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Mamma mia! Get to know Andria Putkaradze from Georgia

25 October 2024 at 16:30 CEST
Andria Putkaradze will sing for Georgia in Madrid
Andria Putkaradze is waving the flag for Georgia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the mother of all ballads, ‘To My Mom.’
Andria Putkaradze will sing for Georgia in Madrid

Georgian broadcaster GPB got to work early in 2024, looking for their next representative at Junior Eurovision. After a tight competition in the televised talent contest RANINA, Andria came out on top, and now he’s heading to Madrid.

Andria has dreams of becoming a professional singer, and has been performing since the age of two. He’s been part of the vocal ensemble Sons of the Sea since he was 6, but this time he’ll be up on stage as a solo artist.

First there was Mamma Mia. Then there was the Spice Girls’ Mama. There was even Bohemian Rhapsody (“Mamaaaa…!”). And now, Andria is putting his own mother in the spotlight with his Junior Eurovision song To My Mom. 

Whether or not he takes home the Junior Eurovision trophy, Andria is bound to get the son of the year award after singing to the whole of Europe about how much he loves his mum. Here’s to Mama Putkaradze!

Andria Putkaradze will sing for Georgia in Madrid

The song was written by Georgian composer Giorgi Kukhianidze, with lyrics co-written by Maka Davitaia. Giorgi has been writing songs for Georgia since the country started competing in Junior Eurovision in 2007, and he’s had plenty of success.

Georgia has won Junior Eurovision three times, in 2008, 2011, and 2016, putting them joint top of the leaderboard with France. Giorgi was behind all of the country’s winning songs. One of those was sugar-sweet pop hit CANDY performed by Candy Music and featuring the singer Iru, who later competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with Echo.

Giorgi also wrote bee-bop Bzzz performed by Bzikebi, and power ballad Mzeo sung by Mariam Mamadashvili. Will To My Mom get Georgia a 4th win, and put them out in front?

As well as singing, Andria loves to spend his spare time playing video games with his friends. His best ever birthday present was a PlayStation, and he particularly enjoys playing Mario. He loves watching him jump around, collect coins, and go on adventures.

Andria’s favourite song is right on brand — it’s a Georgian entry from Junior Eurovision. The song in question is Mariam Bigvava’s I Believe, which she performed at the 2022 Contest, finishing in 3rd place.

This is another song with music written by Giorgi Kukhianidze and is full of slow and heavy beats, with a similar mysterious vibe to Iru’s Echo. And guess who had a hand in the I Believe lyrics? Iru herself.

When it comes to popstars, Andria is starstruck by Michael Jackson, who he thinks had the best voice ever. Listen out for Thriller playing backstage in Madrid.

Andria’s favourite superhero is Captain America, and if he could be invisible for a day, he’d sneak into superhero movie sets to see how they do the special effects. We might not have actual superpowers, but when Andria gets to rehearsals in Madrid, he’ll certainly get to see how Junior Eurovision comes together. Flying? Sure. Teleportation? No problem. Magic? Definitely.

Andria has been to Spain twice before, to Barcelona and the coastal town of Lloret de Mar, and he thought both were beautiful. He’s never been to Madrid before, and is excited to be heading there to represent his country. 

You can learn more about Andria Putkaradze from Georgia right here.

Andria Putkaradze will sing for Georgia in Madrid

You can now stream the official #JESC2024 album and watch all 17 songs over on the official #JESC YouTube channel

Make sure to keep up to date with all the latest news and BTS action by following #JESC2024 on InstagramTikTok and Facebook, before Junior Eurovision returns LIVE from the Caja Mágica in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday 16 November.

You can watch the show live on the #JESC YouTube channel and don't forget to vote for your favourites over at JESC.TV when voting opens!