Malta is preparing to become the epicentre of European children’s music. The Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali (Malta) will host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on Saturday, 24 October. The Mediterranean island is ready to welcome the 16 delegations that will compete for victory. Malta is once again taking charge of the organisation of the European contest for the third time in its history.

The Eurovision stage will be filled with talent, excitement and music with the celebration of Junior Eurovision 2026. The 16 young participants will have the opportunity to perform their entries and fulfil one of their greatest dreams: representing their countries in front of viewers around the world. As it approaches its first quarter-century, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will once again be held under the slogan “United By Music”, once again highlighting the spirit of unity that characterises the contest. This time, there is an added incentive: inviting us to join and become part of the great Maltese “festa”, where music, tolerance and diversity are an essential part of the show.

With the big event drawing ever closer, the time has come to turn the spotlight on its protagonists and discover the details of each of the 16 entries that will compete to win the coveted crystal microphone. For many of them, what began as a dream in front of the television is about to become a reality on the Junior Eurovision stage.

This time, it is time to discover the biography and professional career of Davit Lomidze, Georgia’s representative at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The young artist secured his ticket to Ta’ Qali after being crowned the winner of Ranina 2026 on 6 June. His victory in the popular Georgian format opened the doors to the contest, where he will represent his country with «Sun on the Rooftops».

How did his journey towards Junior Eurovision begin? What made him fall in love with music? What are his greatest dreams? And what does the song he will perform on the Ta’ Qali stage mean? Through his story, we get to know the young Davit Lomidze, who is taking part in this 24th edition, more closely.

This is Davit Lomidze: charisma and a personality that wins over audiences

Davit Lomidze is a young Georgian singer and artist. He was born in 2016 in Gori, a historic city located in the Shida Kartli region in the centre of the country, where he lives with his parents and his younger brother Aka. It is there that he receives his academic and musical education. From a very young age, he showed a natural inclination towards music. According to those close to him, his vocal talent began to become apparent even before he could speak fluently. In fact, as a young child, he would hum melodies to himself.

At a very young age, he has managed to stand out for his vocal talent, charisma, performance skills and spontaneous personality, culminating the first major stage of his artistic career with victory in the 9th edition of the successful Georgian children’s competition Ranina, which has made him one of the new promising talents in Georgian children’s music.

For nearly three years, he received training in singing and dancing, an experience that allowed him to develop both his vocal abilities and his stage presence. Throughout this period, he took part in various concerts and festivals, gradually gaining experience performing in front of audiences.

His musical education has not been limited to learning how to sing correctly. His teacher, Nino Chachava, has highlighted the importance of working simultaneously on vocal technique, emotion and the individual development of talent. In Davit Lomidze’s case, these elements have been combined with a strong stage personality.

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A cheerful and charismatic personality

Davit Lomidze describes himself as a kind, cheerful and mischievous boy. His spontaneity and sense of humour are constantly evident when he talks about himself, his hobbies and his aspirations. One of his most striking characteristics is how naturally he speaks. During his interviews, he has given spontaneous and unconventional answers for a child of his age, something his teachers have pointed to as an example of his thoughtful personality.

Those around him also describe him as an affectionate, sociable and very funny child who enjoys interacting with other people. He also often helps his grandmother and enjoys spending time with his family.

Although he possesses great confidence when he is on stage, he also has a sensitive and emotional nature that can be seen in his performances. According to those close to him, he does not always accept corrections easily and can take them very personally. However, this sensitivity forms part of the artistic personality that has helped make him an expressive performer.

His musical tastes and influences

For Davit Lomidze, music is his main artistic vocation. Among his musical influences is renowned Georgian composer and musician Giorgi Gabrielis dze Tsabadze — known professionally as Gogi Tsabadze — whose song «P’at’ara Momgherali» (The Little Singer), performed by the group Mziuri, is one of the young artist’s favourites.

Davit Lomidze has had the opportunity to perform repertoire by important Georgian composers. During his participation in Ranina 2026, he attracted attention with his performance of a work associated with Giya Kancheli, demonstrating that, despite his young age, he is capable of tackling musical works of considerable difficulty and expressive depth.

