The Armenian Public Broadcaster has revealed they had selected the 13-years old singer Maléna Fox for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2020. The young performer had already recorded the song, which she will be releasing soon, with her producer Tokionine.
Dear friends and Eurovision fans, it is with great sadness that we announce our withdrawal from JESC 2020. Our team has been working tirelessly for months, to make our participation possible even during Covid19 and this unprecedented aggression in our region. But the war in Artsakh enters into a severe stage. All of us have relatives, friends, neighbours who have sacrificed their lives fighting for our freedom and our right to exist. In times like this, it is our duty to stand with our nation and our motherland., said Meléna.
Considering the message of the song, our team and I have decided to release the song in the nearest future. Stay tuned, subscribe to my youtube channel for upcoming news. , she added.
Armenia won’t be eventually taking part in this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest. That means 12 countries will compete at the show that will take place on 29th November. The broadcaster is unable to complete proper preparations for JESC 2020 due to the introduction of martial law in the region as a result of the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, said: “Armenia is one of Junior Eurovision’s most successful competitors, having participated in 13 previous contests and never finished outside the top 10. We understand the reasons for their withdrawal, but it’s very sad news and they will be missed. We hope to welcome them back in 2021.”
Armenia made its debut at Junior Eurovision in 2007 and have participated ever since. They won the 2010 edition and hosted the contest the following year. However, they haven’t been very successful since the introduction of online voting despite being among the fan favourites in 2019. Last year, they achieved the 9th place with Karina Ignatyan performing ‘Colours Of Your Dream’.