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Saying 'Hello!' to Russia and France! 🇷🇺🇫🇷

16 December 2021 at 18:00 CET
After their first rounds of rehearsals here at La Seine Musicale in Paris, the JuniorEurovision.tv team took a moment to get to know Russia's Tanya Mezhentseva and France's Enzo!

🇷🇺Russia

Russia’s Tanya Mezhentseva returns to the Junior Eurovision stage with Mon Ami following her 2019 duet with Denberel Oorzhak, A Time for Us. A person can grow quite a bit as an artist in the span of two years, and Tanya feels that she’s learned a lot since her experience in Gliwice.

'I’ve been working a lot on my music, and I’ve released more songs, so I’ve got a lot more experience. I’m singing better and I’ve been improving my skills…I feel a lot more comfortable on stage now than I did two years ago.'

Tanya Mezhentseva, Russia, First Rehearsal, La Seine Musicale, Paris, 15 December 2021 Andres Putting/EBU

Even though she’s an experienced artist, that doesn’t mean she’s immune from the flutter of nerves that even the most seasoned singers naturally feel when they perform. If she were to offer her past-self some advice, she’d say:

'Don’t get too scared if you’re going on stage, because it ruins everything. You can mess up or forget your words, which would be very bad. We have rehearsals before we have our performance, so you need to get your nerves out then! By the time you get to the real thing, you’ll already know the stage, you’ll know where to sing, you’ll know the words.'

Tanya’s just turned 12 this week, and she’s got one special birthday gift in mind: the Junior Eurovision trophy.

'Of course, everybody wants to win, but I came back to take first place, so I hope I’ll return to Junior Eurovision as the reigning champion, welcoming people to the host country.'

🇫🇷France

Representing France on home soil is 13-year-old Enzo, who serves up tons of energy with Tic Tac. Some people might see this as 'home field advantage’, while others might see it as extra stress, but Enzo takes it all in stride.

'It is what it is! Even though France won last year, and it’s in France, of course there’s a bit of pressure, but mostly it’s just excitement! I can’t wait to jump in and give it all of my energy.'

Enzo, France, First Rehearsal, La Seine Musicale, 15 December 2021 Andres Putting/EBU

Tic Tac is about how life moves so quickly, but you have to take the time to slow things down and enjoy the little moments that might pass you by.

'The song has a powerful message, even though people think it’s a happy, joyful, tic-tac-tic, but it has a message that I’d like to spread. Slow down, stop doing things so quickly, and enjoy every second of your life because you never know when the last one will be.'

Enzo takes this message to heart, especially considering that he currently lives in the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong, where moments of quiet can often feel like they’re few and far between.

'I slow things down by listening to music and by watching everything that happens in the world. It slows down time and makes everything easier to understand.

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