The COVID-19 pandemic hit Junior Eurovision hard. Of the 19 broadcasters that attended the competition in 2019, only 11 of them took part the following year.
This is despite the pandemic being many months in at that stage and various adaptations to keep the show going in those difficult times. Acts were given permission to reproduce the stage in their own country so to avoid the risks of travelling, or to travel to Poland before the competition and pre-record their Junior Eurovision performance.
This wasn’t enough to stop many of the withdrawals. For some of the broadcasters, such as RTSH from Albania, difficulties in holding a National Final was a factor in their withdrawal. Others such as the Australian broadcaster attributed their withdrawal to the “uncertainty” that the pandemic situation provided. Directly or indirectly the pandemic was the reason for all of these withdrawals.
Or more accurately, all except one.
The Story Of Armenia’s Withdrawal
On September 8th the European Broadcasting Union confirmed that there would be thirteen nations taking part in the 2020 Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
The thirteenth country in this case was Armenia. Fast forward two months and at the start of November the European Broadcasting Union released news announcing that Armenia would not be taking part, remotely or otherwise, in this year’s Junior Eurovision.
The reason given was not based on the pandemic. The country was introducing a system of martial law due to the conflict the nation was having with Azerbaijan.
The area in question is the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, and area of land that since the 1994 ceasefire had been administered by ethnic Armenians making the Republic of Artsakh, despite the land being recognised as Azeri from its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. While a tense area of the world for many years, on September 27th 2020 forces on both the Armenian side and Azerbaijani side claimed to have been fired on first, and on that first day of conflict it is thought 23 people were killed.
The declaration of martial law that both countries engaged with meant the full mobilisation of all possible military force in the area. Focusing on just Armenia, further powers allowed for the police to give fines and remove content from journalists that could be “criticising” or “questioning the effectiveness” of some of the government’s tighter controls.
Head of the Armenian delegation at Junior Eurovision, David Tserunyan, explained that it was “our duty to stand with our nation and our motherland” at this time, meaning participation in Junior Eurovision 2020 was not possible.
Eventually a ceasefire was announced between Armenia and Azerbaijan later in 2020 and the martial law restrictions in Armenia were lifted in March 2021. However Armenia still withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest of 2021. Their return to Junior Eurovision 2021 marks 25 months since they took part in a Eurovision competition of any kind, when ‘Colours Of My Dream’ finished 9th at Junior Eurovision 2019.
The Teen With A Dream Taken Away
What was most heartbreaking about the eventual announcement of Armenia’s withdrawal from the 2020 edition of Junior Eurovision was that, hidden behind the conflict and the issues arising from it, was a 13-year-old artist.
Head of Delegation David Tserunyan explained that the decision had already been made back in July of 2020 to internally select Arpine Martoyan, known under the stage name Maléna, as the representative for Armenia in that year’s Junior Eurovision. She was an artist who had wanted to get the chance to take part in Junior Eurovision for years, first taking part in the national final that was organised in 2018.
Now internally selected by the broadcaster, and with the tender and sad ballad ‘Why’ ready to perform across the continent, Maléna had her dream of representing Armenia taken away through no fault of her own.
Thankfully for Maléna, Armenia are able to return to competition this year. This is not as simple as it is for those artists internally selected for Eurovision after not being able to participate in 2020. Junior Eurovision has a strict age limit of 15 years and Maléna, at 14 years, 11 months and 9 days on the day of this year’s show just squeezes in under the age boundary.
It is little surprise then that ‘Qami Qami’, her entry to Junior Eurovision in Paris this year, is a world away from the multi-coloured fun of her 2018 national final submission. Now collaborating with Tokionine, the writer behind Armenia’s 2019 Eurovision entry ‘Walking Out’, ‘Qami Qami’ has proved to be a sensation on release last month.
For those used to listening to Junior Eurovision entries, this Armenian entry is like nothing we have ever heard in the competition before. ‘Qami Qami’ is a mesmerising ethereal pop number that takes on a trance-like quality, matched with a bass line that would rock EuroClub with ease.
The crossover appeal beyond Junior Eurovision is clear. In three weeks the song’s preview video, a stunningly slick and high production number, has amassed over 2.5 million views on YouTube, quickly becoming the most viewed Junior Eurovision video of the season. Commercially the song is a local mega hit, hitting number 1 on Apple Music in the week prior to Paris and starting to pop up on charts across other nations in Eastern Europe as well.
Now there is a conversation to be had about what makes a Junior Eurovision entry, well, Junior. Knocking on the door of 15 and bringing a song that sounds youthful, not childish, separates Maléna into a separate hemisphere from many in this competition. How does one compare this transfixing and hypotising pop track to songs such as ‘Children’s Eyes’, ‘Tic Tac’ and ‘Voice of Love’ – to name three of this year’s entries that feel very Junior Eurovision. The change of tone this would bring compared to last year’s winner ‘J’imagine‘ is enormous.
An act that stands out so much from its competition means there is no doubt in my mind ‘Qami Qami‘ will be the most talked about entry from Sunday afternoon’s viewing public. The question mark I do have is if they, the casual voting public, are comfortable with this being Junior Eurovision. Should Maléna be as comfortable on stage as she appears in the music video then I certainly hope the answer is yes – Junior Eurovision should be able letting these performers be the best version of themselves they can be.
And, if the answer is yes, be prepared for a revolution. This is the type of song that could transform Junior Eurovision in a similar way to how ‘Euphoria’ shifted the goalposts in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. This is a game changer. This is the type of song that catapults what young people can achieve today to new heights and that there are no limits to their artistry.
Will A New Star Be Born?
Maléna isn’t just any Junior Eurovision representative. She already has insane success domestically already and comes to France with a level of pre-Contest hype that I only remember Viki Gabor, the 2019 landslide winner for Poland, ever having. That the country she represents, a powerhouse in Eurovision but especially Junior Eurovision is thirsty to return only helps to crank their weight of expectation up as we get closer to the show.
We talk about Junior Eurovision being a possible platform to start a future in the music industry in the future. A win for Maléna on Sunday afternoon in Paris means I suspect that journey she would become a star immediately.