Welcome to our Junior Eurovision 2021 Top 10! The team here at ESCXTRA have scored all 19 entries ‘Eurovision-style’ and we’ll be counting down our top 10 along with a selection of reviews. Has your favourite made the top spot? Let’s find out!
Last year we revealed our top 12 of all the 12 entries at the 2020 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Our favourite entry in 2020 was France’s Valentina with ‘J’imagine‘. In 2019 our favourite was ‘Bim Bam Toi’ from France’s Carla.
Earlier we revealed our numbers 10 to 7 and numbers 6 to 3. Now we reveal our top 2!
02 – 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Olena Usenko – Vazhil
Tom R (12)
WOW! Ukraine aren’t always at the top of my tops in Eurovision or Junior Eurovision – but this song just clicks with me. It’s perfect. Magical, passionate and pure winner material. This could easily slot into the adult contest but it works just as perfectly at the junior contest, too. Olena has such a maturity in her performance yet “Vazhil” stills feel reminiscent of past Junior Eurovision champions. There’s a quality to this song that’s hard to usually hard to nail in such an impactful song – but Ukraine, this year, have nailed it. Hats off to them – let’s see Olena pick up the trophy in Paris!
Tom O (10)
This was an early favourite for me. A grown up song with a strong message and delivery. I really like Olena’s style – it’s reminds me a lot of 🇲🇰 Mila Moskov from the 2019 contest. The national final performance hints Olena is able to command the stage and we can expect a strong staging in Paris. This should definitely get some jury attention at the very least.
Isabella (7)
In Olena’s powerful ballad, “Vazhil”, she encourages everyone to be proud of their own identity, true to ourselves and ignore self-doubt. She should be commended for the fact that at her age, she oozes so much charisma on stage and sells the relatable positive and uplifting meaning of her song very well. The fact that her live voice carries the same excellent vocal control as the studio version, as well was the impressive fact that she penned this song all by herself is sure to weigh in favour of the jury. It is perhaps slightly repetitive in certain places, but her dynamic vocal range towards the climax of the song makes up for this. Her staging in the national final is very promising, but it could definitely be elevated and win over the public with something special that conveys the same badass and positive role-model energy she evokes from the music video.
Maria (3)
My review is probably going to look quite ridiculous here but actually the main reason why I gave this entry 3 points was just because I liked other ones a little more but I still wanted to mention the song in my top 10. The song is strong enough but for me personally it seems a bit too aggressive and angry maybe. That could be a very nice choice for adult Eurovision though!
01 – 🇦🇲 Armenia: Maléna – Qami Qami
Costa (12)
What a comeback! I resent the idea of a song being ‘too good for Junior Eurovision’…but I do think “Qami Qami” crosses into “Bim Bam Toi” territory of being too polished and mature to win. The Junior contest has come a long way over the years, and to have a song of this quality that could genuinely be a top 10 contender in the adult contest is exactly why the format is still thriving. For Armenia of all countries, in a period of political turmoil, to still put forward this young star to showcase her talent to the world is incredibly powerful. I can’t wait to see how the visuals translate to the stage, and I’m even more excited to see what Maléna can do next!
Lisa (12)
What a way for Armenia to announce their comeback! Definite winner potential, from the assured vocal, to the current sounding, almost Russian deep house production. Easily my favourite song of the contest, ‘Qami Qami’ would slot into Eurovision itself, perfectly. Anyone that goes through my Spotify will know there’s similar music to this from DJs around the world. Of course Maléna is not going to perform a childish kiddie bop, that would not be appropriate for her age. She’s not that much younger than the age ZENA was when performing ‘Like It’ in 2019 and in fact is only weeks away from being ineligible for JESC.
Ryan (10)
Qami Qami is certainly a one-of-a-kind entry in Junior Eurovision and as many fans have stated, would not be out of place in the top 10 of an adult contest. Nevertheless, I’m sure our teenagers will love Malena and the “MTV”-class performance she will undoubtedly bring just as they did with “Anyone I Want To Be” in 2018. This will go down as one of the best Junior Eurovision entries of all-time.
Bente (7)
Qami Qami is great, but I did not give it the top spot in my ranking. It would definitely do well in Eurovision, which is exactly why it’s lower in my ranking. Yes, song quality is important and this is definitely winner potential. However, in the end of the day, I like it when songs for Junior Eurovision match their target audience: not us, the hardcore fans who follow everything, but the actual junior part, kids. It’s part of Junior Eurovision’s charm that songs remind you of your childhood. I’d be very happy if this wins, but I prefer a clearer distinction between adult and junior eurovision.
The full Junior Eurovision 2021 top 10
| 1 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | Maléna – Qami Qami | 101 |
| 2 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | Olena Usenko – Vazhil | 74 |
| 3 | 🇮🇹 Italy | Elisabetta Lizza – Specchio | 66 |
| 4 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | Dajte Muzika – Green Force | 62 |
| 5 | 🇵🇱 Poland | Sara James – Somebody | 59 |
| 6 | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Sona Azizova – One Of Those Days | 53 |
| 7 | 🇷🇺 Russia | Tanya Mezhentseva – Mon Ami | 51 |
| 8 | 🇦🇱 Albania | Anna Gjebrea – Stand By You | 50 |
| 9 | 🇫🇷 France | Enzo – Tic Tac | 49 |
| 10 | 🇪🇸 Spain | Levi Díaz – Reír | 28 |
What do you think of our Top 10? Be sure to stay updated on Junior Eurovision 2021 by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for interviews and reactions.
