It’s that time of year again! The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is with us again!

Now, I’m sure some of you might be groaning at the prospect – but I would urge anybody that has previously avoided the contest to put any prejudices aside and to give it a try. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

It’s got all the key features of the contest in May that you know and love. There’s a variety of musical styles from all over the world, many of which are part if not all in their native language. There’s key-changes. There’s crazy props on stage. There’s even some very familiar faces this year such as Jedward, Jon Ola Sand and Christer Bjorkman from Melodifestivalen! Trust me – you’ll really enjoy it!

This year is the first time that I’ve worked at the contest as press, and I can honestly say that all of the kids are having a wonderful time, both on-stage and off. They’ve been an absolute joy to interview and chat to, and I genuinely want all of them to do well at this afternoon’s live show!

Below, I will give you a little insight as what to expect in this afternoon’s show, which will be broadcast between 16:00-18:30CET.

First, onto our 17 songs!

Ireland
Zena Donnelly – Bríce Ar Bhríce
This starts out as a really nice ballad, then has a tempo change and moves into an up-tempo pop song. Zena’s vocals are very smooth and it sounds wonderful in her native tongue.

Armenia
Anahit & Mary – Tarber
This is incredibly catchy, and the performance is really ‘in-your-face’, and looks great on stage. The girls’ outfits are bright and eye-catching, and there’s something very special to look out for at the end!

Albania
Klesta Qehaja – Besoj
Klesta has an incredibly powerful voice for her age in this lovely ballad. The Albanian section of the song sounds fantastic, and the change into English brings her message to everyone.

Russia
The Water of Life Project – Water of Life
Russia normally do very well at the adult contest, and I’m sure that there’ll be no exception for Sofia and the girls. Expect some classy costumes and beautiful vocals and visuals on the screens.

Malta
Christina Magrin – Parachute
As this is coming from the host broadcaster, you can expect to hear the crowd go wild in the hall. It’s a great pop number, with a mixture of musical styles and rhythms and Christina sounds great from the start.

Bulgaria
Lidia Ganeva – Magical Day (Вълшебен ден)
This is a really heart-melting ballad, and Lidia is incredibly cute on stage. Once again Bulgaria have delivered, and Lidia’s vocals are really powerful, yet sweet. Look out for the spin!

F.Y.R. Macedonia
Martija Stanojković – Love Will Lead Our Way (Ljubovta ne vodi)
You’ll be tapping away to this one! It’s a great energetic pop song, which a great tropical house sounding melody. Great choreography and glittery pink costumes to look out for on stage!

Poland
Olivia Wieczorek – Nie zapomnij
This is a lovely Polish ballad, and Olivia’s vocals are brilliant. She looks great on stage, and you can’t help but love her song. She also has a great smile too!

Belarus
Alexander Minyonok – Musyka moih pobed (Music is my only way)
This is the first of the afternoon’s performances to feature hoverboards! Look out for the bright, cartoony backgrounds, and try and count how many music genres are said in the song!

Ukraine
Sofia Rol – Planet Craves For Love
It’s a great heart-felt song from Sofia, and there’s a very large umbrella on stage. Look out for her two friends that appear mid-way through the song. Sofia sounds brilliant and has a great prescence throughout.

Italy
Fiamma Boccia – Cara Mamma – Dear Mom
This is another beautiful ballad, and Fiamma’s vocals are outstanding. Although she’s alone on stage, her powerful voice makes everybody sit up and pay attention. The song is dedicated to her mum who appeared in the official video.

Serbia
Dunja Jeličić – U La La La
This is the second of today’s performances with a hoverboard, and Dunja does some mileage around the stage on her’s. It’s a catchy pop-song, and you’ll be singing along with the chorus!

Israel
Shir & Tim – Follow My Heart
This is almost like an 80’s power-balled, and if you’re a fan of Heart’s – “Alone”,  you’ll love it. Both kids look like they are having a great time together, and Tim has a fantastic haircut!

Australia
Alexa Curtis – We Are
Alexa has worked with some big names such as Delta Goodrem, and you can certainly tell in this great pop song. She’ll be a big future star whatever happens this afternoon!

The Netherlands
The Netherlands – Kisses
This is another brilliant pop song, and you’ll be singing along to this one too! The girls look great on-stage in their colourful outfits that are covered in writing. If you loved the likes of S Club 7 and B*Witched , I think you’ll be a fan.

Cyprus
George Michaelides – Dance Floor
This one is an absolute banger, and the likes of DJ Snake would be proud of something similar. There’s drummers and great flame visuals, plus some incredibly tight choreography from his dancers. When the beat kicks in, you’ll be stomping your feet.

Georgia
Mariam Mamadashvili – Mzeo
This is just fantastic. Mariam’s vocals are sensational, and this sounds like something out of a West End musical. It’s so sweet, and lots of people are predicting this for the win.

You can also expect performances from Poli Genova (last year’s host and previous entrant at the May contest) and last year’s Junior Eurovision winner, Destiny. There’ll be a mixture of votes from a kid’s jury, a professional jury, and an international jury before we finally get to find out our winner!

As with previous year’s, nobody goes home empty-handed, as everybody gets 12-points to begin with. We’ll also have second and third-place prizes too!

The show will be streamed live at junioreurovision.tv and also the official Junior Eurovision YouTube page! If your country is in the contest this year, please check the listings of your TV provider as some aren’t showing it live, but on delay instead.

Enjoy the show. See you for the results later!!