This time it’s Portugal’ s turn to premiere the official video clip presenting the song with which Júlia Machado will travel to Nice to flag the country at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on 26 November.
With this new song, which this time will be performed by Júlia Machado, Portugal hopes to continue the upward streak they started in 2021 at the festival and continue to thrill us.Do you want to listen to their proposal for this year? You can watch the video clip released on the official Junior Eurovision channel below:
The song, composed by Fernando Daniel, João Direitinho, Aurora Pinto and Twins, counted with the participation of Júlia Machado herself in the choice of the message and the themeof the song when writing it. Her experiences living in the United States and in contrast to Portugal, were key to her choice of this concept of bullying, which we all have to fight to eradicate.
Regardless of the language of the song, the videoclip and listening to the song itself already show the universal message it contains and that it crosses borders, raising awareness among different generations about bullying, which unfortunately has affected many people throughout the ages and is still present among us. Starting from the videoclip to its transfer to the Junior Eurovision 2023 stage in Nice, the melody and staging will give strength and encouragement to all those who have suffered it, in an anthem from Júlia’s own experience.
More about the Portuguese entry
Portugal’s song for Junior Eurovision 2023 began to take shape with a first meeting between the composers and Júlia Machado, who was asked about her experiences and experiences in order to start from there in the composition, with something close to what she feels identified with. She moved to live in the United States with her family and said that she felt that her native Portugal was a place where she could look for an opportunity, a homecoming and a safe place where she could feel secure and run away from problems, remembering some of the bad times she had to suffer in the United States.
These bad experiences stem from the fact that in the United States Júlia suffered bullying at school and returning to Portugal every summer allowed her to feel better and forget for a while all that unpleasantness. As it is unfortunately something that many young people continue to suffer and is still common all over the world, when talking about it among them Júlia quickly expressed the need to focus the song on this subject so that in some way it could serve as a support not only for her but for all those of her age or anyone who suffers or has suffered from it.
It was very clear to her that it was impossible to create a song that in one way or another did not deal with this sad issue of bullying. Representing Portugal in the most famous children’s music competition in the world , with this song he wants to offer an anthem of support so that no one feels alone in this struggle that has to be faced.
Aurora Pinto, one of the composers, says that the song has a universal message that conveys a feeling that no one is alone and she is convinced that those who listen to the song will feel that there is always a place where you can feel at home and that no one is alone in this fight. Although there is a lot of talk about this issue, it is still something that affects many people across generations and it doesn’t seem like it will ever end. Many do not understand the extent of it and how it can affect the people who suffer from it.
Another of the songwriters, Twins, commented that the main challenge of writing a song for such a young artist is to allow them to feel as comfortable as possible with the song so that they can give their best in their performance on stage
Who composed and wrote Portugal’s song?
After winning the fourth edition of the Portuguese version of the TV franchise ‘La Voz Kids‘, Júlia Machado also received the prize of being Portugal’s representative at Junior Eurovision 2023 and, for the composition of her song, the Portuguese public broadcaster RTP trusted her coach and mentor in that contest, Fernando Daniel, who was also in charge of the musical composition of the 2021 entry, “O Rapaz” by Simão Oliveira.
Following the commission, Fernando Daniel put together a team to create the song, inviting João Direitinho, Aurora Pinto and Luís “Twins” Pereira, who have also been part of its composition.
We know more about them:
- Fernando Daniel is a 27-year-old Portuguese singer-songwriter. He began his professional career in the Portuguese version of ‘X Factor‘, where he participated in 2013 as a soloist and in 2014 with his partner Luana Ribeiro, in both editions with some success and a creditable fourth place in his second attempt. It wasn’t until 2016 where he started to stand out in the Portuguese music industry , when he managed to win the fourth edition of the Portuguese version of ‘The Voice’, where his blind audition was a viral success, becoming one of the most watched videos of all editions of ‘The Voice’ worldwide. The following year, he presented himself at the Festival da Canção 2017, with his bet “Poema a Dois“, where he started as one of the great favourites, but ended up in a disappointing fifth place. That edition, as we all know, the champion was Salvador Sobral, who would also achieve Portugal’s first Eurovision victory. In 2021 he returned to ‘The Voice’ but in its version for the youngest, where he mentored Simão Oliveira, winning again and composing his song for Eurovision Junior and now in 2023 he has won again, mentoring Júlia Machado and winning again the right to compose her song with which she represents Portugal in the European festival.
- João Direitinho is a 27-year-old Portuguese composer who has written several songs for Fernando Daniel. His first musical release was in 2010 and in addition to his songs for Fernando, he is also famous for composing for other artists such as Átoa and Marco Rodrigues.