In this way, with very broad musical tastes, the artist combines influences from traditional Georgian music with those of some of today’s most current international artists, a fusion that gives him great versatility when performing both classical songs and more contemporary musical works.

Football, one of his great passions

Although music occupies a central place in his life, football is his other great passion. Davit Lomidze has explained that he tries to play football practically every day and that he finds it difficult to imagine a day without touching a ball. His favourite footballer is Lionel Messi, whom he particularly admires for his vision of the pitch, his tactics and his style of play.

He also follows Georgian football with interest. Among the players on the Georgian national team, he particularly admires Georges Mikautadze — currently at Villarreal Club de Fútbol — and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He also follows other international teams and is particularly a big fan of FC Barcelona.

In addition to football, Davit Lomidze also closely follows other sports, especially rugby. He watches every match played by the Georgian national team, whose players are known as “The Lelos” or “The Men of Borjgali”. In fact, he has even said that, in the future, he would like to become a rugby player or footballer, while also pursuing music as a singer or composer.

Ranina, a turning point in his artistic career

The major opportunity in Davit Lomidze’s career came with his participation in Ranina 2026, the well-known Georgian children’s television competition used as the national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The ninth edition culminated in Davit Lomidze’s victory. His win also gave him an enormous responsibility: becoming Georgia’s representative at Junior Eurovision 2026.

His teacher Nino Chachava played a fundamental role during the competition. Their work together focused not only on vocal precision, but also on performance, emotion and the development of Davit Lomidze’s artistic personality.

Nino Chachava has described the young singer as a particularly charismatic and talented performer. She has also stressed that preparing a child for a competition of this level requires special care, as it involves a significant amount of work and responsibility.

Davit Lomidze’s preparation for Ranina 2026 included moments of hard work, emotion and difficulty. The singer acknowledged that the song he performed in the grand final, «K’etili Adamianebi», the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed by renowned Georgian composer Revaz Laghidze, was somewhat difficult for him, although he managed to overcome the challenge through the work carried out with his team.

Although some members of the Ranina team already considered Davit Lomidze one of the major favourites, the artist himself has said that his victory took him completely by surprise. When his name was announced, he explained that he was so nervous that he practically did not know what was happening and even had difficulty seeing or processing what was going on around him.

His reaction contrasted with his usual behaviour on stage. Young Davit Lomidze says that he does not normally experience “too much stage fright”. In fact, he enjoys performing and considers the stage a place where he can express himself. In his own words, he has learned that the more nervous he becomes, the greater the chances of making mistakes. He therefore tries to remain calm and focus on his performances.

Davit Lomidze is taking on the major challenge of representing Georgia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026. For a child of his age, the opportunity represents an extraordinary event. He himself has expressed his enormous joy at the prospect of stepping onto an international stage while carrying the name of Georgia.

His goal does not appear to be limited to simply taking part: he has enthusiastically expressed his desire to achieve a great result for his country — perhaps its fifth crystal microphone. Confidence is precisely one of the qualities that stands out most in Davit Lomidze. His teacher Nino Chachava believes that he genuinely enjoys performing and that, instead of being paralysed by the stage, performing seems to give him energy and motivation.

Recognition from Gori, his hometown

Davit Lomidze’s success in Ranina and his upcoming participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 have been cause for celebration in Gori, his hometown. Konstantine Buzaladze, Mayor of Gori, welcomed the young artist to personally congratulate him on his victory in Ranina 2026 and offer his support ahead of his Eurovision adventure.

Among the other authorities present at the event were Marlen Nadiradze, Chairman of the Gori Municipal Council; Mikheil Pavlenishvili, First Deputy State Representative of the Shida Kartli region; and Tornike Pkhakadze, Deputy Mayor. They all congratulated Davit Lomidze and wished him success at Junior Eurovision 2026.

As part of the Gori City Hall Programme for the Support and Co-financing of Cultural Event Projects, Davit Lomidze received a financial award and a certificate in recognition of his achievement. At the same event, Luka Buturishvili, another young artist from Gori who also participated in Ranina 2026 but did not manage to progress beyond the preliminary stage, was also recognised.

