to participate in the selection process.

Anouk Has Submitted a Song

In a recent appearance on RTL Boulevard, Anouk revealed that she has officially submitted a song for Eurovision 2025.

“A lot of people can breathe easy,” she joked, adding that the song is not a melancholic ballad.

“No birds falling from the roof,” she said, referring to her 2013 hit.

Instead, Anouk described the track as “a pretty hard song,” much to the relief of those who were concerned she might return with another ballad entry.

“May the Best Win”

Despite submitting a song for Eurovision 2025, Anouk maintains a laid-back attitude about the outcome of the selection process. She emphasized that she has no problem if her song doesn’t make it to Eurovision, as she has already represented The Netherlands once before. Anouk also shared that it is not the first time she faced rejection from AVROTROS. In fact, she had previously submitted a song in collaboration with rapper Latifah, but the committee ultimately chose “Europapa” by Joost Klein instead.

Anouk’s previous Eurovision participation in 2013 marked a turning point for The Netherlands, which had suffered a nine-year streak of non-qualification at the contest. Her entry, “Birds,” finished in 9th place, bringing the country back into the spotlight and reigniting the Netherlands’ success in the competition.

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Source: RTL

Sweden: Four more artists rumored to take part in Melodifestivalen 2025!

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In anticipation of the official announcement of the Melodifestivalen 2025 line, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has revealed four entries, who seem to add the list of the artists who will compete for a chance to represent Sweden at Eurovision 2025.

  • Linnea Henriksson: Multi-talented singer with a significant career in Sweden, known to the fans as she presented Melodifestival 2020. In 2022 she was due to commentate the contest in Turin, but was forced to cancel after she tested positive for COVID-19. She made her debut in the music world in 2010 when she participated in the “Idol” contest.
  • Ella Tiritiello: She attracted a lot of attention when, at the age of 14, she sang from the roof of the Globes during the tribute to Avicii that marked the beginning of the official name change of the classic Stockholm arena to Avicii arena. Τhe 18 year old is rumoured to compete with a swedish ballad.
  • Fredrik Lundman: The Swedish cowboy became known for his participation in the 2021 Idol competition for which he was singled out for his love of country music and style.
  • Erik Segerstedt: He first appeared on the TV4 talent show in 2006 in which he finished second. He is well known to fans of the competition as he has successfully participated in Melodifestivalen in the past, in 2009 together with Danny Saucedo and Mattias Andréasson in the band EMD which finished third with “Baby goodbye” and in 2013 in a duet with Tone Damli with the song “Hello goodbye” which reached the Second Chance.According to Aftonbladet,  SVT’s intention is to present the entire line up at a press conference at the end of November.

    With the new additions, we are now able to know 25 out of the 30 artists who seem to be participating in Melodifestivalen 2025. According to the already published lists, the following artists will be present at the upcoming edition of Melodifestivalen:

  • Frans
  • Måns Zelmerlöw
  • Arvingarna
  • John Lundvik
  • Kalifa
  • Andreas Lundstedt
  • Dolly-Style
  • Malou Prytz
  • Klara Hammarström
  • Scarlet
  • Maja Ivarsson
  • Meira Omar
  • Annika Wickihalder
  • Tennessee Tears
  • Angelino
  • Kristofer Greczula
  • Björn Holmgren
  • KAJ
  • Arwin
  • Albin Johnsén
  • Nomi Bontegard

Source: aftonbladet

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