Host broadcaster France TV and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have just announced the official list of presenters for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Olivier Minne and Laury Thilleman will take on the big responsibility of guiding the millions and millions of viewers of the European contest through the action inside the Palais Nikaïa. They will be accompanied from the Green Room by tiktoker Ophenya, who will be the social media ambassador to tell us live everything that is happening during the gala. Fans of the contest and music lovers will be able to follow the magical event on Sunday 26 November at 16:00h CET.
After months of speculation and speculation, the contest organisers have finally revealed their firm commitment to a group of recognisable faces, of recognised prestige and with a strong connection to the Eurovision universe. Despite the great challenge of leading an event of the calibre of Junior Eurovision, all of this year’s masters of ceremony have the necessary qualities to make the gala shine and bring the magic of the festival into the homes of all viewers next November.
The announcement of the festival’s masters of ceremony is a further step towards the biggest European youth music event of the year. France TV and all the participating broadcasters are still working to create a unique and unprecedented event to bring the magic into the homes of Europe. Follow the countdown!
MEET THE JUNIOR EUROVISION HOSTS
Olivier Minne (born 18 March 1967 in Ixelles, Belgium) is a Belgian-born French television presenter, actor and producer who studied dramatic arts at the Cours Florent shortly after he began his career in television. In 1992, he started working for the French television programme Matin Bonheur, where he worked for five years in the mailroom. After his departure in 1997, he became host and co-producer of Cercle de minuit on the same channel.
His career was marked by a nomination for a 7 d’Or Award (equivalent to an Emmy Award in the United States) for Best TV Presenter in 2000, for his work with Universal Studios. It was the first time in television history that a French TV presenter was nominated for his work with a major US company.
Minne was the French commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest from 1995 to 1997. After presenting ‘The Winning Choice’ (1996), ‘Jeux sans frontières’ (co-hosted with Jean Riffel in 1997) and the last season of ‘Les Ecrans du savoir’ in 2000, he also presented the game show ‘La Cible’ on France 2 . Minne then became the presenter (co-host with Sarah Lelouch from 2003 to 2005 and Anne-Gaëlle Riccio from 2006 to 2009) of the popular game show ‘Fort Boyard’, a role he has held continuously since 2003. In 2013, he co-hosted a special to celebrate 50 years of ‘Intervilles’, the French version of the quiz show The Summer Grand Prix. In 2014, he presented the French version of ‘Pyramid’ on France 2 . In 2017, he wrote a biography of Louis Jourdan: ‘The Last French Hollywood Lover’ and has started a documentary on the French Hollywood actor.
Laury Thilleman (born 30 July 1991 in Brest, Brittany, France) is a French journalist, model, presenter, actress and was also crowned Miss France in 2011. She has become an iconic face of France Télévisions in recent years, presenting event programmes such as ‘Fête de la Musique’ or Les Victoires de la Musique’ from 2021, made from the Junior Eurovision 2021 venue La Seine musicale and the Fête de la Musique.
Ophélie Vincent, better known as Ophenya (born 16 November 2000 France), is an influencer and tiktoker with more than 6 million followers who started in the world of this successful social network in 2019. And she is not only present there, she can also be found on instagram, where she uploads selfies about fashion and beauty, or on her own YouTube channel where she presents clips of her best short videos.
She uses her networks to talk about or show her skills on duets, trends, dance and comedy. In December 2021 she became a dancer to the music of Olly Murs.
JUNIOR EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2023
The magic of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest returns to screens across Europe to unite a whole continent through music, culture, friendship and excitement in its 21st edition. The date chosen for this year’s edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is Sunday 26 November, which means that the contest will no longer be held in December after two consecutive editions during the Christmas holidays.
The chosen venue is Nice, which under the banner of “Heroes” is hosting a Eurovision event for the first time at the imposing Palais Nikaia event venue after the victory of the young and charismatic Lissandro in Armenia in December. This will be the second time that France has hosted the music event, having done so in 2021, just two years ago. A colourful web of fireworks and holi powder form a logo marked by urban and art-deco style, a perfect symbiosis that shows the youthful and contemporary spirit of the festival without leaving aside its French essence.
A total of 16 countries will take to the festival stage in a tightly contested competition. This time, Estonia joins the competition for the first time in 21 years of celebrating European music and youth, once again opening up the event to Northern Europe. On the other side of the scale, Kazakhstan and Serbia are leaving the contest, leaving the door open to rejoin in future editions. Who will take the crystal microphone and join the prestigious family of Junior Eurovision winners?