Today, 8 participants got up on stage for the first time, in Sofia, for their first rehearsal. Yesterday, during the first official day of rehearsals, the participants from 9 countries had the chance to get up on stage for the first time. Mishela Rapo (Albania), MIKA (Armenia), Destiny Chukunyere (Malta), Ruslan Aslanov (Belarus), Gabriela Yordanova & Ivan Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Gabede (Georgia), Aimee Banks (Ireland) and Ivana & Magdelena (FYR Macedonia) were among those artists. You can read all about yesterday’s rehearsals, here.

Jana Mirkovic, from Montenegro, was the first to get up on stage today. Jana Mirkovic is a 15 year old girl born in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Her song ‘’Oluja’’ (‘’Storm’’ in English) ‘’is about love (…) the message behind the song is that young people, especially when they are in love, always brings strength and energy like a storm.’’ You can read our interview with Jana in its entirety, here. The song was composed by Mirsad Serhatlić and the lyrics were written by Boban Nonovic and Jana Mirkovic, herself. Vladimir Graic was in charge of the arrangements.

This morning, Jana made her ‘’storm of love’’ come to life, on the Armeec Arena’s stage, in Sofia, during her first rehearsal. She wasn’t alone on stage: she had 4 dancers by her side.  Milica Cerovic and Ivana Murisic did a great job since her dress and her choreography both looked outstanding. In the background we could glimpse the images of a street, which gave the illusion that the 5 performers were actually walking through the street. She definitely stood out as one of the best acts of the day, on every level, in my opinion.  Take a look at her rehearsal:

Shalisa, from the Netherlands, was the second artist to rehearse today, in Sofia. At the beginning of the month of October, she triumphed at the Junior Songfestival. Shalisa is also 15 year old girl. She is born in Wognum, a small village in the Netherlands. A few weeks ago, Shalisa took the time to record a video for the ESCBubble in her village, on the countryside. (video) Her song is called a ‘’million lights’’. As Shalisa explains in the video, her song is about 2 lovers who can’t reach each other because they live far away, from each other. But by the million lights up in the sky, they are connected because they see the same stars in the sky. Shalisa composed and wrote the song herself, with the help of H. Tomas and J. Griffioen.

Shalisa also had a great first rehearsal. Everything, looked great on stage. Her vocals were on point. The performance was very similar to the one that helped her win her national final (Junior Songfestival), at the beginning of the month of October. She was with 2 dancers on stage, as she had told us, during an interview. In the background we could see live images of the performance. She is also the only contestant, this year, to play her own instrument on stage (the piano), during her performance. You can take a look at her rehearsal here:

This morning, Bella Paige from Australia was the third participant to get up on stage. She is 14 years old and lives in Melbourne. She is born to Macedonian parents who both grew up in Australia themselves, with their families.  Back in 2014, Bella participated at ‘‘The Voice Kids Australia’’ and qualified for the Grand Final, where she finished second. Afterwards, she signed a contract with Universal Music Australia. Her Junior Eurovision entry is called ‘’My Girls’’. It is her debut single. The song was composed and written by Delta Goodrem, Vince Pizzinga and Mitch Allan. She is the first ever Australian representative at Junior Eurovision. Take a look at her rehearsal:

Her first stage rehearsal looked great this morning. She seemed ready for the great adventure of Junior Eurovision. She was very confident on stage. She wasn’t alone on stage: 2 dancers were with her.  The choreography was looking great.

Personally, I think that Bella Paige’s first rehearsal was great. She has a very powerful voice, as we saw today during her rehearsal.

The next participant to get up on stage was Misha Smirnov, from Russia. He is 12 years old. He also has participated at ‘’The Voice Kids’’ and qualified for the Grand Final of the show in 2014, in Russia. He is born in Moscow to parents who both are mathematicians. A few weeks ago, he won the Russian national final for Junior Eurovision. He was the only boy to participate to his country’s national final. His song is called ‘’Mechta’’ (‘’dream’’ in English). It was composed and written by Vladimir Dushevny and Misha Smirnov, himself.

Russia brought a hammock to the stage. Alongside Misha, there was also a dancer on stage, who was dancing around the white hammock. Furthermore, we could also see animations in the background that reminded me of the ones they used in Vienna, during Polina Gagarina’s performance, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

Misha Smirnov also did an amazing job, during his first rehearsal. His vocals were on point and he delivered his ballad very well. He looked very confident on stage. The staging was also looking good, in my opinion. You can take a look at his first rehearsal:

After Misha’s rehearsal, following the lunch break, another Russian artist held her first rehearsal in Sofia, today. Kamilla Ismailova, born in Moscow, is the San Marinese representative at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015. She is an 11 years old singer, actress and a TV host. Kamilla grew up in Moscow but visited San Marino in her childhood. During that visit, she instantly fell in love with the little country. She did everything she could to, once again, be connected with her beloved nation. Her song is called ‘’Mirror’’. It was written and composed by Kamilla, herself, with the help Andrelli,  Josefin Glenmark and Piero Romitelli.

During her rehearsal, Kamilla was wearing an enormous and magnificent white dress, with pieces of glass on one side. It reminded me of Aliona Moon’s performance at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. The staging was, also, very impressive. She looked very confident on stage.

Kamilla Ismailova was definitely my surprise of the day:  she has the most impressive staging of this year’s contest in my opinion.

Afterwards, Lena Stamenkovic, from Serbia, who will open the show on Saturday, took the stage. She is 11 years old. She is born in Zajecar, in Serbia. She has one of the most powerful voices of this year’s contest. At a very young age, Lena participated in a talent show, in Serbia, called “Pinkove zvezdice”, in which she finished 4^th. Her song is called ”Lenina Pesma” (‘’Lena’s song’’ in English). It was composed and written by Leontina Vukomanović. Dusan Alagic was in charge of the arrangements.

Lena has a very, very powerful voice! She had a great first rehearsal. She had arrived ready and we could feel it. The animations in the background were also very impressive. She impressed the majority of the people in the Armeec Arena with her powerful voice!

Then, Lina Kuduzovic, from Slovenia, had the chance to rehearse for a first time, in Sofia. She is twelve years old and lives in Switzerland. Back in 2010, when she was 7 years old, she won the first edition of the Slovenian talent show: ”Slovenia’s Got Talent”. She still is today, the youngest winner ever of the show. Her song is called ”Prva Ljubezen” (”First love” in English). It was written and composed by Lina herself, with the help of Maraaya, who represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. You can take a look at her rehearsal:

Lina Kuduzovic had an amazing first rehearsal. Her vocals were on point. In the background, the animations were amazing with the castle and the forest, for example. She was also all alone on stage. She was definitely one of my favorites today.

Finally, Anna Trincher, from Ukraine, closed the second day of rehearsals. She was the last participant to rehearse on the Armeec Arena’s stage. She is a 14 year old girl, born in Kyiv. She discovered her passion for music at a very young age. She has participated to a few musical competitions in the past: ‘’Nightingale of Ukraine”, “My Chance” (online competition), “New Wave” 2015, “The Voice Kids” (Ukraine) and the 2014 Ukrainian Junior Eurovision National Final. Her song is called ‘’Pochny z sebe’’ (‘’Start with yourself’’ in English). The song was written and composed by Alyosha, who represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, in 2010.

Anna’s rehearsal was great. She had a very good presence on stage.  Her song is, also, very good. I personally liked the staging, with the waterfalls in the background. Her vocals were also on point. Her red dress was also very beautiful. You can take a look at her rehearsal:

Who were your favorites today? Which country do you think stood out the most today?