In advance of Portugal’s appearance at Junior Eurovision 2023, their representative for this year’s contest, Júlia Machado, performed her entry on the Voice Portugal. This is the debut live performance of the song, which was released last month.
Who is Júlia Machado?
Júlia, 12, was born to a Portuguese immigrant family in New Jersey, USA. She came to Portugal to live with her grandparents in order to compete in the 2023 edition of The Voice Kids Portugal, residing with them in the small village of Monsanto do Ribatejo. She won the competition, and was thus selected as the nation’s representative for Junior Eurovision that same year. Beyond singing, she is an avid surfer, with her favourite surf spot being the popular Portuguese resort of Nazaré.
About “Where I Belong”
The song was released by broadcaster RTP on the 9th of October and written by Aurora Pinto, Fernando Daniel, Twins (who wrote the 2022 Portuguese entry “Ai Coração”) and João Direitinho. Talking about the meaning of the song, RTP stated in an Instagram post that:
[The song] is about […] all the uncertainties and risks that a search for a better place can involve […] Júlia publicly admits that she has been a victim of bullying. This song is about her, but in the hope that it will serve as a warning and a “scream of solidarity” for everyone going through a similar situation.
Portugal’s Junior Eurovision Journey
Portugal first took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, with Pedro Madeira singing his song “Deixa-me sentir”. At the close of voting, Portugal finished 14th in a field of 15 participants with a total of 22 points. Portugal participated once more in 2007, before taking a 10 year break and returning to the Contest in 2017. Since then, Portugal has participated a total of seven times.
Portugal’s most recent participation came in 2022 when Nicolas Alves represented the nation in Paris with song “Anos 70”. Once the combined scores were revealed, Portugal finished in 8th place with 121 points. This is currently Portugal’s best result at the Junior Contest, with 70 points coming from the online vote, whilst the remaining 51 came from professional juries.
What do think about Júlia‘s performance of “Where I belong”? Are you looking forward to Portugal’s participation at this year’s Junior Eurovision? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Junior Eurovision 2023!
News Source: RTP
Photo Credit: RTP
