It’s very nearly time for the 2025 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place at 1700CET, live from Tbilisi, Georgia. ESC Covers had the pleasure of watching yesterday evening’s Jury show, and the following article features a quick review of each song, and what to expect in tonight’s show, including the interval act performances. Please be warned that this contains spoilers – so if you prefer to wait until the live show this evening, stop reading here!
Once the classic ‘Te Deum’ Eurovision theme is completed, there’s a short video introduction with a number of children travelling across the world an country in various forms of transport – planes, boats and foot, running and waving, and accompained by an orchestra. The action then cuts across to the arena in Tbilisi, where a magical land is created on the stage and LED backdrop. There’s waterfalls, mountains, and a mix of birdsong, choral chanting, and a voiceover which explains the story. He tells the “story of a shepherd boy” with a flute and fireflys. On stage, there’s a ballet-like performance with a number of dancers in this “enchanted forest”. We’re told that when the sun goes down, the fireflies vanish, but are then told about the “wishing tree” by the narrator. The whole opening is very magical and atmospheric with an almost tribal and ambient music style. More of the story is told, then we hear “my wish was granted”, and the dancers separate to reveal last year’s winner Andria, who then goes on to reprise his song “To My Mom”. It’s worth noting that the staging and arena looks very impressive, despite the last minute change of venues. There’s mainly just a large LED wall with a staircase and a circular ‘drum-shaped- stage, with a small green room directly in front of the stage with beanbags for the contestants to sit on. We noticed quite a few empty seats, but hopefully it will be full for tonight. At the end of the song, Andria says “Shepherd’s dream came true. I wish the same for you!” We’re then treated to the flag parade and get our first glimpse of each act and their costume. The music is very beauitful, inspirational and uplifting, although not quite as energetic as previous years. With a half-empty crowd, the atmosphere isn’t quite as lively as you’d hope – with some countries barely getting any crowd response – but again, tonight, I expect that to change tonight.
Our hosts Liza and David take to the stage to introduce the show, and to explain how the voting works (50% jury / 50% public), and that viewers are able to cast three votes for their top 3 songs at jesc.tv. David is dressed in a black suit with a hankerchief, and Liza is wearing a bright pink dress. After the introduction, the first postcard starts playing, and we’re onto the first song!
Song 1: Malta
Eliza starts off her performance in bed! She must have been tired. Once she arises, her dancers join her on the staircase. Eliza’s vocals are excellent, and are near identical to the studio version. The whole performance is very Disney-like, and it gives me Frozen/Moana type vibes. There’s blue lighting, musical notes and lyrics on the LED screens, and a nice laser effects. There’s even jets of pyrotechnics on her final big note. 9/10
Song 2: Azerbaijan
It’s clear that Yağmur is a little nervous to start with as a couple of lines are a little bit off, but she makes up for it in the chorus and second part of the song. There’s a cityscape background with bins and skips physically on the stage, representing the ‘cat’ theme. She’s joined by three dancers on stage, and there’s a nice mix of purple lighting, and even neon graffiti when the chorus thumps in. There’s nice choreograohy from the dancers, and even a guitar solo from one of them with a ‘cat’ guitar. There’s also a costume change into sparky outfits for those that are playing Eurovision Bingo! 7/10
Song 3: Croatia
Marino is alone on stage for his entire performance. It’s just him in a fancy white suit, and load of lightbulbs around his, and his voice – so all eyes are on him. There’s a nice dry ice effect on stage, and the whole performance and song feels very Christmassey. There’s even a snow machine towards the end of the song, which reminds me of Andria’s winning song for Georgia last year. Marino doesn’t really chance position during the song, and it would have been nice if he’d made eye contact with the other cameras around him, as he looks a little scared at the moment. His voice is briliant, though. 7/10
Song 4: San Marino
Martina starts of the stage sitting on a sparkly crescent moon, complete with her guitar and cowboy hat! Her voice is very soft and sweet, and she makes the most out of the floor space by spinning around and wandering around the stage. I like that her guitar and hat are also projected onto the background as it seems to be her signature look. The song will appeal to the many Taylor Swift fans, and it’s a nice pop-country mix. Towards the wnd, her name appears in lights and there’s a nice vinyl record effect on the circular stage. 8/10
Song 5: Armenia
Albert is wearing a white outfit with an almost ‘windswept’ rigid yellow scarf. This really stands out as the lighting and camera filters give a black and white effect, highlighting the scarf. The song and performance remind me of the past winning ESC/JESC songs. Albert’s scarf is almost like JJ’s boat. There’s some nice flowers that look like stars on the stage around him, and the song is very magical and musical like. I could see Albert appearing in a musical. The steadicam operator took a little stumble in this performance, but this should be fine for tonight hopefully. Another strong vocal and performance! 8/10
Song 6: Ukraine
The staging is near identical to what we saw in Ukraine’s national final – but as they always say, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ Sofia looks great in her traditional looking costume, and absolutely owns the stage throughout. It’s a very confident performance with superb vocals. She’s joined by 4 dancers – also wearing red and blacks, who return with the ‘big balls of string’. I’m sure the cats from Azerbaijan would have fun with those! The performance is very slick and choreographed well. One of the best of the night! If I had to fault anything, it would be the lyrics that sound like “murder, murder” in English! 9/10
We now head back to the hosts in the green room, who play an emoji challenge with a few of the performers. The Junior Eurovision artist ‘acts’ out an emoji, and the hosts try and be first to answer correctly. It’s not very exciting – so if you need to go to the toilet, now’s your opportunity!