Following his triumph in Ranina 2026, Davit Lomidze began to gain greater public visibility in Georgia through various performances and appearances. These included appearances on television programmes broadcast by 1TV, where he performed several songs live and spoke about his victory, as well as appearances at festivals and competitions. The Georgian representative performed at the 3rd edition of the “N1” International Arts Festival, held in Anaklia-Zugdidi between 19 and 21 June.

Davit Lomidze, a young boy looking towards the future

Davit Lomidze is still very young and does not want to limit his future to a single profession. In his interviews, he has spoken about the possibility of becoming a footballer or singer, and has even shown an interest in football or rugby.

However, his journey so far shows that music occupies a particularly important place in his life. He enjoys singing, dancing, performing and constantly developing his skills. He also has an imagination very characteristic of his age. When asked which superpower he would choose, Davit Lomidze joked and imagined that he could shoot laser beams from his eyes, using them even to cut through objects or quickly heat up his food when he was hungry.

His answers reflect precisely a combination that seems to define him: artistic ambition, a sense of humour, imagination and a very spontaneous childlike personality.

For now, Davit Lomidze’s story is that of a boy from Gori who discovered his passion for music at a very young age and who, after years of training and performances, is about to step onto the Junior Eurovision 2026 stage.

With his experience in Ranina, the work of his teacher Nino Chachava, his love of the stage and a personality characterised by optimism, Davit Lomidze enters this new stage with the confidence to move towards his great dream. Above all, he continues to follow his own philosophy of life: never give up and believe that anything is possible, following the advice he himself would give to his future self.

This is «Sun on the Rooftops», Davit Lomidze’s entry to represent Georgia at Junior Eurovision

Davit Lomidze will compete at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song «Sun on the Rooftops». The song with which he will try to secure the fifth crystal microphone for Georgia at the European contest was composed by Giga Kukhianidze, with lyrics by Irina Sanikidze. In this way, the iconic Georgian songwriter returns to the children’s contest with what will be the 16th entry he has composed for the country, having also achieved another victory with Andria Putkaradze in Madrid 2024. It is worth remembering that in Tbilisi 2025, he was also the composer of «Shine Like A Star» by Anita Abgariani.

The song conveys a very bright and romantic idea: love, music and the beauty of small moments that can transform the way we see life.

The lyrics combine Georgian with verses in Italian and a title in English. They begin with a very poetic image: the night carries away the dreams and leaves stars in our eyes. It highlights the feeling that, even when a day ends or darkness arrives, something beautiful remains within us. The sun that walks across the rooftops of the city also represents the arrival of a new day and the possibility of starting again.

The entry is not about happiness based on grand things, but rather about sharing life with someone special. Walking together, singing, looking at the sun and feeling that there is a connection between two people are enough to turn everyday life into something extraordinary.

Music plays a fundamental role. Based on the premise that “music covers everything and our voices are everywhere”, it suggests that there are feelings that cannot always be explained with words. That is why songs and notes become a way of expressing what the heart feels but the mouth cannot manage to say.

The chorus combines Italian and Georgian. “Vivere d’amore e felicità” (to live on love and happiness) is accompanied by the visual image of drawing a heart, while the sun spreads colours. It is a metaphor for the freedom to build our own happiness. Even more so when “the wind” appears and “the heart wants to fly towards the sky”, reinforcing that feeling of freedom. Love and music are no longer limited to one particular place: they expand, travel and allow us to dream.

The song acknowledges that our emotions are not always the same. There are different thoughts and feelings that evolve. However, music remains a language capable of accompanying all those changes.

The Georgian entry is a song about shared happiness, allowing yourself to be carried away by music and feeling that, for a moment, life really is beautiful. A celebration of loving, living in the present and finding beauty in everyday life. Above all, it is about finding the positive side of the little things and sharing emotions and dreams.

Giga Kukhianidze, aiming for Georgia’s fifth victory

Giorgi “Giga” Kukhianidze is a musician, composer and producer. He has been the author of some of Georgia’s successful entries at Junior Eurovision. After several years away from the Eurovision world, iconic composer Giga Kukhianidze returned to take charge of the Georgian songs in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Giga Kukhianidze is a music producer and runs the agency Giga Production. It is worth remembering that Giga has worked on a large number of Georgia’s entries in the contest. Most notably, he composed the four songs that have given the country its record number of victories: «Bzz…» by the group Bzikebi (2008), «Candy Music» by the group CANDY (2011), «Mzeo» by Mariam Mamadashvili (2016) and «To Moy Mom» by Andria Putkaradze (2024).

