We are live and alive in Kiev. Ewan and Sharleen arrived into Kiev late on Monday night with the strains of ‘Revolution in Paradise‘ and ‘Ding Dinge Dong‘ blaring from the radio of the speeding airport transfer. Avoiding all the action happening on the streets of Ukraine, we will instead be bringing you all the action from the Ukraine Palace of Arts and the bubble that is Junior Eurovision.
The New Order
The draw for the contest took place last night in the JESC Euroclub, located on the 6th floor of the Palace of Arts, and broadcast live on television and via webstream for transparency. Macedonia and Georgia were given wildcards to be able to choose their running number – with Macedonia going 5th and Georgia 9th. The home performers of Ukraine selected 6th spot. The rest were drawn by the performers, and are as follows:
And for 150 Blanks…
The Stage Is Set
Whilst there will still be lots of work to do with the lighting and camera angles, the stage is of an impressive level with led screens, puzzle pieces floating above the large shiny stage. This level of detail and work is of the degree you would normally see at the actual Eurovision, not before seen at the Junior level. Clearly NTU are taking this very seriously, and a lot of effort on the design has gone into this 2013 show. Prepare to be blown away come Saturday.
The Kids Are Alright
The 12 contestants here in Kyiv went through their first practice on the stage and appeared seemingly comfortable in front of the limelight. The twins from Netherlands looked resplendent in their cheer leading costumes already, and the Georgians were all smiles and laughter when spotted inside the press room.
The Return Of Malta
Whilst some are struggling with tiredness and the odd sore throat, others voices are soaring, such as that of Gaia from Malta. Her performance vocally is reminicent of that of 2012 winner Anastasiya from Ukraine, and the maturity of her song would not be out of place at adult Eurovision.
Trouble In Paradise
Unfortunately on a lesser note, the day kicked off in the press centre with a few headaches and hiccups for the EBU, with no stream provided for the first 3 songs, and vision no audio until song 6. It made for a very quiet press area, where the air conditioning and tinkling of the crystal chandeliers above could be heard clearly rather than jovial conversation or music.
Somewhere in here is our interview room…
Party for Everybody
The first official press day concluded with an evening of Ukrainian song and dance in the Euroclub, featuring folk dancing, costumes, and performances from many of Ukraines JESC past participants.