FeaturesPoland 2020🇺🇦 Ukraine

🇺🇦 Oleksandr Balabanov: “This year was my last try, so I had nothing to lose”

With the Junior Eurovision Song Contest fast approaching the ESCXTRA team had the chance to speak with some of the participants, who will be representing their country at this year’s contest.

Starting us off, is Ukraine’s Junior Eurovision 2020 representative Oleksandr Balabanov, where we got to know him a bit more, as well as asking him about his participation at the 2020 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. You are able to watch our interview below:

We would like to thank Oleksandr and the Ukrainian delegation for allowing us to undertake the interview.

Oleksandr Balabanov’s Junior Eurovision journey

Before winning the ticket to represent Ukraine at the 2020 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, he has participated in the Ukrainian National Selection for Junior Eurovision twice. In 2018, he was the lucky ten shortlisted with his song ‘”My dity zemli!” (Ми діти землі!)’ and managed to place 2nd in the online vote.

A year later in 2019, Oleksandr returned to the competition, with his song ‘Power In You’, where he was one of the ten entries shortlisted.

In 2020, Oleksandr returned to the competition for one last try, where he succeeded with his song ‘Vidkryvai (Open Up)’, which won most of the votes. Oleksandr co-wrote his entry with Mykhailo Klymenko.

You are able to get to know Oleksandr a bit more, by heading to his Junior Eurovision profile, by clicking right here. You are also able to follow Oleksandr via his social media accounts:

Follow Oleksandr:

Ukraine at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Back in 2006, Ukraine made their Junior Eurovision debut, finishing 9th with Nazar Slyusarchuk’s ‘Khlopchyk Rock ‘n’ Roll’. They have participated in every contest since then, and are one of the best-performing countries overall. This year will mark their 15th participation in the contest.

They won the 2012 contest with ‘Nebo’ by Anastasiya Petryk, whose sister Viktoria had come second at the 2008 contest. Although the winner of the junior contest doesn’t automatically host the following year, Ukraine hosted the 2009 edition. In fact, they have hosted the contest in Kiev’s Palace of Sports on two occasions now, in 2009 and then in 2013. This made them only the second country at the time to host the Junior contest twice (after the Netherlands). Of course Poland now boasts back to back wins in 2018 and 2019 to make this three.

Last year UA:PBC selected Sophia Ivanko to represent Ukraine in Gliwice-Silesia with the entry, ‘The Spirit of Music’. During the contest she finished a respectable 15th place with 59 points.

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