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 competing for victory. Malta is once again taking charge of organising the European contest, for the third time in its history.
The Eurovision stage will be filled with talent, excitement and music as Junior Eurovision 2026 takes place. The 16 young participants will have the opportunity to perform their entries and fulfil one of their greatest dreams: representing their countries before viewers around the world. As it approaches its first quarter-century, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest will once again take place under the slogan “United By Music”, reaffirming the spirit of unity that defines the competition. This time, there is an added attraction: an invitation for us to join in the great Maltese “festa”, where music, tolerance and diversity are essential parts of the show.
With the big event drawing ever closer, the time has come to focus on its stars and discover the details of each of the 16 entries competing for 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, we explore the biography and professional career of Violamarie, San Marino’s representative at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The young artist secured her ticket to Ta’ Qali after being internally selected by Sammarinese broadcaster SMRTV. Her selection opened the doors to the contest, where she will fly her country’s flag with “Ruota Panoramica”.
How did her journey towards Junior Eurovision begin? What made her fall in love with music? What are her biggest dreams? And what does the song she will perform on the Ta’ Qali stage mean? Through her story, we get to know young Violamarie, who is taking part in this 24th edition, a little better.
Meet Violamarie: a young talent with big dreams on stage
Viola Marie Ledda, known professionally as Violamarie, is an 11-year-old Italian singer of Milanese origin. She has built a strong presence on social media and has become one of the new faces of children’s and youth music in her country.
Although she is still a child, Violamarie arrives at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after several years of artistic training, television appearances, music competitions and intense activity on social media. Her career stands out above all for multidisciplinary training that combines singing, piano, dance, acting, musical theatre and dubbing.
Violamarie grew up surrounded by the world of entertainment. From an early age, she showed an interest in Disney characters, singing, dance and musical theatre. Her family played an important role in her first artistic steps: she started out by accompanying her parents in theatre productions for young audiences.
For her, music never remained just a hobby. At around the age of five, she began more structured artistic training, with individual lessons and pre-academic and academic courses. Her training included singing, piano, classical and modern dance, to which other performing disciplines were later added.
She trained at various schools and academies in Liguria, Lombardy and the Rimini area, and later continued her studies in Rome. This variety of training means that her preparation is not limited to vocal technique, but covers the different skills needed to feel at home on stage.
Multidisciplinary artistic training
One of the most striking aspects of Violamarie’s profile is precisely the breadth of her training. As well as working on her voice, she has studied music, piano, dance, acting, musical theatre and dubbing.
From the age of nine, she broadened her training in musical theatre and the performing arts. Her training has included courses at Rome’s Teatro Sistina, the Roman school Art Dubbing, which specialises in dubbing, and Silvia Mezzanotte’s TVA Academy, where she has trained with vocal coach Sefora Firenze. She has also taken part in various workshops led by Italian and international professionals.
This preparation is particularly significant for an artist who does not limit herself to singing. The aim is to develop her voice, her physical performance and her ability to tell a story on stage all at the same time.
First competitions and awards
Before becoming San Marino’s representative, Violamarie gained experience in several Italian music competitions and festivals, including Je So Pazzo, Tour Music Fest, Sanremo Junior and Performer Cup.
One of her first awards came in 2022, when she won the Baby category at the Je So Pazzo Music Festival. She was still very young, but she had already begun to build a competitive track record in children’s and youth music.
These experiences were accompanied by her first television appearances, which helped to raise her profile beyond the music competition circuit.
Zecchino d’Oro: her first major television exposure
One of the most important chapters of her career came in 2023, when she took part in the 66th Zecchino d’Oro, one of Italy’s most traditional and best-known children’s song festivals.
Violamarie, who was eight years old at the time, performed “Dita nel naso”, with lyrics by Pierpaolo Guerrini and Enrico Rosteni and music by Pierpaolo Guerrini and Matteo Bocelli. The song uses children’s humour to present an everyday situation: a girl who watches adults break the very rules of behaviour that they themselves teach to children.
As a curiosity, Violamarie explained that at first she was not convinced by the title, because she herself never puts her fingers up her nose, but that she later understood the meaning of the song and felt it suited her personality. Taking part in the Zecchino d’Oro was an important step, as it allowed her voice to reach a much wider audience.
From television to social media
Violamarie also appeared on ‘La Tv dei 100 e uno’, a Canale 5 programme aimed at children and families. These television appearances helped to introduce her artistic personality to Italian audiences. However, her career later took a different direction: instead of focusing solely on competitions and television programmes, her family decided to concentrate on a digital project based on social media and musical collaborations.
The result has been a considerable community. Violamarie has more than 350,000 followers and over a billion views across her various platforms. The repertoire she shares on social media is wide, ranging from songs associated with the Disney universe to pop hits from the 1990s and 2000s. This variety has allowed her to show different vocal registers and to reach audiences of all ages.
