The final of Junior Eurovision Éire was broadcast on Sunday, having been pre-taped in RTÉ Studios in Dublin earlier. In his path to victory, Maiú performed two cover songs in front of a panel of three judges:
- Linda Martin – Ireland 1983 representative and 1992 winner
- Niamh Ní Chróinín – Radio presenter and manager of Irish-language youth radio station Raidió Rí-Rá
- Fiachna Ó Braonáin – Member of Hothouse Flowers (interval act at Eurovision 1988), a permanent judge on Junior Eurovision Éire 2016-2018, composer of “Banshee” (Ireland JESC 2019)
Maiú’s winning covers were Only Love Survives by Ryan Dolan (Eurovision 2013) and James Bay’s Hold Back the River, which saw him rising above competitors Lilyella Buckley and Sophie Lennon.
Maiú’s song will be revealed in the coming weeks.
About Junior Eurovision 2021
Only days after Valentina’s win, the EBU were quick to confirm that we will be travelling to France for the 19th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The contest will take place on December 19th at La Seine Musicale. The slogan of the contest will be Imagine, and the logo was unveiled in August. At this time it is uncertain if the contest will be held in person or remotely once more. Recently the EBU outlined a series of planned scenarios to satisfy the conditions at the time.
In total, the following 19 countries have been confirmed by the EBU as taking part in the 19th edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest:
- Albania
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan – Sona Azizova
- Bulgaria
- France
- Germany – Pauline
- Georgia
- Ireland – Maiú Levi Lawlor
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Malta – Ike and Kaya
- Netherlands – Ayana
- North Macedonia – The Cast of Dajte muzika
- Poland – Sara James
- Portugal – Simão Oliveira
- Russia
- Serbia – Jovana and Dunja
- Spain – Levi Díaz
- Ukraine
Among the 19 we see returns for Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy, North Macedonia and Portugal. However there are withdrawals for Australia again, and of course the expulsion of Belarus. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 will be broadcast live on December 19 and starts at 17:00 CET. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months ahead, as broadcasters begin selecting their acts for Paris 2021!
Are you looking forward to the entry? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!
Good choice, but I\’m still waiting for Maléna Fox to officially be re-selected for Armenia.