On Saturday, 16th November, the 2024 Junior Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Madrid, Spain at the Caja Mágica. 17 countries are due to take part, and today we bring you an interview with Germany’s representative, Bjarne!

Bjarne is 11-years old and comes from the Lower Saxony area of Germany, and lives with his mum Nadine, dad Björn, brother Jannes, and grandma Carola. His song, Save The Best For Us, will be 11th in the show’s running order. You can watch his official music video and check out an interview with him below!

What inspired you to take part in the Junior ESC?
I watch the ESC quite often and I think it’s just super cool that almost every country in Europe gets together and sings to inspire the audience with other languages.

How did you find out that you had been selected for the Junior ESC?
I was on holiday playing padel tennis. I saw my dad on the phone all the time and recognised the grin on his face. He didn’t stop talking on the phone and when I looked at him, he said to me, ‘Yes, concentrate on the game. When I finished, I went outside and then the news came. Everyone was looking at us because we were celebrating so much and they probably only spoke Spanish. It was just really cool.

Why do you want to take part in the Junior ESC and what are you most looking
forward to?
Because I think it’s cool to get to know talents from other countries and to represent Germany on TV and in front of the jury. I’m also looking forward to meeting the other children. I think it’s super cool to speak only in English with them.

What’s the message behind your song ‘Save The Best For Us’?
Well, I used to be a bit of a ‘better turn the lights off now, better do this and that’ kind of person. And then I got to choose what my song was going to be about. I chose conservation and I thought that was really cool. That’s how it became my song. My song is for the older people out there, but also for the younger people, because I know that if we don’t do something now, we might not be able to live on this planet much longer. We have to make a change now because we are polluting the earth mor and more and I don’t think that’s good at all. As you can see, the forests are burning, the glaciers are melting. When I sing my song, pay attention to the lyrics rather than how I sing it.

What are your expectations?
I have no expectations, except that I want to have a lot of fun. I want to talk to all the other kids and do something cool with them.

Which song from the other countries do you particularly like?
I actually think France is very cool because it’s an emotional song, but also a bit of a happy song. And I think that’s just mega cool. And I think I really like the personality of the person.

How does it feel to be allowed to take part in the Junior ESC?
It’s an indescribable feeling. You really can’t put it into words. I’m just really looking forward to it. And everything that’s going to happen to me is just going to be great.

How did your passion for music come about?
I started singing very early. I think when I was three or four, or maybe even earlier. And then I realised: Aha, I really enjoy this. And in the years that followed I realised that I like singing because you can put the emotions that you can’t really put into words into a song. And that always helps me to express my feelings properly. I also play a bit of guitar and I’ve been taking singing lessons for three years now.

Where do you sing?
For myself, at singing lessons and with my grandma Carola.

Do you have a musical role model and who are your favourite artists?
My role model is Adele. Because she has such an incredible range and a great voice. Recently I’ve also become a big fan of Nina Chuba, because she has such great songs that you can always vibrate to. I always listen to her in the car with my mum.

What other hobbies do you have apart from singing?
Trampolining, dancing, cooking and baking. I like watching my idols on TikTok, imitating dances or freestyling. I’m also interested in music legends and deceased artists, geography and history.

And what’s your favourite food?
Strawberry cake, cheesecake and spaghetti carbonara.

We wish BJARNE and his delegation the best of luck in the Contest on Saturday!

Image: Corinne Cumming / EBU
Interview provided by the Kinderkanal from ARD and ZDF