Her growth on social media has also brought her into contact with artists and professionals from Italian music. The names associated with her career include Eros Ramazzotti, Tosca, Giorgia, Pietro Morello, Adriano Pennino, Pierpaolo Guerrini, Silvia Mezzanotte and Fiorella Mannoia. Artists such as Cheryl Porter and Serena Autieri, together with the content-creator duo Me Contro Te, have also praised her work.
These encounters are part of a different career model from that of a child singer who only takes part in competitions: Violamarie has been building a digital identity based on performances, collaborations and shared appearances.
Street performances and an international dimension
One of the most eye-catching sides of Violamarie is her spontaneous performances with street musicians. During 2025, videos began to circulate internationally in which the young singer approached artists who were playing in the street and asked to join in.
Among these performances, one stands out: a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” alongside street musician Raphaël Froissart. Another performance that became especially well known took place in London’s Covent Garden (United Kingdom), where she crossed paths with British singer Calum Scott. On that occasion, Scott was performing with the violin duo Violin Phonix when Violamarie came up and asked to sing with them. The collaboration turned into a performance of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, made famous by Whitney Houston. The video of that performance spread widely online and helped to take her image beyond Italy.
These performances are of particular interest in her career because they show a different side of the artist: not only a child prepared for a formal stage, but a performer able to react to spontaneous musical situations and share the spotlight with musicians she has never met before.
A repertoire that connects generations
Violamarie’s repertoire is not limited to a single genre. Her training and her digital content cover children’s songs, Disney numbers and major pop hits. This variety fits a career built between two worlds. On the one hand, she keeps elements of children’s music and family entertainment. On the other, her repertoire includes songs associated with great international pop voices, which demands work on very different vocal registers and styles.
That combination is precisely one of the features that define her as a performer: Violamarie has trained to sing, but also to act and feel at ease in different stage settings.
Despite the wealth of experience she has gathered, what makes her path so far exceptional is not only the number of competitions and programmes she has taken part in, but the combination of artistic training, television exposure, digital activity and collaborations with other performers.
The road to Junior Eurovision 2026: internal selection by broadcaster SMRTV
San Marino will once again be present at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Public broadcaster San Marino RTV has internally selected Violamarie to represent the Most Serene Republic at the 2026 edition. With this choice, San Marino faces its third consecutive participation since its return in Madrid 2024. Violamarie’s entry is also San Marino’s sixth in the history of Junior Eurovision.
The choice of Violamarie maintains the internal selection formula that San Marino RTV has used to put together its entry. The young performer was chosen through an internal process run by the broadcaster, which focused on her artistic experience and her musical career despite her young age.
For Denny Montesi, San Marino’s head of delegation, the aim is to build on the upward trend that began last year and to present a project with an international dimension. The delegation has stated that it intends to raise the bar compared with 2025 and to build a contemporary entry around Violamarie.
The choice of an Italian performer also highlights the close cultural and geographical ties between San Marino and Italy. The young artist comes from a neighbouring country that shares its language and a large part of its cultural tradition, a connection that has been present in many Sammarinese entries.
Discover “Ruota Panoramica”, Violamarie’s entry representing San Marino at Junior Eurovision 2026
Violamarie will represent San Marino at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with “Ruota Panoramica”, which translates as “Ferris Wheel”. The Sammarinese entry is a pop song that combines Italian and English. It was written by Emilio Munda, Piero Romitelli and Denny Montesi.
“Ruota Panoramica” conveys a message of freedom, courage and togetherness. The Ferris wheel works as a metaphor for life: everything turns, changes and goes through ups and downs. However, even when rain, fear or difficulties appear, the song invites us to keep moving forward without letting anyone knock us down.
The heart, compared to a pinwheel, symbolises the ability to get moving again and recover hope. In addition, the presence of another person makes the journey feel safer: together, the protagonists cannot fall.
The idea of freedom appears as a new light after difficult moments. From the top of the Ferris wheel, fear looks small and the world is seen from another perspective. In this way, the song presents growing up and overcoming insecurities not as a solitary struggle, but as a shared experience, full of music, hope and confidence in the future.
The team behind San Marino’s entry for Junior Eurovision 2026
Emilio Munda is an Italian composer, songwriter, producer and arranger born in Fermo in 1982. He began playing the drums at the age of four and taught himself to play several instruments. He has worked with artists such as Umberto Tozzi, Francesco Renga, Nina Zilli, Michele Bravi and Il Volo.
Piero Romitelli is an Italian singer and songwriter. He took part in ‘Amici di Maria De Filippi’ and later formed the duo Pquadro with Pietro Napolano. He has also built an important career as a songwriter, with notable collaborations with artists such as Marco Mengoni, Nina Zilli, Francesco Renga, Noemi and Dear Jack.
Denny Montesi is an Italian businessman linked to the world of entertainment, music and events. He has developed projects related to the production of shows and music competitions. He is the managing director of Media Evolution – the production company behind the San Marino Song Contest national selection – and, since September 2025, San Marino’s head of delegation at the Eurovision events. He is also one of the songwriters of “Ruota Panoramica”.
