Today rehearsals for Junior Eurovision 2023 kicked off in Nice. Countries rehearsing on Day 1 include Ukraine, North Macedonia, Germany, Estonia, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Malta, Portugal, Georgia and Armenia The eighth country to rehearse today is Portugal’s Júlia Machado.
What did we learn about Júlia’s staging?
Disclaimer: Please note that the EBU has not released footage from the first rehearsals, and that the description detailed in this article is mainly based from the pictures and if available footage from the delegations themselves.
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU
This is pretty and ethereal, and has almost a forest vibe with the backdrop. The dark colours and the bright dress create a really nice contrast on stage which will help this song stand out. Julia is alone on stage which will help showcase the emotion and vulnerability of this song. At times Julia is either kneeling or lying down which also helps convey the emotional message of this song.
If you are interested in seeing more pictures from Júlia’s first rehearsal today, you can look through them right here.
Who is Júlia Machado?
12-year-old Júlia Machado lives in central New Jersey, in the United States, but visits her home country every summer. While in Portugal, she loves to bike and surf, especially at Nazaré, a beach in central Portugal known for its big waves. She maintains her connection to her heritage at home at her local Portuguese Club chapter, when she’s not singing or acting. When she grows up, she wants to either become a singer or a veterinarian. Speaking to RTP, Machado said “representing my beloved country Portugal is a dream I could never have imagined […] I will never forget this experience.”
Machado was announced to represent Portugal in Nice on June 25th, following her victory on Portugal’s edition of The Voice Kids. Her song “Where I Belong” was released in early October and was written by Aurora Pinto, Fernando Daniel, Twins, and João Direitinho. Twins and Fernando Daniel both have previous Eurovision songwriting experience under their belt, and Fernando Daniel was also Machado’s mentor on The Voice Kids.
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 “Where I belong”? Are you excited for 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, and TikTok as we prepare for Junior Eurovision 2023!
News Source: EBU
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU
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