A few days ago, the young singer David Charlin become the representative of Kazakhstan in Junior Eurovision 2022, which will be held this December. David has been appointed by the Khabar Agency as the flag bearer at the prestigious European festival after his brilliant stint at the Baqytty Bala contest.
The young Kazakh is a celebrity in his country, having toured in his short musical career at various stages of festivals and competitions throughout Kazakhstan and often posting covers of well-known songs on his YouTube channel. Through the singer’s social media, we also see that in his free time, he loves to have fun with his family or make outdoor plans such as bathing on the beach.
21 PARTICIPANTS FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE
The final gala of Baqytty Bala, sponsored by the world-renowned singer Dimash, has been held on August 13 afternoon from the Cultural Center of the city of Aktobe, ending three days of festival in which different young people have covered various songs trying to win the favour of a jury of five members, composed by Askhat Maemirov, Marat Aitimov, Kanat Aitbaev, Rukhiya Baidukenova and Yernar Nutazin.
A total of 21 new artists selected from more than 200 applications have been lucky enough to compete in the contest, which enjoys great popularity and a following in Eastern Europe. The show has featured contestants from all corners of Europe and Central Asia, including Polish, Russian, Armenian, Turkish or Bulgarian artists. The complete list of contestants and their respective nationalities is as follows:
| Participant | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Cristina-Maria Pantea | Romania |
| Aiaulym Sabyr | Kazakhstan |
| Elen Badalian | Armenia |
| Kamilia Sagimbai | Kazakhstan |
| Sagyn Omirbaiuly | Kazakhstan |
| Amina Zhapar | Kazakhstan |
| Milana Pak | Uzbekistan |
| David Charlin | Kazakhstan |
| Melani Garcia | Spain |
| Enlik Baizakh | Kazakhstan |
| Iasmin Aiupova | Kazakhstan |
| Yalki Saka | Turkey |
| Yuliya Max | Kazakhstan |
| Daniyar Duissenbekov | Kazakhstan |
| Akzharkyn Aiddsova | Kazakhstan |
| Sesil Alper | Bulgaria |
| Asylaiym Bolatkyzy | Kazakhstan |
| Zhanerke Abdrakhmanova | Kazakhstan |
| Zarva Uliana | Russia |
| Arustan Sherkhan | Kazakhstan |
| Julianna Kitova | Poland |
The song that David Charlin will defend on the Junior Eurovision 2022 stage is expected to be chosen internally by the Khabar Agency in the coming weeks. This strategy used by the Kazakh entity to select its candidacy implies a change with respect to previous years, in which it has been chosen openly through televised preselections, in 2018, 2020 and 2021, or privately, through an internal election in 2019.
THE COMPLETE PODIUM OF THE BAQYTTY BALA
Curiously, the eventual Kazakh representative, David Charlin, has not been the winner of the Baqytty Bala festival, being left off the podium. The privilege has been granted to the young singer since the organization has considered that his profile was the most suitable to compete in an international competition of the stature of Junior Eurovision.
The victory of Baqytty Bala has been very disputed and distributed to the point of ending in a tie between two contestants, given the high level of vocal quality of the gala. The Russian Zarva Uliana and the Kazakh Zhanerke Abdrakhmanova have been named as the absolute winners of this edition, having the honour of singing with the great Dimash in their next concerts. The second position has fallen to our great Melani, along with the talented Uzbek singer Milana Pak. The podium is closed by a quadruple tie between Yalki Saka, Yuliya Max, Elen Badalian and Aiaulym Sabyr.
MELANI GARCIA, AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE FESTIVAL
The Kazakh festival has had Spanish representation and certainly could not be in better hands. Our great Melani Garcia, Spanish representative of Junior Eurovision 2019, has been one of the contestants of this edition of Baqytty Bala, being in a brilliant second position. Throughout the week, the young Valencian has dazzled all the spectators of the contest with brilliant songs such as “Vivo Por Ella”, with which we met her in The Voice Kids, or “La Forza”, by the Eurovision Elina Nechayeva. As we have seen through the official profiles of the singer, it has been a peerless experience and from which great memories and unforgettable moments are taken.
