As Sofia, Bulgaria prepares to host the 13th annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest on 21 November, here are five more song reviews, this time covering the entries from Montenegro, The Netherlands, Russia, San Marino and Slovenia:
Jana Mirković: Oluja (Олуја) Storm
Montenegro return to the Junior version of Eurovision for just the second time under their own flag.
This year the country is pinning its hopes on a pretty 15-year-old called Jana Mirković, who was chosen internally at the beginning of July.
She'll be singing a sunny, up tempo ditty by the name of Oluja, which translates as Storm in English. However, the song is anything but stormy, sounding instead as if it was composed in the glorious sunshine of Rio de Janiero. It's a toe tapper with an appropriately non-stop samba rhythm and an annoyingly memorable chorus.
Written by the same team that brought us Serbia's winning Eurovision song of 2007, Montenegro should feel confident that Oluja will do well. 7½/10.
See the official video for Oluja here
The Netherlands have participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in each year since its inception in 2003. 2015 sees Shalisa (another 15-year-old) representing the country and hoping to replicate its 2009 victory.
Million Lights is the song that she will take to Sofia, having won Holland's national selection process in early October.
Unsurprisingly, it's a well produced entry from the Dutch: a piano-driven mid-tempo ballad which is sung with confidence by the teenager. Its sentiment and overall mood is similar to Russia's A Million Voices from the main Eurovision event earlier in the year.
Whether it can do as well as that song remains to be seen, but its a valiant effort and should see The Netherlands in the Top 5. 8/10.
See the official video for Million Lights here
It seems strange to think that a 12-year-old is already a well-seasoned performer on both stage and television. The facts are that Mikhail Smirnov is an experienced actor - having appeared in musical theatre in Russia - as well as becoming a finalist on the country's version of The Voice: Kids.
It's no surprise then that he should win the ticket to represent Russia at Junior Eurovision in Bulgaria. He was up against eight other competitors in the national final, but the jury preferred Mechta - the kind of ballad the Russians do so well.
It's a strong entry - if a little sugary - enhanced by Mikhail's confidently striking vocals. Nevertheless, it tends to rely heavily on the chorus; the verses are inclined to drift and become uninteresting. But we are talking Russia here, so a comfortably high placing on the scoreboard is almost inevitable. 8½/10
See the official video for Mechta here
San Marino deserve to do well in Eurovision and the 2015 Junior event could break the run of bad luck which has dogged the tiny microstate.
This year, San Marino goes out on a limb somewhat by picking a young Russian girl by the name of Kamilla Ismailova as its singer. In fact, it seems Kamilla picked San Marino.
Having visited the country as a young(er) girl, the way of life left an impression on her - so she decided to send her song to relevant producers and soon found herself the representative.
Mirror is a well-constructed ballad which possesses a killer chorus - one that you will soon find yourself humming along to. It's repeated often enough to create an earworm, so should make enough of an impression to reel in a large haul of points. 8¾/10.
See the official video for Mirror here
At just 12-years-old, Lina Kuduzović is already something of a seasoned performer in Slovenia. It all started with her victory on the country's version of the "Got Talent" franchise, followed up by triumphs in several singing competitions.
That success brought her to the heats of the Slovenian Junior Eurovision national final in which she competed against five other hopefuls. She won the event in early October with the song Prva ljubezen (First Love), a sweeping ballad co-composed by Slovenia's 2015 senior representatives, Maraaya.
It's a song which showcases Lina's strong, wistful vocals - even if in one of the live performances there were hints of pitch problems at the beginning of the track. That minor issue aside, Slovenia should figure more prominently on the scoreboard than the 12th place achieved in their début year of 2014. 8/10.
See a live performance of Prva ljubezen here
More Junior Eurovision reviews to come!
Montenegro
Jana Mirković: Oluja (Олуја) Storm
This year the country is pinning its hopes on a pretty 15-year-old called Jana Mirković, who was chosen internally at the beginning of July.
She'll be singing a sunny, up tempo ditty by the name of Oluja, which translates as Storm in English. However, the song is anything but stormy, sounding instead as if it was composed in the glorious sunshine of Rio de Janiero. It's a toe tapper with an appropriately non-stop samba rhythm and an annoyingly memorable chorus.
Written by the same team that brought us Serbia's winning Eurovision song of 2007, Montenegro should feel confident that Oluja will do well. 7½/10.
See the official video for Oluja here
Netherlands
Shalisa: Million Lights
Million Lights is the song that she will take to Sofia, having won Holland's national selection process in early October.
Unsurprisingly, it's a well produced entry from the Dutch: a piano-driven mid-tempo ballad which is sung with confidence by the teenager. Its sentiment and overall mood is similar to Russia's A Million Voices from the main Eurovision event earlier in the year.
Whether it can do as well as that song remains to be seen, but its a valiant effort and should see The Netherlands in the Top 5. 8/10.
See the official video for Million Lights here
Russia
Mikhail Smirnov: Mechta (Dream) (Мечта)
It's no surprise then that he should win the ticket to represent Russia at Junior Eurovision in Bulgaria. He was up against eight other competitors in the national final, but the jury preferred Mechta - the kind of ballad the Russians do so well.
It's a strong entry - if a little sugary - enhanced by Mikhail's confidently striking vocals. Nevertheless, it tends to rely heavily on the chorus; the verses are inclined to drift and become uninteresting. But we are talking Russia here, so a comfortably high placing on the scoreboard is almost inevitable. 8½/10
See the official video for Mechta here
San Marino
Kamilla Ismailova: Mirror
This year, San Marino goes out on a limb somewhat by picking a young Russian girl by the name of Kamilla Ismailova as its singer. In fact, it seems Kamilla picked San Marino.
Having visited the country as a young(er) girl, the way of life left an impression on her - so she decided to send her song to relevant producers and soon found herself the representative.
Mirror is a well-constructed ballad which possesses a killer chorus - one that you will soon find yourself humming along to. It's repeated often enough to create an earworm, so should make enough of an impression to reel in a large haul of points. 8¾/10.
See the official video for Mirror here
Slovenia
Lina Kuduzović: Prva ljubezen (First Love)
That success brought her to the heats of the Slovenian Junior Eurovision national final in which she competed against five other hopefuls. She won the event in early October with the song Prva ljubezen (First Love), a sweeping ballad co-composed by Slovenia's 2015 senior representatives, Maraaya.
It's a song which showcases Lina's strong, wistful vocals - even if in one of the live performances there were hints of pitch problems at the beginning of the track. That minor issue aside, Slovenia should figure more prominently on the scoreboard than the 12th place achieved in their début year of 2014. 8/10.
See a live performance of Prva ljubezen here
More Junior Eurovision reviews to come!
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