United Kingdom in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022

Last updated

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)3 November 2022
Selected entrant Freya Skye
Selected song"Lose My Head"
Selected songwriter(s) Deepend
Jack Hawitt
Amber van Day
Finals performance
Final result5th, 146 points
United Kingdom in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
◄2005 •2022• 2023►

The United Kingdom returned to compete in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Armenia, which was held on 11 December 2022 in Yerevan. On 25 August 2022, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced that the country would return to the contest after a sixteen-year absence, replacing ITV who previously organised the country’s participation in the contest between 2003 and 2005. Freya Skye was selected as the UK entrant with the song "Lose My Head".

Contents

Skye performed twelfth in the running order, following the entry from Spain and preceding the entry from Portugal. The United Kingdom placed fifth with 146 points, winning the online vote with 80 points.

Background

Prior to the 2022 contest, the United Kingdom had participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest three times since its first entry in the inaugural contest in 2003, with their best result being in 2004 when they finished in second position with the song "The Best is Yet to Come", performed by Cory Spedding. [1] The United Kingdom was due to host the event in Manchester in 2004, but pulled out due to financial and scheduling issues. [2] [3] In the 2005 contest, Joni Fuller represented the country in Hasselt, Belgium with the song "How Does It Feel?". The song ended 14th out of 16 entries with 28 points. [4]

ITV withdrew from the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, after poor viewing figures in 2004 and 2005. Wales took part independently in the 2018 and 2019 contests. Until 2020, neither ITV nor the BBC expressed any interest in returning to the contest, until the BBC expressed an interest in returning for the 2020 contest in Warsaw. [5] The UK did not appear on the official list of participants as released by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on 8 September 2020. [6] At a Junior Eurovision press event in May 2021, the EBU stated that they were working to bring the UK back to the contest, possibly for the 2021 edition. [7] However, once again the UK did not appear on the final list of participants for the contest in Paris. On 17 December 2021, at a press conference between France Télévisions and the executive supervisor of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest Martin Österdahl, Österdahl stated that he was positive about talks between the EBU and the BBC about a potential UK return. [8] On 25 August 2022, it was confirmed that the UK would return for the 2022 contest in Yerevan, with the BBC replacing ITV as the country’s participating broadcaster. [9] [10]

Before Junior Eurovision

Upon the broadcaster's announcement that they would participate in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022, Patricia Hidalgo Reina, director of BBC Children's and Education, stated:

"We are beyond excited to bring the Junior Eurovision Song Contest to the BBC for the first time, and to showcase the diverse young musical talent from across Europe for children and their families to discover and enjoy together. This junior version of Eurovision will undoubtedly encapsulate the same spirit of unity that the adult contest brings, reflecting the heart of what CBBC is all about, an inclusive channel that celebrates the diversity and creativity in all children. I can’t wait to unveil our own musical talent who will proudly represent the UK."

— Patricia Hidalgo Reina [11]

The song representing the United Kingdom had been chosen by the British head of delegation, Lee Smithurst, out of a pool of shortlisted songs, and CBBC, together with BBC Studios Entertainment and Music, who were tasked with selecting a singer in co-operation with the British commercial talent agency Buzz Kids. [12] [13] In order to select the British artist to the 2022 contest in Yerevan, a two-stage audition process was held, which commenced in September 2022 and forty artists were invited to attend. The first stage involved all artists singing a cover song of their choice and an original song, of which eight were selected to progress to the second stage. The second stage involved the remaining eight artists performing the selected entry "Lose My Head". A jury panel consisting of music professionals determined the winner of the auditions and, hence who would represent the United Kingdom at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022. [14]

On 3 November 2022, it was officially revealed to the public that Freya Skye would represent the country with the song "Lose My Head", written by Deepend, Jack Hawitt and Amber van Day. [15] Skye went to the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London under the pretext of a final audition, only to be surprised by West End Theatre performer and the UK's 2017 Eurovision entrant Lucie Jones, who broke the news to Skye that she had been selected to represent the UK in Armenia. [16]

Preparation and promotion

Dan Shipton, who had designed several previous Eurovision stagings, including for Sam Ryder, the British runner-up for the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, was again the creative director, while Jay Revell was the lead choreographer and Jorge Antonio was the assistant choreographer and costume designer for the performance. [17] Annabel Williams was Skye’s lead vocal coach, having previously coached Sam Ryder and James Newman for the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest and having experience as the lead vocal coach on The X Factor UK and Britain’s Got Talent . Williams has also worked alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse and Jennifer Hudson. [18] [19]

Following the reveal of the UK entry, Skye embarked on several promotional activities, appearing on BBC Breakfast and The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on 3 November. Skye also appeared on CBBC’s Newsround , BBC Radio 5 Live and Fun Kids. [17] On 18 November, Freya Skye gave her first live TV performance of "Lose My Head" on the BBC's annual charity appeal show Children in Need. [20] On 26 November, Skye performed live on CBBC's Saturday Mash-Up! and three days later on BBC Two's Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two . On 8 December, CBBC broadcast a 30-minute documentary Freya's Journey, which followed her journey to the contest. [21]

At Junior Eurovision

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 took place at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in Yerevan, Armenia on 11 December 2022, at 15:00 GMT. [22] The event was broadcast live on CBBC, BBC One and on the BBC iPlayer. [9] On 21 November, it was announced that children's TV presenter Lauren Layfield and singer Hrvy would commentate the BBC's coverage of the contest from MediaCity in Salford. [23] The spokesperson, who revealed the top twelve-point score of the British jury, was Tabitha Joy.

Freya Skye and the UK delegation also participated in the Opening Ceremony for the contest, which was held in Republic Square in Yerevan on 5 December, during which the running order was also determined. The United Kingdom was drawn by the show producers to perform in 12th position, following the entry from Spain and preceding the entry from Portugal. [24]

Just over 700,000 watched Junior Eurovision in the UK, an audience size similar to when ITV last participated in 2005. [25] 5,200,000 viewers watched live on the BBC for at least one minute. [26]

Rehearsals

Due to Freya falling ill during the week, she was unable to sing live during her second rehearsal, using playback instead, and pulled out of the jury show on 10 December, as doctors had advised her to rest her voice. [27] [28]

Performance

The live performance for the UK entry in Yerevan featured similarities to the music video for the song, with Freya joined by four backing dancers, all of whom wore red dresses. A large custom-made throne, along with Alice in Wonderland -inspired LEDs, red lighting, and pyrotechnics made up the staging. [29]

Dan Shipton, who had designed several previous Eurovision stagings, including for Sam Ryder, the British runner-up for the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, was again the creative director, while Jay Revell was the lead choreographer and Jorge Antonio was the assistant choreographer and costume designer for the performance. [17] Annabel Williams was Skye’s lead vocal coach, having previously coached Sam Ryder and James Newman for the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest and having experience as the lead vocal coach on The X Factor UK and Britain’s Got Talent . Williams has also worked alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse and Jennifer Hudson. [30] [31]

Voting

The same voting system that was introduced in the 2017 edition was used, where the results were determined by 50% online voting and 50% jury voting. Every country had a national jury that consisted of three music industry professionals and two children aged between 10 and 15 who were citizens of the country they represented. The rankings of those jurors were combined to make an overall top ten. [32]

The online voting consisted of two phases. The first phase of the online voting began on 9 December 2022 when a recap of all the rehearsal performances was shown on the contest's website Junioreurovision.tv before the viewers could vote. After this, voters also had the option to watch longer one-minute clips from each participant's rehearsal. This first round of voting ended on Sunday 11 December at 15:59 CET. The second phase of the online voting took place during the live show and began right after the last performance and was open for 15 minutes. International viewers were able vote for three songs. [33] They were also able to vote for their own country's song. These votes were then turned into points which were determined by the percentage of votes received. For example, if a song received 10% of the votes, it received 10% of the available points.

The United Kingdom received 66 points from the professional juries, placing in fifth position. The country placed first in the online vote, with 80 points. Overall, the United Kingdom placed in fifth place with 146 points, receiving maximum twelve points from Ukraine in the jury vote. [34]

Detailed voting results

Each nation's jury consisted of five members: three adult music industry professionals and two children, who are citizens of the country they represent. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member were released shortly after the contest.

