With JESC 2022 entries being released thick and fast on the official YouTube channel, it’s now the turn of Portugal to showcase its entry for the first time. Nico Alves, who made the final of The Voice Kids Portugal earlier this year, was selected internally to sing the song Anos 70 (‘The Seventies’).

Nico is 13 years old and lives in Torres Vedras, just north of Lisbon. His family is Brazilian, and he was born in the UK, where he lived until he was 10 years old. It was here he performed regularly at his local music centre, inspired especially by the music of Michael Jackson and Queen. He also plays the guitar.

The song Anos 70 borrows heavily from the Britrock sound he’s listened to all his life, and includes the chorus: “I play an old tune like my father does / I try to explain, but no-one understands / That I should have been born in the Seventies”.

The song was written by Carolina Deslandes, Nico’s mentor on The Voice Kids, and one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in Portugal today. Her debut album, Casa, went straight to No.1 in the Portuguese Official Charts (AFP) in 2018, and she’s been nominated for Latin Grammys and Golden Globes for her music and videos. Eurofans will know her for coming second to The Black Mamba at Festival da Canção 2021 with Por um triz, scoring the same but losing on televote countback (and giving a song titled “By a Whisker” a whole new meaning).

The music video was shot at the end of October in various locations around Lisbon, including the incredibly picturesque Olaias metro station, with its distinctive mosaic roof designed by Tomás Taveira.

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Sunday 11th December 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia. So far, 11 countries out of 16 have released the final version of their songs.

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