Lyrics to “Ruota Panoramica” by Violamarie, San Marino’s entry at Junior Eurovision 2026
Italian / English
Gira la luna che gira il mondo
E gira in torno ma senza un perchè
Un pò come me
Un girasole a mezzogiorno anche se infondo il sole non c’è
E non importa se qui c’è chi ti butta giù
Per loro Io non piango più
Mi riprometto che nuova luce splenderà
Non senti che rumore fa
La libertà
Gira gira in tondo ma che bello il mondo
Quando sei con me
C’è musica mica sottofondo tu sei il mappamondo delle mie anime
Round ‘n round and spinning around
While the rain is falling down
Like the stars in a night of summer
Round ‘n round and spinning around
Even the earth is falling down
But we can’t fall if we’re together
Il cuore è come una girandola ci puoi soffiare
Viaggiando a gonfie vele
Sopra una ruota panoramica
Si vede bene che la paura è niente
Gira la moda e con il vento
Anche mulini ed eliche
Ogni pianeta dell’universo
E se ti stringo più forte a me
Lo sai che
Gira gira in tondo ma che bello il mondo
Quando sei con me
C’è musica mica sottofondo tu sei il mappamondo delle mie anime
Round ‘n round and spinning around
While the rain is falling down
Like the stars in a night of summer
Round ‘n round and spinning around
even the earth is falling down
but we can’t fall if we’re together
Il cuore è come una girandola ci puoi soffiare
Viaggiando a gonfie vele
Sopra una ruota panoramica
Si vede bene che la paura è niente
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Niente e nessuno mai ci fermerà
Già respiro aria di libertà
Sopra una ruota panoramica
Si vede bene che la paura è niente
English
The moon turns, and so does the world
And it spins around without a reason why
A bit like me
A sunflower at noon, even if deep down the sun isn’t there
And it doesn’t matter if there’s someone here who brings you down
I don’t cry over them any more
I promise myself that a new light will shine
Can’t you hear the sound
Of freedom?
Spin, spin around, how beautiful the world is
When you’re with me
There’s music, not just in the background, you are the globe of my souls
Round ‘n round and spinning around
While the rain is falling down
Like the stars in a night of summer
Round ‘n round and spinning around
Even the earth is falling down
But we can’t fall if we’re together
The heart is like a pinwheel, you can blow on it
Sailing along at full speed
On top of a Ferris wheel
You can clearly see that fear is nothing
Fashion turns and, with the wind,
So do windmills and propellers
Every planet in the universe
And if I hold you closer to me
You know that
Spin, spin around, how beautiful the world is
When you’re with me
There’s music, not just in the background, you are the globe of my souls
Round ‘n round and spinning around
While the rain is falling down
Like the stars in a night of summer
Round ‘n round and spinning around
even the earth is falling down
but we can’t fall if we’re together
The heart is like a pinwheel, you can blow on it
Sailing along at full speed
On top of a Ferris wheel
You can clearly see that fear is nothing
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Nothing and no one will ever stop us
I can already breathe the air of freedom
On top of a Ferris wheel
You can clearly see that fear is nothing
Enjoy all the Junior Eurovision 2026 songs in the ESCplus playlist on Spotify:
San Marino at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
San Marino made its Junior Eurovision debut in 2013, at the edition held in Kyiv. The small republic sent Michele Perniola with “O-o-O Sole intorno a me”, finishing 10th with 42 points.
The following year, in 2014, San Marino chose a group: The Peppermints, made up of five girls of different nationalities (four Italians and one Sammarinese). With “Breaking My Heart”, luck was not on their side, and the country finished 15th with just 21 points, in an edition with 16 participants.
In 2015, San Marino took part for the last time in its first period in the contest. Its representative was Kamilla Ismailova, with “Mirror”. Born in Russia, she represented the country in its third participation. Her performance in Sofia (Bulgaria) earned 36 points, placing 14th out of 17 countries.
After the 2015 edition, San Marino RTV withdrew from the contest for budgetary reasons and stayed away until 2024. Although in May 2024 it initially ruled out a return, in September it surprised fans by confirming its comeback in Madrid 2024.
For 2024, the broadcaster internally selected the group Idols SM, made up of four girls aged 11 and 12: Asia Ceccoli, Giulia Rinaldi, Giorgia De Scisciolo and Vera Stefania Olkhovskaya. With “Come Noi”, they could not climb above last place (17th) with 47 points, San Marino’s lowest-ever finishing position at Junior Eurovision.
In Tbilisi 2025, San Marino kept faith with Junior Eurovision through young Martina CRV. Her entry “Beyond the Stars” received 125 points, which translated into 9th place, the Most Serene Republic’s best result in the contest. Specifically, she finished 11th in the national juries’ vote, but climbed to 3rd place in the online vote.
After that best-ever result, San Marino now returns to the Junior Eurovision stage with Violamarie and “Ruota Panoramica”, hoping to keep up the upward trend that began in Tbilisi.