Detailed voting results from the United Kingdom [34]
DrawCountryJuror AJuror BJuror CJuror DJuror EAverage RankPoints Awarded
01Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 51134247
02Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 79153911
03Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 151214141214
04Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 13109111112
05Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 141413131515
06Flag of France.svg  France 141281210
07Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 115191074
08Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 381111465
09Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 8185656
10Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia 12136151313
11Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 421024112
12Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
13Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 6155125101
14Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 106210783
15Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 2746338
16Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 9377892

Related Research Articles

United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting (UKIB) is an affiliation of three British independent television production companies and broadcasters. The primary function of its predecessor, the Independent Television Companies Association (ITCA), was to represent independent British television interests as a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The current members of UKIB are the ITV network centre, the 4 ITV licence holders, Channel 4, and S4C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest</span> Overview of the role of the United Kingdom in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

The United Kingdom first participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest at the inaugural 2003 edition which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. ITV, a member organisation of the United Kingdom Independent Broadcasting (UKIB) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), was responsible for the selection process of their participation from 2003 to 2005. The United Kingdom used a national selection format, broadcasting a show entitled Junior Eurovision Song Contest: The British Final, for their participation at the contests. The first representative to participate for the nation at the 2003 contest was Tom Morley with the song "My Song For The World", which finished in third place out of sixteen participating entries, achieving a score of one hundred and eighteen points. The United Kingdom withdrew from competing after the 2005 contest, but returned to the contest in 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia, with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) replacing ITV as the country's broadcaster, the country withdrew again before the 2024 Edition in Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Eurovision Song Contest</span> Annual international song competition for youth

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition which has been organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) annually since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Armenia has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest since 2007. Armenian Public Television (ARMTV), a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), have been responsible for the selection process of their participants since their debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albania in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Albania debuted in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has been responsible for the selection process of their participants since their debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azerbaijan in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest</span>

The participation of Azerbaijan in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest first began at the tenth edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 which took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. İctimai Television (İTV), a member organisation of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), were responsible for the selection process of their participation. Azerbaijan originally used a national final format for their participation at the 2012 contest. The first representatives to participate for the nation at the 2012 contest were Omar & Suada with the song "Girls and Boys ", which finished in eleventh place out of twelve participating entries. After participating for a second time in 2013 and finishing seventh, İTV withdrew from the contest in 2014 for unspecified reasons. The country returned to participate in 2018 where they placed sixteenth in a field of twenty, before withdrawing once again for a further two years. Azerbaijan returned to the 2021 contest in Paris, France, with İTV internally selected Sona Azizova to represent the nation with "One Of Those Days". Azizova achieved Azerbaijan's highest placing to date, achieving fifth place in a field of 19. İTV then withdrew again from the 2022 contest in Yerevan, Armenia and are yet to return.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014</span> International song competition for youth

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 12th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place, for the first time, in Malta. This was the third time that the contest was hosted by the previous year's winning country. Maltese national broadcaster PBS was the host broadcaster for the event. The final took place on 15 November 2014 and was in the Malta Shipbuilding in Marsa, near Valletta. Moira Delia, a Maltese television personality, hosted the show, marking the first time in Junior Eurovision history that there was only one presenter of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016</span> International song competition for youth

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 was the fourteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta, Malta. This was the second time that Malta have hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, their first being in 2014. Jon Ola Sand was appointed as the Executive Supervisor for the 2016 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, following the dismissal of the former supervisor, Vladislav Yakovlev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017</span> International song competition for youth

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the fifteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It took place on 26 November 2017 at the Olympic Palace, in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. This was the fifth time that the contest was hosted by the previous year's winning country. The visual design and contest slogan, "Shine Bright", were revealed in May 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018</span> International song competition for youth

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the sixteenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It took place in the Belarusian capital city, Minsk on 25 November 2018 at the Minsk-Arena. It was the second time that the contest was held in Belarus, after it staged the 2010 edition at the same venue.

The Netherlands participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020 which was held on 29 November 2020 in Warsaw, Poland. The girl group Unity was selected by AVROTROS to represent the country through the televised national selection Junior Songfestival 2020. They achieved 4th place with 132 points.

Armenia participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Paris, France, having internally selected Maléna as their representative with the song "Qami Qami". She was due to compete in the 2020 contest with the song "Why" before the country withdrew due to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Armenia won with 224 points; 6 points more than the runner-up Poland.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy. British singer-songwriter Sam Ryder represented the country with his song "Space Man", which he co-wrote with Max Wolfgang and Amy Wadge. He was selected as the 2022 UK entrant by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in collaboration with record label TaP Music and their management company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022</span> International song competition for youth

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 20th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Public Television Company of Armenia (AMPTV). The contest took place on 11 December 2022 at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, following the country's victory at the 2021 contest with the song "Qami Qami" by Maléna. This was the second time that Armenia hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the first being in 2011.

Malta competed in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022, which was held on 11 December 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia. Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) was responsible for the country's participation in the contest, and organised a national final to select the Maltese entry.

Armenia participated in and hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Yerevan, having internally selected its representative, Nare with the song "Dance!", written by Grigor Kyokchyan and Nick Egibyan.

