Eurovision (and other music) Roundup Saturday 2022.10.01

I was gonna do a straight-up music review, but both Eurovision and Junior Eurovision (and Hurricane Ian) had other plans, so let’s go

16 Countries competing in Junior Eurovision 2022

On Monday, the European Broadcasting Union released the names of 16 countries that will compete at the 20th Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Yerevan, Armenia this December. That is a drop from 19 countries that took part in Paris last year. The United Kingdom is back after 17 years, but 4 countries dipped out this year… Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, and Russia. Even though they got 16 countries in, there is always a possibility of adding and/or subtracting one more.

Netherlands and Poland select entries

The Netherlands has selected Luna to represent them with La Festa, beating out three other acts.

Meanwhile, Poland is sending Laura Bączkiewic to Yerevan with the song To The Moon. Both songs as well as Ukraine’s entry will be reviewed in due course. Malta will choose their entry tomorrow, so stay tuned for next week’s recap

Junior Eurovision 2011 Rewatch

This week, I’ll be watching Junior Eurovision 2011, which was held in *drumroll* Yerevan, Armenia. And, yes, it was held at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, which is the same venue hosting this year’s contest. So, be it that it’s 11 years apart, this might be cool and a bit weird. But I’m gonna watch it

Glasgow or Liverpool

Going to Eurovision, the BBC announced on Tuesday that Glasgow and Liverpool are the host city finalists for the 2023 contest. Glasgow was my first choice, so I’m happy with this update. I never really saw Liverpool as a front-runner, though I was expecting Birmingham to take the cut. If you’re curious about which other cities were previously in the running, you can read one of my earlier blog posts here

Favorite Non-Eurovision Tracks of the Week

And finally, some favorite tracks outside of the contests this week are below

• BLACKPINK — Shut Down
• Jay Chou — Xie Zi Te Da Hao (Extra Large Shoes)
• Eats Everything — Honey (Torren Foot Remix)
• Sam Smith & Kim Petras — Unholy
• Beyonce — CUFF IT
• BLACKPINK — Pink Venom
• ROSALIA — BIZCOCHITO