As the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 countdown approaches its final hours, our team of correspondents continues its journey through this year’s line-up, delving into the songs, voices and stories that are about to take the stage in Tbilisi.
Spread across six articles, this series takes a country-by-country look at all the competing entries. In this penultimate round, the focus shifts to Malta, Ireland and Azerbaijan — three countries offering contrasting moods, cultural influences and musical styles, as the road to the Junior Eurovision stage enters its final stretch.
Malta:
Amine Othmani – It’s giving me Disney vibe, I don’t like it, I don’t hate it, it’s just not my taste, and in the Disney domain I prefer the Spanish version.
Yaghia Morales – I just don't like it. Again, I don't like this musical theatre and movies inspired style. Although I understand it is a contest for kids mostly, so this choice of sending this kind of songs may make sense. But the song doesn't sound at all original.
Antonio Soriano – Another Disney song, but I still couldn’t say whether I like it or not; it leaves me a bit indifferent.
Lucas Hey – A forgettable Disney-style ballad, with a music video that doesn’t help it. I struggle to imagine anything other than a poor result.
Lucas West – Similar to Croatia for me, it’s a cute song, but not much beyond that.
Ireland:
Amine Othmani – There is an Irish authenticity and this is good. The music is well carried by the singer. The melody is not as good as the artist.
Yaghia Morales – It's not my style at all but I do like that it's completely in Irish, as it's a language that has almost no presence in the contest nowadays. I don't know how much potential it has to get a good result.
Antonio Soriano – For me, Ireland is always a 10/10. Once again, it moved me, and I love the song.
Lucas Hey – A cute song, but one that doesn’t move me much. It feels too similar to other Irish Junior entries. Still, it’s pleasant.
Lucas West – I love that in Junior Eurovision you hear so many native languages. It’s amazing to see the Irish singer performing in Irish Gaelic! The song feels powerful.
Azerbaijan:
Amine Othmani – When the music starts, we imagine that this will be a bop. I could feel a Malena or Viki Gabor vibe and after that a weak bridge and chorus that could be better. It’s sad!
Yaghia Morales – What I like the most about this song is to listen to Azeri language, which is not so common in the contest and I consider it an interesting language (after Turkey's depart from the contest some Turkic flavor is missing). The song itself is ok but I don't think it really stands out that much and it may depend a lot on the stage work.
Antonio Soriano – It seems like a children’s song to me, which is what this festival is about. Even though it’s currently underestimated, I think it could be a surprise...
Lucas Hey – A very pleasant song, very junior, but unfortunately it overlaps with the Ukrainian entry. It’s currently in my provisional top 3, but I fear that the comparison with Ukraine could work against it in Tbilisi.
Lucas West – I’m sorry, but this one didn’t really work for me. The instrumental and beat sound a bit like karaoke and remind me of songs from the early 2000s, not in a good way. It also feels a bit messy overall.
William Montilla – The melody isn’t very original; it reminds me of previous Azerbaijani entries. While the song is not entirely bad, it lacks freshness.
