As we announced yesterday, escXtra.com will review all Junior Eurovision entries in the upcoming days. Nine of our editors have taken a look at all entries. Tonight we present you part one of these series: We’ll have a look at Italy and Bulgaria tonight!
Italy: Vincenzo Cantiello – Tu Primo Grande Amore
Rinor Nuhiu:
An impressive vocal performance from Vincenzo Cantiello. The song is something you’d hear a lot in Italy, although I’m not sure if it stands out this year, considering the big number of ballads this year.
Rating: 6/10
Liam Clark:
I love it when you can listen to a song and you know exactly which country it has come from and Tu Primo Grande Amore could not be more Italian if it tried. From the multiple key changes to the Mariah Carey diva moments, I adore this song. Being the only male singer in this year’s contest is surely going to help young Vincenzo stand out from the crowd, however I feel like it’s neither modern enough nor junior enough to really succeed. But I don’t care – I love it anyway.
Rating: 9/10
Nathan Waddell:
A very professional performance from little Vincenzo, which is something you’d expect from an artist performing on the Eurovision stage, let alone the Junior stage! Surely this powerful typically Italian ballad will deliver a strong debut result. It’s a very classy entry and I am excited to see how it is presented in Malta.
Rating: 8/10
Bulgaria: Krisia, Hasan & Ibrahim – Planet Of The Children
Dimitris Ioannou:
Although the song is not one of my big favorites, I can say that it’s a good song. The song’s chorus sounds, at least for me, a bit like “Worry” by Hilda. Krisia is a young talented girl and I hope her live performance is as good as the studio version. But I honestly think that the song won’t end up doing as well as it should do.
Rating: 7/10
Simon Wells:
Krisia Todorova (no relation) is already an old-timer in Bulgarian pop circles and won’t be fazed on stage at the tender age of ten. She can certainly sing, and the twins can certainly play, although it’s a shame the song only offers a couple of opportunities for them to show their technical abilities. The title and opening lines of this song give the impression of setting up a contrived, sickly entry, but these three give it more than you might first expect, and the chorus is very well written. The orchestral production works well, and this should do very well for Bulgaria. Given a half decent draw, I can see a top three finish here.
Rating: 7/10
Nick van Lith:
Bulgaria are back and they’re back with a cracker of a song! I’m known for disliking Bulgarian entries in most contests, but they have genuinely impressed me this time. Krisia’s voice is out of this world, she is absolutely brilliant and shines perfectly in this song. The video is also smart, as both pianists (Hasan & Ibrahim) get room to shine as well and I really hope the stage director for JESC makes sure that happens during the show as well. Truth be told, it is a little gimmick as live instruments aren’t allowed during the show, but the gimmick works. This is more than I’d ever expected Bulgaria to come up with: a good melody, good voice, a little gimmick and a song completely in their own language. Way to go, Bulgaria, this is a potential winner.
Rating: 9/10
That means Italy gets an average rating of 7,7/10, which is the same score Bulgaria gets! Stay tuned tomorrow when we review The Netherlands and Sweden!