Among his other entries, Giga Kukhianidze was behind Mariam Bigvava’s entry «I Believe» in 2022, when the young singer achieved 3rd place in Yerevan (Armenia) with 161 points. His experience also extends to the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2026, he created «On Replay», the entry by Bzikebi on their return to the Eurovision stage.

In addition to his extensive experience in the European contest, Giga Kukhianidze has composed music for several films, including ‘Gogona Slaididan’ (2009) and ‘G-4’ (2016), as well as Georgian television series such as ‘27 Dragons’ (2003).

A music video like a festive and colourful flash mob

The music video by Davit Lomidze, Georgia’s representative at Junior Eurovision 2026, features a cheerful, youthful and very colourful aesthetic. Throughout the video, the artist appears singing and dancing in different urban and seaside settings, accompanied by other children who join in the choreography and bring dynamism to the staging.

The production combines streets and buildings with elements such as classic cars, balconies and telephone booths, as well as scenes featuring a children’s band with musical instruments.

With bright cinematography, vivid colours and an aesthetic reminiscent of a musical fairytale, the music video conveys a festive and optimistic atmosphere centred on music, dance, friendship and celebration.

Enjoy all the songs from Junior Eurovision 2026 in ESCplus’ Spotify playlist:

Georgia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Georgia has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest continuously since the edition held in 2007 in Rotterdam (Netherlands). With its first entry, Mariam Romelashvili and her song «Odelia Ranuni», the country achieved 4th place with 116 points.

Georgia is the country with the most victories at Junior Eurovision, with four in total. Its first victory was not long in coming. At Limassol 2008, the group Bzikebi, with their iconic song «Bzz…», dominated the voting with 154 points.

At Yerevan 2011, the second victory arrived. Group CANDY, with «Candy Music», was the surprise of the edition and achieved a completely unexpected victory for viewers and fans of the contest. They lifted the trophy with the lowest winning score in history, just 108 points.

Years later, at Valletta 2016, the professional and children’s juries, together with an expert panel made up of Mads Grimstad, Christer Björkman and Irish duo Jedward, took the Georgian entry by Mariam Mamadashvili, «Mzeo», to the top of the scoreboard with 239 points, setting a record number of victories. In addition, this score represented a figure never previously achieved, and one that has subsequently only been surpassed by Poland in 2019, with «Superhero» by Viki Gabor.

On the other hand, its worst result in history is 14th place, achieved at Gliwice-Silesia 2019 by Giorgi Rostiashvili and his song «We Need Love», when he received just 69 points. The same placing was achieved in Nice 2023 by Anastasia & Ranina with «Over The Sky». Despite this, Georgia is one of the countries with the best track records and results in the children’s contest, with 14 entries having finished inside the Top 10.

For its part, the Caucasian country has hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions, despite having won it four times. In 2017, the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, hosted the 15th edition. The Tbilisi Olympic Palace hosted the contest, with Elene Kalandadze and Lizi Japaridze (Georgia’s representative in 2014) as the presenters.

The 2025 edition marked the second time the competition was held on Georgian soil, at the Tbilisi Olympic Palace, with Davit Aladashvili and Liza Tsiklauri as the hosts.

At Madrid 2024, Andria Putkaradze, with «To My Mom», claimed victory at Junior Eurovision 2024 with 239 points, matching the country’s highest score in history, achieved by Mariam Mamadashvili in 2016. With this victory, Georgia secured its fourth crystal microphone, becoming the most successful country at Junior Eurovision alongside France.

At the recent edition held in Tbilisi 2025, Anita Abgariani maintained Georgia’s impressive track record at Junior Eurovision. With her song «Shine Like A Star», she received 176 points, which translated into third place. The Georgian entry climbed to second place in the national juries’ vote, but dropped to seventh place in the online vote ranking.