As confirmed to ESCPlus by sources close to the artist, the decision of the public broadcaster Khabar to link the Baqytty Bala festival with the election of the Kazakh representative of Junior Eurovision has been a surprise for the participants. Apparently, many of the contestants were unaware of the news until final gala’s morning, at which point the Khabar Agency made the decision public. However, Melani Garcia would not have been able to participate in this edition of Junior Eurovision, since she exceeds the age limit established in the regulations.
BAQYTTY BALA CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL 2022
The Baqytty Bala (Happy Child) children’s music festival arrives one more edition at the Cultural Center of the Kazakh city of Aktobe, consolidating itself as one of the artistic events of the area throughout its last editions. Promoted by the world-renowned singer Dimash and devised by his fan club, the music festival seeks to create an unparalleled space to bring together the greatest children’s talents of the globe, motivating cooperation, collaboration, friendship and companionship between them. As the organization assures, the goal of the contest is not to win, but to make great friends and have fun.
The contest, held annual, is traditionally developed in the summer period to take advantage of the good climate of the area, which hosts numerous games, events and outdoor activities so that the contestants feel like real stars and take advantage of their time through the contest to make friends and have fun, the true purpose of the project. The event also manages to mobilize year after year media from all over Kazakhstan and fans from all over the world, among which Poland and Central Asia stand out.
The competition is divided into three galas that take place from the impressive main stage of the event, located in the Cultural Center of the city. This year’s 21 participants, selected from more than 200 applications, try to impress a panel of experts who ultimately select a festival winner, at the end of Baqytty Bala’s final gala.
KAZAKHSTAN IN THE JUNIOR EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
Kazakhstan’s presence in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest to date is brief and intense in equal parts. Their first appearance dates back to 4 years ago, when after several attempts to be admitted as participants in the Senior Eurovision Song Contest and having attended as observers to different editions of the children’s festival, they received an official invitation from the EBU to take part in the contest. The country’s debut came from the hand of superstar Danelya Tuleshova who along with her song “Ozine Sen” became the country’s first ever participant in a Eurovision event, as well as one of the favorites to get the crystal microphone of that year’s festival, which took place in Minsk, Belarus. Finally, the country obtained an eighth place that was not enough.
After a powerful debut that shows promise, the Kazakh nation won two consecutive silver medals thanks to the powerful voices of the young performers Yerzhan Maxim and Karakat Bashanova, and the solid and powerful scenic proposals that the Kazakh corporation created for both participants and the massive support received from the international jury in both years.
The last representatives of the country were the adorable Alinur and Beknur, who together with their song “Ертегі әлемі” (Fairy World) obtained a more than good eighth place on the stage of La Seine Musicale last December 19.
JUNIOR EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2022
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 will be held in Yerevan, Armenia next Sunday, December 11. The Karen Demirchyan Complex will host the show where various artists aged between 9 and 14 from different countries in Europe will fight to take the prized crystal microphone, a trophy that accredits the victory in the contest.
The organization of the show by the Armenian public television ARMTV comes after the victory of Malena and her song “Qami Qami” on the stage of Paris on December 19, awakening a collective euphoria throughout her homeland and making the whole country face with great enthusiasm and responsibility the challenge of organizing the festival, that promises to be more special than ever given that this 2022 celebrates its 20th anniversary. It will not be the first time that Armenia organizes an edition of the Junior Eurovision, having had the opportunity to do so in 2011, also at the Karen Demirchyan Complex.
There are 16 European televisions that have already confirmed their participation in the festival so far, however, the ambition and efforts of the organization predicts a greater final number of participants, with the aim that this twentieth edition of the children’s contest being remembered as one of the most spectacular in its history.
Also, we already know the identity of 4 of the participants who will take the stage of the contest this December, all of them will reveal their song over the next few months:
- Georgia – Mariam Bigvava
- Kazakhstan – David Charlin
- North Macedonia – Lara and Irina
- Portugal – Nicolas Alves