Song 7: Ireland
Going into the contest, this didn’t make it anywhere near my list of favourites, but I think the live performance has really stepped things up. It’s a simple ballad and production, with Lottie simply stood in the middle of the stage in a long silver dress. There’s a nice scenic background with mountains, with some storm and wind effects as the song ramps up in later stages. She has a powerful voice and absolutely nails the final note. This could do surprisingly well tonight – with the juries in particular! 8/10
Song 8: Netherlands
Meadow is joined on stage with four dancers, who are all wearing casual outfits with numbers on the top. There’s a lively backdrop and lighting package and you can tell that all five are having great fun. Meadow sounds like she is struggling a little with her live vocals, but she makes up for it later into the song as she gets more comfortable and confident. The best part of the performance for me is the dance break, which is well choreographed. There’s pyro at the end if you’re playing a (non-alcoholic) drinking game! 6/10
Song 9: Poland
This is another great performance and potential winner. Marianna’s performance starts with a small letterbox on the screen, highlighting just her eyes – which are very sparkly! When we get to see her in full, she’s looking like a fairytale princess in a rather large dress which makes her look about 5 metres tall, surrounded by blue lighting. She’s stood on a plinth underneath the dress, but the effect is very good. All sorts of swirls are projected onto the dress, much like a certain Moldovan Eurovision entry many years back. She’s also joined by some mermaid dancers who flop around the stage in time with sections of the music. For such a small girl, Marianna’s voice is powerful and strong. Another big potential winner tonight! 9/10
Song 10: North Macedonia
Once again, this performance is very magical and fairytale-like. Nela’s outfit reminds me of something that a Greek goddess may have worn, and certainly has a historic Balkan look to it. Around the staging and backdrop, there’s plenty of shooting star type effects. The singing is very soft and gentle, and although there seemed to be one or two off-notes, the song and performance is very beautiful. She’s alone on stage, which probably is adding to the nerves, but hopefully with a full, supportive crowd in the arena tonight, she can belt out the notes. 6.5/10
Song 11: Montenegro
As soon as this one started, the staging reminded me of ‘Heroes’. There’s a number of ‘stickman’ like cartoon graphics on the LED screens, and it’s a very diffent staging to what we saw in Montenegro’s national final. This seems a lot more emotional and dramatic, and possibly a bit too melancholy for the intended junior audience. I’m not sure it’s something they will vote for, even though it’s a beautiful song and well performed. The style reminds me fondly of ‘Molitva’, although that was intended for a much more mature audience. It’s emotional and Asja’s vocals are very good. Will the public like it, though? 7/10
Song 12: Italy
Straight away, the energy is high. Leonardo yells “let’s go!”. He’s stood on top of a metal cube cage, and it looks like a health and safety issue waiting to happen. It’s pretty high and there’s no harness! He’s joined by two dancers who move down stage as the song progresses. The blend of rap and dance beats make me think that Leonardo is channelling his inner Käärijä! There’s some nice staging effects, including a large wide-eyed dragon and flame effects on the backdrop. The song has never really been a favourite of mine, and some parts sound more like shouting than rapping – but rap isn’t really my bag, and I’m sure he’ll have some very supportive fans. It’s certainly upbeat, though – which is very much needed in a ballad-heavy contest. 6.5/10
We have another short break with the hosts, who talk about Georgia’s 4 wins at Junior Eurovision, and read out a few positive messages from around the world.
