Zoe Clauzure, holding her trophy high and proud, after winning the Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC) on Nov. 26. Photo by Corinne Cumming and the European Broadcasting Union.
On Sunday, Nov. 26, the 21st edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest (JESC) happened in Nice, France, after Lissandro won with his song, “Oh Maman!” last year in Yerevan, Armenia. This year’s contest, whose slogan was “HEROES,” saw sixteen people, aged 9 to 14, compete for the glass microphone trophy, similar to the adult version of the contest back in May.
This year’s participants saw a flower-wielding girl from Ukraine, a pop trio from the United Kingdom and a sign language performer from Germany. This year also saw the addition of Estonia, making their debut performance in the JESC after participating in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 29 times as of this year. Estonia’s song titled “Hoiame Kokku” (“Staying Together”), however, placed fifteenth out of sixteen this year.
At the end of the 2-and-a-half-hour competition, France took home the win with Zoé Clauzure’s song “Cœur” (“Heart”) earning 228 points. France surpassed second place by 27 points, beating Spain’s performance of “Loviu” by Sandra Valero. The winning song “Cœur” was performed by 13-year-old Clauzure, giving France their second consecutive win and its third overall, equaling the contest record set by Georgia in 2016 and their third win in the span of 4 years.
Clauzure is a pianist from Montrouge and has performed with Amir (France’s Eurovision Song Contest 2016 participant) and French singer-songwriter Yseult, recorded several singles and even made it to the semi-finals of The Voice Kids France in 2020. An accomplished songwriter, she writes lyrics and chords in a notebook, composes with Logic Pro software and records her covers played on the piano to post to her social networks.
Martin Österdahl, the contest’s executive supervisor, said, “France TV has delivered an exceptional edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, showcasing the talent and diversity of young artists from across Europe. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to France TV for their remarkable organization, passion and dedication in making the 2023 contest a resounding success. Congratulations to the deserving winner, Zoé from France, whose outstanding performance captivated audiences around the world and exemplified the spirit of Junior Eurovision. Everyone who performed on the stage here in Nice are true Heroes.”
At the time of writing, there is no immediate decision on whether France will host again next year. It is speculated that France will not host next year, ceding hosting rights to another participating country, as was done prior to the 2023 Eurovision, in which Ukraine won in 2022, but because of the conflict in Ukraine, hosting rights went to the United Kingdom.
All of the performances are available to rewatch on the JESC YouTube page or on junioreurovision.tv, along with the full live show and live shows from past years. ESC is set to take place on May 7, 9 and 11, 2024, in Malmö, Sweden.
