Special: From Junior to Eurovision? [Part 1]

Junior Eurovision is a contentious point for many Eurovision fans. Some hate it, some love it and some could not be more indifferent about it if they tried. For me, I am a fan. I saw my first Eurovision in 2003 when I was still a kid myself (well, 16 but still) so as far as I’m concerned, my history with the contest has been filled with both regular and junior Eurovision. All up 28 countries have come to the contest at various times and as of 2011 only 13 remained. However something I have always wondered is that with all this wealth of youth talent floating around Europe, no singer has competed in both contests as main singer. The closest we have seen to this date was when Weronika Bochat, member of 2004’s Polish junior group KWADro graced the stage as a backing singer for Marcin Mrozinski in 2010. In this summer series I shall discuss the kids who have graced the Junior stage who I think deserve a shot at the real deal.

Dino Jelusić – Croatia [20 years old, eligible since 2008]

Yes the very first winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest makes an appearance here; it wouldn’t be right without him! As a 12 year old Dino proved that performing second isn’t always a vote killer and performed his entry ‘Ti si moja prva ljubav’ with gusto and confidence that seemed years ahead of him. Back in 2010’s edition, Dino proved that he still had the stage presence and still had a fine voice (although significantly deeper) while also showing us how he’s matured musically revealing more of a heavier pop/rock sound. A quick Wikipedia check shows us that he’s involved with a few different bands and is still releasing new music to this day and is quite musically active making him a possibility for selection. Croatia lost its way in Eurovision somewhere around the mid 2000’s and while there has been the odd spot of the spark that made Croatia such a 90’s powerhouse, we’re yet to see it catch on properly, so a good solid performer with boyish good looks, a Eurovision backstory, performing something up-tempo and fun could be just what Croatia needs to get out of its funk.

Dino @ Junior 2003:

A recording of Dino’s from 2011:

Dino covering Led Zepplin in his home studio:

Stay tuned next week for the next singer profiled, and feel free to add suggestions as to who you think should go from Junior to Eurovision in the comments below.