JESC Press Conference: Checking in on Yerevan 2022

11 May 2022 at 19:00 CEST

Yerevan will host the 2022 Junior Eurovision Song Contest

Armenian broadcaster AMPTV shared an update on the organisation of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest coming up this December.

Armenia’s Head of Delegation David Tserunyan and Head of Press Anna Ohanyan were joined by 2021's Junior Eurovision champion Maléna to invite us all to Armenia this December 11th at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex in the capital city of Yerevan.

Press conference with Anna Ohanyan, Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2021 winner Maléna and David Tserunyan EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

Maléna, who won last year’s event in Paris with her modern dance song Qami Qami, describes her victorious moment as both surreal and life-changing, even months later. From hearing the voice of French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour as she boarded her shuttle bus in Paris to lifting the trophy high as the credits rolled, the young singer, songwriter, actress, and budding cellist still gets emotional when she thinks about last year’s Junior Eurovision experience.

I couldn’t believe it was happening to me! It was unbelievable, and I’ll never forget those feelings. I can’t even imagine that it’s my song that people are singing in my country, and that people know me. On TikTok, it felt like every other song I heard was mine! It’s definitely given me fame, sure, but I’m more confident in myself and I believe in myself more. You can believe in your wildest dreams, and know that they’re reachable!

📺 Watch: Maléna – Qami Qami – Junior Eurovision 2021

The 2022 edition of Junior Eurovision will be a special one, as it will mark the contest’s 20th running, as well as the first time that the event has been held in Armenia since the nation hosted at the same venue in 2011. As Tserunyan says:

We’ll be more than happy, and more than ready, to welcome each and every country that wants to participate in the Contest to Yerevan. We shouldn’t forget that this is going to be the twentieth Junior Eurovision Song Contest, a big anniversary. It’s spectacular to have this show running for such a long time, becoming an established program. It would be lovely to see some new countries, maybe those that are taking part at the ‘adult’ Eurovision that have never been to Junior. Maybe this anniversary edition would be a good opportunity for those countries to join the show!

Preparations are already rolling for this December’s event, with full support from both national and municipal governmental agencies. Head of Press Anna Ohanyan explains:

Holding the Junior Eurovision in 2011 helps us a lot, giving us the practice of making an unforgettable event in Armenia. This time, we have good guidelines on how to hold such a big event in our country. The Armenian Government has already formed a commission on the preparations for Junior Eurovision, and city authorities are engaged, so we’re in full swing! You’ll see what’s new, and what’s been preserved from 2011. The venue is the same, but it will be undergoing some renovation to have more capacity and be more convenient for both the artists and for the audience.