Kazakhstan competed in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Armenia, which was held on 11 December 2022 in Yerevan. The Kazakh broadcaster Khabar Agency (KA) selected its representative via children's contest Baqytty Bala.

Serbia participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Yerevan, Armenia.

The United Kingdom participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023, which was held on 26 November 2023 in Nice, France. National broadcaster BBC was responsible for their participation and selected the nation's song and artist by internal selection. Stand Uniqu3, a girl group specially formed by the BBC following auditions, were selected to represent the United Kingdom with the song "Back to Life", written and composed by Sky Adams, Jakke Erixson and Jack Hawitt.

Armenia participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Nice, France, having internally selected its representatives, Yan Girls with the song "Do It My Way", written by Tokionine, Vahram Petrosyan and Maléna, the latter of whom won the 2021 contest.

References

  1. ↑ "Country Profile: United Kingdom". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  2. ↑ "Confirmation of Manchester as original host". 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "'Junior contest not to take place in Manchester.'" . Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Final of Hasselt 2005". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. ↑ García, Belén (2020-07-16). "UK: Is BBC considering Junior Eurovision 2020 participation?". ESCplus. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "13 countries will 'Move the World' at Junior Eurovision 2020". Junior Eurovision. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  7. ↑ Washak, James (21 May 2021). "United Kingdom: EBU Working to Get the UK Back in Junior Eurovision". Eurovoix.
  8. ↑ "🇬🇧 United Kingdom: "It's Possible We Can Get The BBC To Join Junior Eurovision" – Martin Österdahl". eurovoix. S4C. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. 1 2 "United Kingdom returns to Junior Eurovision". Junioreurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 25 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "United Kingdom confirms participation in Junior Eurovision 2022 as contest comes to BBC for first time". BBC Media Centre. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  11. ↑ Granger, Anthony (25 August 2022). "🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Returns to Junior Eurovision For First Time Since 2005". Eurovoix. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Mancheño, José Miguel (2022-08-27). "Reino Unido inicia la búsqueda de su representante para Eurovisión Junior 2022". ESCplus España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  13. ↑ Washak, James (2022-11-04). "🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Dan Shipton to Design Freya Skye Set for Junior Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  14. ↑ "Junior Eurovision 2022 | Get Ready With Lee Hinchcliffe and Tilly Lockey 🇬🇧🎤 | CBBC" – via www.youtube.com.
  15. ↑ "Freya Skye will represent the United Kingdom". junioreurovision.tv. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  16. ↑ "Junior Eurovision 2022: United Kingdom". aussievision. November 4, 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 "Freya's Journey - Junior Eurovision Song Contest - @cbbc - BBC" – via Youtube - BBC.
  18. ↑ "Annabel Williams: Behind the scenes secrets of a celebrity vocal coach". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "United Kingdom: Dan Shipton to design Freya Skye set for Junior Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "Children in Need 2022 - Everything you need to know about the Appeal Night and programming on the BBC". www.bbc.co.uk. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  21. ↑ "CBBC - Schedules, Thursday 8 December 2022". BBC. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  22. ↑ "Junior Eurovision Song Contest – Yerevan 2022". EBU. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  23. ↑ "Lauren Layfield and HRVY revealed as UK Commentators for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022". bbc.co.uk. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  24. ↑ "Junior Eurovision 2022: Running Order". junioreurovision.tv. 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  25. ↑ Granger, Anthony (2022-12-12). "🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Just Over 700,000 Viewers For Junior Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  26. ↑ "33 Million Viewers Celebrate Junior Eurovision Song Contest's 20th Anniversary". European Broadcasting Union. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Junior Eurovision 2022: Freya Skye rests her voice before Sunday's show - CBBC Newsround" . Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  28. ↑ "🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Freya Skye Will Not Perform in the Junior Eurovision 2022 Jury Show" . Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  29. ↑ "Junior Eurovision 2022 - Rehearsals - United Kingdom - Freya Skye". junioreurovision.tv. 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  30. ↑ "Annabel Williams: Behind the scenes secrets of a celebrity vocal coach". BBC News. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  31. ↑ "United Kingdom: Dan Shipton to design Freya Skye set for Junior Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  32. ↑ Granger, Anthony (15 November 2018). "Junior Eurovision 2018 – How Does The Voting Work?". Eurovoix.
  33. ↑ "Section 8 –Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 –Online Voting Terms and Conditions" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 November 2022.
  34. 1 2 3 4 "Results of the Grand Final of Yerevan 2022". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.