Song 13: Portugal
After a brief high-tempo section to the show, we’re slowing things back down with another ballad – but this one is very impressive. Inês’s voice is very soft and sweet, and everything is performed very well. In terms of the staging, it’s fairly simple, with just her and lots of plastic sheets. There’s nice orange lighting with low fog, and as the music builds, so do the effects. There’s a whole wall of fans behind the sheeting (they must have wiped out the supermarket supply in Tbilisi, buying them all!), which get more powerful blowing the sheeting in all directions. A little more care needs to be taken tonight, though, as Inês is almost swallowed up by what looks like a big jellyfish as one stage! The vocals are fantastic. 8.5/10
Song 14: Spain
Gonzalo starts off his performance on a grand piano with two dancers around his reading books. Again, there’s another fairytale Disney-like style staging, and something familar to the likes of Shrek/Cinderella. Gonzalo is dressed in his ‘Indiana Jones’ style explorer outfit which works well with the theme of the song. When the beat kicks in, everybody starts dancing, and there’s a fancy circular book structure on stage. We even have swimming, and another mermaid! The style of song and staging is something that you could see in a stage musical or pantomime, and it’s very catchy and the vocals are good. I think this could be a popular choice with the viewers tonight! 7.5/10
Song 15: Georgia
As you’d expect – the local Georgian-heavy crowd went wild when this on started, but it’s with good reason. They knew what was coming – another potential 5th win for their country. The staging is fairly simple with a few drums and drummers on stage. Anita’s outfit looks very historical and similar to North Macedonia’s in a way with the headband – but Anita’s white dress also features some star-like cut outs at the top. There’s a nice blue and orange lighting with another dry ice effect, but most importantly it’s the vocals. Very powerful – and I’d say the best of the night. The time signature of the Georgian strong is unusual. That, paired with the amazing vocals could be scoring it high with the international juries! 9.5/10
Song 16: Cyprus
It’s a bit of an unfortunate slot for Cyprus, having to follow Anita from Georgia and preceed Lou from France – but it’s a very pleasant song which highlight’s Rafaella and Christos’s friendship. The style is very High School Musical, and it’s very sweet. Both are wearing silver sparkly tops and bottoms, which really gleam in the purple lighting. Rafaella is very smiley and looks like a young Ariana Grande. I think it’s quite clear that both performers talents are with their dancing. The choreography is well constructed, but in a song contest, the singing is the most vital part…and sadly, I think it’s lacking a little here. The two vocals and harmonies don’t really work for me, and I would have prefered maybe a solo performance for either. Whatever happens, I’m sure we’ll be seeing them both on a stage again in the future! 6/10
Song 17: France
This one is sure to send a few goosebumps down the spines around Europe. It’s very good indeed. The performance starts out entirely in black and white which is very classy. When the lights change, Lou, is in her beret and red dress combination and looks very sophisticated. The whole staging has glimpses of ‘Voila’ and Zoe Me’s Swiss song last year, with the sweeping, wobbly camera, and it all looks very slick and professional. Lou’s vocals are excellent, but I feel it could be a bit too grown-up for Junior. The juries will love it, but I don’t know if the young audience in Europe will ‘get it’. It’s a hard one to call, but I think that the French delegation could potentially be ready for another win. 9/10
Song 18: Albania
And so, it’s on to our final song of the contest – Albania. It’s absolutely the most fun song of the evening, and most catchy too, I would argue. Kroni is absolutely enjoying herself on stage, as are her dancers. It’s a great song. I do wish that more was added to let eveyone know what the song is about, though. There’s just a short section where the graphics show vitamins A, B, C, and D – but that’s about. I think the music video was much more easier to understand. It’s very fun, though – and a great way to close the contesting songs! 8/10
We now cross over to the hosts who explain the voting before the first recap of songs is broadcast.
After the recap, Liza and David talk about Georgia’s first winning act at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest – Bzikebi. They show a short clip of them performing on stage as children, then they appear on stage 17 years later to perform their excellent brand new song, “We Don’t Sleep”. It’s a great, energetic song, written by the fantastic Georgian song producer, Giga Kukhianidze, who is responsible for penning the winning Georgian songs, as well as producing much of the music of the 2025 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, such as the opening theme, flag parade, and common song.
Straight after Bzikebi, the hosts recap the songs again, and introduce ‘Candy’, who won the 2011 Junior Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Candy Music’. They also perform their new song on the stage, which is called ‘Code’ (again, written by Giga Kukhianidze). All 5 girls look amazing in their stripey red and white dresses, and they’re accompanied by circus performers. such as jugglers and strongmen. There’s even people with candyfloss! The song is great. A really fun, disco-pop hit. You could imagine Dua Lipa performing something similar!
Once Candy finish, we’re treated to an obligatory out-of-time countdown from the hosts to stop the voting, then last year’s winner Andria leads the start of the common song – “Shine Together”. All 18 countries join him to sing a section of the song, and again, it’s upbeat and fun!
There’s a short video clip of the preparations of the show, including the stage build and following that Liza chats to Andria in the green room, before the voting starts.
For the rehearsal, the voting points are all randomly selected, as the winner will be revealed tonight, but San Marino won the ‘fake votes’ for the jury show. A male member of production has a great time miming as Martina as the celebrations commence. In the voting sequence, there’s a few famous faces to look out for from last year, including performers from Malta, Ukraine, Netherlands and Spain!
Overall, the show went incredibly smoothly with no major issues. It’s a very good watch, and you’re going to love the live show tonight! If I’d have to make any improvements/critiscisms, there’s only a few. A couple of camera shots need working on. A few times, cameramen or crane equipment was in shot. It’s also near impossible to see the song position/country name in the bottom left of each performance as the text is so dark and transparent. I didn’t think the chemisty between the hosts was to great, either. Rubber-faced David is almost a Jim Carrey/Pee-Wee Herman ‘fun’ guy, where Liza was a little bit more serious as a whole. Again, it could be nerves.
Minor issues aside, enjoy the show tonight – and best of luck to all contestants. Have a fun, enjoyable and safe show!
You can watch the show LIVE here from 1700CET!