🇮🇪 TES Preview: Elaborate, autumnal, and elemental for Jessica’s first rehearsal

Today rehearsals for Junior Eurovision 2023 continue in Nice. Countries rehearsing on Day 2 include Ireland, Albania, Poland, France, Spain and Italy. The first country to rehearse today is Ireland’s Jessica Mckean.

What did we learn about Jessica’ 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.

Ireland’s Jessica McKean appears on stage alongside Sophie Lennon. The star of the show is their outfits, with both performers sporting elaborate floor-length dresses decorated with intricate details, one in red, one in white. The background plays off the colours and designs of their dresses with an autumnal theme. The visuals really seem to bring out the dreamlike quality of the song.

If you are interested in seeing more pictures from Jessica’s first rehearsal today, you can look through them right here.

Who is Jessica McKean?

Jessica is an experienced competitive singer. She won her first competition, at a Gaelic arts and culture festival, at the age of three, and went on to compete on RTÉ’s Donncha’s Two Talented. She has amassed a collection of cups and medals. Jessica also competes off the stage, however; in her small town of Lifford, she also plays football and practices gymnastics. She’s most comfortable at home on her family’s dairy farm, where she likes to practice piano, make art, and watch YouTube videos.

In 2023, Jessica won the right to represent Ireland at JESC following an extensive national final, Junior Eurovision Éire. She performed Whitney Houston’s hit song “I Will Always Love You” in the second heat, Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” in the semifinal, and Johnny Logan’s second Eurovision winning song “Hold Me Now” in the final. Her entry “Aisling”, which was released at the end of October, was co-written by Sophie Lennon, who represented Ireland at Junior Eurovision in 2022.

Ireland’s Junior Eurovision Journey

Ireland first participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2015. Débuting alongside Australia, Ireland was represented by Aimee Banks singing “Réalta na Mara”. At the close of voting, she finished in 12th place, receiving 36 points. Ireland has participated a further seven times.

Their best placement came in 2022, when Sophie Lennon finished in fourth place with her song “Solas”. Ireland’s most recent participation, she finished 4th in a field of 16, earning 150 points. Of these, 88 came from professional juries, whilst the remaining 62 were from the online vote.

What do you think about “Aisling”? Can Ireland garner their first JESC win? 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: EBU

Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU