Back in August, David Charlin was chosen to represent Kazakhstan at this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. David will perform the song “Jer-Ana” in Yerevan, Armenia next month.
David was one of twenty-one young singers who competed in the Kazakh selection – Baqytty Bala, which was held in the city of Aktobe in August. He was selected by a five-member jury of Kazakh music professionals.
While Kazakhstan had expressed a desire to compete in JESC again earlier this year, their participation required approval by the European Broadcasting Union, as they are only an associate member of the EBU.
David’s entry – “Jer-Ana” (“mother earth”) was chosen internally by the Khabar Agency, and the music video was released this week. The song was co-composed by Khamit Shangaliyev, who wrote the Kazakh Junior Eurovision entries in 2019 and 2020.
Junior Eurovision 2022
The 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on December 11th in the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan, Armenia. This is the second time that Yerevan is hosting the contest, after previously having this honour in 2011. A total of 16 countries will ‘Spin The Magic’ later this year. Take a look at the participating countries below.
- Albania – Kejtlin Gjata
- Armenia (Host) – Nare
- France – Lissandro
- Georgia – Mariam Bigvava
- Ireland – Sophie Lennon
- Italy – Chanel Dilecta
- Kazakhstan – David Charlin
- Malta – Gaia Gambuzza
- Netherlands – Luna
- North Macedonia – Lara feat. Jovan & Irina
- Poland – Laura Bączkiewicz
- Portugal – Nicolas Alves
- Serbia – Katarina Savić
- Spain – Carlos Higes
- Ukraine – Zlata Dyzunka
- United Kingdom – Freya Skye
Kazakhstan in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Despite not being allowed to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest proper, Kazakhstan, an associate member of the EBU, has been granted permission to participate in Junior Eurovision. The country debuted in 2018 when singer and eventual America’s Got Talent finalist Daneliya Tuleshova represented Kazakhstan with the song “Òzińe sen,” placing sixth out of 20 with 171 points.
Kazakhstan followed this up with two second place finishes in a row: in 2019 with “Armanyńnan qalma” by Yerzhan Maksim and in 2020 with “Forever” by Karakat Bashanova. Their most recent participation was last year in 2021, when they sent Alinur Khamzin and Beknur Zhanibekuly and their song “Ertegı älemı (Fairy World).” They finished 8th out of 19 with 121 points.
Can Kazakhstan claim their first victory at JESC 2022? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the contest.
