All the way back in April, Simão Oliveira was internally selected by RTP, making him the first confirmed act of Junior Eurovision 2021. Later it was confirmed that their entry would be called “Green Forces”. Today, the song was finally released.
Simão became the first confirmed participant for Paris 2021, after being crowned the winner of The Voice Kids Portugal. With this came the announcement of Portugal’s return to the junior contest after a one-year break in 2020.
“O Rapaz” (“The Boy”) was composed by Fernando Daniel, his former coach from The Voice, and Diogo Clemente, and showcases 14-year-old Simão’s love for the fado genre.
You can watch the music video below:
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 – Anna Gjebrea
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan – Sona Azizova
- Bulgaria – Deni & Marti
- France – Enzo
- Germany – Pauline
- Georgia
- Ireland – Maiú Levi Lawlor
- Italy – Elisabetta Lizza
- Kazakhstan – Beknur Jánibekuly & Álınur Khamzin
- Malta – Ike and Kaya
- Netherlands – Ayana
- North Macedonia – Dajte Muzika
- Poland – Sara James
- Portugal – Simão Oliveira
- Russia – Tanya Mezhentseva
- Serbia – Jovana and Dunja
- Spain – Levi Díaz
- Ukraine – Olena Usenko
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.
Tickets for the rehearsal show and Grand Final went on sale on Wednesday 3 November.
What do you think of “O Rapaz”? 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!