- Aurora Pinto is a 13-year-old Portuguese singer and songwriter. She was a finalist in the second edition of the Portuguese‘La Voz Kids’ in 2021, the year Simão Oliveira won. She plays guitar and piano and her favourite genres are rock, blues and soul. One of his big dreams was to meet Axel Rose, who is his favourite singer. Music has already given him some awards as in 2020 he won a trip to sing in Romania, after participating in the Serra da Estrela International Festival in 2019.
- Luís “Twins” Pereira is a Portuguese musician, producer and composer. This will not be his first work for a Eurovision bid, as earlier this year he was one of the composers of the music for “Ai Coração”, Mimicat ‘s song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. He has composed for several famous artists in recent years, such as Fernando Daniel himself or Ana Bacalhau.
Learn more about Júlia Machado
Júlia Machado (12 years old) lives in New Jersey (USA), although she loves spending her summers in Portugal. In her spare time, she does theatre, enjoys cycling and surfing in Nazaré.
In her spare time she is dedicated to theatre and especially enjoys singing, giving her voice at the Count Basie Theatre School in New Jersey and also singing at the Portuguese Club in Long Branch. One of her favourite songs is “Andorinhas” by Ana Moura. When she grows up she wants to be a veterinarian or a singer.
Despite living abroad, she loves her home country, Portugal, and visits her family every summer.
Júlia also enjoys cycling and is passionate about surfing, which she often finds at Nazaré, a beach in central Portugal known for its giant waves. When she grows up she would like to be a vet or a singer, the latter she has already started to achieve and will go down in Portuguese Eurovision history.
Portugal at Junior Eurovision
Portugal took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the first time at the 2006 edition in Bucharest, after broadcasting the year before at the 2005 edition in Hasselt. Pedro Madeira with his song “Deixa-Me Sentir” did not make it past the penultimate place, the same result he obtained in Rotterdam 2007, with Jorge Leiria and “Só Quero é Cantar”. In these first editions, RTP bet on the children’s version of the Festival Da Canção to choose its standard bearers for Junior Eurovision.
The poor results together with the cost of participation and the discreet audience figures obtained led Portuguese television to stay away from the contest for 9 editions.
Finally, in 2017, after Salvador Sobral’s victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, Portuguese television decided to return to the contest with Mariana Venâncio and her “Youtuber”. In recent years, with the exception of the 2020 edition when it withdrew due to the health situation, Portugal has maintained its regular presence in the contest , with somewhat discreet results. Since 2021, RTP chooses its representatives through the Portuguese version of “La Voz Kids”.
At Junior Eurovision 2021, held in Paris (France), the 101 points obtained by Simão Oliveira with his song “O Rapaz”, took Portugal to 11th place, starting a path towards improving its results at the festival.
Last year in Yerevan (Armenia), Nicolas Alves with “Anos 70” achieved the best result ever for Portugal at Junior Eurovision. The young artist reached 8th place with 121 points, his highest score so far.
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place on Sunday 26 November in the beautiful coastal city of Nice, France, under the inspiring theme “Heroes”. This event promises to offer a series of exciting surprises and unforgettable moments.
For this year 2023, the competition has chosen the South of France as its location, specifically the “Palais Nikaia”. This majestic venue, also known as the “temple of music“, opened its doors to the public on 4 April 2001 and boasts an impressive surface area of more than 9,000 square metres. The Palais Nikaia is the perfect venue to host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023, which promises to be a show full of glitter and young talent.
France, with two victories on its record at this event, has the honour of hosting the 21st edition of this children’s festivalthat has been gaining popularity year after year among young audiences. Junior Eurovision has given visibility to new talents in the world of music, and France is excited to be the host country.
French broadcaster, with its experience in organising Paris 2021, is committed to delivering a high standard of entertainment and maintaining the characteristic quality of Junior Eurovision. The aim is to make this 21st edition a “unique and unrepeatable” festival. France Télévisions will do its utmost to organise Junior Eurovisionat an exceptional level.
In 2022, the city of Yerevan, capital of Armenia, hosted the contest for the second time in its history, having previously been the host in 2011. On that occasion, France surprised by taking victory with the performance of Lissandro and his song ‘Oh Maman! His charisma and energy catapulted him to the top of the contest, captivating both the national juries and online viewers, earning a total of 203 points and the coveted crystal microphone.
France is looking forward to once again hosting this competition that celebrates music, friendship and diversity, putting Europe’s young talents in the spotlight. The question on everyone’s mind is: who will be the lucky youngster to win the little crystal microphone this year? We will know the answer at the end of November.